B5 Rewatch: 3×20 “And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place”
So, yes, I confess I am a sucker for the ominous count-down: Z MINUS 14 DAYS …
The first of the Final Three for the season, this episode jettisons the smaller, lighter stories we’ve recently had and dives back into the epic.
Refa springs the trap. But not the one he thought he was springing.
A-Plot: Centauri politics come to a head, as Lord Refa and Minister Virini arriving on B5. The Emperor, are concerned that the conflict between the houses and allies of Refa and Mollari are getting to the point of being disruptive to the Republic, and Virini basically demands they settle it, one way or the other. Refa is more than happy to make the case that he’s been more useful, and Londo’s clearly “gone native” hanging out on B5. Londo, for his part, offers to get rid of a major thorn in the Centauri’s side, and puts in motion a plan to capture G’Kar.
Londo, of course, is driven by multiple motives. He thinks Refa is a threat to the Republic with his war-mongering. He’s concerned about his own position and personal safety. And, of course, Refa was (he believes) the person who had Londo’s love, Adira, killed.
His plan is both brilliant and fiendish, executed ruthlessly by Londo — and is, in fact, a plan within a plan, not to snag G’Kar, but to kill Refa. Refa thinks he’s intercepted and usurped Londo’s scheme, but finds himself stuck on Narn, in the catacombs, with Centauri troops whose loyalty is to House Mollari, and a bunch of angry Narn whom he thought he was going to capture. A beating to death ensues, but only after G’Kar plays a holographic Londo message to him, listing out his crimes against the Narn as well as his role in the death of Londo’s beloved Adira.
Londo is bitterly ruthless throughout this storyline — given his anger and grief over Adira, that’s hardly surprising — and willing to go to any extent for his revenge. He enlists G’Kar in the plot (though we never actually see how and when that happens). More importantly, Londo (ab)uses Vir on multiple counts: first, viciously blackmailing him into (Vir thinks) betraying G’Kar, then letting Vir be captured and interrogated by Refa’s forces to let the latter “discover” the plot. By the end, even though it was for a good (well, good-ish) cause , Vir’s majorly torqued, and the relationship between him and Londo may be broken beyond repair.
Ultimately, Londo gets just what he wanted: revenge on the killer of Adira, stability and safety for the Republic, and security for his own position. Little does he know that he’s only truly gotten the latter. Adira’s true killer, Morden, is still at large. And things are hardly stable or safe back at the Imperial Court, as we’ll discover next season …
Exit Lord Refa.
G’Kar gets a bit of what he wants, too, though it give him little joy, perhaps because he has to work with Londo to make it happen, acting as his adversary’s hands. He sees his homeworld again, but it’s a devastated, chilled place. He gets revenge on Refa, though in the end he merely instructs the other Narn to make sure the head and face are identifiable, then walks away during the killing. He gets two thousand of his race freed, but has to hope that the Centauri will decide to cover up what has happened, rather than follow through on the standard retribution of 500 Narn for every Centauri killed. It’s bittersweet set of accomplishments, which may be why Katsulas plays G’Kar so quiet, withdrawn, through this entire scene.
Everyone else here performs excellently as well, comfortable in their parts and adjusting accordingly. Jurasik and Furst as Londo and Vir, of course, steal the show, though special mention needs to be made of William Forward’s fine, and final, turn as Lord Refa, out-ruthlessed and out-smarted by the man he sought first to control, then destroy.
Oh, look, we’re doing that religious diversity episode again.
B-Plot: Brother Theo (in, sadly, his last appearance on the show) has arranged for a visit by a number of clerical brethren (though no sistren): a black baptist preacher, a rabbi, an imam, and a Buddhist priest. (Alas, the latter two show up only briefly, then vanish). The plot is not much as such. It’s mostly way to exposit about what’s going on back on Earth (the tightening reins of power, control of the media, misinformation about B5, but a growing underground movement).
At one point, the preacher wanders (?) into Sheridan’s office, to find the Captain working late (again), and gives him some unsolicited sage counsel on sharing the burden of leadership (and on how obvious it is that Delenn is smitten with him, a subject that makes Sheridan very uncomfortable).
The last use of this portion of the story is as a counter-point to the A-Plot. As the baptist preacher holds a raucous service (though oddly the traditions haven’t changed much at all in 250 years), and a singer belts out a joyful, get-up-and-clap-your-hands old gospel hymn “No Hiding Place Down Here,” (passage from Revelations; here’s a different cover) we cut back repeatedly to Refa trying to flee the Narn, being corralled by them, and then disappearing into a mob of fists and kicks.
(Clearer version of the above, but in German, here.)
Minbari aren’t much into gospel music, it seems.
As the song goes:
And when the sinners gonna be runnin’
At the knowledge of their fate,
They’re gonna run to the rocks and the mountains
But their prayers will be too late.
