Brent Watches A Race Through Dark Places | Babylon 5 2x08 | Reaction

Join Brent as he does his first watch of the Babylon 5 Season 2 episode, "A Race Through Dark Places." This episode couldn't possibly have Bester in it, right? Right? That is unless an Underground Railroad of Telepaths happens to have it's clearinghouse right there on Babylon 5. Which is exactly what happens, and Bester does in fact show up to track down the leaders of this Railroad and bring the telepaths back to Psi-Corps. Talia gets a first hand look at what Psi-Corps really is doing to the people. So join Brent as he dives into his first watch of this episode.
And be sure to catch our main show, Babylon 5: For the First Time, when Brent is joined by Jeff to take a deep dive into the episode, searching for those Star Trek-like messages, and seeing if they should have watched it sooner. New Episodes drop on Mondays.
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[@davidblauyoutube]

Yep, the Bester reveal was worth waiting for this reaction, 100%. The analogy of the Psi Corps to slavery is so much food for thought, we've already seen what it did to Ivanova's family. Jason Ironheart's "gift" makes a return. Sheridan and Delenn go out on a date?! 😁 So much great stuff in this one.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

So much good stuff in this episode.

[@TexasAnlaShok]

I think "Soul Mates" holds up under repeated watchings. I for one would never skip it in a rewatch. By the way, did you notice that Bester's one hand is always clenched? Walter Koenig decided to do that to give Bester a kind of Napoleonic presence. Happy Fifth Day of Christmas Santa Claus.

[@missyprime8198]

His clenched hand gets written into B5 lore in book 2 of the Psi Corp trilogy

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Did not, but I'll keep an eye out for that on the rewatch.

[@JohnSmith77777]

No Spoilers: Congratulations on your predictions, good work! I feel or think it shows that you are getting the 'feel' of the show, the nature and flow of JMS's writing style as you are anticipating plot points..... I'll enjoy your reactions as we head down the rabbit hole that is the Babylon 5 story. All the best.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Getting used it all is a thing for sure.

[@BabylonLurker]

Great reaction to seeing Bester. I love it. You can imagine how we old timers all had to bite the tongue when you made your prediction last week. Yep! You called it! Franklin was the guy. Sheridan and Delenn? We shall see. Happy - anything you celebrate... Be seeing you!

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Tbanks so much!

[@SteveHARDWATER]

Brent: psi level 7

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

higher

[@Raguleader]

I love that Sheridan is drawing the line in the sand and pulling out the inspirational leadership to avoid paying rent on his assigned quarters. It's just so delightfully petty by the standards of military scifi. It's like if TNG had an entire episode climaxing in Picard giving an inspirational speech over why Starfleet can't require him to get rid of Livingston's fishtank in his ready room.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

All for 7 square feet...

[@exile220ify]

Technical correction: actually, in the scene where Bester is on the screen talking to Talia (and in most other similar scenes), they *ARE* done in real time - with the "on-the screen" actor located in another part of the set and the cameras synced up such that you don't see any flicker. If you search KZbin for Babylon 5 bloopers (do this later because SPOILERS!), you'll see one or both actors reacting in real time to a blown line :)

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Really? I don't believe it.

[@exile220ify]

@@Babylon5FortheFirstTime Like I said, numerous Babylon 5 blooper videos prove it. But they *WILL* be spoilery so you might want to wait until you complete the series before seeking them out.

[@BrianGilbert]

The blooper videos are segregated per season, so you can watch the S2 bloopers after you’re done with S2 and so on.

[@christophelombardi7810]

Brent, you Nostradamus-like Wizard, your powers of prediction are baffling! Last week, you hoped for an episode with Londo's wives? You got an episode with Londo's wives! This week, you hoped for a Bester episode? You got a Bester episode! I think a lottery ticket is in order, Brent! ... Joke apart, well done on your predictions. This episode is an excellent one indeed. I actually re-watched the episode and then waited for your reaction video to be out before even looking at the podcast video. So that's what I'm going to do now. And yes, this episode has so much to be discussed, I'm not surprised one bit that the podcast video is nearly two hours long! Can't wait to see it. Oh, and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, btw. Take care.

