{"id":43675,"date":"2014-07-18T18:47:59","date_gmt":"2014-07-19T00:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/18\/b5-rewatch-3x09-point-of-no-return.html"},"modified":"2014-07-20T16:11:00","modified_gmt":"2014-07-20T22:11:00","slug":"b5-rewatch-3x09-point-of-no-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/18\/b5-rewatch-3x09-point-of-no-return.html","title":{"rendered":"B5 Rewatch: 3×09 "Point of No Return""},"content":{"rendered":"
Martial Law spreads to B5, as Londo seeks an escape from his fate.<\/p>\n

A-Plot:<\/b> This is the biggie. With martial law declared back on Earth, and a message passed on from General Hague to Sheridan that they are on their own (http:\/\/goo.gl\/kJXCsB<\/a>), orders come through (http:\/\/goo.gl\/zh4p8M<\/a>) from the Political Office that station security is to be turned over to Night Watch. \u00a0Sheridan's outraged, but Garibaldi is livid at how his security "family" is being broken up, and who's willing to turn on whom. Some quit, but others are more than willing to sign up to get the snazzy black arm band, especially once the martial law order is extended to the station (http:\/\/goo.gl\/SfAMJK<\/a>) and rioting breaks out. \u00a0The conflict gets personalized in both the Obviously Evil Night Watch (as with last ep, named simply "Security Guard #1) and Zack (http:\/\/goo.gl\/fkWcMJ<\/a>, http:\/\/goo.gl\/2DZpgA<\/a>, http:\/\/goo.gl\/U9b7Qj<\/a>), especially when Garibaldi is relieved (GIFfy http:\/\/goo.gl\/iV3Uw6<\/a>) and Zack is named security chief.<\/p>\n

It's taut, tense, and personal, but deflated a bit by an ending that seems something of a cheat. Just as Sinclair did more than once during Season 1, Sheridan figures out how to rules lawyer his way out of the mess, so that he can trick the Night Watch into locked area (http:\/\/goo.gl\/j4Jbze<\/a>), legally claim they are mutineers (having gone outside the formal military chain of command), and arresting them. \u00a0It's too quick and easy a solution, even if it's just a temporary one until the orders can be passed along properly from Earth.<\/p>\n

The most noteworthy element of this plot is Zack finally throwing in with the Good Guys — though not before an "intervention" by Sheridan, Garibaldi, Ivanova, and G'Kar (http:\/\/goo.gl\/WWkaDb<\/a>). It's unfortunate that we don't see how that meeting pans out, since it's a key event for one of the featured players, but in the end, Everyman Zack is on the side of the angels (http:\/\/goo.gl\/eeSUj8<\/a>).<\/p>\n

B-Plot:<\/b> G'Kar is out of jail, to discover that Ta'Lon has been waiting for him (http:\/\/goo.gl\/LPjp4p<\/a>), which gives target to whom to exposit, mystically, about his enlightenment and what it will mean. \u00a0It's also a springboard for another change: G'Kar offers Garibaldi the local Narn population (http:\/\/goo.gl\/7iSyoV<\/a>) to supplement station Security once the Night Watch folk are disarmed and shipped out (http:\/\/goo.gl\/2f1b2A<\/a>). Which then lets G'Kar brace Sheridan and insist that he wants "in" on the Conspiracy of Light …<\/p>\n

My recollection of B5 was that post-epiphany G'Kar was mostly saintly in a Gandhi-esque fashion, but there's still plenty of the sneak and snark in him here.<\/p>\n

C-Plot: After critiquing Vir's reports back to the homeworld (http:\/\/goo.gl\/2Ibvs2<\/a>), Londo greets his invited guest to B5, Lady Morella (http:\/\/goo.gl\/HtfZXr<\/a>, http:\/\/goo.gl\/sBDstt<\/a>, http:\/\/goo.gl\/527JqO<\/a>), the consort widow of the former Emperor. She's a prophetess, and while Londo once hit up the Technomages for their support and maybe a bit of prophecy in his favor, now he's after her to prophecy for him to see if he's headed for as dark an end as he fears.<\/p>\n

In the end, Londo gets a one of those annoying prophecies that mean next to nothing, with what decision points he'll have to recognize in order to redeem himself (thus prompting endless fanboy debate): "You must save the eye that does not see. You must not kill the one who is already dead. And at the last, you must surrender yourself to your greatest fear, knowing that it will destroy you."<\/i> And then the players thrown popcorn at the DM and go off to grab some beers from the fridge.<\/p>\n

Morella then reveals (off the record) that Londo will, in fact, be Emperor. And so will Vir (at which he laughs, until it's clear she's deadly serious). One will ascend the throne after the other dies. \u00a0Which, after her departure, leaves the two of them sitting on either end of the couch, laughing nervously and feeling extremely<\/i> awkward …<\/p>\n

Morella was played by Majel Barrett, who liked the show and thought her appearance might calm down some of the B5\/Star Trek sniping among fans. \u00a0Sadly, no, though she makes a pleasant turn as the character (GIFfy http:\/\/goo.gl\/gjcEbN<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile:<\/b> Oh, the Rebellion's not going well; Senators and Chiefs of Staff are being rounded up, and General Hague is trying to rally some EA ships to his side against Clark, resulting in bloody battles (http:\/\/goo.gl\/FbPtoV<\/a>) — and by the end of the ep, only his ship remains, fleeing. And Sheridan and Ivanova know that B5 is Clark's next target … (http:\/\/goo.gl\/BVujMu<\/a>)<\/p>\n

