The SF Site: Babylon 5.1 by Rick Norwood

Babylon 5.1
by Rick Norwood

TV Reviews

Websites
Other Babylon 5.1 Columns
For more information, you can try the following sites:
Rick Norwood's Website
Worldwide TV Schedule
The Official Babylon 5 Website
The X-Files
Pocket Books: Star Trek
Paramount Star Trek

Ratings
Ratings are based on a four star system.
One star means that the commercials are more entertaining than the program.
Two stars watch if you have nothing better to do.
Three stars is good solid entertainment.
Four stars means you never dreamed television could be this good.

District 9 (****) by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
It takes a well written movie like this one to make me realize what hackwork most movies are, even movies I like. I enjoyed Iron Man a lot, but not because of the writing. The acting and the special effects were the draw -- the plot was routine. Blomkamp and Tatchell know how to write.

Defying Gravity (***) by James D. Parriott
The more I watch this new space sf show, the better I like it. As in the case of the film District 9, it is the writing that makes the difference. Each episode is introduced and ends with a voiceover by one of the characters. They did that on The X-Files a lot, Scully would intone some deep bullshit about life and death and space aliens. The X-Files was fun, but Defying Gravity actually makes sense.

September features the season finale of Eureka, which will be back, and the season premieres of Fringe, Supernatural, Smallville, and Dollhouse.

SF on TV in September 2009

Sunday, September 6
Defying Gravity "Fear", by Chris Provenzano

Defying Gravity Thursday, September 10
Supernatural "Sympathy for the Devil", Eric Kripke, Season Five Premiere

Friday, September 11
Eureka "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Eric Wallace

Sunday, September 13
Defying Gravity "Love, Honor, Obey", by Susan Nirah Jaffee

Thursday, September 17
Fringe "A New Day in the Old Town", by J. J. Abrams and Akiva Goldsman
Supernatural "Good God, Y'All", by Sera Gamble

Fringe Friday, September 18
Eureka "Prologue", Season 3 Part 2 Finale

Sunday, September 20
Defying Gravity

Monday, September 21
Heroes Volume Five: Redemption, Chapter One, "Orientation", Part One of Two
Heroes Chapter Two, "Jump, Push, Fall", Part Two of Two

Eureka Thursday, September 24
Fringe "Night of Desirable Objects", by Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman
Supernatural "Free to Be You And Me"

Friday, September 25
Smallville "Savior", by Brian Pederson and Kelly Souders, Season Nine Premiere
Dollhouse "Vows", by Joss Whedon, Season Two Premiere

Sunday, September 27
Defying Gravity

Monday, September 28
Heroes "Acceptance"

Rick Norwood is a mathematician and writer whose small press publishing house, Manuscript Press, has published books by Hal Clement, R.A. Lafferty, and Hal Foster. He is also the editor of Comics Revue Monthly, which publishes such classic comic strips as Flash Gordon, Sky Masters, Modesty Blaise, Tarzan, Odd Bodkins, Casey Ruggles, The Phantom, Gasoline Alley, Krazy Kat, Alley Oop, Little Orphan Annie, Barnaby, Buz Sawyer, and Steve Canyon.