Overall: 7.5
This episode is a solid step towards later and greater developments.
Plot Synopsis:
The Lurker's Guide summary can be found here.
The Skinny:
As we've noted in the past, we generally don't find conspiracy theories credible here at Right Fans -- especially when these conspiracies involve people in the federal government. The U.S. government is leakier than the proverbial sieve; if our president and his cronies did attempt to pull off a massive cover up, the probability that some flunky somewhere would get cold feet and squeal to the press approaches one.
Still, we do, on occasion, enjoy convoluted conspiracies when they appear in fiction -- and President Clark's rise to power on Babylon 5 is a perfect example. I don't think Straczynski is all that subtle in his depiction of fascism's (re)emergence on Earth, but after the Narn/Centauri arc, the EA Civil War storyline is the plot in which I put the most emotional investment. The upshot? I stay awake for this episode -- awake and more than mildly interested. Yes, the signal ribbons, flashlight codes, and hidden messages our heroes use in this episode are really, really cheesy, but I nonetheless find myself cheering for the "good guys" to find Dr. Jacobs - and his incriminating evidence - before Clark's men do.
I also believe the interactions between Sheridan and Kosh here are very likable. It's rather cute, actually, how Sheridan dogs Kosh's every footstep (so to speak) demanding more information. Finally, a character on this show actually evinces frustration with Kosh's tendency to speak in Zen koans!
Writing: 8.0
This script - though it doesn't pack a huge wallop - is a decent continuation of two ongoing arcs.
Acting: 7.5
This is a standard showing for a human-centered plot; the performances here are workmanlike, not amazing.
Message: 7.0
The EA intelligence community's desperate search-and-destroy mission in re: Dr. Jacobs serves as an implicit acknowledgment that maintaining any conspiracy for long requires that one be willing to brutally plug the holes. A duly elected president would never take on a project so inherently risky.
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