You know, they never thought about Jesus,
Not knowing the end was nigh,
But they’ll be running trying to find a hiding place,
When it comes their time to die.
Hide, Refa, Hide
There’s no hiding place, no hiding place,
You know, there’s no hiding place down here.
I went to the rock to hide my face
But the rock cried out, no hiding place,
There’s no hiding place down here.
No hiding place, indeed.
The B-Plot doesn’t really cohere as a story, more as elements that go on while other stuff is happening. But they’re good elements, and Mel Winkler does a great job as the Reverend (who gets to channel/preach several of JMS’s favorite themes).
C-Plot: Sheridan is getting “cranky” and “grouchy” and “crotchety” in his workaholic obsession with how the War is going (and his inability to figure out the Shadow tactics). Delenn is trying to cheer him up, drag him away from work (yes, it’s not like Delenn is never obsessive-compulsive), and keep him sane.
Sheridan frets, Delenn beams.
Ultimately, after the previously mentioned prodding by the preacher, John realizes he needs to open up a bit to her, treat her more as a partner, which doesn’t solve any of his problems, but lets him share them a bit. And, as part of that, they discover something: in the particular area of space the Shadows have been attacking, their individual attacks have been random (though highly effective), but when taken as a whole, there’s clearly a gap in the center of the sector — a place where refugee ships have been fleeing to. Which implies an upcoming slaughter, so it’s lucky for Our Heroes that Delenn’s secret factories in Minbar have cranked out dozens White Star class vessels, commanded by Rangers, for the battle ahead.
Which provokes a smile (and more) from Sheridan, and cheers and huzzahs from the audience — the latter of which immediately quiet down when the screen fades to black and the ominous text “Z MINUS 10 DAYS” comes up.
And a thousand John/Delenn shippers can finally stop holding their breath.
As with the B-Plot, there’s lots of decent stuff here, but it doesn’t make for a coherent narrative — less of a plot than some story elements to cut back to. The Sheridan / Delenn relationship is finally beginning to feel a bit more natural. Boxleitner’s Sheridan is still looking and acting tired and stressed, looking for both a path forward and the means to pursue it. Furlan’s Delenn has shifted (intentionally, for Sheridan’s sake, though perhaps a bit too much so) from ominous prophet to perky cheerleader (apparently being Ranger One is not taking up much of her time or giving her much stress as yet) and devoted helpmate. There are some awkward moments (Delenn can be too perky), but it’s starting to click both for the characters and for the viewers. And so, as new White Star fleet is revealed, it doesn’t seem startling for Sheridan to give Delenn a huge kiss …
Meanwhile: B5 is taking all those telepaths it was recruiting last week and is divvying them up onto allied ships as (one hopes) protection from the Shadows. In turn, G’Kar offers up still more Narn to serve as the teeps’ bodyguards; since the Narn have no telepaths to contribute, it’s the least they can do, and G’Kar’s clever enough to realize they will be targets; when Ivanova protests that they have already guaranteed their safety, he comments, “I’m sure that will be a great comfort to their grief-stricken family when a Shadow agent cuts them up into spare body parts.”
Narn has seen better days.
In the A-Plot we got some prolonged shots of Narn — a world that looks like it was designed by Brutalist architects (except for one graceful domed building, in ruins, a specific homage to Hiroshima), and which is now suffering from a nuclear winter scenario after the Centauri bombardment. Nicely done.
Overall: A good episode. There’s really one main story here, the A-Plot; the other two “plots” are collections of moments that can be bundled in a number of different ways, but mostly provide a “back on the station” way to frame Londo’s long con on Refa.
Most Dramatic Moment: Vir mans up and refuses to lie to G’Kar to entrap him. Londo cruelly breaks him down, promising Vir that if he doesn;t obey then his family will be disgraced, impoverished, “whipped through the streets” and destroyed. It’s unclear (even in retrospect) how much of that was a serious threat, and how much was to sway Vir and so snag Refa, but that Londo even makes that level of threat, knowing Vir will consider it real, marks a permanent change in how the two will relate in the future — something they both realize.
Most Amusing Moment: There’s plenty of friendly-rival banter between Brother Theo and Rev. Dexter, and some teasing banter between Delenn and Sheridan at the beginning of the episode. And it’s a hoot to see Lennier (very briefly) deciding the proper way of getting into the singing and dancing at the service. I have to give it, though, to Refa having to dodge back to avoid a gesture by the holographic Londo; it’s well-staged (since it’s an optical effect), lends a wonderful air of verisimilitude, and show’s who’s really in charge during the scene.
Most Arc-ish Moment: I’d have to say it’s John and Delenn’s kiss (thanks to time travel, her first and his second with each other), but the very next thing that happens — “Z MINUS 10 DAYS” comes in a close second.
Overall Rating: 3.9 / 5 — a very strong A-Plot, the rest of the episode being good but scattered. (Rating History)
