Every single plotline comes to a fiery conclusion as the series reaches its finale and — er, wait, this is only the 6th episode out of 4 of 5 seasons? How does that–?
That’s one big fleet.
A-Plot: The Alliance fleet is racing toward its rendezvous, wiping out a Vorlon listening post along the way. (Both recollection and early setup for both the Vorlons and the Shadows had them as veritable gods in power — but as they become more real opponents, both have their limitations, becoming more very-powerful-but-still-vulnerable people.)
Ivanova and Lorien (who has a little list) track down the last of the remaining six First Ones to get them into the plan, then head at high speed for the rendezvous. There Sheridan and the fleet are waiting for both the Vorlons and Shadows to arrive. He knows they don’t stand a chance, but hopes that the “truth” will set them free before they are destroyed.
The Vorlon Planet Killer is, in turn, killed by the other First Ones.
Just after Ivanova catches up with them, both powerful fleets do arrive, the Vorlons sending their planet-killer to Coriana 6, as they begin to engage with the Shadows. Sheridan ups the stakes by triggering some nuclear charges that draw both the fleets against his side. Massive Space Battle Ensues. The Vorlons refuse pleas to not destroy the planet, so Sheridan is forced to call in the First Ones, who target and wipe out the planet-killer. Even more and bigger space battling ensue.
Meanwhile, the Vorlons and Shadows both are fed up, and, through Lyta, attack the minds of Sheridan and Delenn directly — which, according to Lorien, was Sheridan’s plan all along.
Sheridan confronts the Vorlon “ice queen” in a psychic conversation.
Sheridan debates with a female figure in a block of ice — a mental representation of the Vorlons — while Delenn talks with a variety of people she knows from B5 — chaotic presentations of the Shadows. Both sides seek to get agreement — destruction of darkness, or freedom from domination, nurturing through obedience or advancement through conflict. Both sides present a binary choice that the Younger Races must choose between Order or Chaos.
But Sheridan and Delenn both reject that false dichotomy, in favor of the truth: that the Younger Races no longer need to be controlled by the Vorlons or the Shadows, but can determine their fates on their own.
At which point, both the Shadows and Vorlons realize that Lorien has been in contact with Sheridan and Delenn the whole time, and has been broadcasting their experiences to the whole fleet. But that might not be enough, as a Shadow plant-killer cloud engulfs the fleet, threatening to destroy it.
That brings things down to a debate on the bridge of the White Star flagship between Sheridan / Delenn and images of a Vorlon and a Shadow. The latter try to play hardball, and the Shadows launch missiles at the flagship — but other fleet ships move to intercept, creating a living blockade to protect them.
The Vorlons and Shadows turn from angry divorced parents to frightened children.
DELENN: You can kill us one by one, and those who follow us, and those who follow them, on and on, every race, every planet. Until there’s no one left to kill. You will have failed as guardians. And you will be alone.
SHERIDAN: It’s over because we’ve decided it’s over. Now get the hell out of our galaxy! Both of you!
Lorien encourages them to leave, that it’s time to give up their self-appointed roles as guardians. Both Vorlons and Shadows — suddenly much more timid and fearful — agree to depart beyond the Rim, but only if Lorien comes with them. He agrees, and Lorien, Vorlons, Shadows, and First Ones all fade away.
LORIEN: I waited a long time for someone to find me. Now, like the others, I find I hate to leave. But none of us can stay behind this time. That was why it was necessary to find all the remaining First Ones. This — is yours now. And you have an obligation: to do as we have done. To teach the races that will follow you and, when your time comes, as ours has, to step aside and allow them to grow into their own destiny. If your races survive, if you do not kill yourselves, I look forward to the day when your people join us beyond the Rim. We will wait for you ….
The Shadow War is over, and the fleet returns to Babylon 5.