[@amlor]

A thought on the rent on the additional 7sq feet for the command quarters. Remember in the 1st season Sinclair tells Catherine that only the command staff and ambassadors get actual water showers while everyone else gets "vibe showers". It might be a bigger difference than just 7sq feet would indicate.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

This is also true

[@CaffeineKing]

Great reaction again - thanks for inviting us on your journey. Really starting to get excited for you guys now.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Thanks for coming along with us.

[@KevynJacobs]

Congrats on once again being the King of guessing what episodes are about!

[@nathanliteroy9835]

I wonder how much he will guess by the end

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

It's good to be the King

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

All of it.

[@exile220ify]

Fun fact: the female Psi Cop that is with Bester (Walter Koenig) while he's performing the mind scan was played by Judy Levitt, Walter Koenig's real-life wife. Not-so-fun fact: Judy died recently :(

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

We heard about that. So sad.

[@loka7783]

The extra 30 Credits for 7 sq feet is what hearth wants on top of an apartment sized set of rooms. (Typically a two room set up with the main room being a combo living room and kitchen set with a smaller bedroom off to one side.)

[@darrinwebber4077]

The final turning glance from Bester... That was when she let her guard down and he made her. He knows she's not loyal.

[@juriskrumgolds5810]

God knows I was waiting for this reaction!

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Glad to get it out.

[@algi1]

Honestly, in my personal opinion this is a typical Babylon 5 episode. It might be confirmation bias because I remember the bad episodes less, but as much as I remember, this is an average episode. The really great episodes are even better as I remember.

[@alangarde2928]

I would agree. When it hits it's stride it's an embarrasment of riches and this is a good solid episode of B5 when the writing, acting, directing, show-running click in place. It is a great episode of SF, especially for the 90s, but the really great episodes of B5 to come are on a whole different level.

[@Raguleader]

The weird thing with B5 is that many of the bad episodes still have really great bits in them, like TKO having the plot about Ivanova's grief over her father's passing, or the bit in [REDACTED] where [SPOILERY BIT] happens with [CHARACTER WHO HAS NOT APPEARED YET] and [CHARACTER WHO HAS APPEARED ALREADY BUT HAS NOT GONE THROUGH THEIR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ARC AT THIS POINT]

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Interesting....

[@darrinwebber4077]

Oh shit... I forgot! Scratch what I just said about Bester making her as disloyal.....lol. He already knows...or rather, he knew before he ever came on board. You'll just have to keep watching to learn more. It gets better! (One of best sci-fi shows ever made.)

[@_volder]

The idea of Delenn and Sheridan dating is especially interesting in light of one of the changes they made from the pilot episode to the first non-pilot episode. The Minbari had originally been imagined as androgenous or even sexless, so her shift toward humanness would have also involved shifting from that toward one of the humans' sexes!

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

interesting

[@JorTanos]

It's more like the Circle of Magi in Dragon Age than outright slavery. They were put into the Corps (the Circle) for the general safety of all non-psionics as well as themselves (they could train in a safe environment and learn to control their abilities), in theory, but of course being a government agency it never ends up that way .

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Have no idea of what you're talking about, but I trust that you're right. --Brent

[@noahbawdy3395]

Bester, one of the best reoccurring characters on the show.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

It's definitely a good episode, lots to love in this one. Some impactful, hard stuff buried within it too, such as the testimonies of the telepaths. JMS had a fair bit of trauma of his own, and met others who did too, and he always handles this darker side with empathy and thoughtfulness. I'm also super-happy to see Giannin Loeffler in this again, who played the oddly memorable lurker in Chrysalis. He's got partly a Tom Waitsy vibe, but his performances always come off so honest. I always wished he'd been in more stuff on TV and movies. Koenig of course, is excellent. So. Good episode. Great though? Hooooo, well, I think that's still to come. :)

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Giannin was also in Stargate...which will come up in our next podcast...so sayeth Brent

[@campbellcooley-voiceactor]

So glad you enjoyed this episode. Trust me, Season 2 just gets better and better and sets up so much stuff for the rest of the series. No spoilers... but one of my favorite moments from Season 2 sets up a hilarious pay off that won't happen until Season 4. Enjoy!

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Fun, can't wait to find out what you mean.

[@hornorsilk2901]

to be sure, not all are as great as others, and so some would be ranked as average by me, and perhaps one even still "meh", but as a whole, far more better, and what people remember for S2.

