Overall: 8.9
G'Kar and Londo battle for the viewer's attention in this very interesting and very strong exploration of the evolving Narn-Centauri conflict.
I AM BIASED, AND I DISPLAY MY BIAS PROUDLY.
Plot Synopsis:
A summary can be found here courtesy of the fine folks who put together the Lurker's Guide.
The Skinny:
This is an episode in which characters' chickens come home to roost. First - and most importantly - we have G'Kar, who this time around must face the very real consequences of his earlier belligerence. Here, G'Kar finds it difficult to forge the sort of alliances Narn needs - and when aid does come, it is disappointingly meager. Meanwhile, beyond the diplomatic situation, G'Kar must also deal with his own people, who are thirsty for blood and cannot understand G'Kar's exhortations to remain calm because such commands seem, to them, to amount to a dramatic and inexplicable reversal of G'Kar's former official position regarding the Centauri. In short, G'Kar finds he can't win - and the kicker is that he has put himself in this terrible position. When Delenn states that she does not trust G'Kar because of his earlier calls for genocide, G'Kar and the viewer both perceive the wages of hatred with devastating clarity.
Secondly, we have Londo, who is learning in this episode that power and prestige aren't all they're cracked up to be - and that in the process of grasping for said power and prestige, you may end up losing the friends who really matter to you. Here, we see the tragic end of the old friendship between Londo and Garibaldi - and here, once again, Londo is paralleling his nemesis, for he too is responsible for his own despair. Oddly enough, though, thanks to Peter Jurasik's singular abilities, the viewer ends up feeling sympathy for Londo anyway. It's that curious thing I like to call the Londo Effect: you want to strangle Londo because he could get out of this mess so easily if he weren't so hell bent on restoring the past "glories" of his race - but at the same time, you really do feel very sad that he has come to this place. It all feels like such a terrible waste.
Ivanova also has an unrelated side-plot that does manage to make me laugh (you want me to do WHAT?!), but the Lumati, like the Streib, never appear again, so their bits just don't wow me quite as much as the very arc-heavy scenes discussed above. (I will say, though, that the Lumati seem to be another race who have been influenced by the Shadows given their fondness for Social Darwinism.)
Writing: 8.7
The Narn-Centauri conflict is Straczynski's strongest arc, so the writing in this episode's primary plot approaches brilliance in several places. The attempts at humor in Ivanova's subplot, meanwhile, are perhaps a bit strained, but they send me into genuine hysterics twice, so I'd say that even in those scenes, the writing is far above par.
Acting: 9.0
Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik are AWESOME. On the one hand, we have Peter's beautiful portrayal of Londo's loneliness, which makes you feel for Londo in spite of yourself. On the other hand, we have Andreas' equally amazing laughing-and-weeping moment after G'Kar learns just how limited humanitarian aid to his people will be. There were plenty of other actors in this episode, but once again, I can't tear my eyes off Londo and G'Kar. They completely steal the show.
Message: 9.0
I know I'm repeating myself, but: I love Londo and G'Kar - and I love them because their arc contains both a spiritual depth and a moral wisdom which are unmatched elsewhere in the series. Here, we walk away with two vaguely Biblical messages. Number one, we learn through Londo that ill-gotten gains rarely bring true joy. Number two, we learn through G'Kar that vengeful thoughts and vengeful actions often have a way of coming back to bite you. Straczynski may be a self-proclaimed atheist, but, as I have often observed, he has undeniably been influenced by his Catholic upbringing.
Highlights:
DELENN: I must confess I find this report deeply distressing, Ambassador G'Kar. There is no excuse - political or military - for the deliberate killing of civilians.
G'KAR: Then your people will come in on our side? (Delenn sighs, hesitant.) It would mean a great deal to my world, Delenn. The war is young. The Centauri are still in the process of committing their forces. Some in their government are unsure about the entire affair. They only need a reason not to fight. If the Minbari intervene, you could provide that reason. You could save hundreds of thousands of lives.
DELENN: Narn lives.
G'KAR: And Centauri.
DELENN: But you said many times that you would never rest until the Centauri had been utterly destroyed. So do we help you now knowing that in a few years, when your forces are at full strength, the Centauri will ask us for help against you? You must know your actions in the recent past - the things you've said - make it difficult for anyone to come to your aid now.
G'KAR: I know. But what else could I do? When you have been crushed beneath the wheel for as long as we have, revenge occupies your every waking thought. When everything else had been taken from us, our hatred kept us alive.
