Roundup

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Got a few quick projects done this past week.

A few more ewoks, for starters.

The pattern is by Etsy designer Lucy Ravenscar and can be purchased here. I used the small hook for these guys again (E), though I did end up going up a hook size to G for the second two hoods. As you can see on the bottom one, the hood with the size E hook didn't really fit the ewoks. I only made bigger hoods for two of them though because my daughter had already claimed the first one. I ended up letting her keep it since these are a surprise for someone anyway and they won't be expecting a set number.

She was just so sad when I told her the ewoks weren't for her. I couldn't resist, especially after she dug out her Princess Leia for the ewok to play with.

I also made a little fall housewarming gift for my stepmother, that I will be sending her way this week.

Pumpkin Bowl by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Crochet Pumpkin Treat Bowl by Meredith Crawford (available for free at her blog, One Sheepish Girl)
Yarn: Knit Picks Brava in Orange, remnant green and brown
Hooks: US G, US H

This was super quick and easy. I did it in an evening. I did end up using a different leaf pattern (kind of just winged it, actually) because I got a little confused by the pattern provided for the leaf. I am pretty sure that was just my ineptitude though.

Anyhoo, so that's what I've been up to.

I will not be updating with any more projects again until December, since National Novel Writing Month kicks off tomorrow. I will still be working on stuff though when I am not writing, so hopefully once I start posting again, I will have lots of things to show you. In the meantime, if you're curious about what I am working on, I'll be keeping (or at least trying to keep) the current project list over on the left side of the blog updated for you.

My goal is to get that dang shawl finished before I start posting again, too. Fingers crossed.

Until then, have a happy November, you guys!

B5: A Spider in the Web

Hello! Welcome back to the Babylon 5 rewatch! Thank you so much for stopping by. Today we'll be looking at the sixth episode of season two, "A Spider in the Web."

Spoiler ahead!!

Let Me Sum Up

An old friend of Talia's, Taro Isogi, arrives on Babylon 5 to negotiate on behalf of his company, FutureCorp, with Amanda Carter of the Mars Colony Business Affairs Committee. Taro, with the support of FutureCorp, has a plan that will help Mars attain self-sufficiency in the very near future. This will, in turn, allow the planet to achieve peaceful independence from Earth at long last. Taro has asked Talia to sit in on the negotiations in her capacity as a telepath.

The negotiations are making quite a few people unhappy, however. A senator from Earth contacts Sheridan and asks him to keep an eye on things, even though he really has no jurisdiction over them, because Earth's government is worried that Taro is trying to finance or encourage another rebellion on Mars. In addition, a shadowy figure based in the remains of a destroyed future San Diego has taken her own steps to interrupt the negotiations, sneaking one of her people aboard the station.

The first round of negotiations seem to go fairly well. Talia and Taro leave together, intending to grab dinner and catch up on old times. They are accosted in the corridor, and their attacker says "Free Mars" before killing Taro with some kind of electric shock discharged from his bare hands. Talia tries to scan him but she only gets a few jumbled images before he flees the scene.

The attacker reports back to San Diego and it is revealed that he is not entirely human. The hand he used to kill Taro is cybernetic. His superiors, upon learning that Talia witnessed the murder, order him to find her and kill her as well.

That will prove difficult, however, as Sheridan orders protective custody for Talia until the murderer is found. She tells him about what the killer said, and they are all confused by it. Free Mars is a terrorist organization who wants to liberate the colony but has no qualms about using violence to do so. Talia reveals what she knows of Taro's plan and points out that he was trying to help Mars gain freedom. It makes no sense to try to stop him.

The killer attacks Talia again, but again she scans him and it stops him short. She manages to grab some of his hair for DNA analysis. While Garibaldi is running it, she tells Sheridan about the extended vision she saw in her scan. It seemed to her like the killer was remembering his own death. Garibaldi reports that the DNA matches that of Abel Horn, a known member of Free Mars. Talia identifies him from his picture, but the man's file indicates that he died in a space battle years ago.

Horn freaks out after his failed attempt on Talia's life and shows up at Carter's quarters. She recognizes him and we learn that she was once a part of Free Mars and she and Horn were close. She asks him about Taro's death, but he denies any involvement in it, swearing he came to the station to see her. He explains away his supposed death by saying an old friend of hers found him in the wreckage of his ship and saved him, and that he has been hiding out ever since. He tells her he desperately needs to speak to Talia and Carter, against her better judgement, agrees to ask the telepath to meet with her.

Talia's revelations remind Sheridan of an old Earth project he read about once. Project Lazarus experimented with hard wiring people's brains with computer technology. He explains to Garibaldi that the people in charge of the project found they had better results when using subjects who were near death or in a coma. Once the tech was installed in their brains, a telepath would mess with their minds to focus on the moment of their death (or whatever put them in the condition to be ripe for the project). That would allow whoever was in control of the tech to take over the body and use it for their own purposes. The project was scrapped, of course, at least officially. But from Talia's description  Sheridan is wondering if maybe it didn't continue after all.

Talia goes to Carter's quarters only to find Horn there instead. Horn demands that Talia explain what he is. He wants her to scan him and tell him why he keeps seeing what seems to be his death. Talia does a deep scan and sees that someone put him back together. In the memory she also sees a Psi Cop saying that Horn is "ours now."

Sheridan looks up some data on Project Lazarus and finds that the tech involved emits a specific kind of radiation. He does a scan of the station and finds that radiation in Carter's quarters. He alerts Garibaldi, immediately, remembering that Talia had requested a security escort to meet with Carter. Garibaldi and his people stayed outside, so they don't know that Horn is in there until Sheridan tells them. They bust in and Horn takes Talia hostage. Sheridan arrives and manages to talk him into letting Talia go. They try to get him to turn himself in, but he picks up a gun and forces Sheridan to shoot him. Then the body begins to emit a power surge. Everyone skedaddles and Horn explodes, leaving no trace of evidence of Project Lazarus.

Talia explains what Horn wanted with her and tells them some of what she saw, though she does omit the part about the Psi Cop. Garibaldi wants to know what Horn was doing with Carter and Carter admits she was once part of Free Mars, but left when they got violent. She has been trying to find a peaceful way to gain independence for the colony ever since. She says once its gets out that she used to be Free Mars though, her career is finished. Sheridan says that's only if it gets out. He is willing to keep a lid on what happened if Carter is willing to work with FutureCorp to try to bring Taro's plan to fruition. Carter agrees.

Later, Sheridan and Garibaldi review the incident, trying to make sense of it. Sheridan thinks that whoever was behind it wanted to sabotage Taro, blame Free Mars, and likely discredit Carter all in one blow. Garibaldi says it's a good thing that Sheridan knew about Project Lazarus though, and then asks how that came to be. Sheridan admits that he kind of has a thing about collecting secrets, ferreting out rumors about conspiracies, that kind of thing. Garibaldi asks if he has any idea who might be behind this incident. Sheridan says that he managed to find out about a cabal buried deep within Earth's government called Bureau 13 that he thinks could be the culprit. He only half-believed in them, but if they are real, it means dire things for all of humanity's efforts and allies in the galaxy.

Back in San Diego, someone reports in from the station to the shadowy figure that was giving Horn his orders. Their conversation seems to confirm Sheridan's suspicions about Bureau 13. It also reveals that the group has a presence on Babylon 5 and that Talia is still in danger based on what she knows. The camera pulls back and the shadowy figure is revealed to be the Psi Cop that Talia saw in Horn's memories.

Back on the station, Talia does a little research of her own, going through the records of known Psi Cops. She finds the person from Horn's memory, only to see that the official record declares that woman to be dead.

Commentary

Huh. It has to be a challenge keeping track of the needs and specifications of all of the different alien races on the station, doesn't it?

Oh hey look, it's Talia. Been a while since we've seen her it feels like.

You know, have they actually said anything about how things played out on Mars after the events of last season's finale? I don't know that they did. Perhaps we shall find out here.

The San Diego wastelands? Ouch.

Well, something hinky is about to go down on the station. I suspect this cannot be a good thing. Classified cargo, huh? How does that even fly? Oh, and it's got a person inside. Lovely.

Oh. My. God. That is Mama Bluth!!! I will be unable to take this character seriously ever.

So. Mars rebelled but it sounds like Earth put it down, but the situation is still delicate.

Ouch. Senator Mama Bluth will have none of your moral fiber, Sheridan.

Ah. So self-sufficiency is the big obstacle to independence for Mars. Makes sense. What does this corporation get out of helping Mars become independent, I wonder?

That face. Ivanova would rather be recognized for things other than her seating arrangements, I suspect.

So, Sheridan made first contact with these Tikar, and now he wants them to have a presence on the station. It has got to be an amazing thing to meet an alien race for the first time (especially when they are not trying to kill you).

Wait, why is this guy saying "Free Mars" before attacking the guy that wants to help them do that? Way to go with the mind blast, Talia! Oh, but damn, her friend Taro is dead. That sucks.

So Free Mars is a rebel movement. Which still makes no sense.

Oh Garibaldi. It's really never gonna happen. I applaud your persistence, but sometimes you need to just let it go. I think she likes him, she just has no romantic interest in him whatsoever. I don't know if it's blatantly obvious or just that I know how things play out on that front.

"My pop always said that laughter is better than pills for what ails you." (Garibaldi)
"He was right." (Talia)

Uh oh. Whoever is behind this has hacked the station's computers. That's not good. Also, looks like this guy isn't actually human. ...and now he's targeting Talia. Not good.

Look at Ivanova's concern for Talia. *snort* An interesting person indeed.

Is Sheridan gonna get read in on the potential Psi Corps conspiracy? Probably he needs to know about it. I like that he is so level-headed about telepaths in general. Gifted and cursed. Yup, that sounds about right, actually.

"I trust in individuals, not organizations." (Sheridan)

Let's ask the Mars representative about Free Mars' involvements in Taro's death. It sounds like someone is trying to pin his death on the Mars radicals in the hopes of permanently damaging any chance of independence.

Do I even want to know what a slaver's glove is? I'm gonna say no.

"Captain. I'd sure like to know where you're going with this." (Garibaldi)
"Someplace very dark. I hope to God I'm wrong." (Sheridan)

I'm glad that Sheridan is not ignoring the very real possibility that Earth's government is involved in this plot. Especially in the wake of Senator Mama Bluth being so interested in stopping the negotiations.

