NOTE: This article originally ran on scifigangstas.com in June 2022

by William Moon

We’re not quite to its 30-year anniversary (the pilot TV movie Babylon 5: The Gathering first aired on February 22, 1993), but having recently completed a rewatch of the entire series (which was also a first watch for my wife), I think now’s as good a time as any to dive back into this oft-overlooked ’90s genre staple. (Plus there’s a possible reboot still hanging on the vine.) Somewhat famously, creator and executive producer J. Michael Straczynski conceived the series as a “novel for television”, with its proposed five-season run being completely pre-planned, something which was virtually unheard of in TV at the time. (That time was circa 1989-1992 or so, when Straczynski was shopping the series around to various studios. One of those studios, Paramount, may have used the proposal as the basis for the also excellent Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a show which paralleled Babylon 5 in many ways throughout their respective runs, leading to accusations of plagiarism.)

Now, as could be expected, while the series unfolded over its five seasons, various issues cropped up that inevitably led to deviations from Straczynski’s original plan – things like cast changes, budget issues, and a network change for season five – but the show was able to overcome the odds and complete the novel, so to speak. The resulting series is a mixture of very of-its-time fashions, music, design elements and a tendency towards heavy-handed but well-written dialogue mixed with ahead-of-its-time serialization and grandiose, often mythic storytelling, with many of its heavier themes showing up every day in the current news cycle. (One late season two episode in particular has resonated strongly in the current climate, but more on that later.)

With all that said, here’s a 25-episode primer that looks at the show’s core elements. For record-keeping purposes, I’m using the original aired order of the episodes even though some of them were aired out of the intended order. There are multiple suggested viewing orders here, but the order we just rewatched the show in is the order HBO Max is using, which is likely the most commonly-used streaming home for the series, in the US at least. I will also note that The Gathering is counted separately here as a TV movie, one of seven in the franchise, which also includes the short-lived spinoff series Crusade. That means episode one of season one is “Midnight on the Firing Line”. (HBO Max lists The Gathering as episode one, it should be noted.) This is all unnecessarily confusing, I admit, but we press on with the episodes. (Light spoiler alert, but I’ll try not to ruin any major plot points.)

Season 1, Episode 8 – “And the Sky Full of Stars”

Right out of the gate, we should address the franchise’s biggest what-if. Station commander and series lead Jeffrey Sinclair was slated to carry much of the weight of the many prophecies involved in the show’s expansive lore, and this episode is one of the most important of season one in that regard. But actor Michael O’Hare was dealing with a rapidly developing case of paranoid schizophrenia. He alerted J. Michael Straczynski to his problems and agreed to stay on to finish the first season before departing when filming was completed. The show handled the resulting changeover to Bruce Boxleitner’s John Sheridan rather elegantly (culminating in an episode we’ll discuss later in the article), but the difference in series leads certainly lends all of season one a different kind of energy. Most of what had come before this were standalone episodes, which became rarer and rarer for the show over time, but this entry kickstarts the series’ larger plot mechanics. Christopher Neame’s performance as Knight Two is also a highlight here, particularly his final scene, which only adds to the episode’s haunting vibe.

Season 1, Episode 13 – “Signs and Portents”

One of the fun things about the series is that each season also gets an overarching title which it shares with an episode that best represents that season’s wider place in the narrative. Season one is called Signs and Portents, and this episode lives up to its billing as the most foreboding entry of the show’s first year. Peter Jurasik’s performance as the Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari is one of the show’s strengths, as his early boisterous comic relief energy slowly gives way to a character arc that’s gripping and often deeply tragic. Several elements of the show’s most celebrated plotline, the Shadow War, are introduced here, with Ed Wasser’s supremely oily Mr. Morden making his first appearance, along with his first interaction with Londo, a character pairing that drives much of the plot of the first few seasons. Morden’s encounters with the Minbari ambassador Delenn and the Vorlon ambassador Kosh are also memorable, and all of this sets in motion arguably the most ambitious story any TV series told in the 1990s.

