Customer Reviews

Babylon 5: Born to The Purple [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Born to the Purple" is an intriguing episode which shows Londo Mollari's (Peter Jurasik) tender side, introducing us to his great love, Adira. Clive Revill is deliciously slimy as the villain Trakis who owns Adira, ordering her to obtain valuable secrets on the Centauri Republic's leading families from Londo. Unfortunately, it is coupled with "Infection", a monster of the week episode in classic "Star Trek" mode. What redeems it from being as bad as the worst "Star Trek" is Commander Sinclair's (Michael O'Hare) philosophical musings on racism and hatred as he and his crew hunt down the alien warrior from a long vanished civilization.

Born to the Purple is fourty-four minutes long and was originally aired on February 9, 1994. The story begins with Londo not attending an importing meeting and instead he is at what one might call a gentlemen's club. He has fallen in love with one the dancers there; Adira Tyree. Adira Tyree is actually a slave owned by Trakis. Trakis is using Adira to get to Londo's Purple File which has information on families going back hundred of years. Trakis want to sell it to the Narn Regime so they in turn can shame the great Centauri Republic. In the end the data crystal is retreived, Trakis is caught and Adira gets her freedom. In a substory, Mr. Garibaldi is investigating the unauthorized use of the Gold Channel. Mr. Garibaldi finds that it is Lieutenant Commander Ivanova trying to contact her dying father. Granted this does not have a lot of action in it, Born to the Purple is still worth an A+.

Infection is fourty-four minutes long and was originally aired on February 16, 1994. Dr. Vance Hendricks has his assistant smuggle in organic technology. While setting up the artifacts, one of the clings to Dr. Hendricks assistant and turns the assistant in to a killing machine. He kills anyone who is not pure. Commander Sinclair tracks down the creature and is turn back into human. Dr. Vance Hendricks is put under arrest and the alien technology is confiscated by Earth Force. This episode moves at a fast pace and stays focus on the story. So I am giving Infection an AA++.

'Born to the Purple' shows us the tender side of the Centauri Ambassador Mollari, as expressed through his feelings for Adira. It is a very good episode and Adira, although we never see her again, is a catalyst in the third Season. 'Infection' plays with the human primal fear of alien infestation and transforming into the "other". I thought it was kind of sad, actually, since the alien was the last of its kind and carried the guilt of its race extinction.

Born to the Purple is just an average episode, featuring Londo and a rather pretty slave girl who is part of a plot. Its an ok episode. Not great.

Infection however, this is a bad one. One of the worst of Season 1. Terrible plot, very obvious Star Trek influences on this one (bad machine reactivates and the Captain out reasons it to destroy it). Remind you of the "Nomad" episode? Infection is right down at the bottom of episodes along with "Grail". There are many better B5 episodes than this one.

all i can say is that this one is a perfect match the action and the music match perfectly.

no one could make a good scifi like tnt