TV: Babylon 5, S5 Disc 5

Episode 17: Movements of Fire and Shadow

The A plot continues the war, now with two story fronts.  Sheridan's meeting with IA members -- all of whom seem to have completely forgotten how easily they got along a scant year before while fighting the Shadows -- to resolve the present crisis.   All they want is revenge, equating a few transports (or even a few hundred!) with full planetary bombardment -- which the Drazi and the Narns not named G'Kar are willing to attempt.

Franklin and Lyta are off to the nameless Drazi homeworld to get some more use from the sets from Garibaldi's visit and also to find out what's become of Centauri casualties who aren't being shipped home.  They learn that there are no bodies: only random pieces that were found in the Centauri wreckage.   Then the two-man Drazi hit squad rappels onto their balcony, Stephen briefly becomes an action hero, and Lyta whammies the other Drazi into eating his gun.  This show of fortitude convinces their contact into revealing all the Drazi secrets... that the Centauri ships were autopiloted by Shadow technology.*

On Centauri Prime, Londo makes an attempt to find allies at court, but the pompous defense minister -- who honestly states no ships have ever attacked alliance shipping -- will not move against the Regent.  Londo does not, however, mention the irregularities in defense spending he found during his last visit; that might wrap up the mystery too soon!  But once Lyta and Franklin settle things with the Drazi, the Regent makes his final, overdue appearance.  He rambles about "them" telling him to do things, like send away the fleet and shut off the planetary defense network just as the Drazi and Narn fleets arrive.

It's moments like this where the Centauri absolute unitary executive power  is utterly unbelievable.  How did they ever get off their planet?

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* In the event anyone doubts the Shadows and their leftover technology is a stand-in for the Soviet Union and their stray nukes, Franklin makes the comparison directly next week...

Pros: More quality moments from Mumy and a good deal of actor rehab for Tallman.
Cons: How many contrivances needed to occur to maneuver everyone to this stage?

Then: B
Now: C

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Episode 18: The Fall of Centauri Prime

While the title occurs, Londo belatedly learns the truth.  The Drakh, last seen being wiped out by a fraction of the White Star fleet, have taken up residence on Centauri Prime.   With their masters departed, they had nothing on their plate but strip as much technology off Z'ha'dum as possible and then attempt to knock over one of the major powers as misplaced revenge for their abandonment.

At least they dream big -- upon moving in,  they quickly hid fusion bombs all over the planet, using that leverage to press the Regent into being Kept.

Arbitrarily, they've decided to let the Regent die (their removing his keeper precipitates it) and put their hooks in Londo now, rather than any number of highly ranking and more docile Centauri who were not major characters in the series.   Prior to receiving his keeper, Londo has ample time to warn G'Kar, who would certainly believe him, but instead only hints at what's to come for him.

All of this happens now to set up the future events from War Without End, sixteen years hence.  None of it feels organic: you're left feeling as if the universe gets placed on pause for the intervening years.  If "the Drakh are holding Centauri Prime captive" were a plot during, say, a sixth season,  they'd be kicked offworld by the tenth episode.  Instead, it will take twenty years because the series previously told us it'd take twenty years, even though G'Kar and Sheridan know enough background to intervene here and now while the IA holds the upper hand.

Despite the awful contrivances to get them to this place at this time while maintaining the predestined timeline,  the "final" reconciliation and farewell is a worthy cap on the many great moments between Jurasik and Katsulas.  Once kept, Londo is subject to wild mood swings that have the common thread of isolating him from his friends; Bester would be proud.

Elsewhere, Delenn and Lennier are in fake jeopardy, adrift in hyperspace with a dead crew and a bridge with "ruin" dress, just waiting for that awkward confession.  You know which one I mean.  When they're about to die, Delenn acknowledges Lennier, Han Solo-at-Bespin fashion, but when their reprieve is granted, she takes the Minbari way out: lying about having heard what he said to save his honor.

And then she blows it by putting him in the deeply honored Friend Zone.

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Pros: More fine moments around the edges of some awfully dumb plotting.
Cons: Reparations for shipping attacks beggar the entire Centauri Republic, postponing their even putting out fires for 16 years...

Then: A-
Now: B-

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Episode 19: The Wheel of Fire


With the war over, we turn to the most important matter left to us: Garibaldi's alcoholism.  In a scene that would make a laughably heavy handed dream sequence, Sheridan stages an intelligence briefing that becomes an intervention and then a writer's editorial about the nature of alcoholics.  Later, Lochley visits Garibaldi and delivers a second editorial about the children of alcoholics.   Garibaldi's response-excuses are written like a present-day PSA of someone who's only just started drinking too much, not as a man who's been down more often than Tony Stark.  Further, everyone skirts the issue at hand (even if Lochley references it!): Bester's asimov blocks, and that Franklin set him on this course in the first place.  It's an awkward issue to handle in this kind of setting: either it becomes a maudlin PSA or a magical SF handwave that banishes alcoholism...


Following that, G'Kar's increasing sainthood among the Narn leads us to a third writer's editorial, this one about the nature of religion, or fandom if you're feeling less charitable.  His need to escape his people dovetails nicely into Lyta's fugitive status resulting from terrorist attacks on Mars which she has helped finance.*  The two will go on a lengthy sightseeing cruise, and presumably explore that pleasure threshold of hers...


And since there's one more change to adhere to the already-revealed future...  Delenn's knocked up.

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* The call from Earthgov about Lyta is a groaner which  laboriously summarizes Byron's story, delaying her from just coming straight out with the fact that the EA has traced Lyta's terrorism money back to B5...

Pros: Lyta and Garibaldi's new partnership.
Cons: Slightly less than organic piece-shuffling to reach the series end.

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Episode 20: Objects in Motion

One last time, someone's arrived!  It's #1, here with another old B5 chestnut: someone wants to kill Garibaldi and Lise before Michael can take the yoke of Edgars' industries.    Since the assassins were hired by the entire board of directors, Garibaldi is able to summarily dismiss them while gloating that he's the smarter than all the suits.  As Writer Editorials in late B5 go, it's one of the more subtle...

Still, this is a softball of an episode meant for menace-to-the-cast window dressing while we push pieces toward their final positions.   Most of those exit strategies were determined last week, so this episode is essentially padding.

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Pros: Garibaldi's victory lap.
Cons:This one's really lazy.

Then: B-
Now: C-