Season 1, Episode 20 – “Babylon Squared”

Another season one entry that plays heavily into the series’ larger plot, “Babylon Squared” also features more classic sci-fi conceits than much of the rest of the season. Time travel – or perhaps time displacement is a better way to describe it – plays a major role in our first look at Babylon 4, a station which was thought to have disappeared. As big a role as it would go on to play in the larger narrative, I’ve read that Babylon 4 may have originally been intended for an even more central role in the mythology, but the way this storyline eventually wraps up is plenty satisfying from a narrative perspective. The episode also features a mysterious man in a spacesuit, the (apparent) reveal of whose identity raises more questions than it answers, and the first appearance of our lord and savior Zathras. (We would also later be introduced to Zathras and Zathras…I think.) This is arguably the most tantalizing episode of the entire series, the one that leaves you wanting answers more than any other.

Season 1, Episode 22 – “Chrysalis”

The first season finale is suitably momentous, leaving a major character near death, another major character in a mysterious cocoon, and two of the show’s five major races devastated. Even if this weren’t Michael O’Hare’s last episode as a series regular, this outing would stand as a turning point for the series (though not THE turning point – that’s coming up next). Both of the franchise’s longest-running storylines are jolted forward here, with the goings-on back on Earth jumping to the narrative forefront. And the episode, if anything, really highlights how incredibly well the show handles foreshadowing. A crucial device in this episode was slowly, inconspicuously built by a major character right in front of our faces and another seemingly minor recurring character makes a major heel turn. While often feeling disconnected from the rest of the series, season one is full of stuff like this, little elements introduced seemingly harmlessly that go on to become absolutely essential to this ever-growing narrative.

Season 2, Episode 9 – “The Coming of Shadows”

If not my overall favorite episode, certainly the one I think is most representative of the show’s strengths, season two’s “The Coming of Shadows” shares its title with the entire season. (It also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.) Everything about this episode is a symphony – Turhan Bey’s memorable performance as the aging Centauri Emperor (he was so well-received they later named the character after him), a lengthier view of Londo’s death prophecy, a wonderfully cruel scene where Londo and Narn ambassador G’Kar share a drink that basically defines dramatic irony, the first mention of the Rangers, and the Shadows once again appearing long enough to wreck stuff but not so long that they start to lose their sizzle. There’ll be plenty more on this later, but the stuff between the Centauri and the Narn, and particularly between Londo and G’Kar, is the show’s best material. It’s also stuff that, especially in light of recent events, can be hard to watch.

Season 2, Episode 16 – “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum”

Picking up largely where “The Coming of Shadows” leaves off, “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum” arguably doles out more universe-building exposition than any other episode. (The way Kosh tells Sheridan to “learn” is low-key funny.) While the previous entry can be seen as a push past the point of no return (remember that phrase for later), this episode is where J. Michael Straczynski really lays his cards on the table, at least as far as the Shadow War is concerned. The other major storyline is also pushed along here, rather more quietly, with the formation of Nightwatch, an initially vaguely-defined additional station security force whose purpose becomes all too clear in future episodes. This outing also introduces the show’s most famous dark joke in a conversation between the nefarious Morden and the ever innocent Centauri attaché Vir Cotto, whose unsuccessful pleading with his boss was a highlight of “The Coming of Shadows” and whose open loathing of Morden is a highlight here.

Season 2, Episode 18 – “Confessions and Lamentations”

Up until now, I’ve listed only episodes that deal with at least one aspect of the show’s overarching mythology, but that could be a bit misleading, as seasons one and two are awash with standalone outings. Our first such entry is this one from the latter part of the second season, which may also be the series’ most ruthless episode. It’s not completely standalone as it does accelerate a storyline involving a personal problem for Dr. Franklin, but the bulk of the episode deals with the Drafa plague, a heretofore unmentioned disease that could potentially decimate the Markab population. The actor playing the Markab doctor behind the glass in the above picture is Jim Norton, who plays three different guest roles over the course of the first three seasons, and he conveys a tremendous sense of dignity and wisdom in his performance here (and he will do so even more in this third and final role). In light of other recent events, his and Dr. Franklin’s discussions about plagues, fear, and scapegoats can be discomforting to say the least, but not nearly as discomforting as Minbari attaché Lennier’s brief, but chilling line, “No. No one.”

