Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: My only complaint is that I have to wait for the rest...
Rating:
Summary: This is where it starts getting good
Review: Like many scifi series, Babylon 5 was slow to build to it's perfection. Season 1 may be difficult to get through, but it begins to pay off in Season 2. "The Coming of the Shadows" kicks the B5 story arc into high gear. There are conspiricies and dark portents. Babylon 5 is epic in scope, and brilliant in it's execution. J. Michael Stracynski continues to lay the groundwork for later seasons, while building upon the foundation of the first.
Rating:
Summary: The Buildup Continues
Review: Babylon 5 is one of the greatest shows ever created for television. It was the first of its kind, a full five-season story. It's not a monster-of-the-week show like we are used to. This show is intended to make the first season matter to what is happening in season five. And in Season Two, the show continues to build up towards one of the most satisfying climaxes in television history. There are a few episodes in here that feel slow, like many in the first season. But there are plenty to make up for the few slower ones. The Narn world is conquered by the Centari. The Shadows make more appearances. More and more gets built up. Buy this. You'll enjoy the resolution this season builds up when you get to Season Three. But Season Three will have no meaning or relevance without the first two seasons.
Rating:
Summary: Great SF saga
Review: Babylon 5 is just outstanding: the story, the actors, the lines, I like everything about it. The only disappointment with the second season is the change in the leading role. As much as I like Bruce Boxleitner, Michael O'Hare is so much a better actor and you can realize it from the very beginning, in the opening narration, after the one read by O'Hare this one read by Boxleitner is a bad shock!
Anyway B5 remains a great saga!
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars for show quality, 1 star for DVD quality
Review: While I am very enthusiastic about the story, casting, dialogue, score, graphics & everything else that made up this exceptional series, I was very disappointed with the quality of the DVD itself. The first season quality wasn't bad, but the second season did not at all do the show justice. Many scenes were very dark & difficult to watch even after adjusting the brightness on my TV. My tapes from when the series orginally aired look better.
Rating: 
Summary: WB this material Deserves Better
Review: I am not among those who seem to be satisfied with the audio and transfer quality of the season 2 set. The sound is on a par with season one, which is to say ok but not earthshaking. the number of scratches and other film artifacts is annoying and I am not willing to write-off the graininess of low-light scenes (of which there are many because of the generally dark tone of the series)to the physical limits of the film.I have seen much better quality from older material (TNG as an example). This is great material, a quality series born from the ground-breaking concept of creating a series designed to tell a story within a five season timespan from start to finish. It deserves better artistic treatment than it is getting from Warner, not suprising considering the short-shrift it got during original production. My two favorite seasons are coming up and I am hoping that Warner will do a better job on them but I'm not holding my breath.
That said, I would still buy the set again in a heartbeat.
Rating:
Summary: B5 Season 2 - The Coming of the Shadows - The plot thickens!
Review: With the second season we finally see some payoff to some of what the brilliant writers and producers set up in the first season and of course, upon answering some earlier questions, new ones are raised. This is one of the reasons this show is so appealing as J. Michael Straczynski set up the five year plot and this is but the second chapter and there are so many layers that one cannot help but get caught up in this extraordinarily intriguing epic. Of the many DVD Boxed sets that I've purchased, the B5 sets seem to stand out above the rest as far as quality goes to include Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and widescreen presentation, episode previews right there with the episode and the overall quality of the transfer. Stand out episodes: Points of Departure - This is a wonderfully well written and played episode that serves well to lead off the new season and bring some closure to the incredible first season's cliffhanger and introducing the new and much stronger commanding officer, Captain John Sheridan. It's easily discernable up front to see the different leadership style that he brings into the role and you can readily see that the writers are now beginning to ramp up the war with the shadows in these early beginnings. Revelations - In a continuance from the season opener, we finally see G'Kar after his search for what destroyed the Narn outpost and his run in with the shadows. Delenn makes her dramatic "return" in this well written episode. The Geometry of Shadows - In this outstanding Londo Mollari episode we begin to see the furtherance of his unknowing relationship with the shadows, his rising value in the politics of Centauri Prime and his mistaken attempt to meet with the Techno Mages. A Distant Star - To provide more evidence of the coming of the shadows, this episode teases the Shadows brilliantly before us as they're making their presence seen but not seen as a whole. This episode also serves well to give us further insight into Sheridan and what makes him tick. Soul Mates - Written by Peter David, one of Star Trek's finest authors, this superb episode is replete with his humor and brilliant style. Londo has been granted permission by the emperor to divorce two of his wives and he makes the best of it. A Race Through Dark Places - This excellent episode fits well in the "big" picture of B5 as we're brought further into the mystery of Psi Corps and guest star Walter Koenig makes his return as Bester. The Coming of Shadows - The flood gates of the "epic" open wide with this outstanding episode in which the Centauri emperor comes to apologize to the Narn, however, Londo and his "associates" turn towards war against the Narn. We're also introduced to the Rangers as Garibaldi receives a message from Sinclair. This is quite easily the best episode of the season! All Alone in the Night - This is an extremely interesting and pivotal episode in which Delenn is ordered home to meet her fate with the Gray Council and at the same time, Sheridan is captured by an unknown species. Acts of Sacrifice - This is a rather poignant episode in which the war between the Centauri and Narn is heating up and carrying over to B5's population. We begin to see the effect that Londo's new "status" is taking on him. There all the Honor Lies - This is another brilliantly funny episode written by Peter David. Sheridan is accused of murdering a Minbari and Earth Force wishes to turn a buck by selling B5 souvenirs. And Now for a Word - This is a fantastic episode portrayed entirely from the point of view of the Interstellar News Network and their visit to B5 just as the Centauri/Narn war heats up on B5's doorstep. In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum - This is another extremely pivotal episode to the entire five year plot as Sheridan meets Mr. Morden upon discovering he was on the Icarus, the same ship in which Sheridan's wife died. Here is where Sheridan must make the decision between his own personal goals and that of the greater good. Divided Loyalties - In this stunning episode, Lyta Alexander makes a visit and she's seeking a traitor in the midst and Ivanova makes a major revelation to Sheridan. The Long, Twilight Struggle - In this extremely intriguing and pivotal episode the Centauri/Narn war comes to its inevitable conclusion signaling the coming of the larger war... Comes the Inquisitor - This is one of the most intriguing and thought provoking episodes of the season as Kosh summons an "Inquisitor" to test Delenn and G'Kar attempts to gain control and leadership over the remaining Narn on the station. The Fall of Night - Earth makes an unexpected move with reference to the Centauri and we finally see some payoff with reference to the Vorlon and the Shadows... Special Features Disc 1 - Introduction to "The Coming of Shadows."
