B5 Watchthrough: Eyes

[ariela]

Eyes would probably have been an okay episode except for the guy who plays Col. Ben-Zayn. (LMAO, given what "zayin" is slang for, it translates to "son of a dick.") He overacts, and not in the fun scenery-chewing way.

What's interesting about Eyes is primarily how willing Ivanova is to throw away a spotless career in order to avoid having a telepath scan her. She talks a lot about why, without actually telling the whole truth, which won't come out until the end of Season 2.

It's worth wondering why Earthforce suddenly seems so obsessed with ensuring the loyalty of military command staff. 

It's also worth noting a thaw in the relationship between Ivanova and Talia Winters.

Most of what I've included here is the B-story, since it gives us some time to get to know Lennier, who--like his Centauri counterpart, Vir--will become a core character. 

Deep dive:

• Rowan Kaiser's analysis and review at the AV Club.
• Lurker's Guide episode page.

Main takeaways:

• Ivanova can keep telepaths out of her mind--assuming they don't push too hard.
• Mars is getting rebellious.
• Bester (from Mind War) seems to be pulling a lot of strings back on Earth.
• Several people have mentioned to Sinclair that his willingness to break the rules (and the fact that he got this posting solely because the Minbari rejected a lot of people with a lot more clout that were ahead of him in line) has made him unpopular back on Earth, and we're seeing the results of that. (A more accurate characterization, actually, is that Sinclair's able to use the rules in ways people in power don't like--whether it's to give illegally striking dock workers the money they're asking for or, as in this episode, to protect his staff from Earthgov investigation).