Season 2, Episode 20 – “The Long, Twilight Struggle”

Alternately one of the show’s most inspiring and depressing outings, the most celebrated aspects of “The Long, Twilight Struggle” could be considered to come from the episode’s B-plot (though the series had largely moved beyond basic A, B, or C-plots by this point). The episode’s title comes from a line given by Draal, the Minbari who runs the Great Machine on Epsilon III, who fires up an inspiring speech towards the episode’s end, though a different speech is the one everyone remembers from this one. The open warfare between the Centauri and the Narn comes to an initial conclusion here, and that conclusion is devastating, with the particularly haunting image above echoing through the series well after this episode concludes. But the indomitable G’Kar, blessed with the wonderful voice of actor Andreas Katsulas, responds with likely the finest speech ever given on Babylon 5 (and there are several), one that defines a long, twilight struggle better than perhaps any other words ever could. As I said earlier, the Centauri-Narn material is the show’s best, and this episode is a particular highlight.

Season 2, Episode 22 – “The Fall of Night”

One of the most rewarding things about the series is the way the various conflicts and character arcs are often rooted in history or mythology. Parallels to aspects of Christianity, Islam, and certainly folklore like the legend of King Arthur abound in the show’s lore, but also references to historical events like pre-World War II Nazi appeasement or the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact are there for any history buffs to enjoy. (And sometimes this subtext becomes text, like when Sheridan tells Zack Allan a somewhat mythologized version of the Coventry Blitz in “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum”.) The season two finale, “The Fall of Night”, is chock full of these references, with the obvious appeasement-style policies pursued by Earth and a grand finale which implies a great deal about the Vorlons and their historical relationship to the Younger Races. In doing so, the episode caps a season that’s all about escalation and neatly sets the stage for year three, which is the franchise’s finest hour.

Season 3, Episode 4 – “Passing Through Gethsemane”

Guest star Brad Dourif’s singular energy elevates an episode of a ’90s genre series. That description could be applied to The X-Files‘ “Beyond the Sea” (one of that show’s early classics) and three different episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. It also applies to “Passing Through Gethsemane”, a standalone outing from early in B5‘s third season. “Death by personality” had been introduced back in season one as a more humane way of dealing with the most serious offenders in Earth society, with the implications of the procedure being mostly skirted past, but they come right to the fore here, with the perfectly-cast Dourif expertly playing a man whose (now forgotten) past comes back to haunt him. With the show’s larger storylines kicking into high gear, this episode offers a respite from the bigger picture, but it’s no less harrowing. And it does deal directly with one aspect of the series that’s mostly omitted from its future-set contemporaries – the place of religion in a universe with space travel and alien civilizations.

Season 3, Episode 6 – “Dust to Dust”

If “The Coming of Shadows” isn’t my favorite episode of the series, this is. “Dust to Dust” is a lot of things – a great showcase for Walter Koenig’s enjoyably villainous Bester, a further peek into the backstory of Londo Mollari, and a chance for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans to spot one of the actors from Soultaker, which is one of that show’s best riffs. But above all else, this is the episode where G’Kar transcends. For fans who remember the G’Kar from later seasons (and why wouldn’t you), seeing him in season one can be jarring, as he and the Narns are consistently depicted as preening and aggressive. That posture is demolished in relatively short order by the events of late season one and season two, and where many of the Narns turn to vengeful fury, G’Kar transitions into something else entirely. And this is the central episode to that story of transition, with Jim Norton again making his mark as a character credited simply as “Narn Image”. There are lots of messages to be gleaned from the series’ overarching storytelling, but perhaps the most salient one is laid out here – that for us to truly reach transcendence, we must grow beyond basic concepts of identity like race/species or motivations like revenge/patriotism and understand the bigger picture, the picture that everyone everywhere is part of, not just the people who look like me.

Season 3, Episode 9 – “Point of No Return”

The title episode of season three, “Point of No Return” functions as the middle segment of a trilogy, with the ending of the preceding “Messages from Earth” flowing directly into the events of this episode, which then set up a major event in the next episode (more on that in a bit). While “Messages from Earth” spends most of its runtime dealing with a Shadow vessel, the involvement of the Earth Alliance in that plot kickstarts a brewing civil war. Nightwatch, established late in season two, has been growing more fascist each passing episode, bringing that storyline and the personal decisions of Jeff Conaway’s Zack Allan to a head (the way Zack is caught in the middle of Earth and the station command staff is brilliantly written, something you don’t quite notice on a first watch). The episode also features a guest appearance by Majel Barrett, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry who also played several characters throughout that franchise. Her presence here seems to soften any tension between Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but she also turns in an indelible performance as Lady Morella, widow of the late Centauri Emperor. Considering the prophetic nature of the role, Barrett’s status as a grand dame of TV sci-fi proved just the right fit.

