Home of “Kung Fu: The Adventure Continues,” “Time Trax,” and, of course, B5.
The end of Season 3 of “Babylon 5” brought a near-end of the PTEN“network” of stations. Warner Brothers (eventually) found the budget to support more of the one show that was making them any money from it — but only for one season further. The result was Joe Straczynski taking two years of master story arc and compressing them into a single year. That meant S.4 turned out to be feverish in conflict and plot advancement, one episode chaining to the next, and lacking in the slower-paced “breather” episodes that helped make the big moments feel all the bigger.
The new season started with “The Hour of the Wolf,” following on from the events of “Z’Ha’Dum.” Sheridan is missing and presumed dead. Mr. Garibaldi has vanished. A new season main titles has appeared. What else could go wrong?
A-Plot: On Babylon 5, things are not going well. Ivanova is shell-shocked at the apparent death of Sheridan, going through the motions and drinking heavily each night. Delenn is not much better, fasting and praying for his return, Lennier helplessly watching on.
Ivanova, for all she spends a lot of the early episode moping around in grief, remains in serious denial about what’s happened to Sheridan. She knows the basics, and people keep telling her things like this …
… but it just doesn’t sink in, and she keeps hoping against hope that the Captain will turn out okay.Ivanova’s forgotten about the last time a telepath was in her room.
Ivanova tells Lyta, a bit later, how this all feels to her, and where the title of the episode comes from:
IVANOVA: Have you ever heard of the hour of the wolf?
LYTA: No.
IVANOVA: My father told me about it. It’s the time between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. You can’t sleep, and all you can see is the troubles and the problems and the ways that your life should’ve gone but didn’t. All you can hear is the sound of your own heart. I’ve been living in the hour of the wolf for seven days, Lyta. Seven days. The wolf and I are now on a first-name basis. In times like this, my father used to take one large glass of vodka before bed. “To keep the wolf away,” he said. And then he would take three very small drinks of vodka, just in case she had cubs while she was waiting outside. [Takes a drink] It doesn’t work.
Garibaldi’s disappearances is almost secondary to Ivanova and Delenn, but not to G’Kar and Zack; the Narn explains to the acting security chief that Garibaldi gave him a second chance, so he feels honor-bound to track him down.
It’s like herding Cat-Aliens.
With Sheridan gone (and everyone knowing that nobody goes to Z’Ha’Dum and returns), and with the Shadows in abeyance for the moment, the Alliance of Light is breaking up, the various races pulling their ships from the station in order to shore up and rebuild their own defenses.
Delenn confronts a hitherto-absent new!Kosh about what the Vorlons are up to and gets little satisfaction. They are no longer interested in Sheridan, considering him “Irrelevant. … He has opened an unexpected door. We do now what must be done now. His purpose has been fulfilled.”
Lyta is on a short (and painful) leash with new!Kosh, but she knows they are up to something. She approaches Ivanova, suggesting they mount a hit-and-run rescue mission to Z’Ha’Dum with a White Star; her telepathy can both hold off the Shadows for a short time and search for the old!Kosh influence in Sheridan.
The Eyes Have It
The two of them, along with Delenn and Lennier (way to gut the Alliance if you fail, guys), head out to Z’Ha’Dum, and start trying to reach Sheridan both by comlink and telepathy. No sign of Sheridan, but the Shadows detect them, and the Big Many Eyes in Space (last seen in “Voices of Authority“) focuses on them, draining their will. Ivanova even orders the ship to put down on the surface, but instead it zooms back into hyperspace; Lennier had a dead man’s switch programmed.
Faced with the reality that Sheridan is gone, Ivanova decides she has to carry on in his name.
Wish these three had gotten one of the B5 Movies written about them.
A good story line, if a bit passive. The menace of the Shadows is both broken and reestablished, and Ivanova, Delenn, and Lyta are all ready to gird their loins and start picking up the pieces. Seeing the three of them together at the bow of the White Star was a treat I’d forgotten about; I’d have watched a spin-off with just that trio.
The portrayal of the Shadows is intriguing in its brief glimpses. Their fear and dismay over what has happened is palpable; like the Vorlons, they don’t handle their own deaths well. The Big Many Eyes in Space (or “Eye,” as it is referred to) mentally speaks in “a voice of infinite sadness” and appears to Ivanova and Delenn both as their own fathers (imagery that the Vorlons also use). We get fragments here, but it’s the closest the Shadows have come to feeling like real beings, not distant, god-like monsters, and one can see how they could gather allies to themselves, even humans.
Christian’s portrayal (and Joe’s writing) of Ivanova bugged me a bit. I get that Sheridan is a friend, and his loss hurts her. I get that she’s been under a lot of stress, and the weight of taking on Sheridan’s role is daunting. And I realize that she has father issues and, having lost one (her own), and recently another (Sinclair), losing a third (Sheridan) is a baseball bat to the head. But her reaction here seemed a bit over the top, a bit too thousand-yard-stare. Drinking? Yeah. Shuffling zombie-like through the halls? Not so much. Her finest moments are when she’s storming at the Alliance diplomats.
