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B5 Rewatch: 4×03 “The Summoning”

Pebbles in the avalanche.
Pebbles in the avalanche.

As Kosh used to say, “The avalanche has started; it is too late for the pebbles to vote.” This episode wraps up two plotlines, advances another one in a stomach-lurching fashion, and tees up the primary conflict for the first half of the season.

A-Plot: Delenn stand alone and bereft during her intial recap voice-over. “Everyone I hold dear is gone.” Well, except Lennier, of course (poor Lennier). Everyone else is gone off somewhere, gone mysteriously in some cases, or, in Sheridan’s, gone for good.

(Ironically, this is the first episode since the pilot were every actor featured in the main titles sequence is actually in the episode.)

Lyta is beginning to look and act like a battered wife. New!Kosh (okay, his official name, only revealed in one of the novels, though considered canonical, is “Ulkesh”) — Ulkesh is still riding around inside of Lyta, doing mysterious stuff, but treating her as a beast of burden, and not one he takes care to groom and care for, let alone respect. Entries and exits are painful (and Pat Tallman had some pointed comments to Joe about some of that unintentionally ribald dialog), and Ulkesh had dictated that she strip her room down to a bare mattress (and, presumably, a few changes of clothes) so that she is not “distracted.”

Despite that accepted mistreatment, Lyta still has a bit of spunk in her, so Delenn is able to convince her to help find out what the Vorlons are up to.

Meanwhile, Ivanova and Marcus are off in a White Star in search of First Ones for the Wild Bunch ride to Z’Ha’Dum coming up. They engage in some chit-chat, Ivanova discovers that Marcus is still a virgin, and Marcus hints at some mysterious love of his life that he hasn’t revealed himself to yet, but that he hopes he can woo successfully. Ivanova, thick as a brick, doesn’t catch on.

But they do catch on to a massive — thousands of ships — Vorlon fleet out in hyperspace, slinking along under cover, including a massive miles-long ship of unknown purpose.

Great, NOW you decide to speak in a united voice about the Shadows.
Great, NOW you decide to speak in a united voice about the Shadows.

Back on B5, Delenn is having to deal with a different conflict. It’s not enough that most of the former Alliance members have broken away to protect their own homeworld against the Shadows eventually striking back, they’re beginning to turn on Delenn and her plan to head off to Z’Ha’Dum. If the Shadows aren’t disturbed, maybe they won’t come back for a long time … Things are beginning to look ugly and riotous in the Zocalo …

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers ..."
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers …”

… as Sheridan reappears, back from the dead and twice as scary, Lorien off to the side.

DRAZI: Captain, we’re sorry. We thought you were dead.
SHERIDAN: I was. I’m better now.

Sheridan gives a rousing St Crispin Day speech from one of the catwalks, gets the crowd pumped, and all’s (temporarily) right with the world, complete with a bit of snuggling from Delenn.

That joy lasts long enough for all Our Heroes — including Ivanova and Marcus (returned) and Lyta (nursing some psychic bruises from having tried to illicitly scan Ulkesh) — to gather ’round in Sheridan’s office. (Ivanova gives him a hug, which is touching.) Sheridan briefs them on what he learned about the Shadows and the Vorons (the whole Chaos vs Law thing), and how their conflicts have been spiraling out of control.

Remember when these folk were the good guys?
Remember when these folk were the good guys?

Which goes right with what Lyta scanned and what Ivanova and Marcus saw and have followed up on since. The Vorlons have attacked a world out in that sector, once that had a Shadow base on it. They didn’t just destroy the base — they destroyed the whole planet, including the 4 million inhabitants. Lyta confirms that’s the plan — radical galactic surgery, excising any planet touched by the Shadows.

And if B5 and the Alliance had no chance of stopping the Shadows, what chance have they of standing before the Vorlons?

There’s all sorts of goodness in this plot, which is wide-ranging and complex, but gives all its players a chance to shine. Sheridan’s speech is inspriational, Delenn’s desperation (then joy) very real, Marcus’ banter touching, Lyta’s plight palpable.