Season 3, Episode 10 – “Severed Dreams”

The second of the franchise’s two Hugo-winning episodes, “Severed Dreams” features the biggest, most action-packed spectacle the series had yet managed. While the CG imagery on the series could be pretty spotty at times, especially early, big space battles increasingly become a specialty, and this one may be the best the series produced. But that alone doesn’t make a great episode. All the groundwork laid out over the prior seasons brought us here. The slow descent into totalitarianism back home, the secret movements of a cabal of military officers who could see what was coming, the growing connections between Sheridan, the Minbari, and the Narns – all of it hits hard here, with the Narn charge into battle against the breaching Earthforce soldiers and the Churchill‘s kamikaze run standing as two of the show’s most dramatic moments. That would be more than enough for most episodes, but “Severed Dreams” hits us again with the late arrival of the Minbari. Mira Furlan, like Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik in their alien ambassador roles, was always a revelation as Delenn, and this episode gives her arguably her finest moment (definitely her most badass).

Season 3, Episode 15 – “Interludes and Examinations”

After the trilogy of episodes that kick off the Earth Civil War, the show slows down a bit with three relatively lighter episodes before “Ship of Tears”, which directly precedes this entry, opens up a new plotline in the Shadow War. For much of its runtime, “Interludes and Examinations” plays like another less impactful outing, but by episode’s end, three major storylines have been altered forever. The cumulative effect of what befalls Londo, Kosh, and Dr. Franklin here makes this perhaps the most somber episode of the series full stop, but still, a meaningful scene between Sheridan and what appears to be his father (played beautifully by Rance Howard, patriarch of the acting and directing Howard family) offers a through-line that points us toward events later in season three and into season four. Also of note is that the episode’s one positive development, which significantly shifts the balance of power in the Shadow War, turns out to be much more damaging than anything else that happens here. The series was always playing the long game.

Season 3, Episodes 16-17 – “War Without End”

Cheating by putting this two-parter together, but “War Without End” is one cohesive story that really can’t be judged when separated. Given the hectic and unpredictable nature of producing a television show over a period of several years, planning out a rigid five-year story arc isn’t very practical. J. Michael Straczynski fortunately was able to take what he’d originally imagined and build in spaces in the narrative to allow for things like cast changes or budget issues or what have you. The departure of Michael O’Hare after season one would’ve wrecked most shows, especially one that had invested so much narratively in his character, but the way Straczynski manages to work around that, tying off a satisfying narrative for erstwhile protagonist Jeffrey Sinclair while also building more momentum for the ongoing story of John Sheridan, Delenn, and the other remaining characters is perhaps the most impressive bit of writing in the entire series.

Season 3, Episode 20 – “And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place”

William Forward’s performance as Lord Refa is underappreciated. A vile Centauri schemer, Refa exists as somewhat of a devil on Londo Mollari’s shoulder (with Vir as the angel), showing the depths to which a rapacious lust for power can plunge not just a man, but an entire people. In the grand scheme of things, where you have wars between ancient civilizations, he might seem insignificant, but useful idiots like him are always unable to look beyond their own immediate desires to see the bigger picture. And the consequences, both for him and his people, are extraordinarily severe. Another tug-of-war between Refa and Londo is set against the backdrop of a visit to the station by a group of religious figures, which pushes forward the show’s exploration of religion in a futuristic world. But really it’s just there to justify a slick music cue during the climax.

Season 3, Episode 22 – “Z’ha’dum”

A stirring third season comes to a fiery conclusion with “Z’ha’dum”, an episode that had been foretold for at least a season and a half before it finally arrived. We’d seen the Shadow homeworld briefly before, but we get much more of it here, along with a few choice revelations about the exact nature of the Shadows’ and Vorlons’ relationships to each other and to the Younger Races. Considering how impactful this season finale is, it’s an episode that relies on dramatic tension more than slam-bang action. Most of the episode is a conversation, with the Shadows also flexing their threatening muscles back at the station. But when the slam-bang action comes, it’s suitably epic, and the resulting event leads to any number of religious or mythological comparisons, which the show leans into more in the following season.

