s3e2: Convictions
Well, it is an imperfect universe
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This feels like something of a first draft episode. All the pieces are there, but it never quite coalesces into a satisfying whole.
The ingredients are enticing: an exciting terrorist bomber plot, an excuse to trap Londo and G’Kar in a confined space together, Garibaldi doing proper investigating, a race against time to defuse/remove the bomb. It all lands slightly off-target.
Let’s take the actual investigation, and the attempt to figure out who is planting the bombs. This should be a Garibaldi-focused episode, of the sort we’d have in season 1, with him using his investigative skills to figure out what’s going on. Instead, a lot of that is passed to Sheridan, who then uses Garibaldi as something of an assistant. It might have worked better if Sheridan had focused on keeping the station calm, while Garibaldi got on with his job.
The investigation itself feels basic: it begins and ends by identifying the guy from CCTV footage, yet even then it takes them a long time to even think to check the cameras. The b-plot with the monks is peculiar and feels rather shoehorned in, especially given that we already have highly automated facial recognition that would likely have done a faster job than manual checks.
When we finally meet the bomber, his motivation is contained to a couple of lines, and none of it really registers. It’s last minute character backstory for a character we don’t care about, and won’t see again. Combined with the SHOUTY-then-quiet performance and he ends up being neither threatening nor interesting.
There’s a brief montage of station personnel clearing public spaces, searching bags and so on, but we never get a strong sense of how the station has been impacted. We don’t get a real sense of fear, of people scared to go out and buy groceries. There are no lingering shots of deserted hallways and markets.
Perhaps the episode would have been more compelling if it had focused more on either the bomber or the impact on the station. Instead, there’s never really any doubt that they’ll stop the guy, so the threat never quite feels real.
Director Mike Vejar does his best with flimsy material, coming up with some cool shots as always. Although I’d question his scene opener with a close-up on…a chair. At time the visual flair is distracting, possibly because it’s doing all the heavy lifting.
The best parts of the episode involve Londo. His genuine shock at Lennier’s sacrifice, and his determination to try to help, or at least sit with him, are a glimpse of season 1 Londo. The interplay between Londo and G’Kar in the damaged turbolift is superb, of course, but feels like it could have been longer: indeed, I’d have happily watched an entire episode of those two actors trapped in a single scene together. There’s a particular moment when G’Kar reminds Londo of the harsh punishment for a Narn attacking a Centauri — something Londo himself announced only a few episodes back — and you can see a glimmer of shame on Londo’s face.
After the stellar run of episodes in the tail end of season 2, ‘Convictions’ falls flat. Next!
Next up is ‘A Day in the Strife’.
‼️ SPOILER STUFF ‼️
Most of this is quite standalone. We get Lennier wondering at the consequences of having saved Londo. There are mentions of Free Mars and Home Guard, reminding us of how precarious the situation is back home.
Otherwise, unless I zoned out, this is about as one-off an episode as it gets, especially in season 3. It won’t be long until we’re diving heavily into arc territory.
SPOILERS
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Maybe this is wishful thinking, or reaching too far to find a point, because it's hard to accept that JMS - who, at this point has taken over writing all scripts (one s5 script has a "Harlan Ellison" story credit, because Harlan was the one who said "do a one-off from the viewpoint of someone in maintenance, so we can get outside perspective on our characters", while another was a Neil Gaiman script. Other than that JMS is the sole writer on the series, and there is no script editor giving feedback... ") - wrote something so pointless right when the arc should be accelerating into the halfway point of the entire series. (And what a halfway point it is! If one counts the pilot - and I do -" Severed Dreams" is the exact midpoint of Babylon 5!)
So...the bomber is just a pissed off guy who is causing chaos for the sake of chaos. The discovery of his identity comes from a group of monks who have a seemingly benign task, and a rigidly ordered society, who, nevertheless, have some questionable actions (Theo's aid in "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" comes from benevolence, but does sidestep Earth Law. In other words, our gentle monk will do some criminal shit later to help our heroes).