Ooh, Talia, what did you do to the assassin? Hmm. Reliving his death over and over again. Reinforcing my not human hypothesis. Or at least not entirely human. Talia got hair? Good job! Now they can identify this guy. Abel Horn. Well, he was Free Mars at some point.

"Very special friends," Sheridan? What exactly does that mean?

Of course, he's dead. Died just like Talia saw. Definitely something hinky going on.

What's this now? Was Carter part of Free Mars? Yes. Yes she was.

Okay. This guy has some serious issues. Did this Singer guy actually save him, or just make some sort of Frankenstein's monster that looks like him?

Aw, tea with Garibaldi. I would have tea with Garibaldi. Tea is his third favorite thing in the universe, huh?

"Tell them to go away. Tell them ALL to go away." (Ivanova)

Frustrated Ivanova is frustrated. Oh, everyone wants to leave the station and they won't leave her alone. Poor Ivanova.

Bonding time for Talia and Garibaldi! They really would be good friends, I think, if he would stop trying to pursue her romantically.

Does Sheridan have an idea? Project Lazarus, huh? Hard wiring a person's brain with computer technology, making them focus on their death so that the computer can control the body. Wow. That sounds horrid. Also exactly like what is up with Horn.

Cyber zombies, Garibaldi? Babylon 5, ladies and gentlemen. Years ahead of its time!

Carter, you really should call Security and report Horn's presence. It's the only way to keep any chance of meeting your goals for Mars. Oh no, don't lure Talia in. Bad Carter! Bad! Gee, and Horn is gonna short circuit now that she's done that, awesome.

Zack Allan! Yay! I was wondering when he shows up. Hello Kenickie! Seriously, that's why this Warren guy is confusing me so much. I remember him not at all and I thought that Zack showed up sometime this season anyway. Sorry, I digress.

Well, at least Talia isn't going to meet with Carter alone.

Did...did Garibaldi just call himself "the wizard?" Apparently he has some mad hacking skills. Or...not. Ha. Okay, that was a funny bit.

Man, I don't remember how this turns out but I do hope in the long run they can convince FutureCorp to go along with Taro's plan. It sounds like it's in everyone's best interests as far as Mars is concerned.

Well. It seems like Horn doesn't actually want to kill Talia (despite his orders), but I'm not sure she can really help him figure out what he is. Or can she? That's an interesting, Psi Corps condemning, memory. "Ours now." That's just creepy.

Well, at least Security is literally right outside the door when they find Horn. Talia, can you mind whammy him again? Or we can let Sheridan talk him down.

Sigh.

Well, okay, I can see how he'd be pissed at Earthers. I really can. But still. Mars will never be free unless they kill everyone from Earth? I don't think you understand how colonies work, Horn.

Psi Corps was smart enough to program in a self-destruct button, it seems. What is Talia going to do about what she saw, though? Because she sure did see that Psi Cop.

Leave it to Garibaldi to focus on the fact that Carter knew Horn.

Sheridan, I love you! Yay for trying to help Mars achieve peaceful independence! Talia approves too.

Moment of truth, Talia. Sigh. Why lie, why? Ivanova called it on her being loyal to Psi Corps. Too damn bad.

Sheridan collects secrets. That's a little bit disturbing in the commander of a station like Babylon 5. But convenient when there is clearly a conspiracy afoot.

So. Bureau 13. New antagonist!! Ooh, Sheridan has a bone now, and he's not going to let it go. Awesome.

The Psi Cop Talia saw in Horn's vision is behind Bureau 13! And Talia looked her up despite lying to Sheridan! And the woman is listed as dead!

There are hijinks afoot, my friends. Hijinks, I say.

--

Okay then. Well, that wraps up today. The rewatch will be going on hiatus for the month of November, but I hope to see you back here on Monday December 3 when we will be looking at the next episode, "Soul Mates."

B5 Rewatch: The Long Dark

Hello! Welcome to another installment of the Babylon 5 rewatch! Just a reminder that tomorrow's post will be the last one until December, as I will be busy trying to write a novel in November.

If you're ready to proceed, then please, join me for a spoiler-filled discussion of the second season's fifth episode, "The Long Dark."

Let Me Sum Up

Ivanova alerts Sheridan to a signal from an incoming vessel. The ship is coming from deep space rather than a jump gate. She also tells him that its signal is coming in a frequency that she's never seen before, though it doesn't seem exactly alien. They get a message from the ship and it identifies itself as the Copernicus. It says it comes in peace.

The ship turns out to be a deep space exploration vehicle built by humans over a hundred years ago, just before they encountered the Centauri and got jump gate technology. The ship was manned by two people who were cryogenically frozen while the ship automatically flew through space, broadcasting a the message that Ivanova picked up. The ship was programmed to revive its crew once a return signal was picked up.

A scan of the ship shows up a life sign, so Sheridan has it brought aboard. He and a team go to the ship and find that one of the crew members died while in stasis, but the other is still alive. She is rushed to Medlab and  Franklin revives her. Her name is Mariah Cirrus and the other crew member was her husband Will. It is quite a shock to her learning that not only is it over a hundred years in the future, but her husband did not survive the voyage.

A human veteran, Amis, with severe PTSD living in Down Below seems to be set off by the arrival of the Copernicus. He runs around the station screaming about the coming darkness and the end of days. Eventually Garibaldi and a Security team subdue him and Garibaldi, recognizing the symptoms of PTSD, lets the man sleep him off. He seems lucid enough when he wakes so Garibaldi lets him go. The man shrugs off the suggestion of seeking a counselor. The man seeks out the old ship, seeming drawn to it, but he scampers off when someone sees him looking at it.

Franklin also discovers that Will was murdered. Somehow, while he was in stasis, all of his internal organs were removed from his body. He rules out Mariah as a suspect though, because the logs show she never left stasis during the voyage. Sheridan isn't so sure about this, pointing out that logs can be altered. He at least wants to speak to her once Franklin thinks she's up for it.

Franklin, rather taken with her, shows her around the station and catches her up on the highlights of humanity's history since she went to sleep. After a strange encounter with G'Kar, Mariah passes out and Franklin notices that she seems to be having some kind of nightmare while she is out. After she wakes he tells her the truth about her husband's death. She worries that he thinks she might have killed him but he says no. Though he thinks maybe her dreams are may be able to tell them something about who actually did.

There is a murder on the station and the victim turns out to have died the same way that Mariah's husband did. The station is up in arms, with the Council of Non-Aligned Worlds demanding Mariah be sent off the station immediately. One of the councilors says that clearly she brought something evil from the past with her. He suggests it is a soldier of Darkness, a minion of that ancient enemy (the Shadows again!) who is once more stirring and calling forth its followers.

Garibaldi finds Amis starting to slip again and sits him down to ask what exactly he is freaking out about. It turns out that when he was a soldier, he and a team were sent to set up a listening station in some ruins on a moon. The squad was attacked by some kind of alien and Amis was the only survivor. Some research into the Copernicus' flight plan shows that it flew right past that moon on its journey. It is very likely one of the aliens (or even the same one) hitched a ride and killed Will.

Garibaldi asks Amis how he managed to survive the attack and he says he didn't. The alien kept him alive, snacking on him, causing him to waste away until a rescue team arrived. He says that the alien still has a part of him in it, and claims he can feel it. That's how he knew it was on board the station. Garibaldi asks if he thinks he can actually find it, and Amis says he thinks so.

Unfortunately, Amis runs off after the alien without Garibaldi, thinking he wants to settle his score with it on his own. Sheridan thinks that since they know the thing is going to attack again, they shouldn't tempt fate by going after it. Garibaldi doesn't agree, however, and asks Mariah if she can help him find Amis. She agrees, and Franklin will only let her go if he does too. The three of them manage to find the alien and call it in. Sheridan and Ivanova bring reinforcements and they manage to kill it and save Amis.

Franklin thinks that, with the alien dead, Amis should make a full recovery. He asks Mariah what she plans to do next, offering to help her out if she wants to stay on the station. She declines, saying that she needs to grieve for her husband first and then catch up on everything she missed while she was in space. But if Franklin is still up for giving it a shot when she's done that, she might be back.

Ivanova finally finishes going over all of the Copoernicus' logs and she finds something interesting. She tells Sheridan that the logs show a loss of oxygen when the ship passed by the moon where Amis' squad was slaughtered. That seems to confirm that the alien did come aboard at that time. More than that, though, she found that it altered the ship's course when it boarded. It didn't realize that the ship was programmed to respond to any signals it came across, otherwise it would have gone right past Babylon 5 without them being any the wiser. Sheridan asks where it was headed and she tells him for the Rim, to Za'ha'dum. They discuss G'Kar's predictions that a great enemy is massing its forces from that location and it sounds like they are beginning to believe him.

Commentary

Cool ship name alert: Copernicus! Apparently, they come in peace. Through the walls?

Ozones? Is that a slang name for something or actual ozone, I wonder? Okay, seriously, what is up with this guy?

On Earth as it is in space, huh? I wonder if the Lord's Prayer actually was officially changed in the wake of space travel or if that was just supposed to be seen as more crazy ramblings.

I do wonder what's going on with this guy though, because he's talking about the "darkness" that usually means people are referring to the Shadows.

A missionary license, huh?

So, the ship is over a hundred years old. A deep exploration vessel of a design predating jump gates. With something alive inside? Hmm. Is it just me or does letting that on board without a TON of precautions seem like a Bad Idea?

Huh. So, cryogenics in the museum? Indicating that such technology is now rather outdated and no longer pursued. But clearly it was put into practical use at one point. Interesting.

Random small detail: Cardiac stimulator rather than a defibrillator. I like that the writers gave some thought to how that tech might advance in the wake of alien contact.

Ivanova, why are you investigating the derelict ship on your own? I consider this Ill-Advised.

"Well I've found that life is, in general, much easier if I forget most of the things that happen to me." (Amis)
"Well you were about to accuse the Centauri Ambassador of being in league with the devil. Which might not be far from the truth." (Garibaldi)

I love that even though Garibaldi and Londo are buds, Garibaldi totally acknowledges that the guy is a sneak.

I also like that Garibaldi identified this guy as a veteran with PTSD (because he recognizes some of himself in the guy's actions) and handles him with a little extra respect.

Is that the wife from In the Heat of the Night? Yup. Huh. The things that stick with you from shows you watch when you're a kid, eh?