SHERIDAN: \u201cThey\u2019ll be coming for us next you know."
IVANOVA: \u201cI know. Never thought it would end like this."
SHERIDAN: \u201cMe either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/b> The second of a three-episode arc that turns everything around, the ep has some big, portentious moments, but suffers from solving the main problem with a trick, and failing to show us a key scene, while trying to fit too many other events into play. \u00a0It's a major event, but not one of B5's very best.<\/p>\n

Most Dramatic Moment:<\/b> Garibaldi faces down his security team, only to discover it's not his any more. (http:\/\/goo.gl\/MWNOUv<\/a>, http:\/\/goo.gl\/eM8Gcz<\/a>) "If anything I've ever said or done has ever meant a damn to you, then stop this. Stop this now."
Most Amusing Moment:<\/b> Vir and Londo contemplate their impending fates. (http:\/\/goo.gl\/4AiwUT<\/a>)
Most Arc-ish Moment:<\/b> G'Kar explains to Ta'lon the sacrifices to come, and how important it is that they support the humans. (http:\/\/goo.gl\/2f1b2A<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Overall Rating:<\/b> \u00a04.0 \/ 5 — Again, good, big, wham-ful stuff, but with some organizational problems and a few cheats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

– Lurker\u2019s Guide: http:\/\/www.midwinter.com\/lurk\/countries\/us\/guide\/053.html<\/a>
– Babylon Project: http:\/\/babylon5.wikia.com\/wiki\/Point_of_No_Return<\/a>
– IMDb: http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0517679\/<\/a>
– AV Club: http:\/\/www.avclub.com\/tvclub\/babylon-5-point-of-no-returnsevered-dreams-99724<\/a> (includes next ep)
– Kay Shapero: http:\/\/www.kayshapero.net\/b5review\/Point.htm<\/a>
– TV Tropes: http:\/\/tvtropes.org\/pmwiki\/pmwiki.php\/Recap\/BabylonFiveS03E09PointOfNoReturn<\/a><\/p>\n

Next episode: "Severed Dreams," where the Babylon Project, a dream given form, comes to an end.<\/p>\n

#babylon5<\/a> #b5<\/a>\ufeff<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

View this post on Google+<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Martial Law spreads to B5, as Londo seeks an escape from his fate. A-Plot: This is the biggie. With martial law declared back on Earth, and a message passed on from General Hague to Sheridan that they are on their own (http:\/\/goo.gl\/kJXCsB), orders come through (http:\/\/goo.gl\/zh4p8M) from the Political Office that station security is to … Continue reading “B5 Rewatch: 3×09 "Point of No Return"”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,362],"tags":[503,429],"class_list":["post-43675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plusposts","category-media-tv-babylon-5","tag-b5","tag-babylon5"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/martiallaw5B15D.JPG.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43621,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/16\/b5-rewatch-3x08-messages-from-earth.html","url_meta":{"origin":43675,"position":0},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 3×08 "Messages from Earth"","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 16-Jul-14 11:53pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So far, the B5 team have just been quiet conspirators regarding the problems back on Earth. Now they find themselves having to take action ... A-Plot: \u00a0Our Heroes learn (http:\/\/goo.gl\/jOqLHz) that an abandoned Shadow vessel was found on Mars (http:\/\/goo.gl\/urQGxN) several years back, and that Earth Gov and Psi Corps\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43692,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/20\/b5-rewatch-3x10-severed-dreams.html","url_meta":{"origin":43675,"position":1},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 3×10 "Severed Dreams"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 20-Jul-14 3:18pm","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The Babylon Project was a dream given form.\" -- Jeffrey Sinclair, Season 1 intro\"It failed.\" -- Susan Ivanova, Season 3 introThis episode is touted by some as the best of the series, combining various plot lines colliding and realigning, as well as some great (especially for the time, but even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41267,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/02\/b5-rewatch-s2e08-a-race-through-dark-places.html","url_meta":{"origin":43675,"position":2},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×08 "A Race Through Dark Places"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 2-Mar-14 11:07pm","format":false,"excerpt":"This episode was actually intended to run before \"Soul Mates,\" but post-production problems forced the swap. It's not a critical problem, but knowing what Talia has gone through (and heard) in this ep informs some of her plotline with her (forced) husband in the other ep. It also ties a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/208_cap420%5B1%5D.jpg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41759,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/04\/18\/b5-rewatch-s2e13-hunter-prey.html","url_meta":{"origin":43675,"position":3},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×13 "Hunter, Prey"","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 18-Apr-14 3:44pm","format":false,"excerpt":"A middlin' episode, but now that the train is moving, even middlin' episodes are pretty good. The key here is exploring off in two directons: what's the scoop with Ambassador Kosh, and what really happened when President Santiago was killed. Neither plot leads to anything huge, but together they give\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41167,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/02\/23\/b5-rewatch-s2e06-a-spider-in-the-web.html","url_meta":{"origin":43675,"position":4},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×06 "A Spider in the Web"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 23-Feb-14 11:59am","format":false,"excerpt":"On another arc-ish episode by someone-not-JMS, Larry DiTillio does a better job than his last outing (\"Eyes\") with this tale that pulls in Free Mars, the Psi Corps, and the groundwork for some plot twists down the road. It also increases the sense that Something Is Wrong Back on Earth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42443,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/08\/b5-rewatch-2x21-comes-the-inquisitor.html","url_meta":{"origin":43675,"position":5},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×21 "Comes the Inquisitor"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 8-Jun-14 2:00pm","format":false,"excerpt":"It's funny how the amount of imagery and uploaded video varies so much by episode of B5. For some reason -- maybe the long swathes of rich dialog -- \"Comes the Inquisitor\" has a lot posted online, though the video I'm showcasing most is from the B-Plot.After the huge, broad,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43709,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43675\/revisions\/43709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}