Could this be a one-episode thematic echo of the entire Shadow War? The Shadows believe in strength through chaos - blow everything up every few centuries and those who survive will grow stronger and prosper - while the Vorlons are strength through order and stagnation. Surely 23rd century monks wearing millenia old outfits, and clinging to the assumption that their conception of God is a truly universal being is order and stagnation, despite many of the monks having 23rd century skill sets?
The only other thing I can think of is JMS deliberately had the bomber just be some random incel to subvert audience expectations of an accelerating arc after the last four or five episodes.
Or JMS REALLY just wanted to trap Londo and G'Kar in an enclosed space for awhile and this was the only way he could think to do so?
But if we go with the "Shadow/Vorlon conflict allegory in one episode" hypothesis, then the episode actually has a point.
That said, the scenes with Londo, G'Kar, and Lennier are entertaining enough where the episode is still worth a watch - it's not "TKO" which has no redeeming qualities (or "The Long Night" which DOES tie into the arc, but has creepy Franklin and yet another actor playing insane by alternating quiet and SHOUTING).
Theo. I like Louis Turenne as an actor, and was glad to see him return. His next episode will, at least, spawn interesting moral and ethical discussions, as well as questions of identity. But the monks never really go anywhere do they? They just kind of vanish come season 4, never to be spoken of again. It's like JMS wanted to do "Passing Through Gethsemane," and decided to set up the monks here (so they wouldn't come out of nowhere) and gave Louis Turenne Theo since Turenne had been out of work for a year with health issues.
The monks are criminally underused. They potentially provide JMS (an atheist) a way to explore thoughts of religion. Scenes with Theo interviewing the Ambassadors would have allowed world building and character growth. Their tech skills could have been used more as an outside-of-Earthforce resource. One would expect Theo to be told about the Shadows. He and his monks would help Sheridan, Delenn, and the Rangers because it was the RIGHT THING to do. The monks could have been used in early season four around and after the climax of the Shadow War, since the entire theme of that, and the whole point of the "Third Age of Mankind" is, ultimately, an atheist writer taking a little over three years to say, "Who needs God, anyway?" Instead, the monks join Draal in the ranks of "Things you think are going to be much more important to the narrative than they are." Huh. Louis Turenne underused twice! How poetic.
Even the monk's arrival is played a bit wrong - sure we have the comic relief Drazi poking Zach Allen because B5 is blessed, and... Shouldn't that be part of why the monks came? "We chose Babylon 5 because so many aliens come here we'll have a chance to talk to everyone! Also, thus place, itself, experienced a miracle a short time ago. We've heard of a 'being of light' - an angel, if you will, Captain - seen by hundreds of people from dozens of races. Surely members of other species will make pilgrimage here, and we will be waiting to share our knowledge and faith with them, as we hope they will share theirs with us!"
Isn't that better than a comic relief Drazi being played by the same actor who was the Drazi that got Marcus off Zagros 7 last episode?
JMS is to be commended for the insane amount of work done on Babylon 5 - 57 episodes pass between "Knives" and "Day of the Dead," and I can't think of another writer who did that many scripts of a TV show in a row as the sole writer ("South Park" credits Trey Parker as sole scriptwriter on most episodes, but South Park has a writer's room, Matt Stone contributes, and actors often improv, so Trey ain't the sole writer, despite how he's credited). Beyond that, as showrunner and creator he's got input onto everything from costumes, makeup, prop design, set design, ship design, sound design, and, in 1990's TV a director does one cut of their episode, then leaves - the final edit of a B5 episode was supervised by JMS and Doug Netter.
So - JMS was very busy.
Which comes back to not having a script editor. I would argue this was a mistake. Sure, the script editor wouldn't have to do much of the normal script editor duties, like conforming terminology to remain consistent across the series, or doing a dialog polish where a guest writer might not quite have captured the flow of Londo, G'Kar, Delenn, or Ivanova, but a script editor would be helpful for keeping an eye on the developing details, noting potential paving issues, or picking up on things that come from out of the blue and vanish into the sunset without meaning. Like, ultimately, Theo and his monks.
