With the setting up episode out of the way we get into some character building content.  Season 5 is unique among the Babylon 5 seasons in that it has room for one-off episodes that the other seasons really didn’t.  The story is over! So we get episodes that really drill down on a character like this one, which interestingly enough borrows a title from a scrapped episode called “The Very Long Night of Susan Ivanova”.  Londo has always been an interesting character, moving from good-hearted buffon, to making deals with the devil, to trying his best to undo all the damage he has done.  This episode shows that all of those changes and turmoil have taken their toll on the man, even if it is not apparent from the outside. 

The episode starts with the B plot, when Delenn is woken by a message from home.  An apologetic official is telling her all about the message she sent and is offering to send her new assistants as soon as possible.  It turns out Lennier has sent a message to Minbar to arrange for his own replacement as he is leaving his job.  

Elsewhere the A plot kicks into gear with Londo berating Zack Allan about a customs impoundment of his favorite booze.  We are meant to forget that he is the prime minister of an entire civilization and the soon to be emperor as he has to haggle with a station security chief.  Vir is there trying to keep the peace, and he takes Zack aside to try and work something out.  In the background Londo decides to get into his impounded goods, and after one drink he collapses. Londo is rushed to Medlab, with Vir insisting on having Londo tested for poisons.  

Lennier meets with Delenn for her standard morning briefing, and Delenn confronts him about his plans.  Lennier admits to feeling like he is not needed, now that she is married to Sheridan.  He plans to leave his position permanently, but promises to come back if Delenn needs him.  He intends to join the Rangers and cites Marcu’s death as influencing his decision.  He also passively aggressively mentions that becoming a Ranger might earn Delenn’s respect.   

Garibaldi meets with Vir to break the bad news that Londo’s situation is not as simple as poising.  He has had a heart attack and what is worse, it is in the left heart which is the much more delicate of the two hearts that Centauri have.  Franklin reports to Sheridan that he cannot fix the left heart directly, all he can do is stabilize Londo, give him medication to help and hope for the best. 

Delenn and Sheridan sit by Londo’s bedside and discuss their relationship with Londo and the disturbing fact that he is so still and quiet.  They also talk about Lennier and Delenn shoots down his offer to help the situation. 

Inside Londo’s head he is hardly getting rest.  He is wandering an off-kilter version of Babylon 5. He ends up running into a version of Delenn that has set up shop as a tarot card reader in Down Below.   All of the cards have images of Londo on them.  She lets him know he is dying and he muses that it might be better to die now, if only to get out of the future death he has foreseen of being strangled to death by G’Kar.  Delenn asks if he wants to live, and he deflects, insisting that it makes no difference what he wants.  Eventually he admits he wants to live, but she lets him know that a word is required.  She wont let him know what the word is.  She merely points him to a trap door which contains a gigantic version of his beating heart.  He ends up transported to a dark room, in which a shadowy G’Kar watches him.

In the real world, Lennier says goodbye to his close friend on the station, and he and Vir share a moment at the bar.  Vir is enjoying a Shirley Temple, and Lennier is intrigued by this unknown temple.  Vir even gives the Minbari a sincere goodbye hug.  

As Vir leaves we transition back to the dream world, with Londo finding the abandoned bar, complete with an entire array of liquor bottles, all empty.  He encounters Sheridan, who flips through all of his uniforms as they speak.  They talk about death, both real and figurative.  Londo admits that he does not want to die, and Sheridan directs him to turn around.  Londo refuses, knowing that G’Kar is behind him.  Sheridan abandons him, and in the real world we see his condition deteriorate in time with his distress in his dream world.  Franklin tries something risky which stabilizes him for the moment. 

In the dream, Londo encounters a cold Vir who pushes him to make a choice to live and do what is needed. He suggests that Londo’s conscience has caught up with him, and when Londo denies this, he is once again urged to turn around and face G’Kar.   Londo tries to weasel out by pointing out that he has already foreseen his death, but Vir shoots down his arguments telling him the only way out is to face G’Kar. 

Back in the real world, G’Kar comes to visit just as Londo has another arrest.  In the dream G’Kar stops lurking behind him and confronts him.  G’Kar takes him to the imperial throne room on Centauri Prime. G’Kar confronts him and accuses him of knowing deep down that the does not deserve the throne.  He even treats Londo to a flashback of him and Refa meeting there before they left to oversee the destruction of Narn.  In one of my favorite G’Kar rants he dresses down Londo for having been involved, and when Londo argues that it was not his fault and he couldnt have changed anything, G’Kar explodes on him, telling him that he had a duty to say something or try something instead of standing by while it all happened.

G’Kar then takes him to the room where Emperor Cartagia had him whipped nearly to the point of death.  Once again he reminds Londo that he watched and said nothing while it happened.  Londo tries to excuse it saying that his word would have meant nothing. G’Kar then lets him know that he only needs to say a word to get out of his current situation, and Londo finds himself chained to the pillar, watching himself get whipped as G’Kar plays the part of a delighted Cartagia.  In the real world he enters into cardiac arrest as Franklin and the med staff frantically try to save his life.  Back in the dream Londo screams out on the 39th lash just as G’Kar did.

Londo is once again in a dark room, begging not to die and sobbing.  G’Kar torments him, outlining all the ways that he could be there in Londo’s head.  He mocks Londo’s desire to feel good about himself, and says to prove that he is repentant he must say that he is sorry.  Londo recoils from the request, saying he has never apologized for anything in his life.  He eventually breaks down sobbing, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over again as he beats on his own heart.  In Medlab his conditioned stabilizes enough for him to regain consciousness, and he sees G’Kar at his bedside.  He locks eyes with his old enemy and apologizes.  G’Kar clearly feels strange about this and leaves the room while Vir looks on in shock.  

A fully awake Londo complains about the food, and doubts the care plan that focuses on him avoiding stress.  Londo talks to Vir about an old Centauri legend, where a soul that is better than the person it is in can fight the body and leave to find a more worthy host.  Vir enthusiastically talks about it, inadvertently insulting Londo in the process.  Londo admits he had only heard that legend in the past few days, whereas Vir had heard about it since he was a boy. 

The Rangers arrive on Babylon 5 to induct Lennier into their training program.  Delenn arrives to see him off, though he had intended to slip away without the goodbyes.  After he departs, Sheridan arrives to comfort Delenn as everyone leaves quietly. 

Next week we get back to some arc business concerning the Alliance, and also regrettably some more stuff with Byron and his telepaths in “The Paragon of Animals”.

Where do I know them from?

• No real important guest stars in this one, as it focused quite a lot on Londo. 

The Good

• The idea of guilt building and building in a person is a great one.  It adds to Londo, as on the surface he is making good efforts to be a better person even as internally he still reviles himself. 
• The whole G’Kar rant is good enough that I had to put a link to it.  

The Bad

• The Lennier arc is an unfortunate continuation of his lovelorn puppy act, which I found to be grating as the years go by.  Delenn does not like you that way man, get over it.  

Arc Points (Spoilers Ahead)

• We get some decent payoff to five years worth of Londo and G’Kar stores here, making good use of the extra episodes to delve into their relationship some more.
• Lennier and his unrequited love of Delenn is another long term plot that gets more development here.
• We get hints as to Sheridan’s future in his costume rotation.  We see all of the uniforms he has ever had, and then we see him in Ranger One robes, and a white robe.