JMS wrote one of his best graphic novels, Midnight nation, "inspired by"/"fueled by" similar experiences.

B5 is quite simply what shows should aspire to be. Ignore the funny make-up and amiga video-toaster graphics (if you want good FXs check out the Voices in the Darkess shorts). B5 is about building a story, from start to end. About building a mystery, from beginning to finale. It's what Fringe and Lost and Revolution…

Yes.

UN in neutral space which becomes a staging area in neutral space.

One invaded the other. Think England in colonial times, whether it be Canada, Ireland, or the US, but then add once the colonial country got free they became a massive aggressive force. The abused became the abuser.

The original story intended there to be just one CJS to represent a singular [spoilers] prophecised figure. CAPTAIN Sheridan was brought in in S2 because a) the COMMANDER Sinclair was getting too big and b) Micharl O'Hare (RIP) wanted out.

Endure the first season, experience the second, relish the third.

He's not evil. He's just republican.

It is everything that modern shows promise to be. As for the pitch; S1 is very slow, but it lays all the ground work for everything else. By the time you reach 3.04-3.08 you'll be wondering why everything can't be this good.

A mate of mine wrote this a couple of years ago. It's Ireland specific (don't be afraid of the strange words) but it's funny as hell! :)

Aspiration

They didn't say the bullets were laced with vervain. They said width and length designed for killing vamps. When Stefan burnt himself on them, their reactio was "oh, just vervain", it was "is it magic?" They said gloves laced with vervain, not the bullets. Watch it again, and get over Damon! :)

The Vampire Diaries are at it's best when setting a plan and trying to follow it through. Invariably, the heroes are in the weaker position and use guile to try and outwit the big-bad. In the case of this episode, the roles are very much reversed, and it worked well. The hunter, despite all his neato-stuff, is a human…

The attack on DC did the exact opposite of what it was meant to. It was meant to show Chaplin was "just crazy enough". When it actually showed him to be gutless. Then the week later, he hit a sub with an unarmed torpedo, proving this again. The Nuke likely killed a couple of people, maybe even knocked an airliner or…

The Dune Mini series does have a special place in my cold black heart. Because of it, I found I could more enjoy the more hollowed out movie version.

As for the ongoing nature of the storytelling, no matter if the writers are good or bad, which would come down to personal choice (both Fringe and BSG, in my opinion, are not worth their salt) they all have show runners, executive producers whose responsibility it is to create and foster and maintain the stories and…

Modern TV, that which you describe as endless mysteries aren't mysteries at all. They are compounded lies, throwing shit against the wall until some of it sticks. In a mystery, by definition, the writer knows who "dunit" on page one and the tale is the information and red herrings to get to the reveal (with a…

No, in the microcosm of a single character, it's only good acting to reach the potential of that character in the script. Where else does the character come from? Certainly, the actor has their own style, their own personality. It's been argued successfull that actors at best are 60% themselves, and 40% the character.…

I'll happily be discounted on the X-files front. It was an unresearched, memory-based, knee-jerk assertion. Though I thought it reflected well against the researched list above.

That's understandable, from a certain point of view. It's like how the first version of a song a person hears becomes the original for them. For example, knocking on heaven's door will always be a GNR song, as opposed to Dylan or Clapton.