So, the other guy on the ship was murdered while he was cryogenically frozen. That sucks. Missing his organs? Oh god. That's just freaky.

Oh lord, Franklin's got a crush on her, doesn't he? Dude. You have some issues with professionalism.

Hey, you've been in stasis for over a century. Oh, and your husband's dead. Someone stole all his organs while he was sleeping. Yeesh.

Hmm. Looks like Garibaldi's buddy is up to something. Whatcha doing at the old ship there, guy?

Ooh! Quick history lesson, yay! Background exposition!

"And we still haven't outgrown violence?" (Mariah)
"No. It's gonna take a lot more than a hundred years to evolve a better human." (Franklin)

"The future isn't what it used to be." (G'Kar)

Dude, G'Kar, what kind of whammy did you put on that girl?

Oh. My. God. Franklin, you took her to your place? Seriously? You just told her that her husband was murdered, do not kiss her!! Well. At least the man has SOME restraint.

Dang. I really am not having happy feels for Franklin on this go around, am I?

Heh. The Drazi's dinner is trying to make a run for it. That's disturbing.

Oh, Garibaldi's buddy is back, and he's worked up again. I am glad that Garibaldi isn't just dismissing him out of hand.

Someone died on the station, the same way Mariah's husband did? That doesn't bode well. Huh. Amis was on a moon that Mariah's ship passed in its journey?

Garibaldi thinks Mariah might be an impostor. Thank you Sheridan for seeing that Franklin is so not impartial on this.

Getting a little defensive there, aren't we Franklin? Especially considering how close to the mark Garibaldi actually got.

"For what it's worth, I hope you're right. But if you're not, be careful." (Garibaldi)

A soldier of Darkness, huh? Unsurprisingly, Londo is dismissive and G'Kar is interested. Ooh, background mythology, yay!

"Evil sometimes wears a pleasant face." (Council Member)

Dude. Way to smackdown Sheridan. Why couldn't you have laid some of that down on Londo, huh?

Aw, Garibaldi's having bad dreams too. Poor guy.

Giving Amis the chance to prove himself. Nice. Oh, he thinks it is after him because he was the only one from his squad who survived on that moon. But Garibaldi knows what's up. Good man.

Oh, it needs to have, what, a host to snack on until it runs into people it can eat? That's so beyond creepy. Mariah's husband was wasted away already, so clearly the alien was snacking on him. The real question is, was it still in Will when it got to the station, or had it moved on to Mariah by then?

See, now the question here is this: Is Mariah just really bad at dealing with grief/really interested in Franklin, or is she an evil alien impostor trying to take him unawares?

By the by, where is her guard that is supposed to be a) not Franklin, and b) supposed to be on her 24/7?

Hmm, does seem the alien had moved on to Mariah. has it left her completely?

Uh, oh, Amis!

Sheridan, I am not sure not looking for the alien is the best option. But hey, you're the guy in charge.

Garibaldi doesn't agree either, does he? Oh dear. Just him, Mariah and Franklin? That's not much of a fight party.

"You got a plan?" (Ivanova)
"Let's try not to get killed." (Sheridan)
"Brilliant." (Ivanova)

Is it just me or is this a really random episode?

Oh hey, we found Amis! The alien appears to be some sort of, what, energy being? I guess setting off an EMP on a space station would be a bad idea, huh? So Sheridan just wants to hit it with as much firepower at once as he can? I guess that's a sound strategy. Seems to work, at least.

Good on you, Mariah. Tell him no. Heal yourself and go see what there is to see before you jump into bed with the first guy you meet. I approve.

Huh. So. The alien changed the ship's course, huh? Heading for the Rim, huh? To Za'ha'dum. Sheridan, are you starting to believe? Good good. Plot advanced! Episode's purpose achieved!

Oh, what's G'Kar doing? Studying up on the Shadows? Probably a good idea.

--

Well, that's it from me. You're now free to go back to your regularly-scheduled Monday. I hope to see you back here tomorrow for the next episode, "A Spider in the Web."

Ooh, Shiny

Got another project done this week. I am pretty pleased with it, too!

Lyrium Scarf by Cori 2012.

Closeup of pattern detail.

Pattern: Ravenna Scarf by Julie Armstrong Holetz (available for purchase from Knit Picks).
Yarn: Nerd Girl Yarns Shimma in colorway Stargate (two skeins)
Hooks: US 4.0 mm (G), 4.5 mm, and 5.0 mm (H)

I finally got to use my Stargate yarn, whee! Even with the metallic thread through it (which doesn't really show up in the pictures), I really found I enjoyed working with this yarn. Other than the vinegar smell from the dying process of course. But that's totally just me being hypersensitive to vinegar. On the plus side, after washing/blocking the smell seems to have gone away. Huzzah!

This scarf is a beast. It's supposed to be six feet long, but I think it came out closer to eight. Finding a good place to block it was fun.

Had to get a little creative to keep it off the floor.

But the kiddo and cats mostly left it alone, thank goodness.

I really do love this pattern. It is pretty quick, extremely simple, and it makes a nice soft open design that is just gorgeous. The length is great too, because you can drape it for fashion purposes if it's not that cold, or wrap it around a couple of times for warmth if you are chilly. I love versatile garments.

So I just need to get a few ewoks made and then they and this scarf will be off to their new home.

Then it will be time for me to buckle down on the rest of this year's projects!

Thankfully they are all pretty small.

B5 Rewatch: A Distant Star

Hi there! Thanks for dropping in! Welcome back to the Babylon 5 rewatch! Today's episode on deck is season two's fourth episode, "A Distant Star."

Come, let's take a spoiler-full look, shall we?

Let Me Sum Up

An old friend of Sheridan's, Captain Maynard, brings his ship to Babylon 5 to resupply after a five year mission. His ship, the Cortez, is an explorer class vessel, a very rare kind of ship in the human fleet. The two reminisce a bit and Maynard seems surprised that Sheridan is so settled and satisfied with his position. It's nothing he was ever really trained for or wanted for himself. His comments stick with Sheridan, making him kind of grumpy about his job and worried that maybe it was given to him in order to put him on the sidelines without forcing him to retire.

The Cortez leaves the station and while in hyperspace there is a malfunction with the ship. They lose their lock on the next jump gate, which means they are lost. No ship that's ever gotten lost in hyperspace has ever come back. Maynard does manage to get a distress signal back to Babylon 5 and Sheridan comes up with a plan to try to bring the explorer ship back to the station. He wants to send out a series of fighter ships and spool them out like a lifeline, each locked on to the ship behind it. Hopefully the last ship will get far enough out that the Cortez can lock onto its signal and follow it back to the jump gate.

Elsewhere on the station, Franklin takes a closer look at Garibaldi's health in the wake of the security chief's shooting. The doctor decides that Garibaldi needs to go on a strict food plan (i.e., diet) to help him heal more quickly and stay in better health in general. Garibaldi objects to this stringently, especially seeing the list of foods he must avoid comprises of pretty much everything he likes. He tells Franklin he was just about to make his annual signature dish, a sort of Italian fondue, chock full of all of the things he can't have. Franklin insists, however. In fact, he thinks that it is high time to put Sheridan and Ivanova on diets as well, since they do such a poor job making sure they eat healthily enough or enough in general. As can be expected, no one is happy about this chain of events at all.

Delenn is also experiencing some upheaval. After her transformation, the Minbari on the station are worried that she is no longer actually one of them. They send a representative, Teronn, to speak with Delenn and try to get some answers about what the change entailed, why she did it, and what she is now. Delenn can't really give him any answers, however, since it all hinges around the secret fact that humans are being born with Minbari souls. Teronn says that if she won't give him the answers he seeks, he will be forced to go over her head and ask the Grey Council directly. Delenn is not happy about this but tells him to do what he needs to do.

The lifeline to rescue the Cortez does succeed, but not without interference from the Shadows. They take out the next to last ship in line, that of the squadron's commander Galus. The last ship, piloted by Warren, manages to still guide the Cortez back, however, by firing in the direction of the gate and giving the larger ship something to lock on to in order to plot a course. Unfortunately, Warren says if they come get him, he'll lose his lock and they will both be stranded for good, so they leave him behind, making the explorer ship's return to the station bittersweet. Warren, meanwhile, sees another Shadow ship while in hyperspace and he remembers that the first one was moving at a right angle to the jump gate. Warren quickly has his computer lock on to the new ship and from there is able to extrapolate the course back home, where he is rewarded with command of the Zeta squadron.

Garibaldi, determined to have his special meal, arranges to have the ingredients smuggled in under Franklin's nose. Unfortunately for him, a chance comment overheard by Delenn leads to Franklin finding out about it. The doctor confronts him and Garibaldi explains that it is the meal his father cooked for him every year on his birthday and it was a special tradition for them. Since his father's death, he's continued to make it for himself every year on his birthday. Franklin relents and agrees to let him have the meal if he makes enough for two and they share it together.

Sheridan, caught up in gloomy thoughts about the death of Galus, runs into Delenn. He realizes that she has been questioning her place as well. By talking with each other, they are able to put their situations into perspective and Delenn reminds him that the universe makes sure they are in the right place at the right time. The dicussion renews Sheridan's enjoyment of his job (and deepens his infatuation with Delenn).

Commentary

Are we supposed to think this guy's a badass because he's got his cowboy boots all kicked up on the desk? Swamp Rat and Stinky, huh? Well. I guess they know each other.

So explorer ships are really rare, huh? Or are they just so busy exploring that most in colonized space don't get to see them that often?

Wow. That was a short cold open.

Aw, he stopped in just to see Sheridan.

Hello Delenn! We haven't seen you in a while. Are you getting back in the game? Yay!

Oh Garibaldi. Why would you tell Franklin about this meal? You KNOW he's just gonna tell you it's not approved.

Franklin, really? You are not going to be making any friends if you try to put the whole command staff on a diet. Also, are you going to include yourself in this? It's only fair. There's no way you're eating right all of the time. I don't have a problem with people being health-nuts. I DO have a problem with them trying to enforce their own eating habits on other people. Especially in such a judgmental manner. Doctor or not, that's not cool.

Interesting. Sheridan never wanted this kind of post. But he seems to actually love it on the station. Just shows how people's priorities change, I guess. Hopefully Maynard isn't going to give him a complex and make him think he needs to prove something to someone...

...damn. Nope. Looks like that is exactly what they're going for. Sigh.

It's that Warren guy again. Who is this guy?