Furlan’s Delenn is fine; she’s got some of the fire in her belly again, seriously torqued off at new!Kosh, but aside from that she doesn’t get to do a lot this time out. Someone had best nudge her to remind her she’s Ranger One still.
New!Kosh is kind of a dick.
Tallman’s Lyta gets a big re-introduction this time, and her appearance in the credits indicate she’ll be spending more time with us this season. She’s still being buffeted by the fates; her relationship with old!Kosh was as acolyte to great guru, even lover; new!Kosh treats her as a servant, and a not-highly-valued one at that. Her apologies to Delenn early on are almost shocking given the previous air of determination she’d carried. Her willingness to stand with Team B5 bodes well.
Katsulas’ G’Kar and Jeff Conaway’s Zack Allen get a nice scene in Garibaldi’s quarters. Zack doesn’t do much (aside from demonstrate he doesn’t know how to enter a room), but he does get the funniest line in the ep. G’Kar, both there and in the episode-starting voice-over, is in full Zen Narn mode, contemplative and serene, but still directed toward righteous action. Garibaldi gave him another chance, so he’ll rescue Garibaldi, case closed. Both actors do a fine job.
The happiest Centauri Emperor ever.
B-Plot: On Centauri Prime, Londo arrives to take up his position as head interplanetary security advisor to the Emperor. He’s limbered up and ready to play politics as usual. Only the Emperor, Cartagia, seems a bit … off. Far too relaxed and decadent and both not playing the political games and much firmer in his orders than Londo was expecting.
Londo is is left off-balance, at the very least, but then is further shocked to discover that the Shadow representative on Centauri Prime is his old friend, Mr. Morden — horribly burned and scarred, but still alive. He’s the one who requested from the emperor that Londo be sent along to help coordinate the Shadows’ new plan.
Mr. Morden has seen better days.
MORDEN: The incident at Z’Ha’Dum has forced us to look for outside support sooner than we had intended. My associates are moving some of their forces off Z’Ha’Dum to ensure their safety, in case certain parties decide to take advantage of the situation. They did it before, a thousand years ago — planted their ships like sees all around the galaxy. In exchange for certain — favor, Emperor Cartagia has agreed to loan us a small piece of Centauri prime.
LONDO: […] He’s mad.
MORDEN: If there’s a madman on the throne, it’s because you and Refa put him there. He’s your responsibility. And you are mine.
LONDO: […] I don’t care. I won’t do it.
MORDEN: Of course you will, Mollari. Because you’re drawn to power. Because we’re friends. And because you’re afraid of what someone else might do in your place.
Yet another vision Londo didn’t want to see come true.
All this culminates in Londo being called out to watch the Shadows’ arrival, overhead — and, yup, there’s that prophetic dream sequence he had, waaaaaay back in “The Coming of Shadows“. Well played.
He goes to confront Cartagia, and learns what he was beginning to suspect is true: the Emperor is mad. Part of the madness is in little things — radical fashion changes, for example. Part of the madness is in typical things — folk who criticize the Emperor tend to disappear. And part of the madness is in horrifyingly dangerous things — he’s made an agreement with the Shadows to let them base some of their ships there, in exchange for …
LONDO: What did they give you?
CARTAGIA: The one thing I have ever wanted. Read the old books, Mollari. They talk of the ancient gods. They talked about them. Their power is beyond description; the power to create, the power to destroy. And now it’s ours by association.
LONDO: If their power is so great, why do they need to hide behind us, hmm? They want to use us as shields. When the war comes here, our people will be the first to die.
Lese-majiste is not a safe thing to commit.
CARTAGIA: Some are always sacrificed for the greater good.
LONDO: What greater good?
CARTAGIA: Why, mine, of course. I thought you understood. The Emperor is the soul of the People, Mollari, the center of the Republic. If the whole world should perish, as long as the Emperor goes on, we go on. The first emperors, the greatest of us, were themselves proclaimed deities by the gods of old in exchange for loyalty. They became immortal, their names remembered for generations, prayers offered even today in their temples. And now the gods of old have returned. Through them I will become a god myself. It’s my destiny. I’ve known it all my life. It;s what I was born for. When the time comes, our people will gladly lay down their lives to elevate me to godhood. What are the lives of a few million when compared to the glory of becoming a living god?
Londo is terrified, but he’s also angry, and a patriot. A smart man, perhaps even the old Londo from the early days of the series, would, like Minister Virini, hunker down, smile, and present as small a target for Cartagia as possible. Londo, instead, summons Vir from B5; when he arrives, Londo takes him into a new conspiracy: they must kill the Emperor. As Morden told him, Londo and Refa are responsible for Cartagia being on the throne. Londo will take take that responsibility, even if it kills him. And his comrade.
LONDO: Vir, it is a terrible truth but as one accumulates power, one loses friends. One only has those who wish to use you and those you wish to use. And yet, in all of this, you have somehow managed to walk through the corridors of power and not be touched. I can only assume you have not been paying attention. And still, the hideous truth is: you are the closest thing I have to a friend. I’m as shocked and dismayed by this as you are, but there it is. I need a friend, Vir. And I need a patriot. You are both. Will you help me?
