Signs and portents become text and action, the tensions of the past spill over into the present, and a surprise appears for the briefest of moments. Welcome my friends. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2259. The name of the place is Babylon 5.
Spoilers ahead.
1. Vir the Virtuous
Can I get a round of applause for Vir? He’s come a long way since we first met him as this bumbling, toady character whose only purpose was to be a source of slapstick comic relief. It’s been a few episodes building now, maybe since the Technomages, perhaps before, but Vir is exerting his position as a diplomatic attaché to remind Londo of who he should be and the displeasure he feels for the path Londo has placed himself on.
Londo isn’t oblivious nor is he stupid. He knows and sees the path he’s on and where it leads, hell he even dreams about it, and it scares him. Vir’s comments do not go unheard but they also fall into a well of silence. No matter what Vir says, no matter how uncomfortable the other Centauris’ actions are, Londo has made his bed and must lie in it. It’s a tragedy, and as you all know, I’m a sucker for a good tragedy.
It’s why I love episodes like this one. Where there is nothing but tragedy, speeches that leave you speechless, and characters thrust into the pits of despair as the uncaring universe around them laughs and pushes onwards towards entropy.
2. G’Kar the Gutted
From the start, Londo and G’Kar have always been a pair. Foils for each other, for comedy and drama, the two of them often have mirror plot structures and emotive states. By this point in the series, they’ve far outgrown the archetypal and simplistic characterizations of the first few episodes and it shows in how “The Coming of Shadows” handles the ups and downs of their respective plots.
G’Kar begins the episode by preparing himself for his assassination of the Centauri Emperor. We know why, we see the hate in his eyes, and his conversation with Sherridan lays out exactly why the Emperor is the target of all that hate. I wasn’t so much a fan of that conversation — Sherridan was right about Londo being so deep in his hatred that he could not see the possibility of peace but he was also being an ass about it and not taking G’Kar’s objections seriously. Would it have been different with Sinclair? Probably only a little. But that’s unimportant.
What is important is how G’Kar goes from being ready to kill the emperor, to sharing a drink with Londo, and then back to being ready to kill, only his target is now Londo. What happens to his psyche so that by the final scene, he doesn’t revel in the fight that is to come. He feels no joy in what is on the horizon and any goodwill he had towards Londo, the Centauri, rather than Londo, the representative of the Centauri Republic (Empire), has boiled away, evaporated and spaced, leaving behind a bitter, defeated husk that knows now that any hope he felt was false and fleeting.
It breaks your heart and Andreas Katsulas sells every wrenching moment of it. Who is the victor in the quest for war? Who’s heart is spared pain and suffering?
None. None except the heartless.
3. Ivanova the Injester
On a less serious note, I always appreciate the small details that the actors bring to their roles and the scenes. By this point, everyone it comfortable with the sets and each other and it shows in how they interact. The moment that caught my eye was in the party scene. Ivanova is circling the snack table, slowly filling her small plate to the brim, while chatting with Sherridan. Doctor Franklin walks up and joins their conversation but notices the filling plate and gives it, and Ivanova a small look of “Really?”
The camera doesn’t zoom in. It doesn’t use this as a moment of comedy or an interruption. It’s merely as a bit of flavor for the background to flesh it out and solidify the illusion that this science fantasy world is real and lived in. And it works! It works so well and I wish more modern TV would let the camera linger like that. I understand that often practical limitations shaped the feel of these shows, and modern techniques and budgets have changed that, but it’d be nice to see cast members interact in these small ways, with no action-based plot driving every action.
Continued below4. Londo the Lost
I’ve talked a lot about Londo this week. It’s inevitable as the episode revolves around him and his inevitable steps towards doom but one thing I had forgotten about were the visions of the future he sees. It’s been mentioned before that Centauri know the moment of their deaths and that he will die with his hands around G’Kar’s neck and vice versa. However, now, we are given access to that vision, as well as its Snyder cut, and it’s an enticing bit of foreshadowing.
It’s also pretty clear as far as visions go. Londo is crowned emperor, perhaps after directing the shadows to war against the Narn, and at the end of his life, when he is weary and haggard, he is killed by a war-torn G’Kar. But how it all fits together, when each event happens, and what decisions connect the disparate events are all sources of speculation that will undoubtedly hang over the series. Although, it isn’t the only bit of long-term teasing done this week.
5. Delenn the Deceiver
OK, that title is major clickbait because Delenn is barely in this episode and the “mystery” of who Sinclair’s contact on B5 is, is pretty obvious and is revealed, like, two minutes after we find out there is one. But it’s still true! And it sparks the question of what they are doing and why they aren’t letting anyone else in on the mission. They’re obviously preparing for the war teased last season by Zathras (love you Zathras!) and the mysterious disappearance of B4 and also, you know, the Shadows that Londo keeps sending to take out Narn targets. What else? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. There is a reason this season takes its name after this episode’s title, much like last season’s “Signs and Portents.”
Oh, and did I mention that Sinclair is in this episode for a small bit? Because he is and I had forgotten how much I missed O’Hare’s performance. It is sad that he was unable to continue the role as a regular but, as in all things, health is most important.
. . .By the way, where has Na’Toth been these last few episodes? Does anyone know?
That about does it for now. Join me again in a week for Franklin’s father issues, the tension between diplomacy and militarism, and 25,000 soldiers on the station that wraps humans and aliens in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal . . . all alone in the night.
This is Elias. Signing out.
Best Line of the Night:
The Emperor: “So much has been lost, so much forgotten. So much pain, so much blood. And for what? I wonder. The past tempts us, the present confuses us and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away moment by moment, Iost in that vast, terrible in-between.
But there is still time to seize that one last fragile moment. To choose something better. To make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that.”