Heh. Funny stories about hyperspace. It's like the Bermuda Triangle of space. Oh, and Maynard says there is something out there. I bet it's Shadow related.

"It's funny. You never know what you're gonna find when you look over the edge of what's known and into what's not." (Maynard)

Yup. Shadows.

Ooh. Sheridan is taking notice though. Too many people telling him there's something going on out there to ignore.

Garibaldi, what are you up to? Oh, smuggling in food I bet.

Heh. Sheridan's not going to go for your diet, Franklin. He's been enjoying the food too much since he got here.

Oh, the Minbari think Delenn isn't one of them anymore. Ouch. Dang, and going over her head ot find out what's up with her change. Boo.

Oh my god. Franklin. Give it a rest. Ivanova is going to shank you. Or hit you with that cane. Geez. Her, he wants to gain wait.

Please tell me we get to see the next mealtime involving Sheridan, Garibaldi, and Ivanova.

Aw, Ivanova noticed Sheridan's sudden dissatisfaction. Let it all out Sheridan, let it all out. Way to go Ivanova for calling him on it, too! Oh. He thinks he's been put out to pasture. That would lead to some grumpiness for sure.

Dude. Pat. ACTING.

Lost in hyperspace. No fun.

Meal time! Hah. They are blaming Garibaldi. Awesome. Heh. Short-lived swap. Poor guys.

Hmm. Far be it from me to be judging professional actors or anything. But the guy playing Pat was in the opening credits. Yet his acting skills seem a bit undeveloped. I find myself wondering if he's someone's son or nephew. Just. You know, just a thought.

Well, it's good they were able to get a message out, even if Babylon 5's not sure what to do about it.

Delenn seems to be experiencing some dissatisfaction at the changes in her life as well. See. She and Sheridan are perfect for each other.

Ooh. Delenn. Outing Garibaldi's food sneakiness. Not cool. I know it's not on purpose, but still. Dang.

Hmm. I like this lifeline idea of Sheridan's. It does sound risky but it also sounds like it has an actual shot of succeeding.

Well, Warren's one of the Brave Selfless ones it seems.

Sheridan is awfully fond of ancient Earth speeches and blessings, huh? I guess that's his thing. He's a student of history. I can get on board with that. (I think from a storytelling perspective it's good too, it keeps the futuristic setting comparable to our own scope of knowledge.)

Is Warren gonna be that last man on the line? Of course he is.

Oh. Maynard was Sheridan's mentor. That explains why he took the man's words so much to heart. He thinks Maynard is disappointed in him.

Damn. Shadow ships. Heading straight for the Cortez. Not good.

Oh Pat. That was much better. Good job! You get a cookie!

Warren, whatcha doing there? I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to self-sacrifice yet. You've only been in the opening credits for four episodes.

Why do I think that the ships that get lost in hyperspace never being seen again has a lot to do with the Shadows?

Dude. Franklin. You can't deny Garibaldi his birthday tradition meal? That's not cool at all. Okay, gonna let him have it as long as you can join in? I guess that's acceptable. Way to be a bro Franklin.

Oh Delenn I love you. She's gonna help him feel better about it all. See. Perfect.

"We are star stuff. We are the universe, made manifest, trying to figure itself out." (Delenn)

I truly forgot how much I love her character. Seriously. I, mean, Lennier is my favorite Minbari hands down. But Delenn is just awesome.

So, Warren has a head on his shoulders at least. Gonna try to triangulate a path based on the Shadow ship. Good call! Yay, he made it home! I'm still not sure who he is, but he seems okay. Well. Now he's the commander of Zeta squadron.

"Wait a minute. I didn't authorize dessert." (Franklin)
"Oh. Then you can't have any." (Garibaldi)

...and Sheridan's got his groove back. Good. Unnecessarily grumpy Sheridan is no fun. Thank you Delenn! Star stuff indeed.

--

That wraps up this week in the rewatch. I hope you'll be back on Monday, when I will be looking at the next episode, "The Long Dark."

B5 Rewatch: The Geometry of Shadows

Well, another Monday has rolled around, and you know what that means.

Join me, won't you, for a spoilerific look at the third episode of the second season of Babylon 5, "The Geometry of Shadows."

(Which, for the record, I still think is an absolutely spiffing name.)

Let Me Sum Up

Franklin is just about ready to declare Garibaldi once more fit for duty after being shot and his subsequent coma. Garibaldi is not so sure he's ready for the task mentally though. For one thing, he doesn't know Sheridan and is nervous about Sinclair's sudden dismissal. For another, he is doubting  his ability to actually do the job, given it was one of his own men who shot him.

Londo is starting to garner attention from his people for the destruction of the Narn outpost. He has a visitor, Refa, from the homeworld who seems very interested in the large fleet Londo must somehow have assembled without anyone's knowledge to have been able to pull off what he did. Refa makes Londo aware of a group who wants to take advantage of the Emperor's advanced age and lack of heir to handpick the man's successor. He asks if they can count on Londo's help when the time comes.

Ivanova makes Sheridan aware of a recent problem on the station with the Drazi residents. In their culture, every five years they divide up into two groups and those two groups fight each other for a set period of time. It isn't to the death--just until members of the opposing side are knocked out or give up. After the conflict time ends, the group with the most wins becomes the dominant group of the race for the next five years.

She would just leave them to it, but the fights are disruptive to the station and there is some concern about innocent bystanders being injured. Or Drazi going too far and seriously injuring each other. Sheridan thanks her for telling him about it and then says that he thinks he'll let her handle this one, as a lesson in diplomacy. He then tells her she's been promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Commander and so this is an excellent opportunity to test her new position. She tries to get the Drazi together to resolve their differences with talking, but it turns out the division is completely arbitrary and there are no differences to resolve. Then another fight breaks out and Ivanova's foot is is broken in the melee. She realizes she is going to need to think outside of the box to solve this.

Londo, meanwhile, is unsettled to notice three techno-mages (those who use science to give the appearance of magic) in the arrivals area. He tells Vir that to see one is a very rare thing indeed, and to see more than that is considered a bad omen. Later, after a few drinks and a little thought, he remembers that the very first Centauri emperor was consulted and given approval by three techno-mages. He thinks it might not be such a bad thing after all to meet with them and maybe let word get out. It could associate him with the first emperor in his people's eyes, and be beneficial to him with those trying to return to the old ways. He sends Vir to set up a meeting but the techno-mages are not even remotely interested.

Londo decides to try to get Sheridan to do his dirty work for him. He tells the Captain about the techno-mages' presence on the station and mentions that he and his people have extensive experience with them. Londo says that techno-mages can be very troublesome. He offers his services in helping Sheridan if any problems arise during their stay. Sheridan seems to realize that Londo is up to something, but he has learned that over a hundred techno-mages have gathered on the station and no one knows why. He does think this is cause for concern, so he agrees to set up a meeting with their leader and let Londo sit in.

The leader, Elric, meets with Sheridan and says that his people are allowed to gather without needing to report to anyone about what they are doing and where they might be going. His ire grows when Londo arrives and he tells Sheridan that Londo has tricked him. Elric destroys the recording device Londo was going to use to show his people he had a techno-mage's "endorsement" and then says he will need to be taught a lesson. Sheridan tells Londo to get out. After that, he and Elric seem to come to terms with each other. They walk through the station and Elric explains that there is a great darkness coming. He and his people are gathering to leave the known galaxy because they don't want their knowledge to be wiped out or used for nefarious purpose in the upcoming conflict. He does not know where they are going, only that they will leave from the station and, hopefully, not be seen by anyone on this side of the Rim again in Sheridan's lifetime.

Ivanova decides to call another meeting with the Drazi but before she can get there, she learns that the dispute has escalated on the Drazi homeworld. The Greens have now begun killing their Purple rivals. Ivanova races to the conference room only to find that every Purple who was in attendance has been slaughtered. She tries going to the Green to plea with them to stop this craziness. The Green leader offers a quick resolution to the conflict, asking Ivanova to gather all of the remaining Purple Drazi in one area under the illusion of peace talks. Once they are gathered, she can space them, and with no Purple left, the conflict will be over. Ivanova refuses, and the Green leader says that is too bad, considering he has already sent out the order using her name.

Ivanova tries to call in to Security and cancel it, but the Drazi stop her and hold her hostage while the Purples are gathered up. Garibaldi runs into one of his men though and learns of Ivanova's order. But he is suspicious at the fact that she sent it as a message rather than in person and goes to check on her last known location. He helps her get away from the Greens, but they still have the problem of stopping the mass murder of the Purples.

Londo, meanwhile, has been hit with a really nasty computer virus (that he calls a holo-demon). Knowing that Elric is behind it, Vir suggests that Londo apologize. Londo is loath to do so but eventually concedes. He goes to visit the techno-mages and make his apology. No one meets him in person, but they seem to accept it. Of course, Elric sends one last parting gift back to Londo's quarters with him, in the form of two bat-like creatures that destroy his quarters.

Ivanova and Garibaldi, realizing that the Drazi conflict should only last for about another week, decide to just hold all of the Purples safely segregated from the Greens. When they tell the Green leader about this, however, he laughs, saying they have miscalculated. A cycle in Drazi time is not a week like in Earther time, but a year--just over an Earth year, actually. They can't keep the Purple detained for that long. Frustrated, Ivanova grabs the Green leader's cloth off of his neck and is surprised when all of the Drazi immediately react. By taking the cloth, she has become the Green leader (the rules predate contact with other races and have yet to be updated to exclude them from the conflict). Realizing this, she orders all of the Green to come with her and decides just to dye all of their cloths purple, thus leaving only one group of Drazi on the station for the remainder of the cycle and ending the conflict for good.

Garibaldi is reassured by his catch that saved Ivanova from the Drazi and decides to take his old job back after all.

Londo goes to see the techno-mages off on their journey. Londo tries to make amends with Elric. Elric tells him that he is touched by darkness. His words leave Londo very unsettled.

Commentary

Oh man, I bet Garibaldi has to make regular visits to the Medlab after his whole ordeal, huh? He's gotta love that.

He's not back to work yet? And he's worried about Sheridan. Though he and Sinclair were buds, so I guess that's understandable, especially with conspiracies afoot. Plus self-doubt about his ability to do his job. Angsty Garibaldi is angsty today.

Hopefully Ivanova's bromance with Sheridan will allay his fears a bit.

