Ship of Tears

Another one of my favourite episodes. I like everything about it, the Bester main plot and the G'Kar subplot, and consequently I'm not sure how many times I've watched it. Still, it doesn't lose its appeal. To start with the subplot, Delenn here is at her best, and does something which is rare in characters, no matter whether they're written as heroes or villains: she accepts full responsibility for a decision which she thought at the time - and still thinks - was justfied BUT also acknowledges the monstrous dimension of. This feels very differently from the Jack Bauer "someone has to get their hands dirty" school of thought. She doesn't hide behind Sheridan, either. Delenn stating that she has to be the one to talk to G'Kar and confess to how she (and Kosh, and a bit later Sheridan) had known about the Shadows but hadn't said anything back when G'Kar first brought up the topic, long before the Narn lost the war, is possibly my single favourite moment of hers, over the obvious choices from Severed Dreams. And I deeply appreciate the raw emotional honesty of the scene with G'Kar - that he says he may forgive her one day, but not now, and she accepts that.

Because the greatness of G'Kar and Londo as characters is that they get to be tragic and funny in the same episode frequently, G'Kar also has a great comic relief moment later in the episode - "Mr. Garibaldi, don't thumb the book of G'Quan". Incidentally, that Garibaldi actually followed G'Kar's suggestion to learn Narn and read the book of G'Quan instead of letting the volume gather dust in his quarters is one of those show, not tell details of his basic investigative nature I like. Not to mention that here, the episode brings various plot threads together. Who when watching the show for the first time would have thought that the information that the Narn have no telepaths, but used to have them - which first gets mentioned in the pilot when G'Kar hits on Lyta, and later keeps being brought up a few times in s1, the planting of G'Kar as a religious person venerating the Book of G'Quan (first brought up in s1's By Any Means Necessary) and all the telepath plotlines would intertwine in the reveal that telepaths can be used against the Shadows?

On to my favourite B5 telepath (sorry, Talia and Lyta; I know he's a bad person, but he is one of my favourite characters). I shall always be grateful for JMS making Bester into an unpredictable wild card, whose arrival can, but doesn't have to signal trouble for our heroes, and/or could also bring some help. Mind you, watching two episodes per week reminded me again that the understanding of Psi Corps changes through the show - from s1 presenting it as an, if not the ominous big bad behind everything going wrong on Earth to the state of affairs from later s3 (i.e. this episode) onwards, where we learn that there are different factions, only one of which cooperates with the Shadows, and that the Shadows have a reason for wanting to get telepaths specifically under their control. Given the size of the organiization, and the way all large organisations (even philanthropic ones, let alone sinister ones) tend to have feuds and rivalries in their hierarchies, this makes much sense. It also answers one question about Bester - is there anything he wouldn't do to achieve his goals? Handing over telepaths to the Shadows is beyond his personal line, it seems. Note he's against this before finding out Caroyln is a case in point. I've seen summaries of this episodep postulating that Bester knew from the get go Carolyn was among the telepaths modified into Shadow operating systems and basically conned Sheridan into mounting a rescue mission for his girlfriend, and why I don't doubt he would have if he could have, rewatching the episode reminded me it's very clear that while Bester knew what the vessel was transporting in general, Carolyn being one of the telepaths was news. (The way Walter Koenig plays his shock doesn't come across as Bester faking this for Sheridan's benefit.)

Speaking of Carolyn: one thing that changed between me watching this episode for the first time in the 1990s and rewatching it now for the nth time is that I'm now more aware of the questionability of the "prisoner and goaler falling in love" trope. Knowing this in theory doesn't mean that in practice I object to the storyline. I did notice htis time around Bester does not say at any point Carolyn returned his feelings, just that he fell in love and had not experienced love before, so I suppose you can interpret the backstory of this relationship as her either experiencing Stockholm syndrome or faking it in order to make her life in a prison camp a bit more bearable. However, this isn't my personal headcanon, because a) they're both high level telepaths, and he would have noticed if she loathed or felt indifferent to him (see also what Talia said about what happens when telepath make love), and b) the way she calls him "Al" does sound deeply familiar and attached to me. Again, though, I'm not saying my interpretation is the only one possible.

