"It failed." — Susan Ivanova, Season 3 intro
This episode is touted by some as the best of the series, combining various plot lines colliding and realigning, as well as some great (especially for the time, but even pretty decent today) CG work. I'm not prepared to say that yet, but it's a hell of an episode, a climactic game-changer not just for the three-episode arc it concludes, but for the series as a whole.
As such, the plotting is fairly linear.
A-Plot: The action essentially starts with the EAS Alexander, General Hague's fleeing rebel ship, finally firing on its loyalist pursuer (http://goo.gl/NzZ1yX), destroying it, with the side note that the Alexander's captain, Major Ryan (http://goo.gl/hHLRiV), knew the pursuing captain, and his family. This is civil war, and it's going to hurt. The wounded ship sets course for B5. (http://youtu.be/RDzvp2dD-YA?t=1m22s)
Sheridan begins to deal with a series of cascading catastrophes, each attempt at damage control succeeding for the moment, then being overwhelmed by the next wave of the rising tide crashing further up the sand. Knowing that the Alexander is on its way, which will make B5 even more of a target, he arranges to cut off B5's comms back to Earth, then announces to the C&C staff when the ship arrives that they will render humanitarian aid to a crew that loves Earth and its Constitution as much as anyone else.
Meanwhile, ISN reports that Mars is refusing to imposed martial law. And, later, that Earth forces have begun to bomb Mars (complete with a Gulf War-style missile attack on a pressure dome). And, to ratchet up the pressure, ISN then announces that the Proxima 3 and Orion 7 colonies have declared independence, just before government security forces cut the news station off. (Babylon 5 – S3E10 Severed Dreams We Fight or We Surrender; http://goo.gl/r2hLu7, http://goo.gl/uqT4pW)
Another rebel ship, the Churchill, arrives, and its commander, Hiroshi, tells Sheridan and Ryan that EAS warships are on the way to B5 to secure it and arrest its command crew (http://goo.gl/az8Xrm). Sheridan, back to the wall, puts the question to Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Franklin whether they should fight or surrender. They all agree that they need draw that line against the darkness. (http://youtu.be/XuEqzIW9kNU?t=1m13s; GIFfy http://goo.gl/Ri5oDi)
Sheridan uses Draal's holographic projection system from the planet to project his image through the station: B5 is declaring independence until the Clark regime is brought down (Babylon 5 Declares Independence, extended scene Babylon 5 – S3E10 Severed Dreams Babylon 5 Declares Independence; http://goo.gl/bYzmDY). They prepare for the arrival of the EA forces, who show up on schedule (http://goo.gl/t1PtpQ, http://goo.gl/HqWDsY) and refuse to stand down under Sheridan's attempt to defuse the situation.
Then ensues one of the great small-screen (and one could argue large-screen) space battles to date, as B5 and the two Earth ship allies (http://goo.gl/LK7xwU), along with all the Starfuries they can launch, go up against the attacking forces (http://goo.gl/cSW1uh, http://goo.gl/A46DFY, ). The battle is bloody and fierce and spectacular (with some caveats, noted below). Starfuries get blown up on all sides. The Churchill, fatally wounded (http://goo.gl/rMPK2a, http://goo.gl/hezuyS), rams an opposing vessel (http://goo.gl/MCfZmF, http://goo.gl/dX27RU). The Alexander closes to knife-fighting range (http://goo.gl/xf0sPv), as B5 bombards the attackers. (Babylon 5 vs Earth Alliance)
Meanwhile, a boarding party capsule reaches B5 (http://goo.gl/DtZdO1, http://goo.gl/hFDzoN), to be met by Human and Narn security (http://goo.gl/XiHx7p, http://goo.gl/sWGW7Q), leading to a bloody battle below-decks.
Our side wins (http://goo.gl/MCfZmF, http://goo.gl/qv2bcy), at tremendous cost, barely still functional — only to have still more Earth warships come through the jumpgate, demanding their surrender, with additional jump point activating right in proximity of the station. All seems lost, until …
B-Plot: A Minbari Ranger arrives at the station, with word that the Shadows are provoking various non-aligned worlds to sign mutual defense pacts with them, which then turn to attacks on their neighbors. Delenn is told that the Grey Council is aware of this, but have washed their hands of the matter.
She heads off to the GC's ship (http://goo.gl/6OtBo2), and bullies her way in (via the first of three incredible speeches she gets this episode) (GIFfy http://goo.gl/EWaF54; http://goo.gl/3hQmGO):
DELENN: "I served the Council for sixteen cycles. I was the chosen of Dukhat to replace him. I held him when he died; his blood is on my hands, his spirit in my eyes, his word on my lips. You will step aside in his name and mine, or in Valen's name I will tear this ship apart with my bare hands until I find them! Move aside!"
Having entered the Council chamber, she confronts them (http://goo.gl/mbZ0sr), calling them (second incredible speech) cowards who have abandoned belief in Valen and in prophecy in pursuit of their own petty interests (http://goo.gl/mMAV2N; http://goo.gl/Hb8Ac3). She breaks the Triluminary staff of the head of the Council, then leads the Religious and Worker Caste representatives away, leaving the Warrior plurality on their own. (Babylon 5 – S3E10 Severed Dreams The Council Must Be Broken)
Which means that she's able to return to B5 just in time (see where the A-Plot cut off above) with a trio of Minbari cruisers and the White Star (http://goo.gl/lekIkD), using her third incredible speech …
HUMAN CAPTAIN: "We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ships."