Hmm. Londo's playing it all cool about destroying the Narn base. So, this guy wants his help overthrowing the Emperor--or handpicking his successor at least.

Well these Drazi look like they're up to something, don't they? Hmm, green an purple scarves. They are all accessorized, I note.

Techno-mage, huh? I like how he's wearing an old school magician's cape.

Yay! Promotion for Ivanova!

Again with the hydroponic garden Sinclair?

So. Looks to be a whole gathering of techno-mages. Londo must be freaking out. Oh. No. He's thinking to use it to his advantage. Of course he is. I love Londo. He's such a personable sneak.

Vir, what?? Can you not hold your liquor hon? That was random and amusing.

Garibaldi's moping. With a gun. That's never a good thing.

"The universe doesn't give you any points for doing things that are easy." (Sheridan)

Straight shooter, that one. I like that he's trying to give Garibaldi time to make up his mind.

Ha, ha. Oh Ivanova. Green and Purple. It's that simple. She's so aghast at this. I like that they are so patiently trying to explain it to her and befuddled that she is confused.

...and fight!

Heh. Sheridan can say he is trying to let her learn diplomacy, but I think really he had a good idea of what she might be getting into and really didn't want to deal with it himself.

Oh, poor Vir. He's just gonna keep trying to get through, monster or no.

"You don't frighten easily." (Elric)
"I work for Ambassador Mollari. After a while, nothing bothers you." (Vir)

Vir's face when the guy says money is irrelevant. He's like, "does not compute." Aw, poor guy. Personal repercussions indeed.

Oh no, Ivanova's foot is broken! Of course she's trying to just take it in stride. I honestly do believe she's more annoyed by the inconvenience though.

"Don't you want to be there?" (Ivanova)
"I have absolute trust in your abilities, Commander." (Sheridan)
"Well, that's a hell of a thing to tell someone." (Ivanova)

I do find it really interesting that they're juxtaposing Garibaldi's lack of trust in himself with Sheridan's full trust in Ivanova to do something she's not sure she's capable of. I think it also maybe demonstrates that his stepping back and letting Garibaldi figure things out on his own is a sign of Sheridan's trust in Garibaldi as well. If that makes any sense.

"Don't come here again." Oh, okay, you have to go back. Sigh. Dude, Londo. Oh dear, what have you got up your sleeves? Who can't the techno-mages ignore, I wonder?

Aw, Garibaldi's men miss him.

Londo, Sheridan knows you're gaming him. Heh. He already was going to try talk with them. I think he wants to find out what Londo's up to.

Damn. The Drazi have upped the game to killing now. That's just not good.

Dude, Sheridan, what's with the shouty anger? They're not causing any trouble just by being on the station, are they? Here's Londo. Awesome. Ha. Elric totally has your number Londo. Now Sheridan's shouty at Londo. Who pissed in his cereal this morning?

Oh good, he's calmed down a bit. Talk it out, Sheridan, talk it out. Hmm. Discussions of magic v. technology and technology as magic. It's a very interesting line of thought, to be sure.

Hmm. The techno-mages are going into self-exile to avoid the Shadows, huh? Very interesting indeed. Not that Sheridan believes in the Shadows yet.

Poor Ivanova, her day just keeps getting worse, doesn't it? The green Drazi leader wants her to do his killing for him. Uh oh. They used her name, huh? Dude. You've just seriously pissed off Ivanova. That was a bad call.

Oh ho! Garibaldi's spidey-sense is tingling. Save the day Garibaldi! Restore your confidence in yourself!

A holo-demon? I guess that's a virus? Hehehe Narn opera.

"You could always...apologize." (Vir)
"Apologize?! Never!" (Londo)
"Congratulations. You are now the owner of five hundred thousand shares of Fireflies Incorporated." (Computer)
"On the other hand..." (Londo)

So, at the very least, hopefully Londo has learned not to annoy techno-mages.

Oh god, this lasts over a year? That's not cool. Oh, she's gonna put it on, isn't she? The rules change to exclude other races from participating is caught up in committee. Awesome. Red tape saves the day! She's just going to put them all in purple. I love her.

Londo's actually going to try apologizing? This should be amusing. Oh, what's that hanging on his back? That can't be good.

Yay! Garibaldi's back to duty!

Oh, those critters on Londo's back were a "gift" from Elric. Hmm. "Touched by darkness," eh? Well, the Shadows have staked a claim on him, that's for sure.

"I could warn you, of course, but you would not listen. I could kill you, but someone would take your place. So I do the only thing I can. I go." (Elric)

Dude. Elric. Way to give Londo a really creepy glimpse into the future. Not that he'll take it as the warning it actually is. Sigh.

Aw, Sheridan is a believer in magic. Or he wants to be. Good.

--

So, that's it for today. Please drop back in tomorrow morning for the next episode, "A Distant Star."

Wrapping Up the Final Wrap-Up

Does anyone wanna see the newest finished blanket?

Because I DEFINITELY want to show it to you.

Dark Blooms by Cori 2012

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Black (4 skeins), Dark Orchid (1 skein), and Cherry Red (1 skein)
Hook: US H

These are just basic granny squares with three rows of color in the center surrounded by three rows of black. I attached them to each other by single crocheting the edges of the squares together (through the back loop only) using the colored yarn. Then four rows of border (black, red, purple, black) in the granny shell stitch.

Easy peasy.

But oh my goodness, isn't it beautiful! Not gonna lie, this may be one of my favorite blankets that I have ever made. It's smaller than my usual fare, only a throw, but it is going to be perfect for cuddling up on the couch during the upcoming winter months.

No more blankets to make this year, yay! Now I just have to tackle my laundry list of smaller projects. First up is a few things for a care package I want to send out (a crocheted scarf and a few ewoks). Next a pair of leg warmers I've been commissioned to do and then hopefully I can full steam ahead on that shawl. I've only got three pattern repeats and the edging left, so there is light at the end of that particular tunnel.

So I would say it's going pretty well on the yarn front right now. Ask me again in a month, we'll see if I'm still on the same page.

B5 Rewatch: Revelations

Howdy folks! Welcome to Tuesday and another edition of the Babylon 5 rewatch! Today we'll be looking at the second episode of the second season, "Revelations." It looks like we'll finally get to find out what G'Kar's been up to. Sound good? Cool. Onward!

(Spoilers, ho!)

Let Me Sum Up

Sheridan is settling in and trying to get the station back to business as usual. Unfortunately, council meetings are a bit of a wash as Delenn is still in a cocoon and G'Kar is still off investigating the attack on the base in Quadrant 37. Londo is not pleased, but there's not really much anyone can do about it so they decide to try again tomorrow.

G'Kar leads a squad of Narn fighters up against a flight of Shadow ships. When they are destroyed he decides to head back to Babylon 5 to warn everyone else.

Sheridan's sister Elizabeth comes to visit him at his new post. This brings up painful memories of his wife Anna, who died two years ago.

Worried that Garibaldi lingers in his coma after several weeks, Franklin wants to try something unorthodox. He gets Sheridan's permission to try using the alien healing device on the chief of security. He intends to use his own energy, like Rosen did. When it comes down to it though, Sheridan feels like he should be the one giving up his energy. They decide to share the task, trading off to avoid draining either man too much.

G'Kar returns to the station. He tells Na'Toth of what he saw and explains that when he learned of the attack on their base, he knew it was either a new race or an old one. He believes the attack was perpetrated by a very old race indeed. A Darkness last seen over a thousand years ago, once encountered by their religious leader G'Quan. G'Kar says they must warn the others of the return of the Darkness.

Garibaldi wakes up from his coma finally, still trying to stop the assassination of the President. He is less than pleased to learn that the attempt was successful and that he has been out of action for several weeks. The corrupt guard who shot him sidles in to the Medlab to find out if Garibaldi can identify his attacker, but Garibaldi does not know it was him, since the shot came from behind.

Delenn emerges from her cocoon but is suffering from terrible pain. She has Lennier call for Franklin. Franklin finds her covered in some sort of rocky shell, but when he touches it, some flakes off. Delenn is clearly in agony, and wondering what exactly she has become. Franklin does his best to help her.

G'Kar calls a council meeting to warn them of the shadows, but Sheridan doesn't know what they're supposed to do about it. He is not so sure that the attackers are this ancient enemy G'Kar is convinced they are. Especially without any sort of confirmation from the Narn homeworld. He thinks maybe some new race has just colonized their old world. G'Kar is adamant, saying he is willing to provide proof. Despite their misgivings, he has convinced his government to send a ship to the far edge of the Rim to a world known as Z'ha'dum. They are to scan the planet for signs of life. If any are found, G'Kar fears that all of their races stand on the edge of extinction.

This catches Londo's attention, as he had been asked by Morden to inform him any time he heard about goings on in the Rim. Londo tells Morden of the expedition. Morden is noticeably unsettled by the news and asks when the ship is scheduled to arrive. Londo tells him.

Garibaldi enlists Talia to scan his memories of his attack to try to find out who shot him. She is hesitant but a deep scan shows that Garibaldi caught sight of his attacker's face in a reflection. With this information they are able to arrest the shady guard. He tells Garibaldi that there is a new order coming in to power on Earth and he's decided to join up with the side that's going to win. When Garibaldi asks if he means Home Guard, the man scoffs and calls them amateurs. Later Sheridan gets a call from the President who says he wants to personally oversee the investigation into a possible conspiracy to murder his predecessor. He orders the suspect sent to Earth on the next prison transport and all documentation regarding the matter sent to him as well.

The Narn ship arrives at Z'ha'dum only to be met by a shadow ship and destroyed upon arrival. Officially it is deemed as a malfunction on the ship. G'Kar knows better, citing the fact that just after the ship's exit from hyperspace it would have been out of contact with the rest of the Narn. If it had been attacked during that period, there would have been no way for them to report back that they were indeed under attack. Of course, he realizes that could only have been possible if the shadows knew that the Narn ship was coming. The only people who knew about the ship's arrival were the Council. Sheridan bristles at the implication.

Lennier breaks up the tension by arriving that moment and asking to address the Council. He announces that Delenn has returned and is requesting to retake her seat on the Council. Sheridan eagerly agrees and Delenn enters the room, hooded. She removes the hood and is revealed to have changed. She now looks to be a cross between Minbari and human.

She explains that Sinclair has been allowed to live on her world to create a greater understanding between their two races. To that end, she has undergone her change to become a bridge between the two races so that they can avoid any future conflicts like the Earth-Minbari war.

