Glen here...
...with a review of two Crusade episodes: "Racing the Night", and "Each Night I Dream of Home."
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BOTH EPISODES ARE BEING REVIEWED HEREIN WERE VEIWED AS **ROUGH CUTS** !!!
What’s a "rough cut ?"
A rough cut is a coherent assemblage of footage, designed to tell as much of a film or TV episode’s story as possible - considering the lack of visual effects, final score, etc. A rough cut is designed to give the makers of a movie or TV show a strong approximation of how their product is working on a narrative level.
As such, any number of tweaks or changes might be made between a rough cut and the final product which audiences will see. Editing might be tightened, it may remain the same. Scenes might be dropped or re-arranged, camera angles or shot selection might shift somewhat. Or, it’s possible no changes will be implemented. GENERALLY, however, the changes between a rough cut and the final product are not very extreme. In simpler terms, a rough cut is a "work in progress".
Is it fair to be reviewing a rough cut ?
It’s difficult to answer this without sounding arrogant or snotty - I do not mean my response to be so at all. It’s not too good an idea to be reviewing rough cuts unless you know what your talking about. One needs to watch rough cuts a certain kinds of way. In my particular case, I was fortunate enough to have read scripts for both of the episodes reviewed here today (in advance of seeing them) - so I knew what was supposed to be "there" and "there" when there was nothing there.
Also, I’m fairly familiar with the post production process in general, having done some film editing, sitting in on music editing for films and videos, and having gone through several rough cuts with the folks who actually made the product I was looking at.
Finally...much to the chagrin of many readers...I am quite familiar with the stories, background, and talent associated with the Babylon 5 universe. Probably more so than most people. As such, while I by no means consider myself a "professional" or "expert" in any of the qualifications enumerated above, I think I’m educated enough to be fair in my appraisal of these incomplete products. So, while (in my humble opinion) "rough cuts" should not be reviewed by just anybody, I think I can get the job done serviceably.
I’d also like to mention there will probably be several waves of "Racing the Night" and "Each Night I Dream of Home" reviews posted here on Coaxial, as I had the good fortune to be able to share these episodes with several of Aint It Cool’s most reliable and trustworthy friends - who are also in the process of writing reviews. I have encouraged them not to read my reviews until they have completely finished writing theirs. Conversely, I have not looked over their documents either. That way, a more honest, legitimate, and unprejudiced consensus can be attained from all reviewers concerned.
((Glen Note: the episodes are being reviewed today are slightly out of context with the whole of the series, as they will be aired somewhere towards the middle of Crusdade’s first season - even though they were originally shot to be aired very early on in the series. As such, some of the concerns or criticisms articulated below may become completely invalid or negated by episodes which will precede them. For example - what appears to be one episode’s deficiency may not be so at all if the articulated concerns were already addressed in an episode before it. But if the reviewer hasn’t Seen the episodes before it...))
To make matters easier for readers, I’m going to format this review a little differently today. I’m going to break it down into a series of questions I’ve most often received...or concerns I’ve most often heard expressed...about Crusade, and answer them as best I can - without giving too much away. So, without further adieu:
SPOILER WARNING !!!
THERE WILL BE **SOME** SPOILERS FOR THE NEW BABYLON 5 SPIN-OFF SERIES "CRUSADE" IN THE ARTICLE BELOW !!!
I’VE CLEANED IT UP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE & THE SPOILERS AREN’T TOO BAD - BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE ABSOLUTELY VIRGINAL WHEN YOU SEE THIS SHOW, YOU’D BETTER TURN BACK NOW !!!
All right, then - here we go:
"Racing the Night". Starship Excalibur is out in space searching for the cure to the wicked alien death-plague which was unleashed on Earth at the end of the Babylon 5 TV movie A Call to Arms. In this episode, Excalibur encounters a civilization which once dealt with the alien plague Earth now faces. Gideon and his crew become dangerously entangled in said civilization’s search for a cure.
"Each Night I Dream of Home" - Excalibur becomes the secret staging area for medical testing which might lead to a better understanding of the Drakh plague. All goes smoothly until the Drakh decide they’re not too thrilled with efforts to defeat their plague.
Glen - given how much you obviously care for Babylon 5 - could you have given its spin-off a negative review?
Absolutely. In fact...immediately before I saw these episodes...there was a diabolical part of me which was eagerly hoping I could come on-line to tell the world how lousy the show is going to be, and watch the apocalyptic detonation of B5’s fan base erupt in passion and fury.
Alas, I can not do that.
Based on the scripts I’ve read and the rough cuts I’ve just seen, Crusade seems like...as a whole...it will be rather good.