Season 4, Episode 5 – “The Long Night”

Heading into season four, rumors began to swirl that PTEN, the loosely-defined network that carried Babylon 5 for all but its final season, was not long for this world. With the prospect of the planned fifth season suddenly very much in doubt, J. Michael Straczynski and company had to alter their plans to ensure the show’s long-running storylines could be suitably resolved. I don’t know how far into the season the Shadow War was originally supposed to go, but a tight six-episode arc at the beginning of year four wraps it up rather neatly. Those episodes mostly serve as one long story, but of them, I like the fifth entry the best. Again, the focus on the Centauri and the Narn is the main reason why, as Londo, Vir, and G’Kar all get great, impactful moments in the spotlight, but this episode also features a pre-Malcolm in the Middle Bryan Cranston in a guest role as a Ranger who has a, shall we say, very difficult conversation with Sheridan in a heart-rending scene. The real fireworks were about to come, but this episode outstrips its more bombastic successor from a human (or Narn or Centauri) perspective.

Season 4, Episode 6 – “Into the Fire”

That’s not to say “Into the Fire” isn’t a standout, though. And how could it not be? All those years of foreshadowing and gradual escalation come to a crescendo here. And while the series again confidently presents us with a sprawling space battle, it’s fitting that instead of boom-boom and bang-bang, the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind comes down to a conversation – or, rather, two of them. As stated earlier, if you’re not big on dramatic speeches, this isn’t the show for you, but all that talking can not only lead to the end of a massive space war, it can also lead to scenes like Vir and Morden in the garden of the Palace on Centauri Prime, which was seeded with a conversation a season and a half prior and pays off spectacularly here. The biggest downside to this episode, though, is that when the Shadow War leaves us, something fundamental to the show’s DNA leaves with it.

Season 4, Episode 17 – “The Face of the Enemy”

Much as season three takes a brief respite after the drama of the arc that ends with “Severed Dreams”, season four spins its wheels for a while after “Into the Fire”. Some of this was done to move pieces into place for the next big arc, but some of the rest of it was because certain storylines were compressed to fit into a potentially shorter run. One of the storylines that carries on through all of this, though, is a particularly dour turn taken by Michael Garibaldi, formerly stalwart chief of station security. Jerry Doyle really commits to the material, though, and the show gives this new, jerkbag-ish Garibaldi just enough legitimate reason to turn like he’s turned to keep you guessing. When everything comes to a head in “The Face of the Enemy”, the resolution of this storyline hits like a ton of bricks and an Earth Civil War arc that, for me at least, hadn’t quite taken off yet really gets rolling. And this is somehow only the second episode on this list to feature Walter Koenig’s Bester, a character who is never not a total bastard, but yet is one of the show’s most indelible creations. Credit to Koenig for his performance, which is about as far removed from Pavel Chekov as you could imagine.

Season 4, Episode 19 – “Between the Darkness and the Light”

An eventful episode immediately following an isolated one, “Intersections in Real Time”, the 19th episode of Babylon 5‘s fourth season is essentially the beginning of a three-episode arc that concludes the Earth Civil War storyline while also pushing past the lengthy set-up arcs involving Garibaldi’s split from the main cast and the groundwork Franklin and Marcus/Lyta have done to set up Mars’ part in this fight. The episode briskly moves three major storylines forward, but the dominant figure here, for multiple reasons, is Susan Ivanova. Her famous speech to Captain Thompson of Earthforce is easily read both as an attempt to psych out her opponent and an attempt to psych herself up for the coming battle, but either way, it becomes one of the character’s defining moments, not least because of what happens later in the episode and then off-screen between seasons four and five. One thing those events made clear – Ivanova, and by extension Claudia Christian, was an indispensable part of the show.

