"Babylon 5" Intersections in Real Time (1997)

User Rating:

9.1/10   

Director:

John Lafia

Writers:

J. Michael Straczynski (creator) and
J. Michael Straczynski (writer)

TV Series:

"Babylon 5" (1994)

Original Air Date:

16 June 1997 (Season 4, Episode 18)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Sheridan has been captured. Now he's being tortured for information. How long can he hold out? |

Plot Keywords:

Space | Space Station | Saga | Mass Destruction | Fascism

Cast

Bruce Boxleitner	...	Capt. John Sheridan
Claudia Christian	...	Cmdr. Susan Ivanova (credit only)
Jerry Doyle	...	Michael Garibaldi (credit only)
Mira Furlan	...	Delenn
Richard Biggs	...	Dr. Stephen Franklin (credit only)
Bill Mumy	...	Lennier (credit only)
Jason Carter	...	Marcus Cole (credit only)
Stephen Furst	...	Vir Cotto (credit only)
Jeff Conaway	...	Zack Allan (credit only)
Patricia Tallman	...	Lyta Alexander (credit only)
Andreas Katsulas	...	G'Kar (credit only)
Peter Jurasik	...	Londo Mollari (credit only)
Raye Birk	...	William
Wayne Alexander	...	Drazi
Bruce Gray	...	Interrogator

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

In J. Michael Straczynski's original plan, this was to be the Season 4 finale, saving the "meat" of the Earth civil war for Season 5. The plan had to be substantially altered when it seemed the show would be canceled after Season 4.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[cutbacks:]
Michael Garibaldi: Captain, I just thought you should know. They've got your dad, John. They traced him through his medication, picked him up at a safe house two days ago, just outside of Chicago. Now look, we've got a couple of days before they can move on this, and we should be able to break him out. I've got some people who can help, but they want a meeting.
Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: I mean it, John. I don't like the way this sounds, I dont like the way it looks, I don't like anything about it. It stinks of a setup.

Despite the theme of the episode being TORTURE, it's actually an amazing and interesting episode

This is an amazing and tough to watch episode, though unlike most of the best episodes it isn't action-packed and doesn't exactly have a big impact on the overall themes of season three or four. Instead, the entire episode is set in an unknown prison where Sheridan is being held and tortured in order to break him and get him to sign a confession based on trumped up charges. While at times, this episode was a tad tough to watch, most of the torture was more mental and intended to break his resolve, so it isn't THAT hard to watch. So why did I like the show--after all, I am NOT a sadist (seriously, I'm not--no matter what my students say about me). Well, it's because this episode is a GREAT look at human nature and the face of evil. The inquisitor isn't what you might expect from an amoral torturer--instead he looks like an average person who probably has a wife and kids and possibly even a dog. BUT, this is where the brilliance of the show comes through--so rarely does evil appear bad on the surface, but evil is assisted when supposedly good men and women comply because it's the expedient or safe thing to do. A terrific look at the face of evil and a great chance for Sheridan to stand out in what is almost a two man performance.