B-Plot: Londo starts clearing the palace of Cartagia’s supporters, and prepares to let Morden know that he’s revoking the Shadows’ permission to remain on Centauri Prime. But that plan is interrupted by Londo being informed by the Intelligence Minister that his earlier investigations (quashed by the late emperor) shows that Londo’s old flame, Adira, had been assassinated not on Lord Refa’s orders, but by Morden (who then used the event to get Londo back into his circle).
Londo learning he has been played — and what he did because of it.
Londo is utterly devastated. The grief for his lost love, the horror over what he’s done since then, and, yes, the anger over Morden’s manipulations and his own gullibility — “He played me! He played me like a puppet!” — all combine to crystallize Londo taking control of the situation once and for all, with terrible consequences to come.
Morden slowly gets everything stripped from him. Starting with his escorts.
That leads to Morden being dragged to the throne room by guards. Londo informs him him that the Shadows have to leave the island of Selini, which Morden declines to order; the Shadows are convinced the Vorlons will not destroy Centauri — a sentiment Londo realizes is simply speaking out of fear. He has his guards kill the invisible Shadows escorting Morden, which they do. Londo looks at the burn marks.
LONDO: I will have to have that painted over, I suppose.
MORDEN: You’re insane.
LONDO: On any other day, Mr. Morden, you would be wrong. Today? Today is a very different day.
Londo demands one more time that the Shadows leave; when Morden tries to play tough ball, Londo makes it clear he’s prepared to destroy the Shadow vessels, which Morden scoffs at.
Londo removes the Shadow influence … with light.
MORDEN: You don’t frighten me, Mollari. If you try to attack our forces, you’ll lose.
LONDO: Yes, your ships are very impressive in the air, or in space, but at this moment, they are on the ground.
MORDEN: Right, they’re on the ground. But they can sense a ship coming miles away, so what are you going to do Mollari? Huh? Blow up the island?
LONDO: Actually, now that you mention it …. [pulls out a remote detonator]
MORDEN: NO!
The island of Selini is destroyed by multiple nuclear devices, placed there undercover even as most of the civilian population was evacuated. Morden is dragged out, raving promises of retribution for what Londo has done.
LONDO: What I have done? Oh, Mr. Morden, I have not even started with you yet.
Which ends with a special gift to Vir, fulfilling something he once replied to Morden when asked what he wanted (way back in Season 2):
Vir gets his wish from Mr. Morden.
Vir is directed to the garden by Londo, where, as we pan up, we see Morden’s head on a fence spike. Looking about, Vir gives a little wave, just as promised, and smiles.
Londo is jovial and ebullient. With the last of the Shadow influence on Centauri Prime gone, the Vorlons will give their planet a pass. But Vir realizes, even as a Vorlon planet-killer begins to eclipse their sun, that there is still one bit of Shadow influence remaining: Londo himself.
Londo begs Vir to kill him, but they’re all spared that fate as a call for reinforcements by the Vorlons at Coriana 6 comes through at the last moment, and the Vorlons turn away.
A fleeting moment of happiness for Londo (and Vir).
Later, hearing the word of how things ended in the Shadow War, Londo muses that he will likely head back to B5 for a while himself, to let the dust settle … even as he decides how to react.
VIR: I think you should feel happy.
LONDO: Yes perhaps. But every time I have been happy the universe has conspired to do something nasty to me.
Oh, Londo — so swept up in visions of the future and prophecies of doom. Poor, poor Londo …
Overall: It’s a huge, massive blow-out of an episode, with more ships flying around blowing others up and being blown up in turn than you can shake a stick at. It was mind-blowing in the original airing, and it still holds up amazingly well today.
The resolution of the Shadow War, and the “dawn of the Third Age” (one where the Younger Races are in charge of their own destiny) is grandly epic and quintessentialy Joe: it’s not a matter of winning by overwhelming force (no matter how many cool ships are flocking with improbable density) but by winning hearts and minds, initially convincing the other races that they need to fight, and then convincing the Vorlons and Shadows that, even though stronger, they have lost.