How does the show "feel" ?
In Crusade, you will sense Straczynski all over the place. In the way characters interact, in slightly irreverent moments which creep in when you least expect them to. There is depth to these two episodes of Crusade. And while the series’ tapestry (at least to this point) doesn’t appear to be as vast and sprawling as its progenitor, there is definitely substantive and textural layering at work here - more on an interpersonal level than a galactic war level.
Crusade isn’t imitative of its predecessor, but B5’s genealogy and sensibilities are evident enough to make followers of the first series comfortable.
What are the characters and crew like - how do they interact, etc.?
As would be expected with any show of this nature, there’s a certain period of "settling in" that must occur before a final verdict can be reached. From "Racing" and "Each Night", here’s my assessment so far:
MATTHEW GIDEON: Gary Cole is just plain cool. However, there’s something peculiarly un-commanding about him. At first, this is off-putting - and even a little alarming. But Cole is a capable actor with an interesting presence. When all is said and done, he’s a likable person, and something of a Job in this series. He’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders; questions he asks & things he says sometimes give us the impression he’s not entirely convinced this mission to find a "cure" for the plague can even be successful.
None the less, he’s doing the job, and doing it well - whether or not he feels there’s really a chance in hell of success. Someone’s gotta do it, there’s too much at stake not to. Matthew Gideon is not a super-captain. He’s an average guy who is holding some really tough responsibilities. He’s balls-to-the-wall when he needs to be, but often quietly reserved. In one sequence, an amazed crewman asks Gideon if he (Gideon) was just "smiling" (which he was). Gideon never even looks at him, before responding abruptly "It’s gas."
GALEN (Peter Woodward) - my guess is Woodward will be the standout of this new series. A startling presence right out of the gates in A Call to Arms, Woodward’s Galen is both intimidating and mesmerizing. Part of it’s his voice, which sounds something like Nicol Williamson’s Merlin in Excalibur. Part of it is his eyes - there’s somethng going on in there. Something intense and compelling.
Woodward is a great find and inspired casting.
To give you a sense of how good he is: a vast majority of the inter-personal moments I can recall from these episodes involve Galen. He seems to bring out the best in the series, and the best in his fellow cast members.
For example: Galen’s interactions with DUREENA NAFEEL (Carrie Dobro) brings out a depth and a passion in Dobro that is sometimes missing in her overall performance. Dureena wants Galen to teach her the secret knowledge which comes with being a Technomage (a secret sect of people who use technology to emulate magic, of which Galen is a member) - so there’s something of an "over-eager pupil -vs- strong-willed, conservative teacher" interaction going on here.
Galen also serves as the proverbial "older brother" to Cole’s Gideon. At one point...when the chips are down...Gideon reminds Galen that he’s free to leave the ship whenever he wants to - given that he’s not formally a crewman, and has own vessel. Galen responds: "Ten years ago, I rescued a certain stray cat. That brings with it certain obligation. I can’t go wandering off every time he gets stuck in a tree, now can I?"
JOHN MATHESON (Daniel Dae Kim): some actors are what I call "presence" actors. They aren’t really cast in a role to do anything in particular, they’re cast because of the feel they bring to a project’s atmosphere. Sean Connery and Jack Nicholson are examples of such actors. They’re pretty-much always who they are, always what they are. They contribute a certain attitude and presence to the proceedings.
In My Huble Opinion, this is what Daniel Dae Kim does with his part in Crusade. He is a presence. Kim’s Matheson is the good natured, unflappable right-hand man to Captain Matthew Gideon. He’s always the calm in the eye of the storm. One almost gets the feeling the place might spin completely out of control without him.
When Gideon returns to Excalibur from a planetary mission gone bad, Matheson is standing at the shuttle bay - ready to flank him.
When Excalibur is under attack by alien ships, Gideon turns to Matheson with the broad yet pointed order: "I want those ships out of my sky." Matheson is already ahead of the curve, casually responds "I’m working on it" as he enters some commands into a control panel. When Excalibur dispenses with the attacking vessels, Matheson looks self-satisfied and asks Gideon: "Is that far enough out of your sky?"
All of this as Matheson wears a an ever-present wire mic headset, which keeps him in constant communication with various aspects of Excalibur operations.
This guy is cool. Unlike the more professional and restrained relationship manifested by Picard and Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gideon and Matheson’s relationship seems based on a mutual trust and friendship. Neither is openly manifested, but it’s there on a subliminal level. You know these guys are on the same page - you know these are two dudes you don’t want to cross at the same time in the same place. You know one’s presence is driving the other, making each of them better because of it.
