One of the many ways Babylon 5 is unique among sci-fi series is that it was written out before the cameras started rolling. That doesn’t mean every script, but the story, the characters, and the plot beats were all developed before the first season was in production. Yet there were still quite a few happy accidents that happened on set to re-direct the series, from the chemistry between Londo and G’Kar, to the addition of Bruce Boxleitner as John Sheridan. Another happy accident is Star Trek veteran Walter Koenig’s performance as Alfred Bester, which was so good that the villainous telepath went from a “Monster of the Week” to a recurring guest star.
The First Appearance Of Alfred Bester
Koenig first appears as Bester in the Season 1 episode, “Mind War,” which finally goes into the impact of having telepaths running around the space station. Talia Winters (Andrea Thompson) had been established as the resident telepath, helping Londo deal with a delicate personal matter, but in “Mind War,” she’s the one in trouble. Her former teacher, Jason Ironheart, snuck onto the station to hide from the Psi-Cops.
Bester is one of the two Psi-Cops hunting down Jason, who went rogue after learning that telekinetics were to be trained by the Psi-Corp as assassins. Jason himself was subjected to strange experiments to amplify his abilities, resulting in “mind quakes” that shake the station to its foundations, and eventually, he evolves into a being of pure energy. Before leaving, or “becoming” as he says, he gives Talia the gift of telekinetics, and says to Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) that he’ll see him again “in a million years.”
Sinclair Knows Already Bester Smiling Is Not A Good Sign
You’d think someone ascending to a higher plane of existence would be the highlight of the episode. Walter Koenig managed to steal the show as the uptight and stern Bester, giving Babylon 5 something it had been missing: a villain. Koenig’s performance makes it clear that Bester thinks he’s superior to non-telepaths (and even those less powerful than he is). He also acts like he knows everything going on at all times, which, to his credit, he does.
Bester Wasn’t Part Of The Plan
Koenig wasn’t meant to be Alfred Bester, instead he was going to be Knight Two in “The Sky Full of Stars,” but a heart attack prevented him from filming. J. Michael Straczynski then went to the drawing board and created Bester specifically for Koenig. The reaction on set was that Koenig had been wasted on Star Trek: The Original Series as Chekov. Fans agreed, blowing up online message boards with love for Koenig after “Mind War” aired.
“Mind War” is a favorite of fans to this day thanks to the first appearance of Bester, but it also, in retrospect, planted the seed of Sinclair’s fate. Turns out, he really will be able to see the ascended Ironheart in a million years. At the time, no one knew it would be an accurate statement. The first season of Babylon 5 is filled with fun moments that fans didn’t fully understand the meaning of until years later.
As for Koenig, not only would he return as Bester, but he ended up being prominently featured in Season 5’s Psi-War story arc. Not bad for someone who wasn’t supposed to be back on set.
This past weekend, Freddie and I sat in the park and played cards. The game was fun, but you know what was even more compelling? People watching. Couples, families, and a gazillion Knicks fans walked by us, and I realized that there’s a definite print of the summer…
Gingham! Do you wear it? It looks so cool and summery. Here are 15 pretty pieces — including the gorgeous shirt above — in partnership with Nordstrom…
Thoughts? If money were no object, this sundress is beautiful — and don’t forget about classic picnic baskets. 🙂
(Gingham shirt at top by Döen. This post is sponsored by Nordstrom, a retailer we’ve loved and worn for decades.)
By now, most audiences are aware of Liam Neeson’s status as an action thriller star, best known for taking on hordes of enemies at once in non-stop thrill rides such as Taken, The Grey, and The A-Team. In 2014’s mystery thriller A Walk Among The Tombstones, Liam Neeson stars as a private investigator hired by a drug kingpin to solve a mysterious crime. The film is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
A Walk Among The Tombstones combines two of Liam Neeson’s best qualities as a performer, allowing him to show off his impeccable fighting skills as a physical powerhouse while making great use of the actor’s unflinching humanity.
One Of Neeson’s Best Action Flicks
A Walk Among the Tombstones follows Liam Neeson’s Matt Scudder as he pays his bills performing private detective work in New York. As a disgraced former detective, Scudder is willing to work outside of the law with a number of unsavory characters, including a local drug dealer named Kenny Kristo. Kristo explains to Scudder that his wife has been kidnapped and subsequently murdered despite having paid the ransom that the kidnappers demanded.
In A Walk Among The Tombstones, Liam Neeson’s Matt Scudder is joined by a street-wise homeless youth named TJ (Brian Bradley), who assists him in making connections among the criminal underworld. Scudder and TJ begin to follow ledes that uncover corruption within the DEA, as well as a conspiracy by international drug trafficking rings that threaten to start an all-out gang war on the streets of New York.
As tensions continue to rise, Scudder brings TJ under his wing after learning that the boy has sickle cell anemia and is in declining health.
