WHAM! This is one of those eps where Joe sneaks behind you with a baseball bat and sends your expectations into the next century (or three). Disparate things click together, spin in an unexpected direction, and everything changes …
There's really only a single plot going on here (though there are a couple of sidelights that could be , Sheridan discovers that everyone's favorite Shadow agent, Mr Morden, was actually a crew member (http://goo.gl/L8AP82) on his wife's lost science ship, the Icarus (http://goo.gl/3INrJV) (does nobody research ship names in the future?). Sheridan responds to the matter with calm and aplomb and — well, no, he has Morden thrown in a cell (http://goo.gl/97UmQb) and does everything but break out the waterboard to get him to talk (Babylon 5 Interrogating Mordin). Morden claims amnesia (http://goo.gl/rfazfu), coupled with a shoddy cover story (http://goo.gl/0eBp0m, http://goo.gl/Arie9g). Garibaldi resigns rather than continue to keep a prisoner in custody without charges (in this post-9/11 world, that seems positively quaint). Ivanova is on the verge of feeling she has to report Sheridan to higher authority, given how far he's going. And Vir is in the uncomfortable position of demanding Morden's release on behalf of the Centauri Republic, granting him diplomatic immunity.
(How all of this by-the-books protecting can reconciled with both Garibaldi and Ivanova joining Sheridan in a "conspiracy of light" against the President is … never mentioned.)
Eventually, Sheridan manipulates Talia (after she turns him down to scan the prisoner, good for her) to run into Morden in a hallway during a prisoner transfer, hoping she'll pick something up. She does, and it isn't pleasant (http://goo.gl/UpNrC6): he's a very dark, spooky character, with something lurking around him (http://goo.gl/SZNpxh). It nets Sheridan a rather feeble gloved slap.
It's at this point that Sheridan suddenly gets braced by Delenn and Kosh, too, who insist he's got to release Morden or else Bad Things Will Happen. Sheridan puts his foot down, forcing them to reveal a Big Secret (http://goo.gl/2WIcah, dialog at the top of http://goo.gl/k5zCH3). Seems there used to be other races running around the galaxy, known collectively as the First Ones, far predating all the current races. They fought a series of wars against another primordial race known as the Shadows. The last big hurrah was ten thousand years ago, when the Shadows were taken down, and then again a thousand years ago when an alliance between the Minbari and the remaining First Ones managed to stop the Shadows again before they got started.
Alas, the Shadows were only defeated, not destroyed, and the Icarus (http://goo.gl/suOeBP) had the ill manners to show up on their world of Z'ha'dum (http://goo.gl/KMzZiD) and wake them up (http://goo.gl/hLuzd1). The crew was either turned or destroyed (thus Morden), and the Shadows began a long effort to build up their strength and, this time, win. Alas, all of the First Ones have departed the galaxy except … well, yeah, that would be the Vorlons are still around. But the Vorlons and their allies (mostly the Minbari at this point) are alone in this, and they aren't ready. And if Morden and (it turns out) his escort of invisible Shadows (http://goo.gl/2T9Z5R) get backed too tightly into a corner, the balloon will go up and lots of people will die. (There's an embedded, unlinkable video of much of this scene here: http://goo.gl/D5NI3J, midway down the page. Delenn gets pretty darned intense, and even Kosh is a bit more urgent than usual.)
So Sheridan gets his own Coventry moment (http://goo.gl/Yxlyqo), and, after getting a glimpse of the Shadows in the holding cell with Morden, agrees to let him go. But he tells Kosh now he wants to learn how to fight those guys, and plans to head off to Z'ha'dum when the time is right and take the battle back to them. "If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die," Kosh warns him. The response: "Then I die. But I will not go down easily, and I will not go down alone." (http://goo.gl/ZMNEiz, quote http://goo.gl/LeHDbV) Both of those prophecies … we will return to in the fullness of time.
Whew.
After all that, the B-plot is almost not worth mentioning, though it's well done. B5 is being overwhelmed by Narn refugees (http://goo.gl/xrz63W), which Sheridan refuses to ship anywhere until they are okay to travel. There's not much more to it than that (and that whole aspect will come up in later days), though there is an interesting sidebar discussion between Franklin and Ivanova about religion — as well as laying the groundwork that Franklin takes a lot of stimulants to keep himself going …
The C-plot is also more filler as far as action here, though not as far as future ramifications. EarthGov now has a "Ministry of Peace" ("MiniPax, we like to call it among ourselves," says the representative, unironically), designed to help Earthers become united and at peace with themselves as a prerequisite to being at peace with other races. It's all very New Age and Group-Thinky and kind of dorky, until the "Night Watch" program is mentioned, which is basically "report people who are rocking the boat or causing dissent" (http://goo.gl/UMUIcI). Nicely creepy, made the moreso when our everyman security guy, Zack, joins up and starts wearing a Night Watch brassard. We'll see more of that down the line.
The A-plot, though, is where all the action is, powerful, taut, riveting, and you start to catch a glimpse of Sheridan as the leader he will become, in terms of his determination to do what's right, no matter the personal cost. The energy Boxleitner brings to the role this episode almost covers the fact that there's very little action here, just a lot of talking heads in corridors and interrogation rooms. Sheridan's discussion with Ivanova about his actions is a thing of beauty (http://goo.gl/RZPlKD), well written and well acted. Add some solid direction from David Eagle, better-than-average music, and more arc-ish bits and foreshadowing than you can shake a Vorlon at, and it's one hell of an episode.
All of the above, by the way, leaves off the initial scene, pre-credits, where Morden and Vir have "The Best Vir Scene Ever," where Vir describes "what he wants" (briefly, Morden's head on a pike, but the dialog is so much better than that: http://goo.gl/xUz0X0). It's an iconic moment, and it's almost a throw-away here (aside from establishing Morden's presence on the station). The video for this scene is at the bottom of this post; a GIFfy version is at http://goo.gl/bqp02w).
The rest of the season is full of highly ranked eps, but this is easily one of the top 5 of the season, and one of the best of the series.
Most Dramatic Moment: Sheridan sharing his feelings with Ivanova, and actually swaying her to his side.
Most Amusing Moment: Clearly the Morden/Vir intro scene. "I want to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike, as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this. (http://goo.gl/1tssPk) Can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"
Most Arc-ish Moment: Oh, there are so many, but probably Kosh's promise to Sheridan that if he goes to Z'ha'dum, he will die. Yup …
Overall Rating: 4.8 / 5 (dragged down only by the lack of action, vs. intensity, and so much hinging on talking head revelations, even really cool ones)
– Lurker’s Guide: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/038.html
– Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/In_the_Shadow_of_Z%27ha%27dum
– IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517657/
– AV Club: http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/babylon-5-knivesin-the-shadow-of-zhadum-97126
– Kay Shapero: http://www.kayshapero.net/b5review/InTheShadow.htm
Next ep is "Confessions and Lamentations," a wildly depressing story noteworthy for also kickstarting a new character interrelationship.
Honestly, that scene with Vir is probably one of my three favorite moments in the entire series.
+Greg Stockton I could not argue with that. The main other one I can think of that is more of a favorite/memorable (though far less jolly) is one coming up in … a few eps, with Londo, on a spaceship.