Well conceived, nicely written, and sharply performed - I’m guessing Matheson will quickly become a fan favorite. He’s already mine.
MAX EILERSON (David Allen Brooks) - not really featured in "Each Night I Dream of Home", more prominently featured in "Racing the Night". Brooks was a bit overbearing and distancing in "Racing". Just too much. Not sympathetic enough, a little too hard for us to find any redeeming value to his character.
My instinct is that some of Eilerson’s sequences in "Racing" will have to be abbreviated or re-configured in some way before airing, as the hard-assed and unsympathetic Eilerson we see in this episode will now be drawn more accessibly and dimensionally in preceding episodes. Remember - "Racing" was originally the first Crusade episode, and will now air later in the season. Which means that episodes featuring the softer Eilerson character will now air before "Racing" - giving rise to an awkward discontinuity if this is left un-addressed in "Racing".
Series overboss J. Michael Straczynski has indicated that "Racing" will air without re-touch. In My Humble Opinion, that’s a mistake. "Racing" features several sequences which will appear incongruous or redundant by the time it finally gets aired. While "Racing" should be quite an impressive episode when all is said and done (there’s a lot of character and FX work in this episode), such discontinuities would diminish its overall impact.
DUREENA NAFEEL (Carrie Dobro) - attractive in a bizarre "If I had to get my ass kicked by a woman..." sort of way, Dobro is good as Dureena, but runs the risk of becoming too much like the angry, one-dimensional females popularized by Star Trek’s B’Elanna Torres and Kira Nerys (before you go sending me hate mail, YES - they’ve made some effort to change the above mentioned ladies into more likable and textured characters, but they didn’t start out that way).
Dobro shines most brightly in her sequences with Woodward’s Galen. Something about him brings out her own depth and inner-intensity. Dobro also does the "slightly out of place but I’ve no where else to go" thing quite nicely. She’s good - but still little raw around the edges. Based on my sense of how the layering on the show appears to be working, I’m sure she’ll work out just fine in the long run. As I said before - sometimes it takes these series a little time before cast and crew can settle in comfortably.
DR. SARAH CHAMBERS (Marjean Holden) - Holden was so striking and compelling as the ship driver in A Call to Arms, her being cast in the role of Excalibur’s doctor seemed a sure thing. Alas, in both "Each Night I Dream of Home" and "Racing the Night", her performance felt forced and uncomfortable.
Her case isn’t helped by the appearance of B5’s Doctor Franklin (Richard Biggs) in "Each Night I Dream of Home". She’s doing her best, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Bigg’s well-established presence and performance.
My belief is that Holden’s performance will probably be refined to acceptable levels by the time Crusade hits the air. She’s an attractive actress, with a role that could be quite interesting if it didn’t feel so labored.
What is Excalibur like?
Well, as you saw in A Call to Arms, it’s really big. From what I was able to gather from rough storyboards and animatics, Excalibur will feature magnetically shielded landing bays ala Star Wars & Star Trek. I.E. - no hangar doors to speak of, departing and arriving ships just pass through a magical membrane which holds air & pressure inside the ship. I may be wrong on this, but I’m pretty sure that’s the idea.
Very submarine like - cramped corridors & submarine-like bridge configuration (more or less identical to the bride we saw in A Call to Arms). Captain Gideon even has a keypad & viewscreen which descends towards his command chair. It’s not really a periscope, but that’s clearly the association this device is supposed to evoke.
BUSY - a lot of extras purposefully moving about, doing things. You get a sense that it takes a lot of effort and coordination to keep Excalibur going. This isn’t a ship which flies itself. There are extras in the corridors, doing everything from walking briskly to standing around chatting. The ship feels alive.
Much like Babylon 5, Excalibur has its own heavily armed security force. Think Starship Troopers as far as the ground forces go. In fact, if their helmets aren’t actually from Starship Troopers, I’ll eat my shoes. The ship’s arsenal also includes a whole buncha deployable space / atmospheric fighters called Thunderbolts. Viewers of B5 may remember that series’ introduction of the Thunderbolts.
At one point during these episodes, there was a glimpse of a Thunderbolt inter-cut with screens of "insert _______ FX here" prompts and graphics. Unless my memory is way off, the surface of this Thunderbolt looked better rendered and more detailed than its B5 predecessors.
Excalibur has a tube-car which serves a similar purpose to Trek’s "turbo lifts". Actually, if you remember the little horizontal transport car in SeaQuest, you’ve got a good working idea how this device functions. One can also use regular old elevators to get to different decks.
