This episode has a middling reputation among fans, at least when compared to the rest of the really great episodes of the back half of Season 2.  I have always liked it myself.  I like that the nuts and bolts of story telling demand that Sheridan be let in on the whole Babylon 4 thing, so they do it a whole season before any other Babylon 4 plots.  The episode also finally brings home to Londo just how horrific a choice he has made.  I also like the introduction of other “good” Centauri besides Vir, who often gets dismissed as Londo’s Jiminy Cricket.  This episode also is a milestone of sorts.  This is the last non-JMS penned episode until Season 5, meaning that he wrote the next 49 hour long episodes all on his own, a record that has still not been beaten because it would be insane to try. 

The episode opens with some fun composite shots, as Sheridan is working off some steam with batting practice at Babylon 5’s very own baseball field.  Garibaldi shows up to partake and then explains that there is a B5 “triangle” or a section of the station that mysterious things happen in.  Sheridan explains that he loves creepy places and resolves to take a stroll through it.

The other plot kicks off with an argument between Vir and Londo about Centauri opera.  Given how most conversations in Babylon 5 are life and death it is kind of nice to see the two argue about their own culture, and in a mostly friendly way.  It shows some nice continuity to Londo’s resolution to treat Vir better as well.  They get interrupted by a cloaked figure that threatens Londo.

When we get back from credits it turns out that one of Londo’s oldest friends is on the station and was just messing with him.  Urza Jaddo played by Carmen Argenziano, lets him go and they make plans to meet up and celebrate their reunion.  

Sheridan meanwhile is making good on his intention to explore the creepy part of the station, and the creepy part rewards him with a dead body almost right away.  Creepier still the dead body glows briefly when Sheridan cant see it, and it shorts out his link.  The body then passes the glow onto Sheridan via undead attack.  Franklin and Garibaldi come to the rescue, and both of them are dismissive of Sheridan’s story that the body attacked him.  Sheridan ends up suffering some impaired vision and decides to go back to his quarters. 

Londo breaks out the really good liquor that he keeps in a wall safe, and waxes nostalgic to VIr about Urza and how the Republic was when he was a young man.  Vir gets a great bit poking holes in that, and talking about how endlessly ruminating on the past harms the present and the future.  Londo dismisses this as Vir just being a negative person.  

Sheridan ends up having a severe hallucination of a monster trying to kill him, something that apparently happened to him before when he was younger.  Garibaldi ends up coming in to the rescue, but points out there is no evidence any monster was there.  He tries to be sympathetic and mentions seeing some odd stuff while he was drunk once, but Sheridan is clearly rattled both by the monster and by the fact that it was all in his head.  Garibaldi also relays the news that the Markab victim committed suicide by bashing his head against the pipe where he was found which does not bode well for the captain.

Urza and Londo get good and drunk and talk about wives and past relationships. Urza segues into talking about Londo’s rise in politics lately.  Londo is proud that he has helped instigate what he sees as a resurgence in the glory of the Republic, but Urza angrily throws cold water on it.  He points out that some faction forced the Narn into war, and informs Londo that the Prime Minister was murdered so that an idiot emperor named Cartagia could be installed.  Urza then gets down to brass tacks, his family is in danger of being branded as traitors by the legislature.  Londo figures out that his old friend is asking a favor, so Urza urges him to stand with him and his house to defeat the resolution. Londo readily agrees to help his old friend. 

Sheridan experiences more hallucinations, seeing the destruction of the ship his wife was on, and seeing his parents.  Franklin gets worried enough to put a comically large health monitoring bracelet on him.  Sheridan eventually figures out that something is trying to communicate with him and that whatever it is it wants to go back to Sector 14 where Babylon 4 disappeared.  He takes his fighter out and an energy being of some kind leaves his body to go back into the rift.  Sheridan passes out, but thankfully Garibaldi is there to pull his fighter back to the station.  Sheridan and the command staff gather off duty and have a conversation about the entity.  Franklin is excited about the new life form, but Sheridan has no wish to go through all of it again.  

Londo calls up that old asshole Refa, to try and figure out what is going on, only for Refa to blandly insist that Urza is a traitor and that there is no way to stop the resolution against Urza’s family.  He also cautions Londo about making any public statements of support.  Londo angrily demands that Refa do something, and threatens Refa with his connections that helped destroy the Narn.   Vir is proud of his boss for doing the right thing. They both go to the banquet that Urza organized, but Londo lets slip that he asked Refa for help and Urza is furious, pointing out that Refa is the one that moved for his house to be dishonored in the first place.  Londo tries to defend his association talking about how his destiny is to take his people back to the stars through empire building.  Urza’s response is pretty great: “You cannot build an empire based on slaughter .. and deceit.”.  He ends their meeting by challenging Londo to a duel to the death.

Urza and Londo duel for a while, before Urza leaves an opening for Londo to deal the killing blow.  He cradles the dying Urza and Jurasik sells the hell out of his pain and confusion over being forced to kill his own friend.  Urza invokes the rules of their dueling society as he dies, and makes Londo promise to absorb his house into his own, placing them beyond retribution from Refa.  Londo explains all of this to Vir, and remarks that this incident has made him question his choices of the past year for the first time.  Vir is excited about this admission and jumps on Londo to start making new and better choices, but true to his nature, Londo considers himself committed to the path he is on, despite the blood and pain.  

Next week we will tackle “In the Shadow of Z’ha’Dum” where we finally get a name for the ancient enemy, learn more about their motivations, and Sheridan makes a hard choice.  We also get a dangerous escalation on the road to facism on Earth. 

As always, a reminder that you can watch the episodes on Tubi with ads. 

Where do I know them from?

• Carmen Argenziano would go on to play Jacob Carter in Stargate SG-1 and because we didnt do this when he first appeared William Forward played a doctor treating Joyce in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Good

• I love this episode for the Centauri stuff.  It is about time for Londo to feel the consequences, and I love that Vir is there to jump on his ass about it.
• Vir’s bit about the dangers of looking backward in times of change is also great and sadly relevant. 

The Bad

• Sheridan’s plot is ok, just kind of a by the numbers scifi plot for the week, it mostly does the arc work of informing Sheridan (and reminding us) about Babylon 4. 

Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)

• Franklin mentions he knows a good Markab doctor, and we will get to meet him in a few episodes. 
• Babylon 4 is brought up and the energy in that sector is shown to be an ongoing problem in that region.
• The Icarus gets brought up, to remind us about that.  In the original airing order this episode comes after “In the Shadow of Z’ha’Dum” and it was put in there to goose the audience’s memory a bit as it was intended to come first.. 
• Due to rights issues, Londo will never explicitly mention Urza again which kind of sucks.
• Emperor Cartagia gets name dropped here, though he wont be a major factor until Season 4.