Garibaldi reveals to Ivanova and Franklin that something his attacker said made him think that Psi Corps was behind Santiago's murder. While they are forbidden from putting forth any of their members for public office, they did endorse Clark for the Vice Presidency. Which means there is now a Psi Corps sympathizer in the President's office, when all signs point to the telepaths doing a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering for a power grab.

Furthering the bad news, Ivanova discovers that during transport, Garibaldi's attacker managed to escape, along with all of the evidence about the incident. She tried to inform President Clark, but he is not taking any calls and she can't get through. Sheridan seems annoyed but not too surprised.

Commentary

Heh. Londo is pissed that Delenn and G'Kar are missing.

"Ambassador Delenn remains indisposed." (Lennier)
"Indisposed! She's in a cocoon!" (Londo)
"Yes?" (Lennier)

Oh, Lennier my dear. Hah. Upside to Delenn's situation = more Lennier.

Na'Toth just stares. I love her. Dude. You're looking to Kosh for help? That's just funny.

Oh. They got a new actress to be Na'Toth didn't they? Boo. Her voice doesn't have quite the same presence.

Oh, looks like things aren't all that rosy where G'Kar is. Fighting Shadow ships by the look of it. Looks like he's going home now though.

Heh. I was looking at the credits and seeing all those women with the last name Sheridan and wondering just how many ex-wives this dude has. But one of them is his sister, not an ex.

Oh, hey, look at that. Franklin's bringing that alien healing device into play. He wants to use it on Garibaldi. Interesting.

Sheridan is really all about food, isn't he? I mean, he is really excited about the food on the station.

Ah. Morden. Lovely. Oh good lord Londo. Don't go giving him any ideas! The entire Narn homeworld indeed.

Well. At least Londo knows he's made a shady deal.

I know that we need to play catch-up with Sheridan and all, but the second episode he's in might be a bit early for heavy emotional revelations, huh?

Sheridan wants to give up his energy for Garibaldi, huh? So he's that kind of commanding officer.

"Weep for the future, Na'Toth. Weep for us all." (G'Kar)

This is where we start to kick off (or at least learn about) G'Kar's faithful side. G'Quan spoke of the shadows, and G'Kar believes they are responsible for the destruction of the Narn base. He knows they mean danger for more than just the Narn though.

Looks like something's happening with Delenn.

Oh, and Garibaldi's awake too, awesome! Oh, it's shady guard-dude! He doesn't look too happy. Oh poor Garibaldi, he is so out of the loop.

Um, what exactly does shady guard dude think he'll accomplish if he shoots someone right now? In a room full of all of the ranking officers, all of whom he cannot kill at once. Hmm. That's right, walk away.

Oh, the beginning of the G'Kar/Londo bromance! The temporary peace that leads to an eventual friendship (if a rocky one).

Delenn's out of her cocoon! Well, looks like the band is getting back together all at once, huh? Huh. Apparently she stayed in the mud bath for too long. That's not gonna be fun to wash off.

Exposition!

Man, Sheridan does like to pile on the self-guilt, doesn't he?

Look at that little light bulb go on over Londo's head at the mention of the Rim. Yeah, you know what power G'Kar's talking about, don't you Londo? You just don't want to believe it.

Oh, Garibaldi is asking Talia for help identifying his attacker. Interesting. I think she's even more uncomfortable with the scan than he is. Well. That was a convenient reflection.

Delenn has wings? Well, that's one way to get a guy out of his office.

Oh lordy. Garibaldi has to confront the dude in person. Sigh. Wow. This interrogation scene is oddly lit and framed.

A new order on Earth, huh? That doesn't sound good.

Spacing. As an official form of execution. That's just. Damn.

Is Earth still trying to deny that Santiago was murdered? Oh you know the new President is dirty. Wants the prisoner relocated AND all of the documentation? Yeah, that's not suspicious. Not at all.

Alright Sheridan, this is your first "What would Sinclair do?" moment.

Lennier, your timing is impeccable.

Aw, look at Sheridan falling in love at first sight.

You know, I love that Sheridan is just so darn excited about his job.

Oh, and a message from his dead wife. Well, that alleviates some of his guilt, hopefully. Well this is good. He gets a little bit of closure with Anna so he can begin the process of wooing Delenn.

Psi Corps endorsed President Clark for the Vice Presidency? That is intriguing news indeed. Also disturbing. Huzzah for long-ranging story arcs!

Delenn is fascinated by her new look. I don't really understand that whole misdirect with her rocky shell. Was it just to throw us off from what she had really turned into? It seems kind of random. Especially considering she's so calm and collected about her transformation when she finally reveals it to everyone else. I can't remember if that comes back into play later on or not.

Is anyone surprised that the prisoner got away? With all of the evidence? Anyone? Sigh. Don't these people keep backup files? I don't care if it was the President asking, there is no way that in a space-faring age only one copy of that kind of information exists. That's just stupid, also known as a clumsy plot device.

I hope there will be further development on that front. That seems like a strange thing to leave as a loose end, especially for this show.

I guess we'll see, eh?
--
That wraps up another week of the rewatch! Thanks for joining me! I hope to see you back here again on Monday for the next episode, "The Geometry of Shadows." Ooh, I like that title.

B5 Rewatch: Points of Departure

Well, hello and welcome to the Babylon 5 rewatch! Oh my goodness, we've made it to season two! Happy dance!

Just a quick reminder, B5 posts will now go up on Mondays and Tuesdays instead of Mondays and Wednesdays.

Now, join me, won't you, for a spoilerific look at season two's first episode, "Points of Departure."

Let Me Sum Up

Following the death of President Santiago, Commander Sinclair was recalled to Earth immediately and with no explanation. After about a week of his absence, Garibaldi is still in Medlab and Ivanova is at the end of her rope trying to keep everything in order. Then she gets another blow in the form of the news that Sinclair will not be returning to Babylon 5. He has been permanently reassigned to be Earth's first Ambassador to the Minbari homeworld.

The new commander is Captain John Sheridan. The Minbari, as it turns out, are not overly satisfied about this appointment. Not only were they not consulted (as with Sinclair), but it also turns out that Sheridan played a large part in the Earth-Minbari war. He is responsible for the only real victory the humans had during the conflict--the destruction of the Minbary flagship, the Dark Star. The Minbari have even gone so far as to dub Sheridan StarKiller. 

Sheridan knows his appointment will cause controversy with the Minbari but though he seems willing to try to work peacefully with them, he refuses to apologize for his part in the war. He was doing what, at the time, he believed needed to be done. He knows full well how easily the Minbari could have destroyed the humans. 

In the midst of all of that turmoil, a member of the Grey Council, Hedronn, has learned that Delenn has undergone the chrysalis process and arrives at the station. He seems annoyed that she has pushed the hand of some prophecy. He also has learned that a legendary Minbari warship, the Trigati, has been sighted by the station. The commander of the ship, Kalain, leads a group of Minbari exiles who refused to accept the surrender that ended the war. Hedronn informs Lennier that if Kalain or the Trigati shows up, he must inform Sheridan of something important.

Kalain does indeed show up. Hedronn sees him and tries to talk him down but Kalain claims that the Minbari government has betrayed their people. He advises Hedronn to get off the station for his own safety. Hedronn tells Sheridan (grudgingly) that Kalain is aboard and warns him that this does not bode well. Indeed, Kalain goes to attack Delenn in her vulnerable state but is intercepted by Sheridan and a security crew. He is taken into custody but doesn't give up any information. Sheridan wonders aloud where his ship is if he is here on the station.

Lennier goes to Sheridan and Ivanova and tells them what Hedronn ordered him to. He explains the truth about why the Minbari surrendered, ending the war. As a culture they believe that when one of their people dies, the soul is reborn into the next generation of Minbari. If any of the souls are taken out of the equation, the whole group is lesser for it. For this reason there is a long standing law that Minbari do not harm other Minbari. To do so would be to harm their entire race. 

But over the last few thousand years, the Minbari have noticed fewer and fewer being born into each generation and have felt that as a whole they were diminished. It has been a long-standing mystery as to where their missing souls have been going. During the Battle of the Line, when Sinclair was questioned by the Grey Council, they realized that he had a Minbari soul. Their missing souls were being reborn into humans. That is why they called off the war. The Grey Council did not feel that the rest of their people were ready for such a truth yet, though, so they have kept the matter secret since then. Lennier entrusts this secret to Sheridan and Ivanova and asks them to help him keep it. He also says that changes are coming, and Sinclair's reassignment was only the first one.

Kalain's ship comes through the jump gate and demands the return of their captain. They claim that since no one has been killed or seriously harmed yet, there is no reason for them to attack. Give them Kalain and they will go. Of course, right around this time is when Kalain cracks open a false tooth filled with poison and commits suicide. Sheridan realizes pretty quickly that the whole thing was orchestrated as a way to make an attack from the renegade Minbari seem provoked. 

He realizes that they are on a kamikaze mission and want to be killed, going down as martyrs and making him and Earth look bad in the process. He outplays them by sending a message into hyperspace, anticipating that the Minbari had been on the lookout for the ship as well. A second Minbari ship arrives and orders the Trigati to stand down. It makes to leave but the new ship fires on it, disabling it. The Trigati's core goes critical and it explodes, its fighters moving in closely enough to be taken out by the blast as well. Sheridan thanks the captain of the second Minbari ship, but the captain is not happy to have helped. He says the crew of the Trigati will be mourned by many of his people. 

Sheridan later confides to Ivanova that he feels responsible for bringing the trouble with Kalain and the Trigati to the station. After Lennier's revelation, he realizes that the Minbari trusted Sinclair, but he knows they definitely do not trust him. He fears he will not be able to do the job he needs to do. Ivanova urges him not to take on extra guilt. She seems to think he will do a good job in charge of the station.

Lennier, relating the events to Delenn, regrets that he could not tell them the whole story. It seems there is a prophecy about the arrival of a new great enemy of the dark. Only the humans and Minbari working completely together will be able to stop this new enemy. 

Commentary

Agamemnon. Yet another awesome name for a ship. I think they must have so much fun coming up with those. 

Ooh...a Minbari warship hanging out by Babylon 5? Oh no, a renegade! The Trigati? Is that a Minbari rebel group? 

Oh joy. Another anti-Minbari human war hero.

Oh, Sinclair's been called to Earth? Uh oh. Poor Ivanova. Um. Probably we shouldn't let her be in charge for any extended period of time. She doesn't deal well with people she finds frustrating. Which is, oh, everyone.

"I can only conclude that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate." (Ivanova)

I like this journal-type voice-over from Ivanova to kick things off. It's a good way to catch us up on what has transpired on the station since last we saw it. 

So. Bye bye Sinclair. Seems Earth got tired of him putting his own agenda of tolerance and understanding ahead of their own goals. Maybe the next guy they get to do the job will be easier to control. *snort*

You know, these opening credits are kind of spoilery for stuff that has yet to happen in this episode. I am kind of surprised, with as much as this show was a pioneer for long-haul stories, that they would utilize credits like this. I do think I am firmly in the camp that goes for the minimized opening credits these days. I like when it's just the show's title and then the credits themselves play discreetly over the story as it begins to unfold. 

Anyway.

Oh, Ambassador to the Minbari homeworld? Interesting.

So. Sheridan's a controversial choice, eh?

Okay, the Trigati is a ship. 

Heh, the Grey Council isn't too happy about Delenn's chrysalis thing.

So, Ivanova knows Sheridan. She doesn't seem to have any problems with him. That's got to be a good sign, right?

"Interesting place you have here." (Sheridan)

Aw, I think they're friends. Yay! 

StarKiller. Dang. That's a nickname to have. So, on shaky ground with the Minbari, but otherwise pretty well qualified. Also, Santiago's first choice to replace Sinclair. It seems Santiago was pretty gung-ho about trying to get along with the other races in the galaxy. 

Aw, he has a good luck speech. That's cute.

Kalain? Who is this guy? Oh, someone who is not happy about Sheridan's appointment. Uh oh. I have the feeling this guy does not mean good things for the station. 

"Well then. I'll say a prayer for him tonight." (Ivanova)

"He's agnostic." (Franklin)

"Then I'll say a half a prayer." (Ivanova)

Oh! His speech! This is the one he never gets to finish. Awesome. I love silly little running jokes like that. 

Ooh, rice, carrots and green tea? That sounds so yummy. 

Interruption the first. Sheridan's first contact with the Minbari as commander of the station. 

Heh heh, buff suave guard is buff and suave. Also, unconscious. 

Ooh, more backstory on the Earth-Minbari war. So, Kalain is in charge of the Minbari who didn't want to surrender. 

Ah, now. Sheridan knows how to recognize Grey Council. Interesting. Sheridan took out the Minbari flagship, and now they are holding a GRUDGE.  

Yet still, his first concern is to save Delenn. Good good. 

Oh, don't you dare hurt my Lennier! Oh Lennier, I know you're brave, but don't be a martyr sweetie.

"If you are going to kill me, then do so. Otherwise I have considerable work to do." (Lennier)

Oh honey, you are a BAMF. Grateful to Sheridan but still not gonna let him just walk in. Nice. ...and then he stops by to apologize for being rude. Also, apparently with all of the answers to all of the pressing questions. Dude.

Oh. OH. It was Delenn's idea to bring a human on board, AND she chose Sinclair. Interesting.

Oh god, I LOVE the Minbari soul mythology. The whole concept is just absolutely fascinating. It takes reincarnation and karma an extra step further. 

...and here comes Kalain's ship I bet. 

Okay, who is this guy? Warren? He's in the opening credits but I don't remember him at all. *side-eyes*

Okay, Kalain just poisoned himself I think. False tooth trick.

Oh, of course, they're demanding the release of Kalain promising no harm if none is done to theirs--and he just killed himself. Sigh. Sheridan's putting the pieces together. 

Minbari ships have such an interesting design. They are pretty. 

Ooh, sending a secret message. Heh. Sheridan out-thinking the Minbari. I like that he still uses logic but it's a slightly different brand than Sinclair's. Oh, and of course the Minbari are snarky about it. No breaks for Sheridan.

Aw, don't go second-guessing yourself Sheridan. It will be okay. *pats*

Oh, there is more than what Lennier revealed. Prophecy! A new great enemy! Establishing the story arc!

Heh. Sheridan's gonna finish his good luck speech no matter what. Even if it's to an empty room. 

--

Thanks for dropping by! Please come back tomorrow for the next episode, "Revelations."

B5 Rewatch: Chrysalis

Alrighty folks. Welcome to the first season finale installment of the Babylon 5 rewatch! Today we tackle the twenty-second episode of the season, "Chrysalis."

Onward.

Spoilers spoilers spoilers.

Let Me Sum Up

December 30, 2258.

Londo and G'Kar are arguing because it seems that Centauri have been sending ships into Narn space. Londo protests that the space in question, Quadrant 37, is neutral territory. G'Kar announces that the Narn no longer uphold the agreement that declared that, seeing as how it was signed under duress. Sinclair asks why after five years of the Narn having a military base on the edge of this space there is suddenly an issue. G'Kar says increased patrols are necessary for security. Londo dismisses this claim and the session breaks up, with G'Kar stating he'll be glad to continue the discussion when Londo can do so in a civilized manner.

A wounded man staggers up to Garibaldi in the Zocalo. Garibaldi calls him Petrov and as Petrov dies he gives Garibaldi a cryptic warning. Petrov has been working for Garibaldi as an informant in Downbelow but they have been out of touch for weeks. Garibaldi swears to find out the meaning behind Petrov's warning.

Sinclair's girlfriend Catherine is visiting him again and they discuss their plans for New Year's Eve. Sinclair decides the moment is right and seizes the opportunity to propose to her. She says yes.

While Londo is griping to Vir about G'Kar and the fact that his government has decided to cede the disputed territory to the Narn, he receives a call. Vir tries to brush the caller off, but recognizing the voice, Londo takes it. The caller is Morden, who helped retrieve the Centauri artifact from the raiders a while back. Morden says he knows that Londo has a problem and that he and his people can help. He asks Londo to meet with him in an hour and Londo agrees.

At their meeting, Morden tells Londo that he is unappreciated and underused by his government. Londo scoffs that many people have told him this before but he has stopped listening. He has accepted that he will never be more than he is. Morden isn't so sure. He tells Londo that his people can take care of the Quadrant 37 issue for him. Londo is skeptical but Morden presses him to tell the Centauri government that Londo will take care of the matter. Londo asks the price for this help and Morden says nothing, only that if he makes good on his promises, someday his people will ask Londo for a favor.

Garibaldi visits Downbelow to try to find anyone who knew Petrov. Mostly people don't want to talk to him but eventually a friend of Petrov's speaks up. He tells Garibaldi that people who need non-legit jobs done often venture to Downbelow to hire workers, and the last such job Petrov took was helping a man named Devereaux  move cargo. Strangely, though, after the job was done, Petrov stayed on with the guy who hired them. His friend tells Garibaldi that the last he saw Petrov, Petrov was on his way to find Garibaldi. Whatever it was that he saw had scared him half to death, too. Garibaldi absorbs this information and sets out to find Devereaux.

Delenn sends Lennier to ask Ambassador Kosh a specifically worded question. When Lennier returns and tells Delenn that Kosh's answer was "yes," Delenn looks taken aback and goes to see Kosh herself. She asks the Vorlon if it is really true and says that she must see for herself. Kosh shows her something and she smiles and bids him farewell, saying she will keep the promise that she made.

December 31, 2258

Garibaldi tracks Devereaux down in a casino and asks him about hiring Petrov. Devereaux quips that he hires lots of people and Garibaldi asks him to come in to security to look at a picture. Devereaux tries to brush him off but Garibaldi insists. As he follows the security chief, he tells Garibaldi that he doesn't know what he's messing with.

Londo decides to take Morden's offer and orders Vir to relay to the Centauri Homeworld that he will personally handle the matter of Quadrant 37. Vir is more than a little worried that Londo has lost it, or is at least drunk, but Londo assures him that he knows what he is doing.

Sinclair and Catherine get together with Garibaldi and Ivanova for dinner. They tell their friends their happy news. As Garibaldi is congratulating them, he gets a call from security informing him that Devereaux has escaped from custody. Garibaldi tells Sinclair he has a bad feeling about Devereaux. When he was brought in he had an unnumbered gun on him. The guns are designed so that the numbers can't be removed, which means it never had one. Only special Earthforce agents are given such guns, and Devereaux was not named on the list of people with access to those guns.

In Quadrant 37, shadow ships (like those previously seen by Catherine and the one that attacked the raiders that stole the Centauri artifact) appear and attack the Narn military base.

Garibaldi heads down to investigate the cargo that Petrov helped move before he was killed. It was luckily stalled from departure due to engine trouble with the ship that was supposed to take it. He explains to the guard on duty that he thought if he could figure out what Devereaux was up to, maybe it would help him actually find Devereaux. The manifest lists the cargo as medical supplies but a closer inspection reveals it to be black-market jamming devices. Examination of the settings reveal that they have been programmed to jam the Earthforce One priority communications frequency near the location that the President is scheduled to give an upcoming speech about Alien Relations.

Realizing this can't mean anything good, Garibaldi contacts Sinclair and tells him they have a crisis on their hands, but refuses to divulge any further information over their links, just in case. He tells Sinclair to meet him in twenty minutes and then orders the guard to protect the evidence with his life. He heads out to meet Sinclair and runs into Devereaux and his goons. Garibaldi prepares to put up a fight but is shot from behind by the guard he just left, who is in league with Devereaux.

When Garibaldi fails to show up for the meeting he called, Sinclair gets worried. He doubles back to his quarters, just in case Garibaldi went there, and orders Ivanova to keep conducting a search out of Control. Sinclair's door chimes and he turns around, expecting that Garibaldi has finally shown up. Instead he finds Delenn. She holds up an triangular crystal and asks if he remembers it.

Sinclair says yes, remembering it from his interrogation aboard the Minbari cruiser. Delenn says that he remembers being captured and interrogated during the Battle of the Line. He says yes, but only bits and pieces. She nods, saying she has suspected for some time. She has much to tell him, she explains, and risks both their lives in doing so. He sighs in frustration and explains about the situation with Garibaldi. Delenn says she understands and tells him to come to her quarters when he is done, and she will tell him as much as she can. She urges him to hurry though, as events have been set into motion and she does not have much time.