DELENN: "Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives … Be. Somewhere. Else."
… to basically scare the shit out of the attacking Earth ships, who retreat to fight another day. (If You Value Your Lives Be Somewhere Else.; GIFfy http://goo.gl/d2bd8Q and http://goo.gl/TP1Gsx; http://goo.gl/WtA1i3, http://goo.gl/dZH4Do):
Fade to the cost of war. (http://goo.gl/feh0ep)
Sheridan (who has pointedly decided to stop wearing his EA uniform jacket for the time being) greets Delenn upon her return onto B5 (http://goo.gl/65NFr0), as various Earthers are evacuating (or being deported), and basically gushes gratitude on her (http://goo.gl/d2bd8Q). It's another big jump forward for their relationship, distracted from for the moment by the assembled folks in the Zocalo giving Sheridan (and Delenn) a big round of applause (http://goo.gl/HWE6SC) … as we slide to the side to a defaced Night Watch poster reading "TRAITORS CAN'T HIDE."
Overall: Yeah, it's all that and a bag of chips. The battles are huge, the stakes not only high but escalating within the episode. Every time Sheridan thinks he's made the biggest decision yet, circumstances trump him to force another. The despair on his face when the second wave of Earth attackers arrive is stunning — that Delenn pulls all their asses out of the fire makes her a true partner (as she says) in the new thing that has been born that day, an independent Babylon 5.
Though pretty much everyone gets involved in some fashion or another, this is truly the Sheridan and Delenn episodes — run separately until the very end. He's doing his damnedest to keep things up and avoid the final confrontation and protect everyone on B5 — and even then, he gets overwhelmed more than once, when he hears about the Earth ships headed their way (dolly/zoom shot!), another when the second wave of Earth ships arrive. Those moments feel more real than his couple of moments of speechifying, as does a quiet, wordless farewell he exchanges with Ivanova as she heads out to the battle (http://goo.gl/j9YW86).
(In the middle, there's also a lovely, quiet interlude, where he pulls rank and uses the Gold Channel to talk to his father (http://goo.gl/hqedTg) for possibly the last time. It's nice seeing the guy who Sheridan references so much, and one can see why (http://goo.gl/Oy7kV3). We'll see Dad again in the future, as things change and get more dire.)
Delenn gets, as noted, three absofraginlutely killer speeches — to the door warden of the Grey Council, to the Council itself, and to the attacking Earth ships. All three cover up how much this episode costs her. Even as a believer in prophecy, her personally breaking the Council and dividing her people, and, as she ultimately acknowledges, losing her home — these are painful, expensive things. But, if nothing else, she's gotten over the depression and tentative fear she was feeling after her transformation — the session with Sebastian certainly played a role there — and she is once again showing the steel that Dukhat apparently saw in her.
Good stuff.
For all the tension and conflict and razzle-dazzle, the episode is not without flaws. Despite the spectacle of the space battle, the tactics and maneuvers are nearly non-existent (we see events and results, but no sense of anything except a lot of ships flying around, and a largely static defense). The final scene of the ep is overcrowded — refugees and expelled Night Watch are queued in the departure lounge, right where Delenn saunters in and has her final discussion with Sheridan, in front of a whole bunch of presumably hostile folk who pay them nary a glance.
But those are mostly quibbles. This is a hell of an episode, a huge payoff for what has gone on previously (long-term and recently). The acting of the principles is all solid, and the guest stars are reasonably good. The writing has moments exciting (the battle), inspiring (Sheridan announcing the secession), heart-rending (the aftermath of the boarding battle), chilling (ISN going off the air), and get-up-and-cheering (basically whenever Delenn is giving one of her speeches).
And, by the end, everything has changed. Which means we'll have some episodes exploring the new status quo, and how Earth, and the other worlds, will react to an independent B5 (and one being guarded by Minbari cruisers).
I can't wait.
Most Dramatic Moment: An ISN reporter breaks into the broadcast, with troops storming the station, to announce some things that the Clark regime didn't want said. (Babylon 5 – S3E10 Severed Dreams We Fight or We Surrender)
Most Amusing Moment: Not a lot of humor this episode, aside from Londo dealing with a Narn security guard manning the docks. (Babylon 5 – Severed dreams Opening Scenes.)
Most Arc-ish Moment: Sheridan announces that Babylon 5 has seceded from the Earth Alliance/ (Babylon 5 – S3E10 Severed Dreams Babylon 5 Declares Independence)
Overall Rating: 4.9 / 5 — Endless whams to the skull, and payoff of a lot of plot threads. An episode that bears rewatching.
This episode won the 1997 Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation.
– Lurker’s Guide: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/054.html
– Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Severed_Dreams
– IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517686/
– AV Club: http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/babylon-5-point-of-no-returnsevered-dreams-99724
– Kay Shapero: http://www.kayshapero.net/b5review/SeveredDreams.htm
– TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/BabylonFiveS03E10SeveredDreams
And a special shout-out to this post, http://eponymous-rose.livejournal.com/366464.html, for carrying a lot of pics and discussion of this three-episode arc.
Next episode: "Ceremonies of Light and Shadow," wherein we learn how well B5 security swept up all those Night Watch folk.