A-Plot: Sheridan is off with a Starfury flight, investigating some strange ship disappearances, when he gets himself abducted by the Streib, a race that periodically goes out and captures aliens for nefarious purposes (named, drolly, for Whitley Strieber, UFOlogist). After being tortured (http://goo.gl/A14n25), he's attacked by a captive mind-controlled Drazi and forced to kill him, but manages to only seriously injure a similarly controlled Narn (http://goo.gl/kH0XYQ) (why Sheridan hadn't gotten a mind-control headpiece is unanswered).
Delenn, when informed of the abduction assists B5, as the Minbari have previously had harsh words with the Streib. She guides an EA task force to the Streib homeworld, where their (apparently single) spaceship is just arriving. Space battle ensues (http://goo.gl/ouQvng http://goo.gl/urU98C), which seems kind of goofy when they think Sheridan is still aboard, but Sheridan and the Narn manage to escape (http://goo.gl/L3xHnq) before the Streib ship is blown to flinders (http://goo.gl/CG3SYw). Sheridan gets mawkish (http://goo.gl/Tp8UP6) that one of the Starfury pilots with him died of injuries later (ignoring a third pilot who died on the spot).
It's a hackneyed plotline in a half-dozen ways, and is handled clumsily to boot. In fact, it's noteworthy for only two things. First, that Narn (to be named Ta'Lon) will return in the future. Second, while snoozing on the Streib ship, Sheridan has a dream / vision that had the chat boards churning for months (http://goo.gl/5xvJjR):
– Sheridan is in his quarters, in uniform. The lights are out.
– Ivanova is in the quarters with him, in uniform, hair draped over her left shoulder. The door is open. She raises her fingers to her lips and says, "Shh." (http://goo.gl/6oswmB)
– Sheridan looks confused. (http://goo.gl/Rx3XuI)
– Ivanova, now with a raven perched on her right shoulder, says, "Do you know who I am?" (http://goo.gl/U2ZBJo)
– Sheridan looks to his right, and finds himself in a Babylon 5 corridor. He looks up. (http://goo.gl/nIxE7e)
– On a catwalk, in harsh lighting, gripping the railing, is another Sheridan. He looks to his right. (http://goo.gl/x3AzBf)
– Garibaldi, also apparently on the catwalk, is in uniform and has a dove on his left shoulder (http://goo.gl/5J5PR7). "The man in between is searching for you," he says. (http://goo.gl/nlbIx4)
– Ivanova, in a veil and black dress, is standing behind Sheridan, who is now wearing a turtleneck and a jacket. (http://goo.gl/YizObX)
– As he turns, we get a brief glimpse of a metal pin on the left breast of his jacket: a Psi-Corps badge. And in fact, his jacket appears to be the uniform of a Psi-Cop, with the leather strap down the right side in front. (http://goo.gl/rET5xE)
– Ivanova, still veiled, says, "You are the hand." (http://goo.gl/n2aopX)
– Kosh is standing behind Sheridan in the corridor; Sheridan is back in his normal uniform. Sheridan starts to turn toward him. (http://goo.gl/z6eEPP)
– In what seems like a simple switch of camera angles, Sheridan now appears to be sitting down in front of a backlit wall with an organic look not unlike that of the Streib ship's interior. "Why are you here?" he asks. (http://goo.gl/lfMUfW)
– "We were never away," Kosh answers from the corridor. "For the first time your mind is quiet enough to hear me." (http://goo.gl/jhxmh7)
– Sheridan is back in the corridor, standing. "Why am I here?" he asks, in a tone that makes the question sound unconnected to the previous one. (http://goo.gl/dsN6gh)
– "You have always been here," answers Kosh. (http://goo.gl/2vUPsl)
Which line Kosh repeats again once Sheridan is back on the station (http://goo.gl/8h4pNx).
Ravens! Doves! Psi Corps! Hidden identities! Kosh! Ooooh! Spoooky!
What does it all mean? Well, stay tuned, kids!
Other than that, the A-Plot is pretty much lukewarm hash (see the video at the bottom).
A bit more significant, arc-wise, is the B-Plot, which has Delenn being summoned to the Grey Council, accompanied (by his own choosing, and despite being warned off) by Lennier, who's in full-on crush mode (Mumy does a great job with him http://goo.gl/97hCD2). When she arrives (http://goo.gl/SnYsCn http://goo.gl/dhsEGp), she learns she's been booted from the GC for doing the Chrysalis thing against their orders. Worse, she learns that her replacement is our old war-loving pal, Neroon, which means the GC is now out of balance, caste-wise (esp. since Neroon thinks the whole Minbari-Human-Shared-Souls Thang is a bunch of bullshit http://goo.gl/ze2SdB). Delenn asks to be allowed to continue her mission at B5, and they agree (with a hearty "Good riddance!" from Neroon (http://goo.gl/jtYyVe)).
So, there are some biggies for Delenn — no longer leader, merely ambassador, and rejected by her people, with her great sacrifice looked down upon as rubbish. Ouch. No wonder she's rather pleased to help the Earthers take down the Streib ship (http://goo.gl/S250VK).
The C-Plot is even more arc-ish. General Hague (Robert Foxworth) makes an unannounced visit to B5 (http://goo.gl/UiWVKm). It turns out that Sheridan was sent there with a covert mission to check out the loyalty of the command staff. Turns out further it's a double-blind mission — President Santiago thought he'd been an independent mind while still looking like enough of a xenophobe to satisfy that wing of Earth politics (including then-VP, now-President Clark) with the appointment. Hague is there to close the deal and recruit him into a quiet conspiracy back home — looking into Santiago's death and the possible powers behind that, in particular Psi Corps. (http://goo.gl/gZ95LY)
In the end, Sheridan agrees, and at the very end recruits Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Franklin into the conspiracy of light. (http://goo.gl/0tBcx4)
This last bit bumps up the stakes for Our Team quite a bit. Now they're not reacting, but beginning to act themselves, which is a good thing (story-wise, at least). It's a scosh surprising that uber-paranoid Garibaldi is so quick to go along with it — but, then, maybe he feels he can watch and jump in the right direction later on as need be. Regardless, we now have B5 — its leadership at least — in covert but formal opposition to the shenanigans back on Earth. That should be … interesting.
Overall, there's plenty to see here, dragged down mostly by the nonsensical Streib subplot. (Nobody but the Minbari have ever figured this mystery out? And the Minbari never thought to tell anyone else who was behind these periodic ship disappearances? Really?) It's not a bad episode, but it's not a great one, despite the name and despite Kosh acting — both in-vision and in-person — all Koshlike and cryptic. Fun stuff awaits.
Most Dramatic Moment: Delenn before the Grey Council, being berated by Neroon — and realizing she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. (http://goo.gl/skRH4s)
Most Amusing Moment: Not many. Maybe Ivanova being amused to see that everyone else at Sheridan's secret midnight meeting is also in their pajamas. (http://goo.gl/5DN92g)
Most Arc-ish Moment: THE DREAM! THE DREAM! (Part of what's amusing about it is that it was shot so dark and so close that it's not always a matter of understanding what the cryptic images are about, but recognizing what the images actually are.)
Overall Rating: 3.6 / 5
Lurker’s Guide: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/033.html
Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/All_Alone_in_the_Night
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517625/
AV Club: http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/babylon-5-groposall-alone-in-the-night-96276
Kay Shapero: http://www.kayshapero.net/b5review/AllAlone.htm
Next ep is "Acts of Sacrifice," which brings the Narn/Centauri conflict back to the spotlight, while Ivanova stages her greatest (and most hilarious) diplomatic coup ever.
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