TV: Babylon 5, S5 Disc 4

As we enter disc 4, the Centauri/Raider plot has already drawn on too long, and it will, sadly, continue plodding throughout this volume.   And so, while the series remains thoroughly mediocre in the center, the margins of these episodes are full of solid to excellent character pieces.  Regrettable that they came now, in the last eight of the series... 




 Episode 13: The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father

When series age, they spend episodes investigating the everyday lives of their recurring minor characters.  Here is the much-demanded day in the life of Alfred Bester, P-12 Investigations.  Assigned two earnest new interns, he gives them a tour, shows them the ropes,  and explains at some length the internal workings of Corps activities.    When a teep unexpectedly (!) goes awol, Alfie takes his interns along on a run to B5 to track the rogue down.  Yes, it's a rogue teep going to B5.  Oh, yay.

Along the way, the two gosh-wow interns develop, one into a corpse and the other shows she'll look good in jackboots, and Alfie's bed...*

One choice scene early on shows a teep's view of psi attack and defense;  even at a high level of the hokey, this is something that would've been immensely helpful throughout the series but particularly during the Byron arc...

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* While he puts off her first advance with talk of Carolyn, he never asks Franklin about that dangling thread while on B5, and when the promise of a homecoming backrub is made, he seems to be ready for it...


Pros: Decent enough as a side story, "annexing the sudetenland?"
Cons: Puts everything on hold at an odd time.

Then: B
Now: B
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Episode 14: Meditations on the Abyss

Returning to the ongoing plot threads,  John and Delenn are having marital problems to the degree that she leaves their bed in the middle of the night.  Her destination? Happy Harry's tavern in downbelow, where she inquires about the murder of Edward Blake.  Surprise! Lennier's there, too, ready to do some fixing along the Centauri  border for his main squeeze.

Thus, Lennier signs on to White Star #27, informally named the Maria after the captain's late sister.*

It's designated diplomatic staff return day, as Vir makes his first appearance in roughly ten episodes to receive a promotion: He'll be the new ambassador when Londo ascends to the throne!

On the Centauri Raider problems, the IA continues to drag its feet on a resolution.

Likewise, Garibaldi continues to drag his feet on seeking out B5's AA chapter...


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* Captain Montoya is a fine addition to the tertiary cast, it's a shame he puts in his appearances so late into the series.

Pros: One of Mumy's best episodes.
Cons: Yet more padding on the fifth season's central mystery.

Then: B
Now: B+
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Episode 15: Darkness Ascending

Garibaldi's having drunken nightmares of failure, which was either caused by Lyta or is a means for Tallman to collect a paycheck.  He's woken by Lise, who's been missing him (and who is oblivious to the reek of Afterburner whiskey in his quarters).   When she eventually finds his stash, he goes right to plan A: denial!  She counters with tactic B: Cold turkey while I'm here!  To which he agrees, and then reneges.


On the Maria, Lennier is closing in on evidence when Sheridan, learning Delenn has Lenny out without his knowledge,  recalls the Maria to B5.  Lennier, naturally, sneaks off to complete his mission, recording a full attack and then returning. 

Lyta's new radicalism has gone commercial: she's attempting to get corporate sponsorship for teepworld.   With little success.  So she pulls out one from the vaults: taking G'Kar up on his offer for her genome from, yes, The Gathering.  After some Wonka-worthy morality plays, the Narn government will meet her terms.   The callback works mostly because Katsulas again nails the right tone: here of lecherous regret when he reflects that they never discovered Lyta's pleasure threshold.  

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Pros: Garibaldi's last-soldier reverie.
Cons: Garibaldi's lame denial, given his repeat history of boozing.

Then: B
Now: B+

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Episode 16: And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder

Someone must have fancied this idea: Unsubtly, the episode opens with a cut from Sheridan's morning routine to the grand accusatory council meeting with a drop of the other shoe.   Londo is kept out, doing nothing to assuage his paranoia -- even though Sheridan is certain he knows nothing of his ships' attacks.    Franklin is up first, offering forensic scientific testimony he's only tangentically qualified to give.

Now, G'Kar remembers what he saw on Centauri Prime, but he will refuse to testify to the council -- even though it would help to exonerate Londo himself.   The other onetime friends of Londo Mollari treat him as an enemy, and he responds in kind, shredding the hard copy of the forensic evidence as baseless lies.   Then Lennier plays his fighter's recording,  Londo gets his old mass-drivers-over-Narn look, and soon the Centauri Republic has withdrawn from the IA.

Once again, with G'kar in tow, Londo returns to Centauri Prime.  Both are thrown into a cell by Smug Courtier #1, as Londo again seems to have no allies whatsoever in the palace.

Finally moving his crash-and-burn forward, a Garibaldi who always drinks until he blacks out is the single point of failure in the entire IA intelligence framework.  This obvious setup results in a shooting war between the the Centauri, Drazi and worst of all, a poor, alone-thanks-to-Garibaldi White Star caught in the middle.

During these events, the IA continues its curious, low-tech method of notification: main cast members walk to the quarters of the recipients.   Its most curious example is that Franklin comes to move Vir to safer quarters, not security.  And then they're set upon by a gang of Brakiri, not the currently-at-war Drazi: which is good, since Franklin can win a fistfight with five Brakiri!

Of course, all the truculent aliens know everything Sheridan does about the situation and we get yet another shouted argument, broken by a Sheridan meltdown!

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Pros:  First-rate direction by Mike Vejar.
Cons: A rare clunking moment from Katsulas, in his farewell scene with Delenn.

Then: B+
Now: B