[Personal life and the new TV season full of more shows than I should possibly ever be enjoying has interfered mightily with the pace of the B5 Rewatch. Expect a faster clip again in the new year.]
What happens after the myth is over, the epic is concluded, the “Happily ever after” rolls across the screen? Well, in B5’s case, with the dawn of the Third Age, the defeat and departure of both Shadows and Vorlons, and the overthrow of Centauri Emperor Cartagia, it’s time to sit back, relax, party a little — and realize how many threads of threat there are still lurking out there, and how, now that the war is over, alliances need to be re-examined and either re-forged or broken …
A-Plot: Fireworks and party time on B5 give way to news that Earth has declared an embargo on the station — no traffic, cargo, or people to go between Earth and B5. But on one of the last ships coming through, there’s a return visitor: Bester. The latter has returned with his usual load of snark (“I assume my usual quarters in the brig are available. I’ve grown so attached to the place.”) and with word that President Clark back home, stripped of his quasi-allies amongst the Shadows, is determined to see B5 destroyed or retaken. Not that the B5 team trust Bester — they drag in Lyta, again, to help detect any mind-scannig the Psi-Cop might try. Bester is not amused.
BESTER: Ms. Alexander has no business being here. She’s a blip! By all rights, I should arrest her and take her back with me.
SHERIDAN: Oh, you could do that. And I could nail your head to the table, set fire to it, and feed your charred remains to the Pak’ma’ra. But — it’s an imperfect world, and we never get exactly what we want. So get used to it.
Bester tells the team Clark has a plan — but refuses to reveal it until he learns more about how the station is treating all those Shadow-infected telepaths they ended up with back in “Ship of Tears” last season — a group of telepaths that includes Bester’s lover. Given that they haven’t been able to make any progress, Bester insists that they go to Z’ha’dum to rifle through any technology that Shadows left behind, to learn enough to do something. Upon their reluctant agreement, Bester says that Clark as a false flag operation planned — some Black Omega Starfuries that will ambush an embargo patrol and make it look like they were destroyed by B5 forces.
So Ivanova goes shooting off with her own team of Starfuries to foil the plan, ambushes the ambushers, and engenders some good will. That’s the easy part.
Sheridan, Lyta, and Bester head off to Z’ha’dum on a White Star. They arrive to find the planet being evacuated by the former servitors of the Shadows — who blow up the planet behind them, much to Bester’s frustration. On his return to B5, he spends a quiet moment amongst the cryogenics tubes, monologuing to his lover, Carolyn — how he’d sacrificed his own Black Omega squadron to try and free her, and how he’d do it again in a heartbeat. He also reveals he has a plan to hurt the stupid mundanes on B5 more than they can possibly imagine.
After Bester’s departure, Ivanova reports that word of B5’s actions at the ambush have spread on Earth, much no doubt to Clarke’s dismay. Sheridan’s not happy, though — if the servants of the Shadows have departed Z’ha’dum … where are they going? (Clearly he’s forgotten his flash-forward in “War without End” …)
B-Plot: Londo decides things are a bit too hectic on Centauri Prime for him right at that moment, given his tacitly acknowledged role in getting rid of Cartagia and his withdrawal from Narn. So, despite being Prime Minister, he decides to head back to B5 for the time being, leaving Minister Virini to pick out new drapes as the Regent over the Republic. How things are going to be actually governed while he’s gone is unclear, but Londo seems to have eagerly shed himself of the responsibilities he’s carried the past several episodes.
On return to B5, he spots G’Kar in the Zocalo, and forces himself to confront the Narn directly. “My world is now free. You no longer exist in my universe. Pray that we never notice each other again,” G’Kar tells him, and walks away. It’s a reminder that, despite their expedient alliance, there’s a long history of hatred and anger between them — one which, ironically, Londo might be ready to overlook, but the recently tortured G’Kar cannot.
Back on Centauri Prime, Virini wakes up from a nightmare. He assures himself that all is well, stumbles over to a basin to splash his face — and sees the Keeper that has been placed on his neck staring back at him. Now we know where the Shadows’ servants have gone, and the long new nightmare of Londo Mollari is just beginning …
C-Plot: Whatever happened to Mr. Garibaldi? Aside from various Eeyore-like utterances during the final days of the Shadow War, he’s been pretty much off camera. Now he returns, receiving weirdly familiar coded messages that he deletes, and informing the command team that he’s quitting B5. When they protest, he notes that the whole Shadow War was about fulfilling individual destinies, so why can’t he go off and fulfill his?
G’Kar, later on, gives him a big hug. Though he’s suffered a lot, Garibaldi being his friend had gotten him into the overall conflict in a way that it turned out he was most useful, ending up with his people free.
Garibaldi also has a chat with Zack, who tries to talk him out of leaving, unsuccessfully. Everyone thinks there’s something twitchy going on with Garibaldi … but what?
D-Plot: Lyta is trying to rebuild her life, post-Vorlons, though her collection of shopping bags in her empty room is kind of pathetic. She’s ticked off that Sheridan & Co. keep using her has a tool and a weapon, then set her back aside after use without any consideration. Poor Zack, the messenger, gets the brunt of that conversation (“Zack, how come the only time someone comes to see me is when they want something?”).
