Sheridan’s captivity is seen from the outside, Garibaldi reckons with his mistakes, and Ivanova leads the battle onwards. Welcome my friends. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2261. The place: Babylon 5.
Spoilers ahead.
1. We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programing for An Important Announcement
If you’ve been following these reviews, you’ll know I’ve talked about behind the scenes and relevant extra-textual tidbits as they become relevant to the episodes, like actor deaths, production delays, and the ever present spectre that is a certain WB exec. Usually I try to fold it into the main discussion or save it for the final thought but not this week! This week, we have breaking news! Well, breaking as of last Monday afternoon-ish.
It seems that this certain WB exec is either no longer with the company or no longer holds the veto power they once held because we’re getting more Babylon 5 WITH J. Michael Straczynski at the helm. The release of an HD Babylon 5 should have been a clue that this was the case but with this news, it’s essentially confirmed. There was a tweet from JMS that DID confirm it but I can’t find it so I’m hedging a bit.
It will be a remix, as per the words of Straczynski, rather than a straight reboot, and while it has yet to have a full season order, or even have a pilot shot, this news has me HYPE. I won’t say more than that because if I even speculate on story ideas or anything related to the new show here or directly to JMS, chances are it’ll never happen in order for WB and JMS to avoid getting sued and I run the risk of being blocked by him on Twitter.
That said, I do know one thing we’ll be getting and I cannot be happier.
No one escapes spoo. https://t.co/NMHjGvwkpc
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) September 28, 2021
2. And Now, Back To Your Show
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about “Between the Darkness and the Light.” After “Intersection in Real Time” thoroughly destroyed all sense of time and reality, this week’s episode re-oriented us to the world Sheridan was taken from and set-up the conflicts that will make up the final three episodes of the season. We’ve got tensions between the Martian Resistance and the B5 crew. We’ve got Garibaldi’s need for redemption. We’ve got the return of Sheridan, changed by his captivity perhaps. We’ve got the revelation that Earth Gov has been working with the Drakh (or whomever) to incorporate Shadow technology into their fleets. We’ve got the League of Non-Aligned Worlds voting to assist Sheridan’s fleet.
And we have the fate of Ivanova hanging in the balance.
It seems like a lot but the episode manages to balance it all pretty well, though again, all the plot threads feel like they’re sped up just a tiny bit so they can be resolved before the season finale. I felt this the most with the Garibaldi & Sheridan rescue. I think it would have benefited from occurring across two episodes rather than one but really it doesn’t make much of a difference. It feels like we’re barreling towards a final confrontation, as all the threads come together, and it promises to be anything other than clean.
3. Is it Better or Worse to Have a Longer Week?
I find it very interesting that “Between the Darkness and the Light” takes place just one week after Sheridan’s capture. It seems like that is way too short a time for how long he’s been kept in captivity but then again, “Intersection in Real Time” was pretty explicit about how many days Sheridan was being tortured by Interrogator and if we assume the scenes we’re seeing here are relatively shortly after, that lines up; it’s just weird to think about.
Garibaldi, too, has been having a pretty bad week, though his is all self-inflicted since, well, until he’s captured by the Resistance, his guilt is the only thing he has to worry about. Let’s not forget, Garibaldi’s guilt is a powerful force and it’s only magnified by the knowledge that Bester fucked with his head. For a person who prized his own independence fiercely, that’s a crushing blow to his psyche and his trust in himself.
Continued belowWhat I love about the resolution to all this is that, because of who Garibaldi is, his first decision once “freed” is to try to get in contact with B5/The Resistance to mount a rescue of Sheridan. He wants the chance to atone for his actions and, quite reasonably, no one trusts him. Number One is ready to kill him, Ivanova WANTS to kill him once she sees him, Lyta & Franklin are willing to hear him out but only just barely, and Garibaldi takes this all with the grace of a man humbled.
It’s good drama on his part and is handled by JMS in a way that convinces both the audience and the characters that Garibaldi is sincere. I mean, would a Garibaldi who was not truly repentant allow a telepath to do a deep scan on him, even one he trusts as much as Lyta? Never in a million years.
4. The Council Has Spoken
I know the League of Non-Aligned Worlds’ vote to join and help fight with Sheridan is meant to be a triumphant and meaningful gesture but I couldn’t help but wonder about its downsides. There’s the obvious political fallout that will result with the populace who’s been inundated with messages of Minbari War Syndrome and Sheridan selling out the Good Christian Americans (Loyal Earth Humans) to the Evil Heathen Foreigners (Aliens.) The optics won’t be great but you could argue that optics matter far less than actions taken in defense of what is right.
What’s less obvious is how this action will mean for everyone Sheridan and Co. defeat President Clark’s forces, because of course he’s going to. I’m worried in part because it is Londo leading the charge and in part because the show didn’t take its usual care in setting up the circumstances for the vote, why everyone’s on board, or the ramifications of the vote.
I dunno, it’s just a gut feeling. It could amount to nothing. I suspect we’ll get a bit of fallout from this in the next episode though. We’ll see.
5. Flat. Just How She Likes It.
Jason Carter, Marcus’ actor, has a knack for playing off everyone and everything perfectly. While I think he’s at his tippy-top best when alongside Richard Biggs’ Dr. Franklin, his playing off of Claudia Christian’s Ivanova is a close second. The moments of comedy are gut busting, the tender, heartfelt moments bring a smile to my face, and the serious moments of drama will get you crying uncontrollably.
They share a wonderful on-screen chemistry but what I love the most about their interactions is that this chemistry doesn’t invariably lead to them being romantically together as other shows might have done; instead, it deepens their friendship. Beautifully illustrated by the scene where Marcus wakes her up and she hints that she knows what he said to her and, while she doesn’t reciprocate the intent as a declaration of romantic love, she appreciates the care he feels for her and joy she takes from the compliment.
This was also an excellent episode to showcase Ivanova’s resolve, her tactical prowess, and growth as a character since she first had to be on the White Star fleet with their strange leaning beds. I was so glad we got to see Ivanova doing so much that I totally missed every death flag until the very end. OK, she’s not dead yet but her prognosis is not good and we even got a final request from her. I think it’s safe to assume things are bad.
I don’t know if Ivanova will die before the end of the season or if they’ll find a way to save her life but wherever she ends up, this was the way to bring her story near its end: big, meaningful, and with just a touch of screwball comedy.
That about does it for now. Join me again in a week for what I assume will be the final battle between Earth and Babylon 5, some more fallout for Garibaldi, and the lead-in to the final two episodes on the station where everything changed in the year of destruction and rebirth.
Continued belowThis is Elias. Signing out.
Best Lines of the Night:
1. Lyta (to knock out a guard telepathically): “Paaaiiiinnnn.”
2. Ivanova: “Who am I? I am Susan lvanova. Commander. Daughter of Andrei and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance…and the boot that is gonna kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart.
I am death incarnate. And the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me.”