[@stephenoconnel283]

I don't remember this episode as one of the better ones, but it's certainly not one of the bad ones.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

At this point, not bad is good, right?

[@philmarston9078]

your discussion in regards to telepaths and slavery is quite an interesting one.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Cant' wait to dive into more with Jeff when we record the main episode. --Brent

[@dougboulter]

With respect to "normals" -- I see it more of an elitist thing, like Magneto in The X-men, saying that there are Homo Sapiens and then the mutants -- Homo Superior. So, it doesn't tell telepaths that they are "weird", but rather that they are a cut above.

[@Karajorma]

The question is where did the term originate. Is it a designation the telepaths came up with themselves or have they reclaimed the word after it was originally used by the normals? Either way I agree with you about how telepaths are now using it.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

that's an interesting take

[@dougboulter]

@@Babylon5FortheFirstTime You have to take into consideration who is using the term. If I say that there are telepaths and then there are normals, the meaning may more akin to how you take it. But if someone like Bester says there are telepaths and then there are normals, it means something quite different. Can you really believe that someone like our cute and cuddly Mr Bester thinks of himself as "weird" because of his talent, or would you be more inclined to believe that he thinks of himself as exceptional because of it? Remember his arrogant treatment of Sinclair in "Mind War"? This is a man not exactly lacking in self-confidence or with a low level of self-importance. "It's on a need to know basis ... and you don't need to know." A telepath like Harriman Gray from "Eyes" might have a bit of an inferiority complex, but not Al Bester. I had that opinion when I first saw "Mind War" and nothing in "A Race Through Dark Places" changed it. It was great seeing Walter Koenig on B5, and I enjoyed watching him in both those episodes -- he played the part so well that whenever I saw Koenig after these two episodes, I thought "Bester", not "Chekov". "Hey, Bester is on the Starship Enterprise".

[@zarabada6125]

@@dougboulter They already discussed the context around how "normals" was being used on the podcast video for this episode, which came out on Monday. 😉

[@Alan-te8im]

In the next episode, Bester is going to yell: "Khannnnnnn!!!!!!!!!"

[@oenrn]

stop spoiling!

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

no spoilers!

[@percysowner]

I will add to the chorus. This is a good, solid episode that packs a punch when it come to telepaths, but it is nowhere near my favorite episode of the season. There are some episodes that I think are spectacular yet to come.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

That's good to know.

[@thejamppa]

Brent thinks this is excellent episode? Well, I am so happy... Because its barely begun.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Yay

[@dll_Rhemuth948]

Well, “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father.” You got me interested in rewatching the series, but I’m a season and a half ahead of where you are…trying to not spoiling anything (4 1/2).

[@DarianHarder]

I have asked this on multiple reaction channels, but I don’t understand why Franklin is involved? He’s not a telepath. What authority does he have on the subject?

[@nicolivoldkif9096]

By the way, I don't get the slave vibe as much as the cornered animal vibe. We put the telepaths into a box and feeling threatened they became willing to do anything to get power to keep themselves safe.

[@danielmannandersen2332]

Bester is back and telepathic powers are portrayed in a frightening manner? gee, this show might be good after all, who knew

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

I dig it.

[@meropetied]

Not happy here with dissing Soul Mates. It's so fun. Definitely one of the early delights of season two. The wit, lightness, and worldbuilding of Geometry of Shadows and Soul Mates is more important to me in the long run than Bester's little dark turn here. This is a great episode, but I'd say this is really one of the ones that pales a bit next to what's immediately coming after.

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

Soul Mates is my favorite episode so far. I like fun and laughing. --Brent

[@ciprianoms]

Ah the episode that made me ship Talia and Susan.

[@SirMarshalHaig]

Dinner with Delenn...well you could do a lot worse. Also Bester in an episode is always a win.

[@damonbryan7232]

Who else is here just for the laughs? 🤔

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

me! Well, a few other things too...but mostly the laughs

[@Nikioko]

Great episode-but still not the best of the season.😉

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

dont you get my hopes up.

[@Lubetube111]

Warner must have released the claim on this video

[@Babylon5FortheFirstTime]

No claim. In this case, Family finally released me from holiday stuff to be able to get in the editing chair and get it pumped out. Real life is pesky that way sometimes.