Season 4, Episode 20 – “Endgame”

At first blush, it seems odd that an episode titled “Endgame” would be third-to-last in a season, but the plan heading into the latter part of season four was for this outing to really serve as the action-packed season finale-type episode, while the two subsequent episodes would serve as codas for the season (“Rising Star”) and the entire series (“Sleeping in Light”). Things would change, but despite that, “Endgame” remains the climax of the Earth Civil War and is suitably explosive in that role. The series pulls from several different prior plot points to set up Sheridan’s final maneuvers, and then leaves us with a highly dramatic last gasp from the war’s losing side. But the real emotional moments are saved for a much smaller-scale storyline, one involving sacrifice and a machine introduced in a solid but inconspicuous season one episode, proving once again that this show was always playing the long game.

Season 4, Episode 21 – “Rising Star”

While the two previous episodes were more thrilling, “Rising Star”, with all its falling action, might still be the standout of this final season four arc. You can quibble with the perspectives of some of the Earth loyalists in the episode (pretty high and mighty talk for a bunch of people who potentially abetted and at the very least tolerated heinous war crimes), but Sheridan et al.’s plan for the major governments post-Shadow and Civil Wars comes together beautifully following some very light foreshadowing in previous episodes and the resolutions of some of the personal arcs from the season are strong. Of particular note are the conversations between Sheridan and a returning Bester, as any tête-à-têtes with Walter Koening’s cheerfully fascist psi-cop tended to be, and an extended wrecking ball of a scene between Ivanova and Dr. Franklin. While the Centauri-Narn storyline tended to contain the most emotionally raw material in the series, Claudia Christian (in what would unfortunately end up being an unplanned send-off) lays out the deep well of sadness at the core of the show’s most outwardly hard-assed figure in a scene that references more than just the latest tragic twist of fate to befall the character. It’s bravura stuff.

Season 5, Episode 18 – “The Fall of Centauri Prime”

We’ll get it out of the way now and say that season five of Babylon 5 just isn’t the same. With the possibility of the fourth season being the end, the major storylines were all mostly wrapped up by the time the season finale, “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars”, aired. That episode had been commissioned as a replacement for “Sleeping in Light”, which was held back to serve as the overall series finale. It forecast some of what was to come the following season, as did a monologue from Delenn at the end of “Rising Star”. Both major fifth-season storylines were included, and of them, the Drakh/Centauri plot is easily the better of the two. Now you can certainly grumble with the way a largely positive ending for season four was undermined for a few characters in season five (Lennier, Lyta, Londo, and Garibaldi all go through some dark stuff), but I’ll stump for the emotional resonance of “The Fall of Centauri Prime”, mostly for the impact that the events that befall Londo have on the viewers. They could’ve just let him and the others ride off into the sunset like we thought was going to happen at the end of the previous season, and maybe they should’ve (though Londo certainly has a lot to answer for), but you can’t ignore the tragedy of what goes on in this episode, the only entry produced for season five that makes the cut.

Season 5, Episode 22 – “Sleeping in Light”

As stated above, “Sleeping in Light” was originally produced at the end of season four, but given its nature was held back to stay in place as the series finale. And what a finale it is. A moving coda to the entire series, the episode once again pulls heavily from many of the mythological and religious sources that had informed the show so much over its run, this time to send one hero off into the sunset while giving us a peek into the futures and ultimate fates of many more. You can have a lot of fun looking for all the symbolic bits in it (J. Michael Straczynski’s cameo, Garibaldi being the last to get on the lift at the decommissioning, another example of something ending “in fire”, plus several others), but the episode also highlights the show’s emotional range once again, paying off the friendships and connections between several of the characters, even ones that don’t appear in it. And it again re-centers both the hero’s journey for Sheridan and his great connection with Delenn (who goes on a not insignificant hero’s journey of her own throughout the series) in a way that feels earned and never melodramatic, thus ending the Babylon Project – our last, best hope for peace.

I already cheated by actually sneaking 26 episodes on this list, but several others could’ve easily appeared – “Divided Loyalties”, “A Late Delivery from Avalon”, “No Surrender, No Retreat”, “Intersections in Real Time”, “Day of the Dead”). So many good characters were barely mentioned or not mentioned at all (Neroon, Ta’Lon), and the show’s batting average, especially across seasons 2-4, is very high, with almost no episodes over that span falling below par. The series is a strong recommend from me, but I’d also like to hear your thoughts, either with comments here or on our social media.