Episode 1.4: Infection
When I first started watching this show last week, and people started warning me about how rough the first season was, one of the more specific warnings that got repeated often was "Just skip episode 4--it's terrible and it doesn't matter to the arc." And maybe it's because my expectations were set really low, or maybe it's because I'm an inherently contrary person, but this is my favorite episode so far. I like it a lot.
One of the reasons INFECTION is so good is because it's the first time since THE GATHERING that we get to spend a lot of time with a really interesting character: Eps 1 and 3 gave us Londo, who I hate, and ep 2 gave us Delenn, and all of the eps have given us way more Sinclair than is strictly necessary, but episode 4 is all about the Doctor, and he is great. That's not to say that we get to know him very well--I had to check wikipedia to learn that his name is apparently Stephen Franklin--but we spend a lot of time with him, and he is charismatic and likable. We spend a ton of time with Sinclair in this episode as well (especially at the end, when he once again ends up doing Garibaldi's job and, at the same time, delivering a big Kirk speech), but Sinclair doesn't emote, and the doctor does. Maybe I liked this episode so much simply because I was grateful to finally spend some time with someone I enjoyed spending time with. Whatever the actual reason, it's all due to the doctor, so thank you Richard Biggs. You saved the show for me.
The plot itself is, like episode 2, very Star Trekkie: a space archeologist brings some contraband onto the station, which turns out to be alien biotech, which turns out to be a self-replicating weapon system that turns the archeologist's assistant into a brainwashed soldier re-fighting an ancient war. And let's be clear: that is a solid pitch for an episode of any SF show. I swear Doctor Who's done that one at least twice. And it works pretty well here, up to and including a super-corny Kirk speech at the end where the captain talks the alien monster-weapon into overriding its own biological imperative. Like I said: super corny, and scientifically ridiculous, but as these things go it was well-written and well-delivered. By which I mostly mean that they said the things I would have said if I was writing the scene, which doesn't necessarily mean that it worked, just that it worked for me.
My only major disappointment with this episode, in fact, is that everyone told me that I can skip it because it doesn't tie into the myth-arc, which means that the cool alien biotech is not coming back again. And it doesn't need to, but I like alien biotech and it would have made for a fun ongoing villain. Oh well.
Wait! I forgot about the other thing I didn't like, which to be fair is super forgettable: there was a whole B-plot, which got the attention of maybe a C-plot at best, in which a reporter is for some reason trying to interview the captain. And we don't know why or for what, and we don't know what the stakes are, and at the end of the episode the subplot never goes anywhere or pays off in any meaningful way, but at least they kept pausing the main story every now and then to remind us that there's a reporter standing huffily in the background, sometimes in the command center, sometimes DURING A LIFE-OR-DEATH CRISIS, blithely ignoring the military officers who tell her to leave and never facing any repercussions for doing so. And then she doesn't even write a story about the crazy alien biotech that threatened to destroy the whole station, she just stays laser-focused on the captain himself, because this bland nobody is definitely more interesting than an ancient artifact that turns into an organic metal serial killer.
I saved the best part for last: I complain about Sinclair a lot, but this episode had a conversation between him and Garibaldi that basically explained every one of Sinclair's problems as in-world issues rather than poor writing and acting: the dude has PTSD. And in light of that explanation, everything he does, and every way he does it, makes perfect sense. Garibaldi's specific wording was "some veterans of the Minbari war decide it's easier to find something worth dying for than something worth living for," or something pretty close to that, and that sums up Sinclair's worst excesses perfectly. He doesn't emote and he doesn't connect to people, but he frigging loves getting out on the front lines and Doing Stuff. A colony got attacked? No need to send the fighter squadron to check on it, I'LL DO IT MYSELF. A vicious alien serial killer is stalking the lower levels of the station? SWEET LET ME GO DEAL WITH THIS IN PERSON. Sinclair is a man trying to put himself in the center of as much danger as possible because he's emotionally damaged by the war; he either needs adrenaline to feel alive, or he's trying to commit "Suicide by Star Trek Anomaly," and either way it's a great read on his character that explains his actions and isn't a retcon. I hope they continue that idea forward, and deal with it directly, because it's a great hook that turned a weak character into a fascinating one.
