Rebo and Zooty

Story: Day of the Dead

Written By: Neil Gaiman

Season: 5

The comedy team Rebo and Zooty, mentioned offhand in an episode a season or so ago (and played here by comedy/magic team Penn & Teller), come to the station for one reason or another,  and the Breakiri race wish to by a stretch of the station for the night in order to call it part of their  Planet for their ceremonial Day of the Dead.  The Rebo and Zooty stuff is fairly mundane and not terribly funny...but that tends to happen with stuff like this.  Because it’s supposed to be extra hilarious for most people in the context of the show, it feels forced and not terribly funny for any viewer.  I guess that was somewhat intended, as they are a somewhat hackey comedy team like the Three Stooges.  Did I just out myself as a non-fan of the Stooges? 

The Rebo and Zooty stuff is neither here nor there really. The bulk of the episode is about the several people whose quarters are on the stretch that the Brakiri bought, and they are somehow magically transported to the Brakiri planet, and are experiencing ghostly visitations.  Lochley is reunited with a friend from her wilder younger days, who died from their wild ways.  Garibaldi is visited by that marine chick he almost got with back in Season 2.  Lennier (visiting the station for the ritual) is visited by Morden, who gives Lennier some disconcerting news about his future, that he will betray the Rangers and possibly die in the near future.  Londo gets to have one last night with the one woman he loved, and was poisoned by Morden.  And G’Kar goes and sleeps in C&C because he doesn’t want to deal with it.  

It is a decent episode by Neil Gaiman, the only person to write a Babylon 5 episode beyond Straczynski since Season 3 began.  Beyond two stories this season that had story contributions from Harlan Ellison, Gaiman is the only person beyond JMS that will have written for the show before it’s end.  The episode has some good character stuff, a few hints of things to come, and doesn’t feel too arc-ish. Penn & Teller are okay, but I didn’t care too much for them.  Half-decent episode...at least I didn’t have to deal with Byron. 

NEXT TIME: Byron’s Ultimatum