DELENN: And now it may destroy you. (Ouch!)
LONDO: Six months ago, they were hardly aware of me. Now, suddenly, everyone is my 'friend.' Everyone wants something. (A beat.) I wanted respect. Instead, I have turned into a wishing well with legs. (That's the thing about evil acts - they tend to attract the wrong kind of attention.)
LONDO: Mr. Garibaldi, wait. A moment of your time. Let me buy you something. I'll make sure that it's chemically inoffensive.
GARIBALDI: I don't have --
LONDO: Mr. Garibaldi, a moment of joy in a lifetime of sorrow. Take it while you can.
(Garibaldi relents and moves towards the bar with Londo.)
LONDO: Good, good! Kat, my usual.
KAT: Coming up.
(Londo reaches into his greatcoat pocket.)
LONDO: Here. (He pulls out a pouch and surreptitiously gives it to Garibaldi.) I have something for you.
GARIBALDI: (suspicious) You want to tell me what this is?
LONDO: (laughing) Oh, please relax. It's not a bribe. Over the years, when my luck at the gaming tables has been less than salutary, you have always come to my rescue. And now I repay you, in full, every last dukhat.
GARIBALDI: Thanks. (Garibaldi moves to leave.)
LONDO: That's all? Thanks? (Londo looks deeply disappointed.)
GARIBALDI: I'll get you a receipt. Because I want to make sure everything's on the up-and-up.
LONDO: (speaking over Garibaldi's last few words) No, I don't want a receipt.
GARIBALDI: Then what do you want?
LONDO: (growing increasingly agitated) I want you to stay -- and have a little drink with me. I want you to be happy, and I want me to be happy! I want you to be happy for me, and I want me to be happy for you! Is that so much to ask around here? (A beat.) Why is everyone here walking around like they're afraid of me?
GARIBALDI: Because maybe we are.
LONDO: What are you talking about? I would never threaten you or the others.
GARIBALDI: Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know you anymore, Londo. None of us do.
(Garibaldi again tries to make his retreat.)
LONDO: Wait! Please! (Garibaldi stays, but he doesn't look happy about it. Londo continues mournfully.) In my time here, very few people on this station have listened to me or taken me seriously -- until recently. Now I have friends I never knew were there. But you - you always listened to me. You were always kind to me even when you had nothing to gain. And now that things are changing and I look around for someone to share my good fortune with -- there is no one. Except you, my good, close friend, Garibaldi.
(Garibaldi sighs.)
GARIBALDI: I've gotta make my rounds. I'll try to stop by later. Now, if you're still here and I've got the time, I'll have that chemically inoffensive drink. There's no guarantees.
LONDO: None required. I'll be here, Mr. Garibaldi. I'll be here.
(Garibaldi leaves.)
LONDO: (to Kat, pathetic) That was my good friend, Mr. Garibaldi. It's good to have friends, is it not? (Ouch again. This is a very ouchy episode.)
G'KAR: And I'm no happier about it than you are! But these outbreaks of violence are jeopardizing our chances to make allies with the humans and all the other aliens!
NARN: We are Narns. We never needed allies before.
G'KAR: We've never been in this position before. We pushed the Centauri off Narn through a war of attrition so it wasn't worth the effort to stay. But direct, open and total war requires a completely different approach.
NARN: He's spent so much time with the humans, he even talks like them.
G'KAR: (approaching his opponent) I was fighting the Centauri when you were still a pouchling - fighting for your freedom. I've spent my life and my blood trying to better the lives of our people. What have you spent? I will not allow the humans or the Centauri or the Minbari or anyone else to hurt that cause! And that includes you and everyone else here.
NARN: If we do nothing, we look like weak children!
G'KAR: If you're interested in showing how strong you are, I suggest you go home and join the military. It's easy to talk about being strong here when there isn't a Centauri ion canon pointed at your head! I know it's difficult! But for now, we must remain calm. (And here, we see G'Kar struggling in his position of leadership. Very interesting.)
CORRELILMERZON: Tradition is important to my culture. Our important agreements are symbolized with a coming together in perfect union.
IVANOVA: Well, this certainly qualifies. The captain felt very strongly about making this deal happen.
CORRELILMERZON: Then we will conclude this deal in our traditional manner. We will have sex.
IVANOVA: SEX?!?!?! (ROTFL! The way Ivanova gets out of this is also hilarious, but it's kind of hard to transcribe, so...)
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