Season Five Episode Reviews

5X1    No Comprimises 
Plot: An assassin's out to kill Sheridan on his inaugeration.  Captain Lochley takes command of the station.  Byron and his rouge telepaths arrive and set up resisidance in DownBelow after saving Sheridan's life.

5X2    The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari 
Plot:  Londo suffers a heart attack and dreams about redemption.   Lennier joins the Rangers.

A wonderful, dramatic episode that tops the season for a while.  The Lennier plot is very interesting, not because of what is said between Delenn and Lennier but because of what isn't said.  Sheridan comes off in this episode as a real asshole who doesn't give a frag about Lennier.  This recharactization of Sheridan as a selfish and weak diplomat begins in this episode and continues until it dies a deserving death in "Torn Asunder".  The Londo dream was extremely poignant and touching.  When Delenn shows the tarot cards of Shadows, Londo thinks it is his past, but Delenn quietly says "Your future", and cards begin to bleed.  Lots of foreshadowing to the rest of the season; also noteable is the visual evolution of Sheridan as he talks with Londo.  Apparently Sheridan will next become Ranger One, then a Religious monk on Minbar.  Most of all is G'Kar's tourture of Londo until he apologizes for his sins.  G'Kar as Cartagia having Londo whipped was very poignant, as was Vir telling Londo that prophesy is a guess that comes true, and if not it's a metaphor.  Everyone tells Londo to turn around and face his conscious, but he is afraid to.  Very touching.  However, this redemption of Londo Mollari should have come last season between "No Retreat" and "Rising Star".  I'd wager JMS planned this until he thought there would be no Y5.  A classic but quiet episode.

5X3    The Paragon of Animals 
Plot: The Alliance protects a lowtech world from Raiders and the Drazi.  Garabaldi gets Lyta to befriend Byron so he can get some teeps for intelligence.

5X4    A View From the Gallery 
Plot: Told from two matienance workers' perspective as Babylon 5 faces an alien invasion.

5X5    Learning Curve 
Plot: Two Ranger trainees come to the station and get caught in an organized crime wave.  Delenn deals with her Ranger One duties.

5X6    Strange Relations 
Plot: Bester and his Bloodhounds arrive and capture Byron and his telepaths.  Londo prepares to leave for Centauri Prime.

5X7    Secrets of the Soul 
Plot: Franklin discovers the dark secret of the Hyach.  Lyta starts a relationship with Byron.

5X8    The Day of the Dead 
Plot:  A Brakiri festival reunites Lochley, Garabaldi, Londo, and Lennier with the dead.  The comedy team of Rebo&Zooty visits the station.

5X9    In the Kingdom of the Blind
Plot: Londo&G'Kar visit Centauri Prime and are caught in a web of conspiracies.  Londo meets the Regent.  Byron threatens the Alliance to get a telepath homeworld, and is forced to lock himself up in Downbelow.

The Centauri plot makes this the best episode yet of the season but the Byron plot once again disappoints.  The only interesting thing here is that he actually is peaceful but his methods were ridiculously stupid.  Blackmail the League, the most paranoid bunch of aliens in the universe?!  The assassination attempt on Londo fits very much with Centauri politics, but the shocking part of this episode is the Drakh presence on Centauri Prime.  When the knife stops and hits Londo's assassin, I think everyone cringed, then came the sinister alien hiding in the "shadows".  Excellent visuals.  And of course, one of the best scenes of the series: the Londo-Regent scene.  The Regent is half insane, half furious but helpless at his Keeper.  Daimon London is to be credited for this amazing preformance.  The Regent also gives a real sense of dread for the future, but Londo not telling anyone of this is ridiculous, just like Sheridan not telling Londo about his future.  My favorite line of the Regent is when he says the room no longer deserves pastel drapes, "Just darkness".  Spooky stuff.

5X10    A Tragedy of Telepaths 
Plot: Bester and the Bloodhounds return to B5 to retreive Byron and the telepaths.  Londo&G'Kar discover Na'Toth is a prisoner of the Centauri.

The Byron plot once again is dramatically uninteresting.  I only enjoyed parts because it was setting up his downfall, and of course to see Bester again.  The rebellion of some of the teeps from Byron was also uninteresting, of course these are the teeps we see taking Garabaldi hostage in "Falling Stars".  The Na'Toth plot was vaguely entertaining, mainly when G'Kar immeadiately turns on Londo and screams at him when he sees Na'Toth.

