s2e16: Knives

Why did you make me do this?

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The inevitable descent of Londo Mollari finally becomes apparent to the man himself in ‘Knives’, as the consequences of his decisions impact unexpectedly on an old friendship. It’s a tragedy that picks effectively at the living corpse of the Centauri Republic.

On previous viewings of Babylon 5 I’d rather discounted this episode, thinking that Carmen Argenziano’s performance as Urza Jaddo was far too arch and pantomime. My opinion has shifted on this rewatch, perhaps because I’m older and now more familiar with the regrets of decisions made long past.

Argenziano’s portrayal is still over-the-top, but it’s in keeping with Centauri nobility generally. And Urza is playing a game throughout the episode, at all times working the political angle, manipulating the Centauri courtly process, attempting to protect first the Republic, and then his family. His is a performative life.

What was most noticeable was the sense of a history between Urza and Londo; that they were old friends, and that their relationship is founded in the years that Londo would define as ‘the good old days’. Urza in that regard represents everything that Londo admires about Centauri society and history: Londo’s entire motivation for working with Morden and Refa and triggering the war with the Narn is to encourage a return to those glory days.

And yet in ‘Knives’ Londo is forced to reconcile that he has in fact killed those ‘good old days’ with his actions, figuratively and now literally. The conflict with his old friend is the final destruction of his past, of the real past, and is the first moment where Londo has an inkling that his actions are now leading him and his people towards a return to those better days, but towards something new and darker.

Urza offers Londo an opportunity to help prevent the usurpers and traitors, unaware that Londo is one of them. That it doesn’t even occur to Urza that Londo could be in league with Refa and those responsible for the Prime Minister’s assassination indicates how far Londo has strayed from what used to motivate him: Londo is trying to get back to a younger version of himself, but perhaps has forgotten what that actually means.

The episode works because it’s building on two and a half seasons of character development for Londo, calling back to earlier events and hinting at what is to come.

It’s telling that one of Londo’s final lines to Urza is “Why did you make me do this?” He’s still not taking responsibility for what has happened.

Urza’s last words are “I will miss you.” It’s a brilliant final line, one that you might expect someone to say to the dying. There’s also the implication that perhaps Londo is already gone, already lost, and that his friend is already mourning that loss, even as he dies.

Meanwhile, Sheridan plays baseball and goes a bit weird. It’s a fun b-plot, but it’s there primarily as a reminder of specific plot details: Sheridan’s wife Anna, the explosion of the Icarus, the time rift in sector 14. it’s a ‘previously on…’ disguised as a b-plot. It’s fun, and the shots of the centrifuge from the baseball court are stunning, but this episode is all about Londo and Urza.

Next up is ‘In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum’.

‼️ SPOILER STUFF ‼️

Londo recognises again that he has a destiny, and a path he has to follow. How true this is, and how much is simply his own stubbornness, is unclear. We see Refa for the first time working to undermine Londo: this is the moment when they shift from allies to enemies, though it won’t fully manifest for a while.

We get the Icarus exploding, and that reminder of Anna, just in time for next week’s episode. Curiously, the original airing order was reversed, which seems a bit weird. I’d say it makes more sense in this order, with ‘Knives’ coming first.

There’s the reminder of the time rift, and Babylon 4’s fate, which will of course become relevant again in season 3. Probably a good idea of JMS to insert that reminder for viewers at this point.

We also get lots of mentions of the Markab, including a doctor friend of Franklin’s. All of which is a setup for ‘Confessions and Lamentations’, an episode I am not looking forward to, because it always destroys me. Not long to go now until we never see the Markab on the show again.

See you next week.