“Convictions” is more of a procedural style episode, with one mystery that does not really impact the overall story lines, and most everything gets wrapped up by the end.  It does however introduce some new characters, and continues the first episode’s table setting.  These first few episodes of Season 3 have a lot of work to do, because once things kick off this season there is barely time to catch your breath.  

The episode opens up with some nice continuity from last season as a party of Drazi pilgrims have arrived to examine the place where Droshalla, one of their deities, was seen.  Zack and Garibaldi dont really deal with them in the most culturally competent way, but they are least still allowed on board, even after poking Zack a bunch.  We also get a subtle framing to remind us that Zack is still sporting his Night Watch armband. 

Ivanova pulls the chief away to discuss some crank calls that C&C has bee receiving claiming that chaos is coming.  They are both pretty dismissive of the messages, and we switch over to some of the B5 lurkers pawing around in the garbage, when one sets off a powerful bomb.  

Zack and another officer begin to respond to the bombing but get sidetracked by another party of pilgrims, this time human monks.  Ivanova meets with Brother Theo, their leader and he explains that he and his companions wish to create a sort of religious exchange program to learn more about the faiths of other races.  Ivanova is skeptical, but Brother Theo is a disarming fellow and he manages to win her over and the monks are allowed to settle on the station. 

The bombing site is chaotic, but Garibaldi is not 100% sure about there being a bomb yet.  It has been well established by now in the series that the station was built on the cheap, and so Garibaldi’s point about there being lots of old wiring and tubing in the area means that the characters are not on a high alert yet.  Later on Garibaldi and another officer named Morishi find the epicenter of the blast and finally figure out that it was a bombing. 

We then switch to the very low stakes of Lennier being incredibly irritated by a loudmouth human while waiting at customs. The human is none other than the Director of Photography for the show, John C. Flinn III.  Last seen suing grey aliens over an ancestors abduction he is now irritating enough to get Lennier to lie about having an infectious fatal disease in order to get some personal space.  This all gets interrupted when another bomb goes off, and Lennier jumps into action throwing Delenn and a passing Londo to safety before getting trapped by falling pressure doors.  

Garibaldi and Morishi brief everyone on what they know and their efforts to find the bomber. Ivanova name drops two of the terrorist organizations seen in previous episodes, Home Guard, and Free Mars, but Garibaldi does not think it is them.  Sheridan institutes new security lock down procedures as someone watches everything unfold on a bunch of security cameras.  

Franklin briefs Delenn on Lennier’s condition before she gets pulled away to deal with some next of kin. Londo ends up coming and visiting Lennier. The Centauri ambassador is clearly shaken by his brush with death, but also by the idea that someone else saved him, even when it meant that they could not save themselves.  He sits and talks to the unconscious Minbari, hoping that somehow it can help.  He even tells a really lame lightbulb joke poking fun at his own people. 

There is also a fun short scene where both G’Kar and Londo blame the others race for the bombing to some very uninterested Earth characters.  I appreciated this check in with our aliens as the episode was shaping up to be very human focused. 

Garibaldi and his team get a break on the bombings when they manage to trace the explosive to a series of bombings on another Earth colony, giving them somewhere to start looking.  Ivanova suggests that they examine crime scene footage in case the bomber is coming around to view his handiwork.  Garibaldi objects, pointing out that they have hours and hours of footage and the computer would not have any search parameters.  That is when Ivanova gets a bright idea and she brings in Brother Theo and his monks to go over the footage.  

This brings us to probably my favorite small subplot of the episode, when another bombing traps G’Kar and Londo in a transport tube together.  Londo is knocked out and G’Kar just stares at him.   Londo eventually awakens, and angrily goes over the situation for G’Kar insisting that they need to work together to live.  Unlike Lennier though G’Kar has no intention of helping Londo to survive the ordeal, even if it means his own death.  He just starts laughing at Londo and his efforts, letting him know how happy he is to be in a position to watch Londo die.  

Brother Theo and his monks come through and ID the culprit.  When Garibaldi runs the face and they get a hit on Robert J. Carlson, an employee of the station’s engineering division.  They move to arrest him, but find that he is ready for them with a booby trapped hallway, and a deadman switch attached to a bomb that he claims can blow the whole station. Sheridan goes in with a listening device on, to try and talk to the guy.  Turns out he is just your basic incel loser type, mad about his wife leaving him and deciding to take his anger out on everyone else.  In 2025 this feels hopelessly played out but maybe it was a little fresher 30 years ago.  Sheridan eventually manages to get enough hints so that Morishi and Garibaldi figure out that the bomb is attached to the station’s fusion reactor.  They manage to get it out of the station in time and the bomber gets arrested. 

Lennier eventually wakes up, and is aware enough to lament his saving of Londo in the moment, realizing that this means he could be considered partially responsible for any evil things that Londo goes on to do.  The episode then ends with Londo and G’Kar bickering as they are rescued, a reminder that Lennier may not be too far off on his assessment that Londo will most likely only go on to do terrible things. 

Next week we get some more minor characters, and some small changes to the cast in “A Day in the Strife”.

As always the show is available to watch for free on Tubi with ads. 

Where do I know them from?

• Louis Turenne returns, last seen playing Draal in the first season of the show.  I honestly don’t think I ever saw him in anything else, but he bounced around TV in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s including stints on Galactica 1980 and The Incredible Hulk. 
• Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa I will always know as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, but more recently he was also in The Man in the High Castle. 
• Patrick Kilpatrick is another scifi veteran with a long list of credits, but I know him best as the grizzled veteran in Deep Space Nine’s ground war episode “The Siege of AR-558” which also featured Bill Mumy.

The Good

• The episode introduces Brother Theo and his monks which are a fun addition to the show.
• The episode keeps some plates spinning, reminding the audience of the ongoing conflicts, while not foregrounding any of them.

The Bad

• The incel villain is pretty rote, though these days it makes more sense that the bomber would not have any strong political convictions.

Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)

• Brother Theo and is monks show up a few times in the season, however they sadly do not get used again, most likely due to Season 4 having to be compressed.  
• Londo and G’Kar in the elevator is a great scene, and well played by both.  It was heartening when watching back in the 90’s that G’Kar’s loss of a council seat would not stop the two from sparring with each other. 
• Sadly this marks the end of Lennier and Londo’s association, which was such a great pairing in the first season.  
• Vir is oddly absent in this episode, and in future episodes he gets moved off the station entirely.  This was due to Stephen Furst getting a starring role in a sitcom called Misery Loves Company that only lasted 4 weeks.