5X11    Phoenix Rising 
Plot: The telepath situation is resolved in a drastic way.  Garabaldi confronts Bester.

Easily the best of the Byron episodes, mainly because he died.  :)  The Byron-Bester backstory was interesting, as was Bester's consequent revelation that they had unreconcilable differences.  A nice tidbit is when the militant teeps storm Medlab, but Garabaldi keeps fighting them until they put a gun to someone's head.  A subtle way of showing Garabaldi's anger at Bester and his general hatred of teeps.  Of course the Garabaldi-Bester scene was wonderful, but no where near their scene in "Face of the Enemy".  Bester's revelation that he's "Asimov"-ed Garabaldi makes sense considering Bester is still alive, and this is the ultimate defeat of Garabaldi.  He's left helpless to take his revenge, so he must choose alcohol.  The final scene of Garabaldi taking a drink as ISN reports the bombing of PsiCorps HQ is very misleading.  I was first left with the distant impression that he drank to get past the Asimov (like the Regent and Captain Jack with their Keepers) so he could bomb PsiCorps HQ thus getting his revenge.  But in actuality he was drinking to drink and it was the Byron Movement who bombed the HQ.  Oh well, it's still a defining moment for him.

5X12    The Ragged Edge 
Plot: Garabaldi visits the Drazi Homeworld to find the only witness to the shipping attacks, but his alcoholism gets in the way.  Londo&G'Kar return to B5 to find G'Kar the spiritual leader of most Narn.  Franklin, feeling left out, decides to leave B5.

A welcome change from the Byron thread.  Very entertaining with some nice action and some nice FX as well.  Garabaldi hiding his failure will hold bad consequences in the future.  The shot of him calling Delenn was very suspenseful.  The Drazi are obviously hiding a secret, as are the Centauri who killed the pilot...  The G'Kar plot is entertaining but light, the return of Ta'Lon is very welcome.  G'Kar becoming the spiritual leader of most Narn makes sense considering they wanted him to become their Emperor a year ago...but it seems they are reluctant to trust the Centauri.

5X13   The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father 
Plot: Told from Bester's perspective as he takes two trainees to Babylon 5 to track down a rouge teep.

5X14    Meditations on the Abyss 
Plot: Lennier is assigned on a White Star and helps a fellow Minbari Ranger deal with his ineptitudes.  Londo trains Vir to replace him as Ambassador to B5.  Franklin gives G'Kar a red artificial eye and sits in on one of his preachings to the Narn.

Slightly above average, but a huge increase in quality from the Byron thread.  We get the sense of pieces moving into place for something big, but this episode itself is very uneventful.  The Lennier plot is average at best, but is necessary set up for the next ep.  The Vir plot is entertaining, as is the G'Kar the Preacher plot.  Unlike the Byron thread, we are seeing our characters as they deal with old issues and prepare to confront new ones.  A huge improvement over the Byron thread, which I saw as a whole disappointing and extended beyond belief.

5X15    Darkness Ascending 
Plot: Lennier finds evidence that the Centauri are responsible for the shipping attacks.  Lise visits B5 and trys to help Garabladi with his alcoholism.  Lyta forms a pact with G'Kar to help the Byron Movement.

An excellent lead-in to one of the best episodes, but strong by itself as well.  The Lennier plot features some nice FX when we witness firsthand one of the attacks.  Unfortunately the Sheridan-Delenn "arguement" falls flat on its face.  The Garabaldi plot is nice but not stand-out, but the sense of dread when he tells Lise to leave since they'll be at war soon is very evident.  The most unfortunate part is that he's hiding secrets from Lise, the one person who could help him.  And let's not forget the extremely spooky teaser where he envisions that he will betray his friends, ending with a White-Eyed Lyta staring at him in his bedroom in the dark.  A very unnerving image!  Lyta's pact with G'Kar is interesting only in where it will lead, as well as this being their first meeting since the pilot.  G'Kar's shame at himself back then is noteworthy, as is Lyta's new strength and determination.  Who knows where her exploring her powers will lead...

