Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs
• Directors: David J. Eagle, Janet Greek, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Jim Johnston, John C. Flinn III
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: April 29, 2003
• Run Time: 960 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000087EYB
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,403 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The complete second season of the science fiction television program about the space station, Babylon 5.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 29-APR-2003
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 151 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Coming of Shadows, January 10, 2003

By 

Lance Falk (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season (DVD)

This is the year things really started to heat up and the overall story arc of this series' five-year plan began to edge out the more stand-alone episodes. About halfway into the season, Babylon 5 becomes a true chapter-by-chapter affair.

In fact, series creator, J. Michael Straczynski's saga became so continuity driven, that by the last third of this season, he went from the show's most prolific writer to its ONLY writer. This Herculean task would challenge him for the next two and a half seasons (and three B5 movie specials) without a break.

Amazingly, this staggering amount of work didn't decrease the quality of writing; Just the opposite. I'd go so far as to say that jms' unbroken marathon of scripts running from late Season Two through the end of Season Four is an unmatched body of work in all of science fiction television (perhaps ANY television, period).

Like Buffy and The X-Files, Babylon 5's Season Two pulled in casual viewers and Season One viewers became unmitigated addicts with no turning back.

Here's a SPOILER-FREE smattering of the some of the better Season Two Babylon 5 entries (as small a list as I could bring myself to provide!):

REVELATIONS: Without fanfare or preamble, one of the central mysteries of this saga is revealed and a major character will never be the same again after a certain "change".

AND NOW FOR A WORD: The first (but not last) of Babylon 5's refreshing experiments in format. This episode is done entirely as a futuristic "60 Minutes" or "24 Hours" type program, which visits Space Station Babylon 5 and digs deep with hard hitting, exploitive journalism, bringing one character to tears and also illuminating the seemingly dark motivations of another.

IN THE SHADOW OF ZA `HA `DUM: An intense episode about personal loss and sacrifice when two powerfully opposed characters square off. Bruce Boxleitner does some of his best work in this episode as John Sheridan's personal agenda puts him in conflict with his staunchest allies.

DIVIDED LOYALTIES: The less revealed the here, the better. You need to see this one for yourself. A jaw dropping surprise awaits. Without spoiling here, I've noticed that whenever Star Trek does the same kind of story that B5 does in this episode, they turn it into a cheap stunt by promoting away any possible audience surprise (Spock's TNG guest appearance, for example). Here is a good example of how anything is possible on this series without warning!

THE LONG TWILIGHT STRUGGLE: A massive and dramatic conclusion to a major storyline. Breathtaking effects, performances, surprises, and great tragedy capped off with tremendous performances by Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar and Peter Jurasic as Londo.

COMES THE INQUISITOR: The most claustrophobic and intense episode so far, featuring one of the best guest performances by Wayne Alexander (Babylon 5's favorite utility guest player) as The Inquisitor. This atmospheric and experimental episode (almost a two-person stage play) also features a tour-de-force performance by Mira Furlan's Delenn.

THE FALL OF NIGHT: A Season-ender, which does the seemingly impossible job of topping Season One's finale. The (very story-supporting) special effects pushed the state of the art at that time and still hold up magnificently today. The story itself is a pressure cooker, but the topper is a MAJOR series revelation.

Saving the best for last...

THE COMING OF SHADOWS: This Season's best episode (which is saying something) won the Hugo (A major award from the Science Fiction community) for Best Dramatic Presentation of the Year, beating out other entries in television AND feature films. It's easy to see why. The drama, subtlety, surprise turns, and razor sharp dialogue are positively Shakespearian. A pillar of the series as a whole. Also, here's a good model to study for any serious writer of television drama.

Of course, the balance of this season has some dynamite episodes such as GROPOS, SOUL MATES, A RACE THROUGH DARK PLACES, and ACTS OF SACRIFICE.

Season Two is wonderful, with even the weakest episode well worth watching. It's a solid improvement on a perfectly fine inaugural season...and year three is even better!

Happy Viewing!

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shadows loom over second season of B5, April 29, 2003

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season (DVD)

Now that most of the characters had a backstory, the second season of B5 ventured further into it's 5 year story arc involving the war with the Shadows. Although I never really bought the romantic subplot involving Sheridan (I never felt that Boxleitter and Mira Furlan had much chemistry as a couple), it does work well within the context of the story. The political intrigue of season one expands to include Mars colony, the Psicorp and the usual suspects.

Boxleitter is a better actor than Michael O'Hare and he manages to bring considerable power to the role. The change in the guard (due to studio politics amongst many other things)also allowed for a richer, more indepth back story for the series. Although there are a fair share of clunkers during this season, overall the quality is high. The third season would be where the series really hit its stride.

There are a number of very cool extras on the second set. Once again JMS does a color commentary on a couple of episodes but, more important, Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle and Claudia Christian provide a color commentary that is quite funny and glib on 1 key episode. I had forgotten that Melissa Gilbert did not play Sheridan's wife in the brief footage we see of her. Amazing how time will adjust your memory. The special features include a couple of documentaries and are of pretty good quality. There's a new introduction by J. Michael Straczynski and Bruce Boxleitner that is interesting as well.

The transfer is an improvement over the first season box set Signs and Portents. There's still quite a bit of scratches and analog artifacts. Most noticable, though is the occasional fuzzy picture quality. This is probably due to the low level lighting in some key scenes and a lack of QC when the digital compression was done. Still, the overall quality is quite good although not comparable to the Trek or DS9 picture quality (particularly for seasons 4-7 with ST:TNG).