Who’d think that all wouldn’t be the highlight of the episode?

B-Plot: Londo and Vir keep getting deeper and deeper. They run cross an impromptu party in Emperor Cartagia’s throne room — featuring a battered G’Kar dressed in leather motley, a jester’s hat on his head, being tormented by the guests. Later, they run into a disgusted Cartagia in the gardens — after a subsequent, lengthy, and personal hands-on torture session, nobody can get G’Kar to say anything, or even scream. The Emperor is firm (as he casually washes the blood from his hands, then uses the water to fertilize some plants): If G’Kar won’t scream next time, he’ll die.

Which is all enough to take kind, gentle, there-must-be-a-better-way Vir to tell Londo, yeah, let’s moider the bum.

VIR: Londo — what I was saying before — about finding another way? I was wrong. Kill him.

Londo goes and visits G’Kar’s cell and berates the Narn for letting the pride of silence overwhelm the practical necessity of survival, not just for himself but for his people, whom Londo has promised to free if they can get rid of Cartagia. G’Kar demurs, but Londo will have none of it.

G’KAR: We do not oblige conquerors. If I give him what he wants — if I beg for mercy, cry out — I would no longer be a Narn.

LONDO: And if you’re dead? Are you still a Narn then? No. You’re food for Cartagia’s pets, and your people ar still prisoners. They, too, are no longer Narns. Only slaves. And then dead slaves. Is that what you want, G’Kar? Is it? [G’Kar closes his eyes.] One scream. That’s all. One scream and he will let you live, and we both can get what we want.

G’KAR: You don’t know what you’re asking. You don’t understand —

LONDO: Yes, I do! Yes — I do.

Londo is all about pride swallowed and ego quashed to survive. He empathizes with G’Kar more than the latter can dream.

That night, Londo and Vir are roused out of bed and shuffled off to Cartagia’s private torture chamber (“Very few who ever come in here leave again. You should feel honored.”). G’Kar is strung up, and a man with an energy whip starts in on him. Cartagia informs them that the charge goes up with each stroke. If it gets to 40, it will mean G’Kar’s death.

The count rises. The pain flashes on G’Kar’s face, horror and nausea on Vir’s, rapt interest on Cartagia’s, helpless frustration on Londo’s. As the number rises, Londo mouths to G’Kar, Scream. Scream. But the Narn keeps his silence until after the 39th stroke, letting out then a howl of agony, personal betrayal, and anguish.

The best of Centauri nobility.
The best of Centauri nobility.

I had not forgotten the flogging scene — as brutal for watching Vir and Londo’s faces as watching G’Kar’s — but I had forgotten how fast it all was. The flogger can barely keep up the pace with Cartagia’s cadence. It robs the scene of some of its dramatic impact, for the rush, and in a better world (where every minute of screen time counted) it would have gone at about half the pace (and the more savage for all that).

C-Plot: But whatever did happen to Mr Garibaldi? Zack’s got some info, from Marcus’ request, but tells Ivanova that he can’t get hold of G’Kar to pass it on. Instead, he follows up on it himself, leaving a squad of ships after a craft they think Garibaldi should be on.

Yeah, that's not a good look.
Yeah, that’s not a good look.

The mysterious spacecraft ejects Garibaldi in a life pod, then self-destructs rather than be captured. Aboard the life pod, a shrink-wrapped Garibaldi gets a light show across his noggin and his eyes snap open. That’s probably not good.

He’s passed back out when he’s brought to B5 — insert all sorts of MedLab excitement. Zack is happy to have him back, but worried about how it all played out.

Garibaldi insists on being there when a strange ship arrives at the station — and access the docking bay using command protocols. Thus he’s there when Sheridan (sight unseen until the big A-Plot reveal) arrives, and is there when he gives the Big Speech.

