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Babylon 5 - Soul Mates/A Race Through Dark Places [VHS]

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This videotape is the four providing a pair of episodes from the second season of "Babylon 5," the syndicated science fiction series. The common denominator for these two episodes are telepaths, both working for and against those fun people at Psi-Corps:

Episode #29, "Soul Mates" (Written by Peter David, Aired December 14, 1994) finds that things are going so well for Londo (Peter Jurasik) that he summons his three wives to Babylon 5 so he can divorce two of them (the episode was originally entitled "Pestilence, Famine and Death" and you can figure out which of Lando's wives deserves which name). Londo's three wives are Timov (Jane Carr), Daggair (Lois Nettleton), and Mariel (Blair Valk), and of course most of them are interested in keeping the privileged life of being one of his wives. Which one will Londo choose? You should be able to guess.

Meanwhile the double meaning of the episode title is revealed when Matthew Stoner (Keith Szarabajka) shows up and causes trouble for Talia Winters (Andrea Thompson). It seems the Psi-Corps thought the two of them were genetically compatible and likely to produce highly rated progeny. However, for some reason, that did not endear Stoner to Talia, nor does his declaration that he has lost his telepathic powers. However the treat of this particular episode and a clear sign that Peter David wrote it is the comic subplot involving Delenn (Mira Furlan) and Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian). When Delenn emerged from her chrysalis she became the first Minbari with human hair and knowing nothing about hair care she is having a very "bad hair day" and Ivanova has to help her out. This running gag threatens to overwhelm the two main plotlines.

Episode #30, "A Race Through Dark Places" (Written by series creator J. Michael Straczynski, Aired January 25, 1995) finds our old friend Bester (Walter Koenig) back on Babylon 5 getting Talia to help him with finding an underground railroad of telepaths working on the station. Since Bester has already killed one telepath to get this far we know things are going to get really ugly if he finds these telepaths. But since we are dealing with telepaths you know that there will be plans within plans and trusting your eyes or any other senses is probably going to be a mistake. "A Race Through Dark Places" is another link in the growing chain of episodes devoted to the dark activities of the Psi-Corps. I really hope they get a severe comeuppance by the end of this series.

This is also the episode where Captain Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) and Delenn have the first of several interesting dinners over the course of the second season. That is more interesting that the distracting comic relief subplot where Sheridan is refusing to pay "rent" demanded by the government for the fact that his quarters are larger than the regular crew quarters and forcing Ivanova to follow suit. These light moments seem out of place given the high stakes of the main plot line, but then Shakespeare used to throw in comic relief in his plays so it is hard to chastise Stracynski for doing the same.

Soul Mates: Where Mollari has the chance to divorce one of his wives. A joy to watch, this episode is filled with (a bit sinister) sense of humour.

A Race through Dark places: Here comes Bester again... This episode gives hints to Talia's hidden destiny. Too bad it was a dead end...

This is the 4th tape (episodes 7&8) of season 2.

The return of Bester, Baby! - msp

[From the cover] SOUL MATES - One divorce will make him happhy. Two will make him doubly so. Yet now that Londo (Peter Jurasik) has Imperial permission to rid himself of two of his three meddlesome wives, he must decide which one he'll keep. Meanwhile, Talia (Andrea Thompson) thought she had already said PSIyonara to her troublesome Psi Corps ex (Keith Szarabajka). But he's b-a-a-a-ck.

A RACE THROUGH DARK PLACES - Big things, little things, the station is home to everything. The big: unregistered telepaths slip through the dragnet of Psi Corps cop Bester (Walter Koenig) - and the primary haven in their underground railroad may be B5.The little: Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) Squabbles with Earth Central over rental fees levied against his quarters.

I totally loved Soul Mates! Londo and his wive were just a crack up, the ending was rather unexpected but totally cool! I wished they would have brought back the wives again on the show. A Race Through Dark Places was very interesting to watch. Tania's past and present and future is hinted at throughout the episode and I loved it. Can't wait to see more of this!