Good episode this. The plot thickens with G'kar warning about the "dark power", and the sneaky president almost certainly (I won't say definitely, seeing as I keep being told not to take anything at face value) making sure the traitor (can't remember his name) escaped from custody.

Only just noticed in this ep that the Na'toth actress has been replaced. I thought her face looked fatter, and when she spoke, I definitely knew it was someone else. There's a high turnaround of actors in this series it seems. ;)

Nice to hear some back story for Sheridan. And it makes more sense now why Delenn has hair. I'd not considered that her becoming a merger of the two races would be the reason for her change when I saw her picture before.

Er, what else. Also good that the alien healing device from a couple of eps ago wasn't just forgotten about.

I was disappointed at Londo. In Chrysalis (I think?) he seemed quite upset at the fact he'd ordered thousands of Narn's to be killed, but in this ep, he didn't bat an eyelid about doing the same again. And especially as he betrayed the council by telling all to Morden. Surely he should have at least had an inkling that the dark power that G'kar was talking about was related to Morden? :ermm:

Looking forward to next week's eps. There's a high sense of foreboding building up. :D

From what I remember, the original actress didn't want to come back for a second season (I believe B5 was interfering with potential film projects).

Were it not for the fact that she was required in the narrative to tell everyone what had happened to G'Kar, and she was the only other person who knew of G'Kar's fears, I think they would have just written her out rather than recast her.

I looked her up when the rewatch started - it was actually because she couldn't cope with the make-up/prosthetics.

She does of course return, sans makeup for the later season 2 episode There All the Honour Lies ;)

As well as returning in her original role for the season 5 episode A Tragedy of Telepaths.

Technically isn't that second point a spoiler for Season 5? :)

Not at all. I didn't confirm either way whether or not she's still alive at that point. It could well be flashback time ;)

I think this is another step up as serious plot advances and seed sowing occurs. I always find the contrast between Londo being portrayed as a clown and then as a ruthless almost evil plotter very interesting.

A bit more on Sheridan - he has a wife who is MIA but the location of her last mission is interesting to say the least as we learn more about the dark power and its possible re-awakening.

As far as portenting and foreshadowing goes this one completely eclipses season 1's Signs & Portents. This is a massive episode.

The changing relationships here is astounding. Most of those relationships featuring Londo. His relationship with Morden for example reaches a startling level;

I think this is where Londo first starts realising the gravity of the relationship that he's forged with Morden and his Associates. And I love Morden's little quip response to Londo's question;

:lol: :lol: :lol:

We also see Londo starting to redress the balance as well, with Morden's 'small favour'. There's also the reaction of Morden to the name Z'ha'dum when Londo tells him that the Narn are sending an expedition there. Clearly Morden knows of the place. Is this where his Associates reside ?? If it is then the foreboding from G'Kar earlier in the episode is ominous to say the least. G'Kar warns of a long dead world where nothing has lived for a 1000 years (there's that date again). This means that G'Kar's original assessment still holds, it's either a new race, or a very old race that's suddenly come onto the scene. G'Kar also confirms that there was a great war 1000 years ago (and again) against a terrible darkness.

This again raises an interesting question. The Minbari, as highlighted in the previous episode already have some knowledge of the Shadows, and now it would appear that so do the Narn. Just who the f*ck else knows about them ??

Now that's the first thread to this episode, but there are yet two more;

Firstly, the Garibaldi thread, where he finally comes to, and with the help of Talia helps finger the traitor who shot him in the back. Again, this highlights the benefit of having pre-knowledge of events that will be coming, something that at the time, JMS had. To that end, Jack was introduced in the first half of season 1, all the time building the character up in the audience's mind, so much so that it would come as genuine shock when Jack then betrayed Garibaldi. The line here where they tempt Jack out of the Security office....

...was an in-joke. Due to the confidentiality of the 'what Delenn will look like' mystery on set, the scripts all had Delenn coming out of her cocoon as a Butterfly, all those bar those that needed to know.

The resolution to the 'Jack' storyline those is quite disturbing. Jack not only insinuates that Psi-Corps are involved (his little 'Be seeing you' gesture), but he then goes missing, and it appears that Clark may have orchestrated the cover up. This does not bode well, especially given Jack's warning of a 'new order' coming back home.

The final thread to this episode provides yet more backstory on the new guy Sheridan. We find out that he's a widower, having lost his wife Anna, 2 years ago on a deep space expedition vessell headed out to the rim. In the original version of the story, had Sinclair not left, it would have been Sakai that died (although obviously not 2 years hence). The scenes played out by Boxleitner are touchingly done, and again, it's difficult seeing O'Hare playing them in the same way. Sheridan's final goodbye to the Video screen Anna at the end for example. Anna of course, should be familiar to TNG fans, she played Tasha Yar's sister in Season 4's Legacy.

A few final points;

Yet more humour, Garibaldi's first words when he wakes from the coma;

:lol:

And even though, the surprise would have been spoiled by the opening credits here, Delenn's new look is a vast improvement on her first season look. :wub:

In the Land of Morden, where the Shadows lie.

Now we start to get a lot more on the Shadows and how Londo gets to be manipulated by them. He seems to be starting to realise that he may, just may, be in over his head here.

The story of the attack on Garibaldi sems to be resolved but who was Jack w**king for? PsiCorps? Night Watch? Is it connected with the Shadows?

I think we've seen more depth to Sheridan in the last 2 episodes than we ever did to Sinclair in the previous 23.

One of numerous reasons why Sheridan p*sses all over Sinclair as a character.

Another good episode. More background information of Sheridan, it seems to me that they are definately trying harder to make him a more likeable character than that of sinclair.

It also seems that the `new` president is someone who cannot be trusted, I wonder how long it is before that is made more obvious???


oh and I like the new look for Delenn!!!!

The big difference between Sheridan and Sinclair that's immediately noticable is that Sheridan has charisma, whereas Sinclair didn't so much.

Pfft, Sinclair rules :snooty: :ph43r: :lol:

Another cracking episode. And the return of G'Kar. It amuses me that, after his "expect me when you see me" comment he was actually absent for a lot less time than he was at the tail end of s1. :lol:

I know I keep quoting a lot, but I'm very quick to pull up bad dialogue, so the fact that there is so much fantastic dialogue deserves highlighting even more, such as G'Kar's words to Na'Toth:

"I searched for days, going from one system to another. Then, on dark deserted worlds, where there should be no life, where no living thing has walked in over a thousand years, something is moving, gathering its forces, quietly, quietly...hoping to go unnoticed. We must warn the others, Na'toth. After a thousand years, the darkness has come again."

:thumbsup:

The information brought to the Council's attention by G'Kar is riveting in its execution. Yet again I am impressed by G'Kar's deductive skills when the Narn ship is destroyed at Z'ha'dum, he knows all is not what it seems. Certainly, Londo's conversations with Morden in this episode are chilling.

Good to see the continuity picking up on the healing device being used on Garibaldi. I do wonder what his aide was thinking when he's standing behind Sheridan and Ivanova as Garibaldi awakes. If Garibaldi named him and he shot the Chief they'd all know it was him. If he killed them all, plus all the medlab staff (cos they'd all be witnesses, obviously :lol: ), how the hell did he think he's get away with that? Hmmm... :ponder: :rolleyes: :lol:

I must admit to finding the stuff about Anna quite involving, too, although I wasn't that impressed with the actress who played Sheridan's sister.

Great stuff :thumbsup: