TV: Babylon 5, S4 Disc 1

One of the rules of serialized television is to return from a cliffhanger pointedly delaying whatever resolution the situation suggests.  It allows groundwork for the next cliffhangers to be laid while guaranteeing the audience is paying attention -- if only to yell at the screen in frustration.

So while we left two of the main cast in mortal jeopardy and a major turn in the war unfolding, B5 will not seriously address any of these concerns until the back half of the opening four episodes of season 4.




Episode 1: Hour of the Wolf

A week has passed since Z'ha'dum, and all over the board, pieces are on the move.  Most importantly, the alliance, given a mere seven day pause in Shadow activity, has decided that the war is over and have begun pulling their resources back to defend their homeworlds rather than push on to Z'ha'dum.* Even the Vorlons eschew a united move in favor of their unfathomable agenda.

On Centauri Prime, new Planetary Security minister Londo Mollari and we are meeting the oft-mentioned Emperor Cartagia in the cheapest Imperial Throne Room in tv history.  Cartargia's struck a deal with the post-atomic remains of Morden, who's presently recycling Delenn's scaly makeup from early season two, and, more unfortunately, being scripted as a poorly-rambling madman.

The heavy-handed madness of Cartagia fulfills Londo's vision of Shadows moving openly onto Centauri Prime, where they will be hidden for future wars -- and provide Cartagia with an grand, illuminated death, which the emperor fancies will make him a god.  And so Londo and Vir must kill him sooner, with less ceremony.

And as an epilogue, John Sheridan shares his small cave and fire with a new, mysterious alien.

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* Gulf War 1 parallel?

Pros: New status quos everywhere you look!
Cons: The return of the laughably impotent Eye of S'au'ron.

Then: B-
Now: B-

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Episode 2: Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?

Sheridan is in a sort of limbo.  His only companion is the irritating Lorien (Tolkien reference, take a drink; also, it's Wayne Alexander again -- take another), the first of the first ones; a "wise" alien who communicates that wisdom by stating the obvious as circuitously as possible: as an opener, he takes 18 seconds to say that nothing lasts forever.*  

While Sheridan spends the episode listening to this wisdom and being psychoanalyzed, G'Kar is concerned with the episode's title.   He is, however, no longer concerned with his safety as the last free member of the Narn ruling council.  He and Marcus have begun a tour of seedy bars, tracing a piece of Garbaldi's fighter, already salvaged, sold for scrap, and dismantled, and located in a ramshackle search within nine days. No sooner do Centauri agents take an interest in him than he ships Marcus back to B5 with the insistence he can take care of himself.   And so becomes Cartagia's present to Londo!

...which Londo intends full use of.

Back on the station, Delenn summons all the Rangers to mass for an all-out attack on Z'ha'dum.  Seven days.


So, whatever happened to Mr. Garibaldi?  He's living in the Psi Corps remake of The Prisoner.

--
* Even cold november rain.


Pros: Delenn again going unhinged at the death of a leader.
Cons: G'Kar's story largely demands he act like a moron.

Then: B
Now: B-
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Episode 3: The Summoning

This episode concludes half the threads begun last week, and continue the rest.

Delenn remains set on her grand attack on Z'ha'dum on her artificial deadline, and belatedly decides having a few more allies would be helpful: with the league worlds are uncooperative,  Marcus and Ivanova leave to find more First Ones, a task they previously attempted in Voices of Authority.  They find some, but not a new species; rather they happen across a massive Vorlon fleet in hyperspace.  The Vorlon fleet later eradicates a remote Shadow base, and the planet it occupied.

In better news, Garibaldi has been recovered, but the mystery of why he was programmed by the Corps remains intact...

As the League devolves into basically an angry mob on the Zocalo, Sheridan and Lorien return to the station in time to hear the Drazi representative assert baldly that no one has ever returned from Z'ha'dum, Sheridan is dead, etc.  Even with the predictable bit of setup, the Sheridan's back-from-the-dead speech is another of those rare Important Moments that really worked.

A lot of this goodwill is blown by the next scene, a private meeting of the War Council, wherein Sheridan relates what he learned at Z'ha'dum.  That part is fine.  What blows the scene is Garibaldi's artificial suspicion of Lorien, and Sheridan's even more artificial feeding of it by declaring that Michael -- or anyone else -- doesn't need to know anything about "our new best friend."  It's something that should be shown, not told, but JMS just loves to tell.

On Centauri Prime, G'Kar is now the fool of Cartagia's court, and his taciturn manner is vexing.  Unable to oblige his tormentor with even a word of speech, the emperor resolves to get a proper scream out of him or kill him.   Londo, in need of G'Kar for his own plotting, convinces him to trade away just a little more dignity for the greater good.

--

Pros: A really-good-for-B5 Big Moment.  And Lorien is mostly quiet.
Cons: You don't need to know about Lorien! You don't! Shut up, Michael!

Then: A-
Now: C+

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Episode 4: Falling Toward Apotheosis

Garibaldi's still bristling about Lorien; or more accurately, Sheridan's nothing-to-see-here attiude about same,  He's also wondering why he's the only one; Sheridan finally says it's to keep their next card close to the vest: the removal of New Kosh; which they do, at the cost of the last of Kosh Classic, finally emerged from Sheridan to finish off his mad fellow.   For the only time in the series, we see the Vorlons in their natural shape.

On Centauri Prime, the approaching Vorlon threat doesn't faze Cartagia, who still sees the destruction of the planet as an illuminated death.  With equal parts flattery and spurious logic, Londo conspires to have Cartagia go with him to Narn to have a show trial (and execution) for G'Kar before the Vorlons can burn a swath to Centauri Prime; V minus 7 days.  To while away the time, Cartagia has one of G'Kar's eyes plucked out.

Honey, you're drooling again.

Delenn and Sheridan are now engaged but Mira Furlan continues to be unable to embrace John without an expression that attempts breathlesness but achieves duhhhh. Also, John's Z'ha'dum adventure has drastically shortened his lifespan: he has twenty years at most left.

--

Pros: Decisive steps move the plot forward!
Cons: Garibaldi is pretty clearly 'off' but nobody cares.

Then: B
Now: B