This to me is probably the weakest episode of Season 3, but only because I have seen the entire show dozens and dozens of times.  We already had two tablesetting episodes, and now instead of getting to the fireworks factory that is Season 3 at it’s best, we get a decent but not outstanding “day in the life” episode whose title is a pun. The bright spot of this one for me is the G’Kar subplot that reaffirms his leadership.

Things kick off with the captain and Ivanova negotiating with the local transport pilots who are mad at delays, and even madder at possible new fees.  One background detail of the scene that is interesting to me is that about one third of the security officers are now sporting the Night Watch armbands, a great background detail.  Sheridan defuses the situation temporarily by staring down one of the pilots, and he and Ivanova then get confronted by Na’Far the Narn that the Centauri government has chosen to replace G’Kar.  On that shocker we jump to credits. 

Na’Far explains that he is on the station to convince G’Kar to go home and to take his place leading the other Narn.  Na’Far makes the argument that G’Kar and his resistance are doing too much too soon, and that it is more important to repair the damage from the Centauri invasion first. Sheridan lets him know he is on his own when it comes to getting G’Kar go go home.  Later Na’Far reports in to Londo, and we get treated to a disgusting scene of Londo celebrating the destruction of the Narn people to Na’Far’s face in front of a visibly uncomfortable Vir.   Londo explains this as the process of breaking the Narn, so that they will never again be a threat to the Centauri people.  

At Aerhart’s bar Garibaldi and Franklin are hanging out, but Franklin is exhausted and barely participating in conversation.  He gets called into work by one of the other doctors calling in sick.  He visits the bathroom and returns full of energy, immediately arousing Garibaldi’s suspicions.  Garibaldi invites Franklin to a dinner in his quarters, and clumsily probes the doctor about his stim usage, the stimulant drug that has been mentioned a couple of times in Season 2.  Franklin pulls every move from the addict playbook, insisting all the way that there is no problem.  

The next plot kicks off with a mysterious probe approaching the station, promising all kinds of technological goodies if they can solve a complicated IQ test.  If they fail the probe promises to destroy the station.  Sheridan figures out that in reality the probe will kill them if they pass the IQ test, and he tricks the probe into leaving before they transmit the correct answers, detonating it at a safe distance.  

Londo then meets with Delenn, asking to cash in a favor she owes him from all the way back in Season 1’s “A Voice in the Wilderness”.  Delenn is naturally reluctant to help Londo but relaxes somewhat when Londo tells her that it will be for Vir.  He wants her help in naming Vir to head the diplomatic mission to Minbar, a post that is currently vacant and has been for some time.  He points out, rightly, that Vir would make a good ambassador to Minbar as he is not as arrogant or sneaky as some of his fellow Centauri.  Delenn tries to draw out the reason for this, Londo admits that he has become fond of Vir, and he wants Vir to be separate from some of the awful things he feels he must do.  

Na’Far’s bodyguard meets Sheridan at the bar, and it is confirmed that he is the same Narn that was abducted along with Sheridan by the Stribe.  He offers to become Sheridan’s bodyguard, in service to the debt he feels that he owes him for helping him escape.  I appreciate the continuity that the show is putting in even if this little plot line really does not go anywhere. 

Na’Far confronts G’Kar, accusing him of contributing to the starvation of the Narn people, because the resistance is mining the roads and shooting down Centauri transports.  G’Kar is rightly pissed at this.  G’Kar points out that the Centauri are sending just enough food to keep the Narn weak.  Na’Far insists that the resistance must stop resisting now and bide their time.  Na’Far also lets G’Kar know that if he does not agree to go home, and be killed, that the families of the Narn on the station will be harassed and maybe killed.  Overall a super gross display of collaboration but I appreciate the show portraying the fact that in any situation there will be people that decide it is better to join up with the oppressors.  Na’Far gets confronted by a crowd of angry Narn, but G’Kar comes and breaks up the ruckus, then agrees to go back in order to stop the disunity among the Narn on the station.

Franklin gets increasingly angry at work, and struggles with his pledge to Garibaldi not to use stims as he struggles with non-English speaking patients and a delay in getting the IQ test questions back from Earth.   Eventually he breaks down and uses some stims, though the lies about it later to Garibaldi.

Garibaldi decides that he needs to butt into more people’s business, and speaks to G’Kar about not going back to Narn.  Thankfully he is not the only one and we get treated to a line of Narn confronting G’Kar about how much he is needed on Babylon 5.  He decides to stay, status quo regained.

Next week we get another episodic entry that completes the new character intros for the season, in the excellent “Passing Through Gethsemane”.

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

Where do I know them from?

• Stephen Macht plays Na’Far but he also popped up as a Bajoran general in Deep Space Nine, and he also had a long career in TV and movies.  
• Marshall Teague is of course Jimmy from the film Road House, and he previously appeared in the dreadful Season 1 episode “Infection”. 

The Good

• The episode introduces the still unnamed Ta’Lon, who will feature in a few more episodes over the next few seasons.  It is nice to have another recurring Narn.
• The plotline with Londo and Vir is also very good in this one.
• Just like we have had Vir as an example of a “good” Centauri, I like that we get a quisling Narn in Na’Far.  It is nice when races are not monoliths in scifi. 

The Bad

• I have never much cared for the Franklin drug use plot line and this episode is a big accelerating piece of it.  

Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)

• We get more worrying signs about Franklin’s stim use, first pointed out by his friend in “Confessions and Lamentations”.  It will blow up big time before the season is done.
• Vir leaving is another thing done to accommodate Stephen Furst’s schedule, but it works really well from a character perspective for both Londo and VIr.  Londo certainly feels more comfortable without his conscience sitting there in his quarters judging him.