This episode deals with some of the lingering plots that Sinclair’s exit left behind, and it brings back one of my favorite recurring antagonists in Neroon of the Warrior Caste.  It is a pretty good showcase for Marcus, Delenn and Neroon, and it addresses some of the upheaval from Delenn’s actions with her people this season.  All that said we also get a forgettable main plot about a lost station level populated by pretty run of the mill cultists.  Hey at least the cultists are being led by Robert Englund.  

We start off the episode with the continuation of the main plot from last episode.  Babylon 5 is seeking to enlist as many telepaths as possible for the Shadow War and they are getting a decent amount of applicants, along with some people trying to scam the whole thing.  Ivanova lets Sheridan know that they are having trouble, mainly because they have to keep letting the telepaths know that they are going to be on the front lines against the Shadows.  Sheridan brings up Franklin’s telepath underground railroad, and Ivanova agrees to find him to figure something out.

Meanwhile a maintenance man is working on a power outage in Grey 16, when he is violently pulled through the manhole that his working out of.  

Delenn meets with Rathenn on Minbar, and receives Sinclair’s personal effects, confined to only a small box of medals and other mementos. She orders it sent to his family on Mars, and Rathenn brings up that they need a new leader for the Rangers. He suggests that Delenn become the new leader, and she accepts though reluctantly. 

Garibaldi and Zack marvel over Garibaldi’s family heirloom, a 38. revolver.  Zack interrupts the nostalgia, by mentioning that the maintenance worker that went missing, and Garibaldi volunteers to handle the case personally.

Ivanova goes into Down Below in search of Stephen and finds him in the throes of withdrawal from the stims.  The doctor explains that with stims withdrawal symptoms take a long time to become apparent.  He irritably gives her the information on the telepaths that she wants, but demands that she promise that no one else from the command staff come looking for him.  He is firm that he needs to do the things he needs to do alone.  

Garibaldi engages in some routine police work, speaking with the missing worker’s supervisor and expounding on why people disappear into thin air instead of fat air.  The supervisor also casually mentions that there are only 29 levels to Grey Sector, even though the station plans show 30, explaining that it is a mistake on the plans.  This piques his curiosity and he begins experimenting with the elevator, counting between the floors.  Eventually he discovers the titular missing Grey 17.  In full horror movie mode, instead of calling it in he ventures in, even as the tube doors close behind him.  He then gets ambushed by a ventriloquist’s dummy that shoots darts after it taunts him.    

Sheridan is enthusiastic when Delenn lets him know that she has been chosen, though he is uncomfortable with the public ceremony that will take place, reasoning that the Rangers have been more of a secretive organization.  He runs off to meet with Ivanova about the telepaths, and Delenn gets confronted by a hooded and cloaked Neroon.  Neroon lays out his perspective of what is happening, and from his perspective it appears to be the religious caste arming themselves in order to dominate Minbari society.  We the audience know he is wrong, but based on the information he is going off of, it is hard to argue with his fears. He then lets her know that he is offering the chance to walk away and turn over the Rangers to the Warrior Caste, or he will stop her by any means necessary.  

Delenn fills Lennier in, and he is outraged, pointing out that Neroon has threatened to kill her. Delenn downplays his concern refusing to believe that a Minbari would kill another Minbari.  She then forbids Lennier from telling the Captain or the command staff about the threat.  Lennier decides to be a pedantic dick and tells Marcus instead. Marcus immediately takes the case, and requests that Lennier find him and leave confronting him to Marcus. 

Garibaldi wakes up from his drugging to find a bunch of weirdo cultists have infested Grey 17.  He gets a dumb speech from the leader, named Jeremiah, about the human body and the universe.  He then goes on to spout some gibberish about the truth, and about the universe to a manifestly unimpressed Garibaldi.  Jeremiah then points out that there is no way out of the level, and that he will have to remain with them forever.  Jeremiah and two thugs accompany Garibaldi as he searches for a way out while Jeremiah continues to proselytize.  Eventually Garibaldi gets the drop on the thugs and takes Jeremiah hostage. 

Delenn and Sheridan get a short sweet scene where they take a break from greeting visiting Rangers.  Delenn opens up a bit about her family, mentioning a mother that entered a convent shortly after she was born and a father that passed away shortly after the Earth-Minbari War ended.  She then tells a sad story about her father and their trips to temple, and the nature of children and parents changing as they grow.  

Neroon is stalking his way toward the ceremony, when Marcus confronts him.  They have a prolonged fight and it is clear that Neroon is more skilled at this type of fight, though Marcus gets in a few hits of his own.  Marcus begins ranting the Ranger’s motto as he fights even as Neroon taunts him with offers of quitting.  Eventually Neroon demands to know why Marcus is committed to a fight to the death, and Marcus responds that he is willing to die for Delenn.  Neroon interrupts the ceremony at it’s end to declare that he will not challenge Delenn, believing that no Ranger would follow him with such devotion as they show Delenn. 

Jeremiah leads Garibaldi to an area of the level where the cultists have allowed a monstrous zarg to live.  The believe that in order to return to the universe they need to be eaten by a dangerous animal.  It eventually appears and Garibaldi manages to McGuyver a way to kill it using a steam pipe and some loose ammunition from his grandmother’s gun.  The alien looks silly and the solution is pretty cartoony. 

Delenn and Lennier get Marcus to Medlab, and discuss how leading the Rangers will be.  Neroon interrupts wishing to visit Marcus, one warrior to another.  Neroon admits to what he thinks is an unconscious Marcus, that seeing how Marcus fought and what Marcus believed in, it shamed him from his course of action.  Marcus makes a small joke about it and we get the shocking sound of Neroon laughing. 

The day ends with Garibaldi deciding to quickly running down his day to a bewildered Sheridan who had accused him of being MIA during the serious events of the day. 

Hard to say where you can find Babylon 5 at the moment, but I am continuing on with some pretty good quality downloads from Itunes that I made years ago.

Where do I know them from?

• Robert Englund is freaking Freddy Krueger, I dont think I have to go more into it than that. 

The Good

• I like the plot that involves Marcus, Neroon, Delenn and Sheridan.  We get another chance to add some depth to a recurring antagonist, and we get a peak into Minbari life.

The Bad

• This week the bewildering and lame plot honors got to Garibaldi and the whole ill conceived hidden cult. 

Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)

• Neroon kind of grows on you, and he ends up being a better person in each iteration, until he finally ends up sacrificing himself for the good of all Minbari.
• Marcus once again shows his death wish, possibly inheriting character traits that originally belonged to Sinclair. 
• Lennier seems pretty casual about sacrificing Marcus, but then again he never seems to have much respect for humans. 
• Nothing will ever be heard again about Grey 17 or the cult.  Presumably Garibaldi went back with a bunch of tactical teams and rounded them all up.  
• Delenn’s installation as head of the Rangers ends up being a momentous event for the Minbari that is not covered by prophecy, making all the Minbari characters a little off balance it would seem.