Again, B5 is, in my opinion, one of the finest television shows ever created - in Sci-Fi, only "The Expanse" comes close - and the TV is a "second draft/adaptation" of an extant series. Only the "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "MCU," and "Doctor Who" franchises have more impact on the industry (while B5 isn't as well-known as any other franchises, it's historical impact on production and plotting cannot be denied. If you try, you're wrong, and I'll break all of it down. In detail. Just trust me here). Still, JMS does get indulgent at times, sloppy at others, and I think a "Script Editor," even not doing all the traditional functions, would have served a purpose as another set of eyes.
Right, enough of that - Next week, Ta'Lon is back!
Non Spoilers:
I have thoughts about the bomber plot, but, believe it or not, most of them need to go into the SPOILERS section. Here we'll just say Mike Vejar dropped the ball on having the guy alternate between quiet and SHOUTY. Even BRIAN BLESSED is saying, "Too over the top, man."
Last week I got into long, petty nitpicks (I assume they went unread as there was no response, or even a "Like"), because we had a mostly solid episode with a few bits of sloppy writing which were distracting. This week we have a sloppy episode with a few excellent bits.
Lennier's scene with the obnoxious man is a nice bit - and Lennier does his penance.
Londo in Medlab with Lennier is a nice scene. To keep the audience having ANY empathy for Londo at all we need to see those few shreds of decency every once in awhile. On first airing my friend, Barbara, was quite excited at the end of the scene when Mike Vejar pulls the camera back across Medlab. At a certain distance the far wall of the patient lab framed by the round window forms a "Peace Symbol." Whether a deliberate choice from John Iacovelli in set design, or a happy accident with Mike Vejar and John C Flynn III's framing, it's a nice touch.
Yeah, all the Londo/G'Kar stuff in the transport tube is gold. Andreas Katsulas, especially, makes the most of what he's been given.
Second week in a row a relatively well known guest star - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - is saddled with a nothing part. Still, his complaints about his vacation being ruined is exactly one more character moment than Tucker Smallwood had.
Look, Draal is back! OK, Louis Turenne is back. Turenne suffered cardiac arrest the prior year and was unable to return as Draal. Hence John Shuck as Draal, while JMS wanted to throw more work to Louis Turenne. Hence, Brother Theo. We'll talk more about him in SPOILERS.
Let's talk tech and behind the scenes for a bit:
Other than not reining in the Evil Mad Bomber, What Bombs at Midnight (That's a "The Tick" joke, people), Vejar does well with this episode. As always, he places and moves his camera with flair (how about pedestaling up from behind a chair, or having G'Kar break off in the wrong direction during his walk-and-talk with Garibaldi and having to jog to catch up?), and keeps the episode moving along at such a clip that it's not until the bomber starts being SHOUTY that the audience goes, "Oh is THAT where this episode is going?"
The CG and practical EFX teams, and set designers really earned their pay this week. The on-set explosions are big enough to sell the destruction, there's a two-level composite shot of where one explosion has collapsed the deck to the level below which is stunning. The animation work on the EVA teams in their vac suits is on point, and the hallway explosion with Londo... A 30-foot hallway miniature was built, camera attached vertically, and pyro set off. A high-speed camera was used, and the footage speed ramped so the fireball gets faster as it rises through the miniature. Of course Londo was blue-screened into the sequence, while the transport tube doors were digital elements composited in. Here, again, we give it up to the CG team at Foundation. It's pretty obvious Peter Jurasik was comped in, but the blend of the hall miniature and digital wall/door is seamless.
The "obnoxious man" with Lennier is a cameo from B5 DP John C Flynn III. "Netter's Syndrome" is a joke at the expense of Executive Producer Doug Netter.
The scene with Franklin, Lennier and Delenn in Medlab was shot. Then Bill Mumy was released. Lennier in the scene with Londo in Medlab is a dummy built from Mumy's life cast and master sculpt. Peter Jurasik had no idea it was the dummy, and complimented Mumy on his stellar focus in lying still and silent.
The Centauri light bulb joke had been floating around various BBS's and message boards in the 90's. It's use in the episode was a shout out to the online fan community.
Moving on.