Customer Reviews

Babylon 5 - Grail / Eyes [VHS]

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

 

 

In GRAIL the Arthurian Lore in introduced to the B5 universe. Not a very successful episode, since the same thing is done in "A late delivery from Avalon" in a brilliant way. Anyway, this episode has some good hints, including info on what happened to the previous 4 stations and a mind absorbing evil creature that resides in a Vorlon environmental suit.

In "Eyes" Sinclair faces court martial. Boring

Grail is forty-three minutes and thirty seconds long and originally aired on July 6, 1994. Basically it is the story of two stories in one. The story begins with Jinxo witnessing a mind wipe by a nakaline-feeder disguise as a Vorlon. Next Ambassador Delenn and Lennier inform Commander Sinclair that an "Honored Seeker" is arriving and he would have just enough time to change and greet him. The seeker is Aldous Gajic in search on the Holy Grail. Sinclair dismisses him as some kind as a false prophet. Jinxo and Aldous Gajic cross paths when Jinxo tries to steal his credits. At Jinxo's trial, Aldous convinces Ombuds Wellington to allow him to take Jinxo under his supervision. Jinxo and Aldous meet Ambassadors Delenn and Londo to secure information about the Holy Grail. Finally they reach Ambassador Kosh and Jinxo flees in fear of his life. Aldous finally catches up to Jinxo and Jinxo explains why he ran. Deuce's men capture Aldous and Jinxo runs and find Commander Sinclair and tells him Aldous has been capture. Commander Sinclair, Jinxo, and Mr. Garibaldi (along with security) find Deuce's hide out and a firefight breaks out. During the middle of the firefight Jinxo runs to rescue Ombuds Wellington. During the middle of the rescue Deuce is about the fire at Jinxo, but Aldous Gajic jumps in and is serious injured. During his final testament, Aldous Gajic passes his legacy to Thomas (Jinxo). The nakaline-feeder is killed and Deuce's gang is captured. In the final scene Commander Sinclair, Mr. Garibaldi, and Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivanova watch Thomas's ship leave and wondering if the Babylon curse will happen. The Babylon curse refers to Jinxo. He is the only known person to work on all five Babylon stations. The first three blew up and the fourth one mysterious disappeared. Jinxo believe if he was to ever leave Babylon 5 that would blow up. Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivanova claims that someone needs to have some perspective around. No boom now but boom later. How true that would happen in about twenty years when Babylon 5 is decommissioned. I am giving Grail an AAA+++.

Eyes is forty-three minutes and thirty seconds long and originally aired on July 13, 1994. The story starts off with two people impersonating legitimate arms dealers on Babylon 5. It is later discover they are military personnel investigating Commander Sinclair. The two people are Colonel Ari Ben Zayn and Harriman Gray, a telepath. Colonel Ari Ben Zayn is investigating every command decision Commander Sinclair has made at Babylon 5 over the last year. Colonel Ari Ben Zayn tells the commander that he is investigating the entire command staff. Lieutenant Commander Ivanova tells Commander Sinclair that she will not let a member of Psi Corps go poking around in her head. Colonel Ari Ben Zayn removes Commander Jeffrey Sinclair from active duty. Mr. Garibaldi finds some information on Colonel Ari Ben Zayn and Harriman Gray. It is discovered that Colonel Ari Ben Zayn and Bester are friends and Bester had warn Commander Sinclair that he would be around. During the interrogation, Commander Sinclair uses this information against Colonel Ari Ben Zayn and the fact the Commander Sinclair the Babylon 5 job over him. Colonel Ari Ben Zayn goes into rage and pulls a gun Commander Sinclair, Mr. Garibaldi, and Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivanova say they are mutinying against him. Harriman Gray uses his telepathic abilities on Colonel Ari Ben Zayn and Commander Sinclair knocks him unconscious. It is later found out that Colonel Ari Ben Zayn was mentally unstable. As Commander Sinclair and Lieutenant Commander Ivanova about to board a turbo lift, Lieutenant Commander Ivanova says everything is back to normal. Just then we see Mr. Garibaldi and Lennier ridging a motorcycle. This episode covers a touchy subject of the government abusing its power. I am giving Eyes an AAAAA+++++.

Babylon 5 has another set of interesting visitors in this pair of episodes from the first season of the science fiction television series. Episode 15, "Grail" (Written by Christy Marx, Aired July 6, 1994) has Aldous Gajic (David Warner), arriving at the station. He has come to B5 as part of his search for the Holy Grail (yes, THE Holy Grail), and wants to meet with several of the ambassadors to see if they know anything about it. Commander Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) is skeptical of Gajic's quest, but Delenn (Mira Furlan) defends the visitor as a "true seeker," whose devotion of his life to a quest for enlightenment. It does not matter, she tells Sinclair whether the Grail exists; the search for truth is what is most important.

Meanwhile, Downbelow a crime boss named Deuce (William Sanderson) is forcing Jinxo (Tom Booker), to become part of some nefarious plan. Jinxo is an interesting character in that he insists he cannot leave Babylon 5 because if he does something bad will happen to it, just like the first four that he worked on and left; ergo the name "Jinxo." However, Gajic takes an interest in Jinxo as this episode takes some interesting twists and turns. In this episode you we have the good (Gajic) and the ugly (you will know it when you see it), but while Deuce is sort of bad, he is (a) already on B5 and not visiting and (b) not as bad as the guy in the next episode.

Episode 16 "Eyes" (Written by Larry DiTillio, Aired July 13, 1994) has Colonel Ari Ben Zayn (Gregory Martin) showing up at B5 to conduct an internal affairs investigation of Sinclair to make him answer to his recent command decisions (remember how he solved the illegal strike by the station's dock workers?). Ben Zayn has shown up with a member of the Psi-Corps, Harriman Gray (Jeffrey Combs), and Ivanova (Claudia Christian) insists she will resign before she lets one of those people inside her head. Gray is actually a reasonable person, but Ben Zayn is going after Sinclair's head and most of the upper torso, thereby qualifying as a big time bad guy.

One of the most interesting things we learned in recent episodes was that the reason Sinclair got this post instead of all the better qualified and more highly ranked candidates, is that the Mindari insisted on having the right to agree to whoever would be named to command Babylon 5, and they shot down every single name until Sinclair. Ben Zayn is one of the people passed over, and he is not a happy camper. Now that he has Sinclair at his mercy, he intends to set things right. Meanwhile while all this high stakes pyrotechnics is going on the semi-comic subplot finds Lennier (Bill Mumy) taking an interest in the 1992 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle that Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) is restoring in his room.

I find it interesting that some bozo can show up on B5 and replace Sinclair without any of the ambassadors getting involved in the fun. This especially applies to Delenn, who clearly has a vested interested in the Commander staying aboard. But one of the common elements in season one is that having been on the receiving end for most of the Earth-Minbari War, apparently the fascists are taking over back on Earth. It seems everybody who shows up from Earth, or even makes a video call, is an arrogant stormtrooper type. All I keep thinking of is Germany between the two World Wars.

"Grail", written by Christy Marx, features a "true-seeker" coming to B5 in search of the Holy Grail. His search leads him to Jinxo, who thinks he's the source of all bad luck for B5, and a lethal alien mind-feeder that is plaguing the station. Guest Stars David Warner.