Garibaldi gives Lorien the hairy eyeball.
Garibaldi gives Lorien the hairy eyeball.

He’s also there in Sheridan’s office during the A-Plot end-game, and he’s giving Lorien the hairy eyeball the whole time. When asked, he gives answers that seem paranoid —

GARIBALDI: I’d just like to know who our new best friend is over here.

SHERIDAN: His name is Lorien. That’s all you need to know for now.

GARIBALDI: Yeah, who decided that?

SHERIDAN: He did.

GARIBALDI: Well, isn’t that convenient?

SHERIDAN: Michael, what the hell is that? I told you, I trust him.

GARIBALDI: I know, I know, secrets on top of secrets. I’m getting too old for this stuff.

— but that are actually valid things to be concerned about. Sheridan’s back from the dead, and from Z’Ha’Dum — and he has a new BFF alien whose identity he won’t reveal Just Because. And everyone’s supposed to trust Sheridan (and Lorien) about this? Be relieved, sure, but Garibaldi’s a professional paranoid, a security guy who trusts nobody. For the moment, his suspicions seems actually legit, if you don’t know everything that’s going on (as the viewers do).

Babyon 5 4x03 The Summoning - GKar screams
Yeah, I kept thinking of that scene in “Jesus Christ, Superstar”
Not quite a crown of thorns, but close.
Not quite a crown of thorns, but close.

Overall: I saw a recent IMDb poll about “most Christ-like figure in TV and Movie SF/Fantasy.” John Sheridan was there, for obvious reasons — a leader bringing people together, who dies and is resurrected and makes all free from the death and darkness of the past (the Shadow/Vorlon conflict). But as this episode makes clear, G’Kar could play the Christ role as well, complete with flogging. Or perhaps Moses, suffering greatly but, in the courts of the mighty, wresting his people free. Or perhaps Buddha, overcoming earthly pride and attachment for enlightenment.

Of course, the Vorlons have never been shy about application of overwhelming force, when they want.
Of course, the Vorlons have never been shy about application of overwhelming force, when they felt they should.

As for the Vorlons, George Santayana once said, “Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.” That sounds right about where our favorite encounter-suited First Ones are. They’re willing to kill as many of the Younger Races as they can if it means they can take out the Shadows once and for all, oblivious to what their original goals were. As Denis Diderot said along the same lines, “From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step.”

Sheridan and Garibaldi are both back — for now. But rather than making everything better, everything’s gotten a lot worse. The Shadow War is hurtling at full tilt toward an unexpected swift climax, as is Emperor Cartagia’s reign of terror. Hold onto your shock frame!

Vir and Londo and the face of torture.
Vir and Londo and the face of torture.

Most Dramatic Moment: Honorable mention to Sheridan’s Big Speech, and Londo & G’Kar’s cell discussion, but it has to be the climax of the flogging scene. Every actor is spot on, the sheer blackness of the background focuses the eye on the the horror, and, pacing aside, it’s gutwrenching to watch.

Most Amusing Moment: Ivanova and Marcus banter about, which reveals that Marcus is a virgin. Ivanova quips softly, “And I thought the First Ones were scarce.”

Honorable Mention to Emperor Cartagia’s kvetching about how the Imperial torturers, now unionized, insist on calling themselves “pain technicians.”

The band is back together ... briefly.
The band is back together … briefly.

Most Arc-ish Moment: I’ll cop out and say it’s the final scene, with the band back together. Everyone — everyone human and Minbari and Lorien — is there, and everything is cued up for the next set of conflicts, both cosmic (dealing with the Vorlons) and personal (Garibaldi’s paranoia).

Overall Rating: 4.7 / 5 — Lacking the resolution of a perfect episode, it’s still just damned good TV.  (Rating History)

"Boom! Sooner or later ... boom!"
“Boom! Sooner or later … boom!”

Other Resources for this episode:

Next episode:  “Falling Toward Apotheosis,” in which gods — want-to-be gods and seen-as-gods — begin to collide with their fates.

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