During my vacation in Washington, D.C., I had the amazing fortune to see a traveling exhibit in the Smithsonian all about the imagination and world of Jim Henson.  The man was a genius. Everything from his original television commercials to the Dark Crystal was on display. The exhibit also had a ton of Henson’s original sketches and concept drawings, which was really cool to see.  But even looking at all of that, I still have to believe that the Muppet Show was the key achievement. It was the catalyst for all the puppetry innovations and creativity from the Henson company for years to come.

The character design was terrific; from Kermit to Miss Piggy, even to Scooter, the PA who was ostensibly the nephew of the theatre’s owner. But the interaction between the human guests and the Muppets is something that I can’t think I’ve seen coming before the advent of the Muppet Show.

I really enjoy the Muppet Show – it really isn’t what would be considered a sketch show these days.  The entire show was tied together by a crisis backstage, really making it something unique: not a sketch show, not a sitcom – just good. And as for Jim Henson’s contributions to culture and entertainment, the Muppet Show is a very important part, but let’s not forget Sesame Street and all the magic that his puppeteering philosophy has created.

I leave you with Big Bird singing “It’s Not Easy Being Green” at Jim Henson’s memorial.

What does this all lead up to?  I’ve been watching Gurren Lagann on the Sci-fi channel. It’s beyond terrific.

However, I really feel that the best part of this whole situation is that something as new and entertaining as Gurren is airing on Sci-fi.  For the longest time, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim has been the only mainstream place to view anime on TV here in North America.  They, of course, need to choose shows that will appeal to their intended audience.  That’s not a bad thing, it just limits what we get on TV.  Gurren Lagann would probably do just as well on CN, but the mere fact that it is on Sci-fi means another avenue for anime to pry its way into the general entertainment consciousness.  I know that there have been other anime shows on the channel, but since CN has had somewhat of a stranglehold on the popular shows of late, and seeing something as anticipated as Gurren Lagann make its way onto another channel (and thus another audience) is exciting to me.

I started writing this post a while ago, intending on writing a full review of the first few episodes of the show.  I never did get around to creating that part.  I’m still watching Gurren, but I haven’t had the time to sit down and pick it apart for a review.  The end of Toonami on Cartoon Network adds a little poignant note to this, but Sci-fi and IFC will still show anime sparsely, along with (I think) some of the Encore channels in my area.  I still don’t get the Funimation channel, which upsets me.  Also, they recently announced anime sections on both Hulu and Joost, which can only be a good thing for anime and its fans in North America.

What started this whole renaissance of internet television for me was stumbling upon Babylon 5 in the show list.  I have been meaning to actually watch it from start to finish.  While the show was actually running I didn’t have cable, so I only got to catch flashes of it when I was at other people’s houses.  So now that I can go about it the lazy way, I finally decided it was time.

Hulu only has the first two seasons up so far, so that’s what this review will focus on.  I know some people will question the point of writing about such an old show, but maybe I’ll get someone to watch it for the first time or an old fan to go back and revisit.  It’s definitely a show worth watching, and I’m still hungry for the rest of it.

One of the most interesting things about the show is the lengths that it went to in order to keep the overall plot arc going.  Of course, each episode definitely stands alone, but each advances the storyline in some way.  The viewers are introduced to all of the characters – mostly the ship’s officers and the various ambassadors – and they are the central focus of the series.  Since so much attention is paid to character development, a greater attachment is formed.

One of the things I noticed early on was the similarity of Commander Sinclair to Captain Archer from Star Trek Enterprise.  Maybe it was just something I made up in my head, but their character backgrounds and their motivations seemed very close.  I’m not suggesting that there was any specific connection, but more that it’s a very good science fiction staple.

Season 1 was pretty much an introduction to the world, its history, and the major players.  There was a lot of character building and exposition, but all of it was done rather well.  Running through the background of all of this was a definite foreshadowing of something darker and more important to come.

At the beginning of Season 2, John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner, otherwise always known as TRON) takes over for Commander Sinclair as chief of the Babylon 5 station, with almost no explanation.  I haven’t looked up if this was done on purpose or if it was another ‘this actor didn’t want to do it anymore’ things.  Either way, it was a little bit of a shock.  I had grown attached to the way the station/show worked with Sinclair, so I had to get used to a different feel to the show.  It all worked out, and Season 2 ramps up the tension as well as the storyline.

The computer graphics are a bit dated, but they are a good look back to the state of computer animation in the years when the show was created.  I also learned that the technology was also used in a short-lived series that I watched on TV when it aired called Hypernauts.  I’m still trying to track down the rest of that show – it was rather interesting for a ‘kid’s show.’

Bottom line: go watch Babylon 5 on Hulu right now, or if you are an obsessive compulsive collector of TV shows on DVD, I’m pretty sure it’s all available – but I don’t guarantee it.