But resentment aside, she’s not ready to run back to PsiCorps. She manages to successfully block Bester’s scanning in the conference room with the others, much to his surprise. he’s a P12, she’s ostensibly a P5 — he should be able to just roll over her, but she pushes him back with a psychic slap in the face to boot; it’s a lovely scene. Later, he tries to learn more and convince her to return
BESTER: Whatever’s happened to you, you have a moral obligation to share it with the Corps, Lyta. The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father.
LYTA: In that case, Mr. Bester, I’m an orphan.
At which point he threatens that he knows things about her she doesn’t want the others to know about. That may be one reason why she smiles a bit at Bester’s rage when Z’ha’dum is destroyed.
More critically, she gets a dressing down from Sheridan, who thinks it’s dubiously coincidental that they arrived at Z’ha’dum just as the planet was being blown up, and wonders if a telepath — her powers magnified in hyperspace — may have intentionally triggered a boobytrap. If so, she notes, it might have been a hidden Vorlon command to make sure that Shadow technology wasn’t screwed around with, and would also have been out of a desire to see Bester hurt.
Which Sheridan understands, followed by a threat to turn her over to the PsiCorps if she ever abrogates a command decision like that again. That puts her in her place — and not in a pleasant way. He may regret that in the future.
On the other hand, a few minutes later Zack drops by with pizza and an offer to help her get her compartment in order, so there’s something she can smile about.
Elsewhere: G’Kar is (as noted) back on B5, having turned down the opportunity for power back on Narn. The cost, he feels, is too high.
There’s intermittent John/Delenn chit-chat and lip-locking, none of it particularly interesting.
Overall: There’s really not a lot of story in this ep, mostly just realignment of pieces on the chess board. The two main threats to Our Heroes — the Earth government and the Shadow servants — are established, as are the set points for various relationships: Lyta and Zack, Londo and G’Kar, Sheridan and Delenn.
Bester is a fabulous villain, simply because he’s not. Certainly, in his own mind, he’s a patriot of his people. He can be polite. He can treat others with kindness. Sure, he as an ego as big as all outdoors — but the same could be said for any of our protagonists. Even in his vice he is virtuous: anything he considers a threat to his people — Carolyn first of all, then all the telepaths — anything he needs to do to protect them and advance their cause, he will do ruthlessly — and, again, how is that different from, say, Sheridan and his friends?
Bester stands out, unlike so many B5 bad guys (one of the weaknesses of the show) as an antagonist, not an evil monster, a person as fanatical and dedicated to his cause as the heroes. And that’s why it’s always a joy to see him return, with Walter Koenig’s pitch-perfect performance of him.
Lyta really has been mostly a tool since her return to B5, a weapon to pull out against the Shadows or (in this case) Bester. Her resentment is palpable and understandable, not helped by getting a (deserved but harsh) dressing down by Sheridan. With the Vorlons gone, PsiCorps out of the question, and the B5 management less than well-disposed to her, she truly is an “orphan.” That’s a thread that is going to mostly simmer along this season (due to the financial shenanigans that threatened to chop off B5 at 4 seasons), but will come to the fore in season 5.
Zack gets to make a reappearances as more than just someone for Sheridan to talk with every few scenes. With Garibaldi going, he’ll be the Security Chief. The growing relationship with Lyta will also give him some screen time. All that’s good, because Zack Allen is the Everyman for the show, moving forward — the working stiff who’s caught up in an epic amongst various heroes, and who has to do his job and do it well even though he’ll never be one of the ones showing up in the history books.
A good episode, overall, weakened only by its transitory nature (but certainly better than the official trailer makes it).
Most Dramatic Moment: Bester talking to the comatose Carolyn. This is no sociopath or mustache-twirling government stooge or alien monster or ethical straw man. This is a human being, in pain, ashamed of his inability to help someone he loves, driven by anger at a thousand slights and frustrations to lash out at other. Bester rocks.
(Very major runner up here is Londo facing G’Kar in the Zocalo. It’s quiet, intense, draining, and the viewer can feel Londo being covered in sweat when it’s all over.)
Most Amusing Moment: At the conference table, as Bester seeks to scan the minds of his ostensible allies, only to find himself blocked, then psychically slapped, by a smugly smiling Lyta. Yeah, I like Bester, but I like seeing him frustrated, too, when he pulls that kind of shit.
Most Arc-ish Moment: The Regent has a Keeper. Creeeeepy, and portentious as to what’s going to happen next for the Centauri and for Londo. We saw one of these critters before, around Londo’s neck — in Sheridan’s flash-forward while on B4 in “War Without End,” as Londo noted how the leftover servants of the Shadows had devastated his world after Sheridan had won his “little war.” Looks like that bit of future hasn’t been averted.
Overall Rating: 4.2 / 5 — Lots of well-played parts and well-done story, hampered by lacking an overall internal plot. (Rating History).
Other Resources for this episode:
- Lurker’s Guide
- Babylon Project Wiki
- IMDb
- AV Club (covers eps 7-9 of the season, plus “Thirdspace”)
- TV Tropes
- Sci-Fi Musings
- Sundry Thoughts
Next episode: “The Illusion of Truth,” as reporters from Earth return to B5, and the results are as bad (for the station, not the viewers of the ep) as you can imagine.
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