Good dialogue is something I really struggle with as a writer, but Babylon 5 has it in spades.
Comedic one-liners: "I don't care if they agreed to wear bunny suits and sing the Hallelujah Chorus."
Grim threats: "Rest assured that while your body may one day be found, it could never be identified from what was left."
Deep questions: "You're getting dressed in the morning, You're pulling on your pants. Do you zip and then fasten or fasten and then zip?"
Clarifications: "Slight difference in how you pronounce. Za-thras. Za-thras. Za-thras. You are seeing?"
And then there's the music critiques:
Seriously, show creator J. Michael Straczynski does some of his best work with small frame dialogues between two characters. Season 3 has an episode where two characters are trapped in an elevator and their interaction is tense, funny, and mesmerizing.
Please post some of your favorite lines or scenes in the comments. I'd love to discuss them.
"What is it you moonfaced assassin of joy?"
ReplyDeleteI love Londo and Vir's interactions throughout the seasons.
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