"The Geometry of Shadows" Commentary by Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian and Jerry Doyle.
Text strings on Executive Producer Douglas Netter and J. Michael Straczynski Disc 4 - "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum" Commentary by J. Michael Straczynski Disc 6 - "The Fall of Night" Commentary by J. Michael Straczynski
Building Babylon: Blueprint of an Episode
Shadows and Dreams: Honors of Babylon
The Universe of Babylon: Several tech files, personnel files and a timeline up to the end of Season 2 and a great gag reel. Episode list: Points of Departure
Revelations
The Geometry of Shadows
A Distant Star
The Long Dark
A Spider in the Web
Soul Mates
A Race Through Dark Places
The Coming of Shadows
Gropos
All Alone in the Night
Acts of Sacrifice
Hunter, Prey
There all the Honor Lies
And Now for a Word
In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum
Knives
Confessions and Lamentations
Divided Loyalties
The Long, Twilight Struggle
Comes the Inquisitor
The Fall of Night
Rating:
Summary: The Glory That Was Babylon 5:
Review: Without question, season 2 of "Babylon 5", "The Coming of Shadows", made it the science fiction television series to watch, highlighting creator J. Michael Straczynski's five year story arc for this vast "novel for television". Bruce Boxleitner's Captain John Sheridan is a major improvement as the commander of Babylon 5 over Season 1's Michael O'Hare (Commander Sinclair); much to his credit Boxleitner portrays Sheridan as the noble, but flawed, character that is implied from his past. During the course of Season 2 we shall witness the epic struggle between the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic as well as the initial skirmishes in the new war against the mysterious Shadows. Sheridan will be thrusted into a pivotal role as the on site leader of a resistance movement against an increasingly fascist Earth Alliance government. Ambassador Mollari (Peter Jurasik) will unexpectedly find himself as Babylon 5's most hated, most feared individual due to his involvement in the new Centauri war against the Narns. And Ambassador G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) will emerge by the end of the season as a tragic, heroic figure. Some of the best episodes include "The Coming of Shadows", which chronicles an ill fated attempt by the dying Centauri emperor (Turhan Bey) to forge a long-lasting peace with the Narns, "The Shadows of Z'ha'dum", in which Sheridan learns a terrifying secret about Mr. Morden (Eric Wasser), and "Comes the Inquisitor", whereby Sheridan and Delenn (Mira Furlan) are tested by a human agent of the Vorlon Empire (Wayne Alexander, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Lorien in Season 3). But these are not the only fine episodes in this epic-filled season of "Babylon 5". The sound and image transfers of Season 2 are a substantial improvement over Season 1, though they fall short of the quality I've expected from films such as "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". The accompanying commentaries offer valuable insight into Straczynski's plans for the entire "Babylon 5" saga as well as the cast's recollections on the filming of Season 2. For those who are not familiar with "Babylon 5", then this DVD collection is a fine place to start. Truly, "Babylon 5" hit its stride during Season 2, and kept its excellence through the very end of Season 5.
Rating:
Summary: DVD image quality is excellent
Review: As a counterpoint to the negative comments regarding the image quality, I found the image presentation to be quite engaging and remarkable, a stellar improvment over the aired 4:3 content. They had the foresight to film in 16:9, revealing details that I have never before noticed. No artificial edge enhancement was noticable. The CGI scenes are of considerably lower resolution, but this was a limitation of the technology of the time and foregivable.
The scratches and splotches everyone has been complaining about comprise less than 5% of the total content. Grain is an inherent property of film and cannot be removed, so there is no point in lamenting over it. The CGI scenes notwithstanding, I was blown away by the crispness and saturation of color, and thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, as viewed on a very high performance 65" HDTV display I might add.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Incredible
Review: We got the B5 DVD Friday night and watched them all back to back over the following 2 days. We couldnt stop not even to eat. They are just that good. The picture quality is not digitally remastered, and I hope they inprove the quality for future releases, but the show itself more than makes up for any problems with the DVD production. Even a day later I am still in awe.
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