Na'Toth informs G'Kar that the outpost in Quadrant 37 has been completely destroyed. No survivors, nothing left. Buildings, records, everything has been destroyed. G'Kar tries to process this information, wanting to understand who could have done this. None of the known races have the motivation, will, or capability. He realizes there must be someone else out there.

Garibaldi manages to crawl into a transport tube and activate it to send him to the Zocalo before passing out. He is found by revelers counting down to midnight and Sinclair rushes him to the Medlab. He wakes up long enough to tell Sinclair that Devereaux intends to kill the President and he needs to get a warning out. Sinclair rushes to Control to try to hail Earthforce One but unfortunately Devereaux's plan is already in action and all of the frequencies to the ship are being jammed. They pull up the news network to keep track of the President's progress and try to find a workaround but before they are able, the President's ship explodes live on air on the news network.

The events that have been set in motion by Delenn's question to Kosh seem to be starting. In her quarters Lennier watches as something happens to her offscreen.

G'Kar and Na'Toth express their condolences to Ivanova about the death of the President. They also ask after Garibaldi, who will have to undergo surgery after his injuries. They tell her about the attack on their base and she says she had just heard about it. G'Kar swears that they will find out who was responsible and take retribution.

Londo meets with Morden, appalled by what he has done. Morden is surprised that the death of any Narn (even the ten thousand that were killed in the attack) would upset Londo so. Londo feels that the action was unwarranted and is uneasy at so many having been killed in cold blood at his behest. It was, clearly, not the solution he was expecting. Morden tells him that the Centauri government doesn't know or care how Londo achieved the destruction of the base, but they are impressed. As far as they are concerned, he saved them from a very embarrassing situation. Morden promises Londo that this can only mean good things for his future and tells him to enjoy it.

The guard who shot Garibaldi manages to get himself put in charge of the search for Devereaux. He finds the man and kills him, then claims it was self-defense. He then goes to watch Garibaldi's surgery, presumably waiting to find out of the other man knows about his involvement in recent events.

Kosh finds Sinclair watching the Vice President being sworn in as President and reminds him that he has forgotten something. Sinclair starts, remembering he was to speak with Delenn, and he races to see her. He is too late, however, as when he arrives he finds her inside a cocoon, or chrysalis, of some sort. Lennier tells him that she is changing, though he does not know into what.

Morden meets with a pair of creatures who seem to be invisible and tells them that Londo is exactly what they need. The ambassador doesn't suspect a thing and when they are ready, he will do exactly what they need him to do.

G'Kar, having his suspicions about what happened in Quadrant 37, decides to leave the station to investigate.

Commentary

Oh look, Londo and G'Kar are at it again. Who's surprised? Not I.

Petrov, could you be any more cryptic? Less pronouns, more names, man!

Oh look, Sinclair's girlfriend is back.

Hmm. Presidential term is five years? Interesting.

Oh, Catherine has a New Year's Eve surprise for Sinclair. Oh lord, he's gonna propose, isn't he?

You know, the pattern on the walls in his kitchen is alarmingly familiar to the carpet at the office I used to work in.

Oh, she said yes, yay! She's going to die before the episode is over, isn't she?

"Vir, how many gods are there in our pantheon? I've lost count since the last emperor was elevated to godhood." (Londo)
"Forty-eight, no no, forty-nine. Fifty if you count Zoog, but, you know, I never thought you should--" (Vir)
"Alright! Let's say fifty. Out of that fifty, how many gods do you think I must have offended to have ended up with G'Kar's teeth buried so deeply in my throat that I can barely breathe?" (Londo)
"All of them?" (Vir)

There is nothing about this conversation I don't like.

Oh, the Centauri are giving Quadrant 37 to the Narn? Hmm. Londo really does not like capitulating. Oh, and right on time, here comes this guy. Gah. Morden. Sigh. Don't do it Londo, it's not worth it. You really really have no idea.

Delenn, are you building some weird Minbari house of cards? It's pretty. Hmm. Delenn sent Lennier to ask Kosh a very specifically worded question and he replied yes. She doesn't seem too happy about that answer.

Wow. ACTING. All of the disenchanted people who live in Downbelow. It is sad, it really is. Sounds like Petrov found out something someone didn't want him to tell anyone else. Dude. Garibaldi. At least buy the guy a meal for helping you out, huh?

A park on a space station. That is so awesome.

No, Londo. Morden does not want credit. TAKE THAT FOR THE SIGN IT IS. Ah, the ambiguous, "someday you'll owe me a favor." That's the highest price to have to pay, I think.

Are Delenn and Kosh in cahoots?

Okay, she seems a little bit happier about his answer after he did his levitating head trick. I mean. That is a pretty neat trick.

"You will not see me again as I am now." (Delenn)

*cackle*

Well. Looks like someone is planning a rocking New Year's Eve for the station. Wow. Devereaux, dude, do you really think you can threaten the head of station security? Really? Yeesh.

Looks like Londo has decided to accept Morden's offer. Alternate universe. Heehee. I love Vir. He's a big ol' Centauri teddy bear.

Sinclair is making house calls to try to wrap up his work so he can celebrate. Oh lordy. G'Kar likes the human ladies doesn't he? Wow.

Hmm. So the Narn used to be agrarian and it was throwing off the Centauri regime that took them to a militaristic culture.

It is amazing to me how well Andreas Katsulas conveys the emotion and nuance of G'Kar's thoughts under all of that makeup and prosthetic work. Seriously. Dude can ACT. (Unlike what we saw with the lurkers in Downbelow.)

G'Kar clearly hears what Sinclair is telling him, but he just as clearly understands the reality of what his people have become and knows his first loyalty must be to securing their future, whatever that cost might be. This is one conversation that Sinclair will never be able to win with patience and logic, I fear.

Aw, asking Garibaldi and Ivanova to be in the wedding party. That's so sweet! ...and Garibaldi is making a speech. Wow. He is such a big softy!!

Uh oh, Devereaux escaped. Hmm. He had an unnumbered gun but apparently no legitimate access to one? That can't be good.

Oh dear. I fear Quadrant 37 is about to have a very unpleasant encounter.

You know, I have to admit, the effects on those shadow ships still hold up pretty dang well. Unless light is shining directly on them, they just blend right into space. The scenes of them in battle are pretty impressive.

Hmm. I suspect that little news blurb about the vice president being ill is something to keep in mind.

Ooh, smart thinking Garibaldi. Check out the cargo that Petrov helped move.

Definitely not medical supplies. Hmm. Jamming devices? Those can't ahve been intended for anything benevolent. Uh oh. Io? Isn't that where the President is supposed to be giving his Alien Relationship speech?  Not good. Not good. Oh, and of course the helpful security agent is a rat. Sigh.

Oh no, Garibaldi!! Not a good way to wrap up the year.

Nope Sinclair. Not Garibaldi. Hello Delenn, what's that device? Delenn, your timing, it is wanting. Well, at least she is being reasonable about it. Well, if Sinclair needed extra motivation to find Garibaldi (he didn't), he's got it now. He's been wanting answers about the Battle of the Line for a while now.

...and the outpost at Quadrant 37 is gone. Oh. They were studying the shadows, weren't they? Sorry. Getting ahead of myself. Maybe not. G'Kar knows what's up though.

Go Garibaldi, go, go!

Counting down to midnight. Why is that guy wearing an upside down flowerpot on his head?

Well, at least Garibaldi managed to make it to a populated area.

Still building a house of cards (crystals?) Delenn? Aw, Lennier is worried about her.

"Valen said this day would come. Who are we to stand in the way of prophecy?" (Delenn)
"But, what if you're wrong?" (Lennier)
"Then speak well of me when I'm gone." (Delenn)

You know, I have to say. I love the way that the show (not every character in it, but the show itself), really doesn't make light of the cultures that believe in the more mystic things, like the Minbari do. Their beliefs are treated very respectfully.

Ooh, shiny house of crystals is shiny. Not just for fun then, eh?

Oh good, Garibaldi woke up quickly enough to warn Sinclair about the threat against the President. Good. Of course, Devereaux and his lackeys have already managed to jam all of the frequencies. Oh damn. Bye bye President Santiago.

Damn, Garibaldi needs surgery. Oh crap, and the guy he puts in charge of finding Devereaux is the guard who shot Garibaldi. That is not good.

Uh oh, looks like Sinclair is too late to speak to Delenn.

G'Kar swears retribution on whoever attacked his people. Of course. Londo has regrets of course, after the fact. Still doesn't excuse him for playing Morden's game in the first place. Sigh.

Wow, Earth is really trying to pass that off as an accident? Would they really just ignore the possibility that this was an assassination? Damn. Looks like.

So. The shady guard killed Devereaux and his goons. Interesting. Also disturbing.

How very convenient for the Vice President that he got off the ship before it reached Io. Hmm. Ah. Yet another scene meant to invoke the LBJ swearing-in. Scifi loves to play on that iconic image, doesn't it?

Oh, hello Kosh. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, and with the cryptic announcements and everything.

"And so it begins." (Kosh)

You have no idea, Sinclair. None at all.

Also, no answers for you. Delenn is a little busy being in a cocoon at the moment. Or chrysalis.

"She is changing." (Lennier)
"Into what?" (Sinclair)
"I don't know." (Lennier)

G'Kar, what are you up to? Ooh, you do have your suspicions though. And you know about the shadows.

Aw, Londo wants to wait to see how Garibaldi's surgery turns out. Bromance!

Ooh...shady security guy. I know you don't mean well at all.

Sigh. And Morden has "plans" for Londo. Are we surprised? Anyone? Anyone?

Oh, hey. Catherine. Congrats on surviving to the end of the episode. Very well done.

--

Wow. So. Crazy ride so far, huh? We've got four more seasons to go, though, so I hope you'll stick around! Join me next Monday, won't you, when we kick off season two with "Points of Departure."

In other B5 news, Ryan Britt over at Tor.com wrote a really interesting article about the series and its role in developing what we think of as fandom today. It's a good read, I highly recommend it. You can find it here.

Also, want to make a scheduling note. Well, two actually. Starting next week, I'm going to be posting the rewatches on Monday and Tuesday instead of Monday and Wednesday. So, just something to look out for. In addition, as October gets into full swing, I am starting to get ready for National Novel Writing Month in November. To that end, I wanted to let you know now that the rewatch will go on hiatus during November. So we'll make it up to episode six on October 30 and then will pick back up with episode seven on December 3. Just wanted to give y'all a heads up about that.

Have a great week, guys!