Nevertheless, it's nice to finally have this important series available on DVD. The overall quality of the writing and directing is top-notch and an improvement over the uneven quality of season one. The acting also took a leap forward during this pivotal season with the addition of Boxleitner and a number of strong guest turns.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars B5 Season 2 - The Coming of the Shadows - The plot thickens!, July 19, 2003

By 

K. Wyatt "ssintrepid" (Cape Girardeau, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season (DVD)

With the second season we finally see some payoff to some of what the brilliant writers and producers set up in the first season and of course, upon answering some earlier questions, new ones are raised. This is one of the reasons this show is so appealing as J. Michael Straczynski set up the five year plot and this is but the second chapter and there are so many layers that one cannot help but get caught up in this extraordinarily intriguing epic.

Of the many DVD Boxed sets that I've purchased, the B5 sets seem to stand out above the rest as far as quality goes to include Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and widescreen presentation, episode previews right there with the episode and the overall quality of the transfer.

Stand out episodes:

Points of Departure - This is a wonderfully well written and played episode that serves well to lead off the new season and bring some closure to the incredible first season's cliffhanger and introducing the new and much stronger commanding officer, Captain John Sheridan. It's easily discernable up front to see the different leadership style that he brings into the role and you can readily see that the writers are now beginning to ramp up the war with the shadows in these early beginnings.

Revelations - In a continuance from the season opener, we finally see G'Kar after his search for what destroyed the Narn outpost and his run in with the shadows. Delenn makes her dramatic "return" in this well written episode.

The Geometry of Shadows - In this outstanding Londo Mollari episode we begin to see the furtherance of his unknowing relationship with the shadows, his rising value in the politics of Centauri Prime and his mistaken attempt to meet with the Techno Mages.

A Distant Star - To provide more evidence of the coming of the shadows, this episode teases the Shadows brilliantly before us as they're making their presence seen but not seen as a whole. This episode also serves well to give us further insight into Sheridan and what makes him tick.

Soul Mates - Written by Peter David, one of Star Trek's finest authors, this superb episode is replete with his humor and brilliant style. Londo has been granted permission by the emperor to divorce two of his wives and he makes the best of it.

A Race Through Dark Places - This excellent episode fits well in the "big" picture of B5 as we're brought further into the mystery of Psi Corps and guest star Walter Koenig makes his return as Bester.

The Coming of Shadows - The flood gates of the "epic" open wide with this outstanding episode in which the Centauri emperor comes to apologize to the Narn, however, Londo and his "associates" turn towards war against the Narn. We're also introduced to the Rangers as Garibaldi receives a message from Sinclair. This is quite easily the best episode of the season!

All Alone in the Night - This is an extremely interesting and pivotal episode in which Delenn is ordered home to meet her fate with the Gray Council and at the same time, Sheridan is captured by an unknown species.

Acts of Sacrifice - This is a rather poignant episode in which the war between the Centauri and Narn is heating up and carrying over to B5's population. We begin to see the effect that Londo's new "status" is taking on him.

There all the Honor Lies - This is another brilliantly funny episode written by Peter David. Sheridan is accused of murdering a Minbari and Earth Force wishes to turn a buck by selling B5 souvenirs.

And Now for a Word - This is a fantastic episode portrayed entirely from the point of view of the Interstellar News Network and their visit to B5 just as the Centauri/Narn war heats up on B5's doorstep.

In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum - This is another extremely pivotal episode to the entire five year plot as Sheridan meets Mr. Morden upon discovering he was on the Icarus, the same ship in which Sheridan's wife died. Here is where Sheridan must make the decision between his own personal goals and that of the greater good.

Divided Loyalties - In this stunning episode, Lyta Alexander makes a visit and she's seeking a traitor in the midst and Ivanova makes a major revelation to Sheridan.

The Long, Twilight Struggle - In this extremely intriguing and pivotal episode the Centauri/Narn war comes to its inevitable conclusion signaling the coming of the larger war...

Comes the Inquisitor - This is one of the most intriguing and thought provoking episodes of the season as Kosh summons an "Inquisitor" to test Delenn and G'Kar attempts to gain control and leadership over the remaining Narn on the station.

The Fall of Night - Earth makes an unexpected move with reference to the Centauri and we finally see some payoff with reference to the Vorlon and the Shadows...

Special Features

Disc 1 - Introduction to "The Coming of Shadows."
"The Geometry of Shadows" Commentary by Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian and Jerry Doyle.
Text strings on Executive Producer Douglas Netter and J. Michael Straczynski

Disc 4 - "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum" Commentary by J. Michael Straczynski

Disc 6 - "The Fall of Night" Commentary by J. Michael Straczynski
Building Babylon: Blueprint of an Episode
Shadows and Dreams: Honors of Babylon
The Universe of Babylon: Several tech files, personnel files and a timeline up to the end of Season 2 and a great gag reel.

Episode list:

Points of Departure
Revelations
The Geometry of Shadows
A Distant Star
The Long Dark
A Spider in the Web
Soul Mates
A Race Through Dark Places
The Coming of Shadows
Gropos
All Alone in the Night
Acts of Sacrifice
Hunter, Prey
There all the Honor Lies
And Now for a Word
In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum
Knives
Confessions and Lamentations
Divided Loyalties
The Long, Twilight Struggle
Comes the Inquisitor
The Fall of Night