From there, Scudder and his team set up a sting in order to catch the kidnappers in the middle of a handoff with their next victim. When a shootout ensues, A Walk Among The Tombstones becomes an all-out gunfight, featuring one of Liam Neeson’s most gripping action sequences to date. The conclusion features a revolving door of gunshots that ring out, killing hordes of thugs, leading to the police finally taking down the drug traffickers.
Matthew Scudder’s Novelized Legacy
The film was written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Scott Frank, best known for screenwriting the hit 2017 film Logan, starring Hugh Jackman. Frank later went on to create, write, and direct the Netflix mini-series The Queens Gambit, starring Anya Taylor-Joy.
A Walk Among The Tombstones stars Liam Neeson alongside a number of big-name actors such as Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens, The Predator‘s Boyd Holbrook, and Stranger Things‘ David Harbour. The film is based on a 1992 novel of the same name written by American crime writer Lawrence Block and serves as the second time the character of Matt Scudder has been brought to the big screen, according to IMDb.
Before the character appeared in A Walk Among The Tombstones, Matt Scudder was portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the 1986 film 8 Million Ways To Die. Block has penned 20 novels in the long-running series, the most recent of which was released in 2023. The events of A Walk Among The Tombstones adapt the tenth book in the long-running series as a standalone adventure.
Though A Walk Among The Tombstones did very well at the box office, the film received mixed reviews from critics.
The Liam Neeson-led movie made over $62 million at the worldwide box office against an estimated production budget of only $28 million, opening at number two at the box office behind The Maze Runner. The film holds a solid 68 percent score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, though the audience score clocks in at only 53 percent.
To this day, A Walk Among The Tombstones remains one of Liam Neeson’s most underrated movies, which fans of the Northern Irish actor would surely be elated to check out. Though modern film fans have largely forgotten the over decade-old movie, it holds some of the best action sequences in Liam Neeson’s long and storied career while still giving the actor room to perform as a deep and nuanced character.
Chef Emily Susman Shares Her Secrets for a Healthy Girl Summer
Healthy girl summer is officially on the menu!
Chef Emily Susman is telling ET about the feel-good habits she’s embracing this season, from alcohol-free sips and easy weeknight dinners to the simple hosting philosophy she swears by.
With more than 25 years in the food and beverage industry, Susman knows a thing or two about bringing people together. Her latest venture, Navi Mocktails, was inspired by a personal shift that changed the way she approached gatherings.
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“I stopped drinking in 2021, and what caught me off guard wasn’t the decision itself, it was how weird social situations suddenly felt,” Susman shares.
“You show up to a party and someone hands you a water or a Shirley Temple, and you feel like a footnote. I wanted something that actually belonged at the table and something you’d be excited to drink.”
The result is a line of functional mocktail blends in take-anywhere sachets that give everyone something festive to raise a glass with.
“As a chef and someone who cares deeply about wellness, I’m always thinking about what food and drinks can do for you,” she explains.
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“The collagen and protein add nutritional value, and I love L-theanine because it promotes a sense of calm without leaving you feeling foggy the next morning. You can be present, enjoy the moment, and wake up feeling good.”
That balanced mindset doesn’t stop at happy hour.
“I used to treat healthy choices like I was white knuckling my way through something, and it was exhausting,” Susman recalls. “Once you stop framing it as restriction and start framing it as taking care of yourself, it stops feeling like a sacrifice.”
When it comes to summer eating, Susman is all about keeping things fresh, flavorful, and low maintenance.
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“I grill everything,” she shares. “It’s my summer philosophy. The flavor is incredible, it’s naturally lighter, and it requires almost no fuss.”
This year’s warm-weather lineup includes grilled skirt steak with bright chimichurri, grilled shrimp tacos topped with mango salsa, and Mediterranean chicken bowls loaded with fresh herbs and roasted vegetables. On the side, she’s serving up watermelon feta salad, grilled corn, and cucumber salad with lemon and dill.
But summer isn’t all backyard barbecues and outdoor dinners. For days packed with errands, travel or beach trips, Susman keeps easy staples within arm’s reach.
“Healthy eating becomes so much easier when you make it convenient,” she notes. “I always keep hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, grilled chicken, and quality deli turkey on hand. For snacks, I love fresh vegetables with hummus, fruit or something protein-based that actually keeps me full.”
Emily Susman/Instagram
When entertaining, her approach is equally relaxed.
“Have great food, great drinks, and make sure every person there feels included,” she recommends. “Set up a drink station with options for everyone and lean into simple, seasonal dishes. Summer produce is so good that you really don’t need to do much to it.”
For Susman, the secret to a great summer gathering has less to do with what’s on the table and more to do with who’s around it.
“The parties people actually remember aren’t about being perfect. They’re about the people.”