5X16    All My Dreams Torn Asunder 
Plot:  The Alliance learns the Centauri are responsible for the war, and Londo leaves the Alliance.  Garabaldi's alcoholism causes him to inadvertedly start the Alliance-Centauri War.  Londo&G'Kar get imprisoned on Centauri Prime.

5X17    Movements of Fire and Shadow 
Plot:  The Centauri War continues with attacks on Babylon 5 and Delenn.  Londo is secretly tested on by the Drakh, and he later meets The Regent who has left Centauri Prime defenseless just as the Drazi and Narn fleets arrive.  Franklin&Lyta visit the Drazi Homeworld where they find the Drazi have been keeping a dark secret from the Alliance.  Sheridan heads for Centauri Prime, but he may be too late.

5X18    The Fall of Centauri Prime 
Plot:  The Drakh reveal themselves to Londo, who is forced to join with them to end the Centauri War.  Sheridan arrives at Centauri Prime too late.  Delenn and Lennier run into trouble while stranded in hyperspace.

DISAPPOINTING.  I expected this to be the best episode in the series, but the presentation was screwed up in every possible way!  First:  there was no FX battle!  Sheridan shows up, the Narn stand down.  The Centauri arrive and surrender.  I want a battle dammit!  This makes it final:  there will not be ONE battle episode in the Fifth Season!  I realize the Narn have technically acted rightly, but this is ridiculous!  The Delenn-Lennier plot was nice and short, and I did like Lennier's quiet and frank revelation to Delenn, and her quick reply "I know".  This could have easily been done very cheesy, with Lennier kissing her or something but for once some taste was involved.  Now, on to the focus of the episode:  Londo.  Another thing I was looking forward to was another Regent appearance; his wierd character is very interesting, but here he only gives dead exposition that the Drakh should have been giving.  What a disappointment... even his death scene was disappointing.  The Drakh himself was also disappointing; he was too small and looked weak.  Plus, his dialogue was ridiculous!  "We are a shadow... of a shadow"  Cmon!  The next big thing; Londo and G'Kar say goodbye.  I expected this to be the best scene in the series, very dramatic and heartfelt, a real tearjerker.  Unfortunately Londo is too busy and barely hears what G'Kar was saying.  Both preformances were bland, with only G'Kar saying he forgives Londo beginning to come out of the pit of mediocraty.  The scene where Londo accepts his Keeper was another dramatic scene I was looking forward to.  I hoped to see Londo stare the Drakh in silent hatred as he goes through horrible pain.  Unfortunately, the Keeper effect of it running on the ground looked really fake and the scene lacked the level of drama that it deserved.  The explanation of Drakh's purpose was interesting, but FLASHBACKS came every other second, ruining the momentum of the show!  Flashbacks are horrible to drama!  Put them in the recap at the front for god's sake!  Finally, the war ending waaay too easily.  Obviously JMS is too busy setting up an interwar period Germany, i mean Centauri, to become Nazi-esque expansionists thanks to ridiculous reparations and crazy French, uh Narn, forces seeking revenge for past injustices.  I must say this was the most ridiculous thing of all.  Sheridan, Delenn, and G'Kar all see Londo in person, and all notice a 'darkness' about him.  BUT THEY WALK AWAY.  No wonder future Londo blames Sheridan for his ills!  If Sheridan hadn't become such a wuss in Year Five, he would not have left.  If this were Year Four Sheridan, he would have grabbed Londo, found the Keeper on a med scan, then uncovered the entire Drakh Conspiracy and by the force of the Alliance defeat them.  They know Londo is acting strangely, they see his speech of hatred to his people about the reparations, and they just walk away?!  Sheridan saw the future of Centauri Prime still in flames 17 years later, with Emperor Londo with a Keeper!  Why doesn't he check Londo for a Keeper while he's there?!  Just a little pat on the shouldar, hmm?  The Tag also manages to horseshoe in four characters- Lyta, Zack, Franklin, Garabaldi.  Garabaldi is once again miraculously not drunk, in fact all the characters seem to be generic characters for the sake of a staged conversation.  The interesting bit is the Vorlon Homeworld is FINALLY mentioned, but this explanation is really something we should have seen at the middle of Year Four.  The end with Delenn asking what we lost, then showing Londo was really stupid.  If it weren't for the mere events that occur, no matter how horrible they were shown, that this episode gets such a high score.

5X19        The Wheel of Fire