Season 4 continues at a brisk pace.  Sheridan is still working several angles at once, trying to solve the problem in front of him, and the one behind that one at the same time.  Part of this is a testament to the character’s ability to think several moves ahead, part of it is making sure all of those problems get resolved in the next nine episodes.  Meanwhile what should have been a serious, possibly ten episode story is going to be dealt with in three episodes.  We are still in the doldrums of the season for the next few episodes so we may as well dive in.

The episode starts with Sheridan being kooky and enigmatic, sitting by himself in the mess hall, puzzling over a private problem and then going full Archimedes without really explaining himself when he gets inspired by eavesdropping on the command staff’s breakfast conversation.  

We transition over to Delenn racing towards Minbar with some of the White Stars.  Her and Lennier discuss the fact that open fighting has broken out in the capitol city, the Minbari Civil War has started without them it seems.  After credits, Delenn discusses the first time she had seen the city, and laments the fact that it is now in flames, due to her own actions, and Mira Furlan really sells the weight of the guilt that she feels.  She snaps out of it and asks Lennier about the arrangements she has made, including contacting her old rival Neroon.  

On Babylon 5, Sheridan is confusing the hell out of Londo.  He previously had asked G’Kar and Londo to set the example by allowing the Rangers to patrol their borders, and now he is asking both of them to not only keep a secret but to deny it if asked.  Londo is irritated, blaming the confusing request on some unfathomable part of the human psyche.  

Neroon shows up to meet with Delenn with a bunch of his warriors. He is intrigued enough by the situation to agree to meet with Delenn in private. The other Religious Caste members surround Lennier anxious about the situation and worried that Delenn is preparing to surrender to the Warriors and let them rule unchallenged.  Lennier has his faith in Delenn, but this does not reassure the others.  Delenn meanwhile appeals to Neroon’s sense of duty to ask for his help in brokering a peace.  She points out that it would be a disaster if either caste prevails over the other, but Neroon seems convinced that the fight has to happen, pointing out that the tensions have been building since the war with Earth.

On the station, Sheridan is busy sowing his seeds.  He denies any kind of ranger activity when asked by the Drazi ambassador, and also orders Marcus to have his ships destroy some worthless asteroids and return to the station, much to the Ranger’s confusion.  

The Drazi ambassador confronts Londo, who insultingly denies that the White Star ships are protecting Centauri space.  The Drazi runs off to a gathering of the other minor world ambassadors in the hallway, where they are interrupted by Franklin who requests additional blood supplies for their races, while insisting that there is no particular reason for the request, heightening the group’s paranoia. 

Speaking of paranoia, the Religious Caste members with Delenn become convinced that she is planning on surrendering to the Warrior Caste. Their fear leads them to drastic solution of committing mass suicide by poisining the air supply.  Thankfully our man Lennier has been spying on them and realizes they are up to something.

Sheridan sets the next part of his scheme in action by asking Ivanova to mention, specifically, that nothing at all happened in a particular section of space during her Voice of the Resistance broadcast.  Ivanova is confused but inserts the tidbit in between important stories about Earth.  The announcement fuels the hysteria among the League ambassadors, combined with the news of Marcus’s mission to destroy asteroids.  They whip themselves into enough of a furor that they plan to demand of Sheridan the exact thing they had previously rejected, the White Stars patrolling their borders.

On the Minbari ship, one of Neroon’s people attacks him, showing that the discontent at Neroon and Delenn’s meetings is not confined to the Religious Caste.  Delenn then delivers a speech to her people commending them on their loyalty and strength in the face of uncertain times.  They rush to undo their sabotage only to find that Lennier beat them to the punch.  Delenn and Neroon are mystified as to how Lennier was exposed to the chemicals.  Neroon admits that he admires Delenn, and hopes that they can work together.  

Lennier comes to, and tells a lie to Delenn, in order to help his fellow caste members save face.  He also angrily also lets them know he lied to protect Delenn and her ideal of what the caste should be, insisting that knowledge of what they almost did would break her heart.  Lennier as always has an idealized version of Delenn in his head, believing her more fragile than she really is.  Later on Lennier wakes and continues his spying, finding that Neroon is sneaking away in the middle of the night, and breaking his word to Delenn. 

Overall I enjoy this episode, the theme of making assumptions based on incomplete information hits pretty good with the League ambassadors, the Religious Caste, and in the end even Delenn herself.  Plus it was fun to see Sheridan running around and enjoying his manipulations.  Next week we get another heavy dose of the Minbari Civil War as well as some depressing machinations of Mr. Bester in “Moments of Transition”.  

Where do I know them from?

• No one too prominent in this one, Guy Siner who is credited as Religious #1, has had a long career, appearing in The Crown and Pirates of the Caribbean in small parts. 

The Good

• Sheridan’s scheming is fun, and I enjoy how he ropes everyone else into it as well.  Though the only person that seems to enjoy their part is Franklin.
• Delenn’s scheming to end the war is also great, even if her trust was misplaced. 
• It is nice to see the League ambassadors get foregrounded every once in a while. 

The Bad

• Sheridan’s scheme comes off very quickly, and could have benefited from another episode or two.
• The whole scheme feels like something that Garibaldi would have a good part in, if different timelines had not been shortened. 

Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)

• Mira Furlan, who herself fled a civil war, really sells the heartbreak of the situation she finds herself in.
• With the civil war starting up, the Minbari really ditched the whole “Minbari do not kill Minbari” with zeal.
• I greatly enjoy the political machinations behind tricking people into demanding what was already offered to help them.  
• Ivanova is delivering some legitimately good resistance content which strikes a hopeful tone for countering Earth’s propaganda.