Quoth G’Kar: “I suppose he is quite happy with his new position. It’s what he always wanted: power, title, responsibility. And I think he is more alone than anyone else in the universe.”
Jurasik makes it clear that he’s ready for this season to be his, even if he’s no longer on the B5 station. His attempts to slip into the old politicking mode are smoothly executed, and his aghastness at Cartagia, Morden, and the parking of Shadow vessels on Centauri Prime (but mostly at Cartagia) are delightfully done. It’s not an overly dramatic or key role this episode, just part of touching base with all the characters, but he handles it flawlessly and believably.
Furst’s Vir finally gets some action. He’d had a lot of small scenes over the past half-season cut out for time, but here he not only gets to relay, apologetically and look-on-the-bright-sidedly to Ivanova what the Shadows have relayed to the Centauri about what happened to Sheridan, but he gets pulled into Londo’s conspiracy. He gets to play hapless near-naif, badly needed comic relief, and sincerely nice guy, all at once. It’s going to be a good season for him.
The biggest loss at Z’Ha’Dum in the S.3 finale was the thought of never again seeing Morden, esp. after a strong performance in the Shadow Trio trying to turn Sheridan. Fortunately, there was plenty of solid rock between him and the big boom, so we get Ed Wasser back for this season. And he does a nice job adding yet another layer to Morden, this time as more than a bit unstable, slowly picking the flaking skin from his hands and rambling aloud. Morden’s been traumatized, and he reflects the fear the Shadows are feeling right about now. It’s good to know we’ll be seeing more of him.
Cartagia has a midnight chat with his bestest friends.
Finally, Wortham Krimmer shows up this ep as Emperor Cartagia. There are so many ways this role could have been played, but Krimmer sets the tone wonderfully. Megalomania, sure, but not ranting. Menace, but not mustache-twirling. You can see why people follow him, and you can definitely see why people fear him. If you weren’t going to get John Hurt back for a reprise of his “I, Claudius” Caligula, you would have a hard time finding someone better for this role.
C-Plot: On Z’Ha’Dum, a huddled figure in rags is staggering through various caverns. It drops a service bar — Sheridan’s. Eventually it stops and — yup, it’s Sheridan, who builds himself a fire (conveniently there are apparently ever-burning sconces on the occasionally dressed walls in the caves and passages he is navigating). A figure comes along — tall, alien, elegant.
Time to break out fixings for the Z’Ha’S’Mores.
SHERIDAN: Who are you?
LORIEN: Who are you?
SHERIDAN: How did I get here?
LORIEN: You were born.
SHERIDAN: Why am I alive?
LORIEN: Well, that is the question, isn’t it? Do you mind if I share your fire?
SHERIDAN: No.
It’s an odd little closer. Its purpose is to show that Sheridan is still alive (though not yet answering how, or where, or anything else), and to introduce his new companion, Lorien. But we already were spoiled that he’d be alive by the main titles for the season (which show him), and the drama of the first two plotlines doesn’t seem to sift through into here. We don’t get an emotional read on Sheridan, let alone his visitor, leaving things … hanging.
“Who are you?” No coincidence that we get the “Vorlon Question” here.
Overall: As a season opener, it’s a fairly quiet episode. There’s a bit of action, a lot of inward-directed drama, but nothing much happens but to establish the new status quo: Sheridan’s “dead,” the Alliance is in tatters, the Vorlons are scheming, the Centauri are being run by a madman, G’Kar is looking for Mr Garibaldi. With more time, all of these would have been played with a bit more; as it is, only some of these new truths will last very long.
Though the A-Plot is where the action is supposed to be, the B-Plot is what really grips. The former is marking time, reminding people of what’s going on and who the various characters are. The B-Plot has some real drama and menace to contend with.
Most Dramatic Moment: Lots of small moments, in all of the plots. I think the most dramatic is when Londo is forced to retreat from the throne room, having nearly been guilty of lèse-majeste against Cartagia, having learned of the extent of the Emperor’s madness, and realizing that reason and politics are not going to be enough to save his people (or his neck).
Most Amusing Moment: Zack and G’Kar discuss a poster of Daffy Duck in Garibaldi’s room.
G’KAR: I was studying this image. Is it one of his household gods?
ZACK: No, that’s Daffy — yeah, well, in a way, I suppose it is. It’s sort of the Egyptian God of Frustration.
G’KAR: [Laughing] Most appropriate. Thank you.
That narrowly beats out:
IVANOVA: Lennier, get us the hell out of here!
LENNIER: Initiating “Getting the Hell Out of Here” maneuver.
“Great Maker …”
Most Arc-ish Moment: The final scene with Sheridan and Lorien is portentious, but I have to give the nod to Londo’s vision of Shadow vessels flying overhead finally, awfully, coming true.
Overall Rating: 4.3 / 5 — The slower parts (A-Plot) are done well; the more intense parts (B-Plot) are done very well. It’s not a WHAM episode, but it’s solid storytelling. (Rating History)
Next episode: “Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?” That’s the question G’Kar wants to answer, assuming he doesn’t get killed or captured in the process. Sheridan just wants to know what’s happened to himself.