Indeed, one of the great magic tricks of the show is that the more that is revealed of the Vorlons and the Shadows, over the course of 3+ seasons, the weaker they become — the veritable Oz-like men behind the curtain. There’s never any question that either faction, or even the survivors of a war between the two of them, could still wipe out every other challenging race. But Our Heroes realize that’s not what’s at stake. The two sides not just blinded by their ideology, but are weakened by it, shells of their former selves, strong on the outside, shaken and weak on the inside. They’re bullies who are blustered into backing down, and that’s a remarkable resolution. They’re divorced parents, less interested in the kids’ welfare than in sticking it to their exes — and when called on it, their personal illusions are shattered, and they are shamed into withdrawing from the field.
Delenn and Sheridan return home.
Bruce Boxleitner and Mira Furlan act as true partners here, at last, and manage grandiose dialog as epic, not corny. Though there are occasional stretches.
SHERIDAN: It’s a new age, Delenn. A third age.
DELENN: Why third?
SHERIDAN: Well, we began in chaos, too primitive to make our own decisions. Then we were manipulated by forces from outside that thought they knew what was best for us. And now — now we’re finally standing on our own.
I’m sure that all sounded a lot better back when the series was being developed.
The B-Plot is as excellent as this whole arc has been in previous episodes. Peter Jurasik deserves a particular call-out, once again, for his work with Londo. He goes from urgent and business-like, to overcome with grief and anger (when he learns about Adira), to lethally jovial when chatting with Morden, to joyful at his success in getting rid of the Shadows, to horror-stricken when he realizes that he is now why the Vorlons are coming, to self-sacrificial in begging Vir to kill him … to quietly bewildered and paranoid in finding himself in a happy ending … at least for one night.
Vir waves Mr Morden good-bye
Ed Wasser gets a proper send-off as Morden — uncomfortable and frightened, but still glibly trying to control the situation, until his allies / masters are destroyed. At which point, his final fate per Vir’s wish is lovably fitting. Speaking of whom, Stephen Furst’s Vir isn’t the focus here, but his final moment with Morden is perfection, and his support of and loyalty to Londo show him to be far removed from the bumbling fool of his first introduction.
One could argue with some justice that the B-Plot is as critical as the A-Plot. For all the bombast and Boom!s of the Shadow War, for all the grand philosophy and epic struggle, the personal moments, triumphs, joys, and sorrows of the B-Plot anchor the episode as something much more than myth.
Finally there’s the whole meta level. The Shadows are defeated! The Younger Races are free! The Centauri / Narn crisis is over! Huzzah, all the things that the show has been focusing on since Day 1 are resolved!
So … what’s left?
We’ll just have to see ….
Londo goes from zenith to nadir and back a couple of times this ep.
Most Dramatic Moment: Almost too many to count. Honorable mention to Sheridan shouting at the Vorlons and Shadows to get the hell out of the galaxy, Londo dealing with the Shadow problem, Londo begging Vir to kill him — but it has to be Londo learning the truth behind Adira’s death, and realizing how he was manipulated by (and thus responsible for) her death. He is a man broken by grief, and reforged into something terrible.
Most Amusing Moment: There isn’t much humor here, except a clever joy in Vir’s visit to the garden and seeing Morden’s head on a pike.
Most Arc-ish Moment: Sheridan and Delenn arrive back at B5, and muse over the First Ones having departed.
DELENN: Strange. The galaxy seems somehow smaller now that the First Ones are gone forever.
SHERIDAN: Feels like the magic’s gone.
DELENN: No. Not gone. Now we make our own magic. Now we create our own legends. Now we build the future. Now we stop —
SHERIDAN: — being afraid of shadows.
It’s hokey, but it’s the perfect wrap for the episode, as we look out of the White Star at Babylon 5, no longer all alone in the night.
So long, First Ones — we hardly knew ye.
Overall Rating: 5 / 5 — An amazing payoff, visually and dramatically, for the series to date. (Rating History).
Next episode: “Epiphanies,” in which celebrations are celebrated, a favorite villain returns, and enemies left behind start picking up the pieces and striking back.
