Babylon 5 (TV Series) Shadow Dancing (1996) User Reviews

First B5 Episode That I Ever Saw. I was immediately hooked.

[macthevorlon · 9/10 · 17 November 2019]

I felt like I was there on the Whitestar. It was everything that Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Voyager were not. It was exciting, it had great effects, and better writing. It felt real. Suspending disbelief was easy.

I'd been a Star Trek fan ever since the first episode, The Man Trap, in Sept. 1966, watching on a 19" Black & White Zenith TV. I had my own Bring Back Star Trek fan club in high school in the early to mid 1970s, and liked Next Gen., but by Sept. 1996, Trek was leaving me cold. Watching DS9 and VOY had become a chore. DS9 and VOY both had a lot of annoying characters and bad writing/plots and felt like a cheap soap opera to me.

Then, a fellow engineer and buddy, a mech. (I'm an EE.) recommended Babylon 5. I watched the new episode that night, Shadow Dancing, and was immediately hooked. I borrowed several misc., random eps. from my buddy, and watched them immediately. I dropped DS9 & VOY and never went back to Trek 'til Enterprise. I watched the new B5 episodes thru the end of Season 5 and watched the afternoon reruns from S1E1 Midnight on the Firing Line through the end, all five seasons again. With each rewatch, you notice things that you didn't notice in the previous time.

Babylon 5 in my favorite TV series. Shadow Dancing is a GREAT intro. episode. 👍👍

A lotta good and a little bad in this episode

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 23 January 2007]

Much of this show is exceptional and exciting--especially since the all-out battle against the Shadows is on and the excitement the audience has been anticipating all year is FINALLY here! I loved this part of the show and it's well worth seeing. However, the other concurrent plot involves Dr. Franklin and his "walkabout"--a theme that I found pretty silly and dull. Instead of going to the 23rd century's version of the Betty Ford Clinic, the Doctor has been aimlessly wandering about the ship in a self-indulgent and self-absorbed journey to "find himself". Yuck--how silly and needlessly angst-filled. However, this theme which has run through many episodes of season 3 is FINALLY (and thankfully) coming to an end, as the walkabout ultimately results in Franklin getting stabbed and left for dead. However, I did really appreciate what Franklin's alter-ego said to him when they finally did meet--this was pretty funny and was much like what you might have expected John Wayne to say!!

Excellent

[VenVes · 2 September 2018]

Some important events occur here, with some characters making headway in finding themselves as well.

Fantastic season ending, but not without its caveats

[GraXXoR · 7/10 · 10 April 2023]

It was undoubtedly a great ending to the third season, but just one one major factor that bugged the bejeezus out of me for the whole episode...

When Anna came back suddenly after 5 years, she had nothing kind to say about Sheridan, only enigmatic comments about ZaHadum and leading questions.

He sends her to Franklin who goes out of his way to say that dental records match 100% which is totally redundant considering that DNA records also match 100%..

And yet, within the confines of these two episodes they have completely and utterly forgotten the concept of the sleeper agent, that was Talia Winters. And not only that but the straight forward advice that, "THOSE WHO WOULD NOT COOPERATE WERE KILLED"

So she is either a sleeper or an accomplice.... But sure, let's just let her into the inner sanctum of B5... b'cuz Sheridan's Wife.

And then there is the epidermal scarring at the nape of her neck... AND NOWHERE ELSE!!! This is like one of cheeeezy af Sci Fi moments when the girlfriend's eyes turn red right while she is hugging her guy.

And to top it off, we get Sheridan reduced to a daytime TV melodrama figure in how he suddenly turns around and treats Delenn like sh..t as thought his doubt is her fault.

What an absolute sh..t show! Fun for a 12 year old boy, but not for an adult viewer. Super frustrating watch for me, harking back to the inconsistent first season.

SHOCKINGLY obtuse writing for a show that has been more intelligent than 90% of anything on the tube in its day. And worse that it happened arguably at the pinnacle of the entire show.

For me, personally, this was a criminal oversight and reduced an other wise 10 to a rather average (for this show) 7.

Do Gooder Steve Franklin

[polite-45692 · 3/10 · 18 May 2019]

Do gooder Steve Franklin got what was coming to him for interfering in a shady deal. The term "walkabout" is so annoying that it almost would justify letting Franklin bleed to death.