That the ability to love someone doesn't automatically mean you're otherwise a good person is something B5 points out through more than one character, and Bester certainly keeps enjoying his mind games (and sarcastic quips) when in our heroes' company. Re: his not trying to scan Ivanova: aside from the fact he really isn't there to learn anytihng from the B5 crew this time around, I think he's smart enough to figure out that people distrusting and despising him as much as this bunch do would have some sort of test before they face him, and while I don't think he knows Ivanova is a latent (low level) telepath, her mother was one, so he might be able to guess that she has at least the ability to notice when she's being scanned.

Lastly: When the Psi Corps trilogy of books was published, two of which have Bester as a main character, I was frustrated that the author chose to (time) jump over the Carolyn story entirely, but he did give Bester the pattern from his teenage days onwards to become attached to people who represent the increasing opposite of what his Psi Cop convictions tell him to value, and Carolyn fits right in there.




Interludes and Examinations

Hail and farewell, Kosh. You were declared to be Merlin only two episodes ago, and Merlin/Gandalf/Obi-Wan Kenobi is bound to die or disappear before his mentored hero faces his greatest peril. Kosh's habit of showing up as people's fathers' (well, G'Kar's and Sheridan's) might be manipulative, but here, the last time he does it as he's dying, it unquestioningly comes across as heartfelt as well. Kosh, whose true appearance the audience never seees - we will see what Vorlons look like when not projecting angelic/divine beings eventually, but not Kosh - still became a character to care for, and I remember feeling shocked about his death the first time I watched this episode, despite already being wise to the old mentor trope mentioned above. His heated conversation with Sheridan is one of those scenes that are good upon first watch but even better during the rewatches because all of Kosh's lines really do read as if he's aware that he will die if he agrees to Sheridan's plan. Meanwhile, Sheridan doesn't say anything that's not true, either - the Vorlons haven't done anything so far, they've let their younger protegés do the fighting, and they've kept information back until they absolutely had to share it. (Basically, Vorlons => Sheridan and Delenn = Sheridan and Delenn =>G'Kar. Minus the part where Sheridan and Delenn did try their best to help the Narn refugees at least in s2.) Kosh did come to care for the younger races in general and Sheridan in particular, though, and in this episode it was put to the ultilmate test.

Kosh isn't the only character who dies, of course. Poor Adira gets fridged. I mean, I love this show, and Londo, and Londo's storyline, but I still think her death fits the trope, both on a Watsonian and Doylist level (in both cases, it's done to motivate Londo for events in future episodes). I guess if we'd seen more of Adira (the way we did of Kosh), it would feel less like a case of fridging, but we did not. Also, Londo not even considering Morden as a suspect (instead of Refa) still baffles me upon the nth rewatch, and I can barely fanwank it by declaring it's Londo's inner traditionalist who thinks of death by poison as something only aristocratic Centauri do to each other.

On a more frivolous note, apparantly early on when he still tries to intimidate Londo into doing his bidding, Morden has decided to bring his special lighting effects this time. (Can't just be his Associates - they're always with him no matter what, and during his earlier encounters with Londo, the lighting didn't change.) I will say that Londo concluding the lighting change is because of Morden's pals and what that signifies will come in very handy in s4. Ahem. It's also interesting that Morden doesn't just cut his losses early in the epsiode (this is clearly what his Associates are suggesting when he replies "there's another way"), kills Londo and bets on Refa (and Cartagia) then acting in a Shadow-friendly manner. I mean, he can't on a Doylist level because Londo is a main character, but in-universe, why Londo more than Refa or Cartagia? Possibly because Refa is just too venal, too concerned with his own power to keep allies and this likely to be offed in the Centauri game of thrones early on anyway, while Cartagia, well, see s4. Whereas Londo is someone who, if he truly applies himself to a task, can achieve staying power. But: that's an audience judgment, based on five years of canon. Does Morden, who has seen less of Londo than the B5 audience, have any reason to believe he'd be a more efficient candidate than Refa at this point?

Another thing: both Londo and Sheridan declare in this episode there's nothng that could be done to them now that hasn't already been done and promptly learn how wrong they were. I hadn't recalled this parallel, which reminded me of a future episode that points out parallels between them far more blatantly.

Lastly: andraste recently pointed out that the only other person Morden could have killed to get Londo back and in revenge mode, if Adira hadn't just happened to come to the station at the very time Morden was there, would have been Vir. Which would make for a truly dark AU, because I don't think Londo could have survived without Vir the next few years. Physically, maybe. Otherwise? No. At least not while staying Londo Mollari.

Next week: my favourite two parter of them all!

The other days