One of the reasons INFECTION is so good is because it's the first time since THE GATHERING that we get to spend a lot of time with a really interesting character: Eps 1 and 3 gave us Londo, who I hate, and ep 2 gave us Delenn, and all of the eps have given us way more Sinclair than is strictly necessary, but episode 4 is all about the Doctor, and he is great. That's not to say that we get to know him very well--I had to check wikipedia to learn that his name is apparently Stephen Franklin--but we spend a lot of time with him, and he is charismatic and likable. We spend a ton of time with Sinclair in this episode as well (especially at the end, when he once again ends up doing Garibaldi's job and, at the same time, delivering a big Kirk speech), but Sinclair doesn't emote, and the doctor does. Maybe I liked this episode so much simply because I was grateful to finally spend some time with someone I enjoyed spending time with. Whatever the actual reason, it's all due to the doctor, so thank you Richard Biggs. You saved the show for me.
The plot itself is, like episode 2, very Star Trekkie: a space archeologist brings some contraband onto the station, which turns out to be alien biotech, which turns out to be a self-replicating weapon system that turns the archeologist's assistant into a brainwashed soldier re-fighting an ancient war. And let's be clear: that is a solid pitch for an episode of any SF show. I swear Doctor Who's done that one at least twice. And it works pretty well here, up to and including a super-corny Kirk speech at the end where the captain talks the alien monster-weapon into overriding its own biological imperative. Like I said: super corny, and scientifically ridiculous, but as these things go it was well-written and well-delivered. By which I mostly mean that they said the things I would have said if I was writing the scene, which doesn't necessarily mean that it worked, just that it worked for me.
My only major disappointment with this episode, in fact, is that everyone told me that I can skip it because it doesn't tie into the myth-arc, which means that the cool alien biotech is not coming back again. And it doesn't need to, but I like alien biotech and it would have made for a fun ongoing villain. Oh well.
Wait! I forgot about the other thing I didn't like, which to be fair is super forgettable: there was a whole B-plot, which got the attention of maybe a C-plot at best, in which a reporter is for some reason trying to interview the captain. And we don't know why or for what, and we don't know what the stakes are, and at the end of the episode the subplot never goes anywhere or pays off in any meaningful way, but at least they kept pausing the main story every now and then to remind us that there's a reporter standing huffily in the background, sometimes in the command center, sometimes DURING A LIFE-OR-DEATH CRISIS, blithely ignoring the military officers who tell her to leave and never facing any repercussions for doing so. And then she doesn't even write a story about the crazy alien biotech that threatened to destroy the whole station, she just stays laser-focused on the captain himself, because this bland nobody is definitely more interesting than an ancient artifact that turns into an organic metal serial killer.
I saved the best part for last: I complain about Sinclair a lot, but this episode had a conversation between him and Garibaldi that basically explained every one of Sinclair's problems as in-world issues rather than poor writing and acting: the dude has PTSD. And in light of that explanation, everything he does, and every way he does it, makes perfect sense. Garibaldi's specific wording was "some veterans of the Minbari war decide it's easier to find something worth dying for than something worth living for," or something pretty close to that, and that sums up Sinclair's worst excesses perfectly. He doesn't emote and he doesn't connect to people, but he frigging loves getting out on the front lines and Doing Stuff. A colony got attacked? No need to send the fighter squadron to check on it, I'LL DO IT MYSELF. A vicious alien serial killer is stalking the lower levels of the station? SWEET LET ME GO DEAL WITH THIS IN PERSON. Sinclair is a man trying to put himself in the center of as much danger as possible because he's emotionally damaged by the war; he either needs adrenaline to feel alive, or he's trying to commit "Suicide by Star Trek Anomaly," and either way it's a great read on his character that explains his actions and isn't a retcon. I hope they continue that idea forward, and deal with it directly, because it's a great hook that turned a weak character into a fascinating one.
Nice catch on the PTSD and your analysis -- if you think it will be interesting to continue & understand Sinclair now, just wait... . Brian, aka the Chief_Engineer
ReplyDeleteAs a meta issue, I suspect some of the flat delivery from Sinclair is that his actor was struggling with really difficult depression issues the whole season
ReplyDelete