One of the most striking sets on Excalibur is the ship’s sickbay. A great deal of glass and doorways - providing a clever series of air-tight interlocks which are capable of isolating and vacuuming any single section of the facility in the event of contamination. An expansive set which feels functional and believable. Very impressive on-screen.
So, how are the EPISODES?
I would characterize them as good, but not great. However...seeing what I’ve seen...I definitely believe this series has the potential for great episodes.
"Racing the Night" is an FX blow-out, and a show that depends so heavily on visual effects can not be adequately judged without having seen those FX in place. "Racing" has something of a potent conclusion - a sequence in which the crew of Excalibur learns the nature of the planet they have been exploring. I won’t give the secret away here, but its a poetic moment, and an eye-opening reminder of how important it is for our sometimes frustrated characters to stay true to their humanitarian ideals.
While there’s something to be said for coming out of the gates running, perhaps TNT was correct in its assertions that "Racing" would have disoriented viewers if it had remained the series’ first episode - and was correct in "requesting" new opening episodes which would better introduce the characters on (and circumstances behind) Excalibur’s mission. I think B5 fans already familiar with Crusade’s background would have weathered the confusion serviceably, but in a grander narrative sense, methinks many folks would have been confounded by what little set-up "Racing the Night" had to offer.
I am not suggesting it was a bad idea to start Crusade with such deliberate speed. But...when all is said and done...the structure and essence of Crusade is strong enough to warrant a better-defined foundation. Giving it that will (in my opinion) create more of a mythological feel in the bigger picture - a grander sense of legitimacy and purpose than the series may otherwise have enjoyed.
But as a "middle of the season" episode, "Racing" should work quite nicely all the way around. Especially if the alterations suggested above are implemented. "Racing the Night" is large in scale, choc full o’ whizbangery, and will serve as a good mid-season reminder about the notions which drive this series: the quest for a cure to a deadly alien plague, and how important it is for our characters not to lose track of their ideals and humanity - no matter how desperate Excalibur’s journey may become.
"Each Night I Dream of Home" is a better episode all the way around, but it will put to the test one of my biggest concerns about this series: how will the audience react to a lot of sound, fury, and angst-ridden plague talk when we (the audience) already know that....one way or another...humanity survives the Drakh poisoning of Earth?
While it’s an unpopular sentiment (judging from all the e-mail I received last time I articulated such concerns), I still think that having seen Earth safe and sound in flash-forwards to Babylon 5’s future will make it much harder for the writers and directors of Crusade to inject much needed emotional resonance and tension into their stories. The pre-cognition kind of takes the edge off the immediate sense of urgency and impact.
Both scripts are well-written, each holding little moments of warmth, cleverness, and surprise to gently remind you this isn’t just another spaceship show. The stories are fun. Not earth-shattering stuff...and certainly not among Straczynski’s best work...but they are solid, and filled with great promise for crusades to come...
How does Crusade compare to Star Trek?
Well, that is the question, isn’t it? Comparisons between the two are going to be inevitable. This fact is quite paradoxical - as comparing this show to Trek is both completely fair, and roundly unfair. It’s fair because...well...there are certain similarities between the two properties. It’s unfair because Crusade should be judged on its own merits, and not compared against a thirty year old franchise.
I suppose the answer to the conundrum lies in yet another question: do you think Star Trek has lost its vision, its edge, and forgotten what it means to tell a slam-dunk story that actually has some balls behind it?
If your answer to this is "yes", you will likely find Crusade to be what you’ve wished Star Trek had been for a long time now. In this series you will find moral ambivalence, imperfect personalities, grit, edge, and humor you’re not likely to find in Trek’s current incarnations. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Depends on your own tastes and sensibilities.
As much as I love Star Trek (and I do love Star Trek) - as much as I will never forget being a five year old boy who met Leonard Nimoy in his dressing room, and sharing a Vulcan hand salute with the most logical man I’d ever encountered - I think the current state of Trek has done a great disservice to both public and fan pre-conception of "spaceship science fiction". It’s not that I believe the Trek franchise is dead, I simply believe there are too few people...doing far too much...over far too long...on the current Trek incarnations. I think the "idea" has been re-defined and softened into something which doesn’t sit with me as well as it used to. The well hasn’t run dry - they just need to dig a lot deeper to keep the waters flowing again.
Since this doesn’t seem to be something on the horizon for Star Trek, I can’t help but think Crusade is what SF television needs right now: a space-based series which reminds us that space is a perilous and horrific place, which is also filled with wonder and magnificence.
Much like the human spirit...
Look for CRUSADE to premiere sometime early this summer on TNT.
