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Yay! Chuck is finally getting into some of the beefier B5 episodes. The ones that made you fall in love with it back in the day. Messages from Earth is the start of the big trilogy for B5. The center of it all Messages From Earth followed by Point of No Return and the climax Severed Dreams. Among the high points for not just this show, but for pretty much any of our beloved old school SCIFI television.

Notably, this trilogy follows the example of "The Ultimate Doom" from Transformers (G1) in having an epilogue episode - "Ceremonies of Light and Dark" clearly deals with the fallout from "Severed Dreams" before we get some breather episodes.

I have a lot of feelings about this episode. Not because of anything *in* this episode, though being wooed with bacon is certainly up my alley. But I first watched Babylon 5 in the pre-DVD era on VHS meticulously taped off the air in-order by my dad (complete with period commercials). This is one of a handful that was missing. So whenever the events of this episodes were mentioned it would irritate me intensely.

Also, I am genuinely unsure whether calling Marcus 'Malcolm' is a joke or just Chuck being terrible with names.

PhoenixTalion wrote:I have a lot of feelings about this episode. Not because of anything *in* this episode, though being wooed with bacon is certainly up my alley.

Which always confused me- isn't Ivanova supposed to be a practising Jew?

not all practicing jews keep kosher

nebagram wrote:

PhoenixTalion wrote:I have a lot of feelings about this episode. Not because of anything *in* this episode, though being wooed with bacon is certainly up my alley.

Which always confused me- isn't Ivanova supposed to be a practising Jew?

Aside from keeping Shiva (sp?) (which she initially resisted) in S1 and lighting a menorah at the end of S2, I don't recall that many times Ivanova was shown practicing her faith (not that the writers had to beat us over the head with it, mind). I always got the sense she was a "lapsed" Jew, but I could be wrong.

As for the bacon; well, Marcus might not have known she was Jewish. She did make a conscious effort, especially at this point in the series, to keep her out of her personal life as much as possible.

Just to clarify something, I've noticed that most people consider this episode as part of a trilogy,
I said 'four episodes' because I kind of consider the one after 'Severed Dreams' as part of this arc due to it tying up some of the loose ends of Babylon 5's secession from Earth Force.

PhoenixTalion wrote: Also, I am genuinely unsure whether calling Marcus 'Malcolm' is a joke or just Chuck being terrible with names.

If you check earlier in the thread, Chuck already commented on this. He apparently recorded when it was late and he was tired and had spent an hour unclogging a toilet.

RobbyB1982 wrote:

PhoenixTalion wrote: Also, I am genuinely unsure whether calling Marcus 'Malcolm' is a joke or just Chuck being terrible with names.

If you check earlier in the thread, Chuck already commented on this. He apparently recorded when it was late and he was tired and had spent an hour unclogging a toilet.

Otherwise known as communing with his creative center.

I joke of course, just throw in a rimshot there at the end.

There's a conspiracy of light, and Chuck fails to mention "The Light" from Young Justice? I am heartbroken.