AHA! Finally we meet Marcus — I recognize him as the guy I saw on the Season Five boxed set that Allison had on display earlier this week. I guess he’s going to be around for a while. 
So Kosh is back in his environmental suit and answering no more questions than he did before. Amusing to see Sheridan so frustrated with him.
Sheridan: I really hate it when you do that.
Kosh: Good.
Cool new opening credits and soundtrack. Jeff opted to skip them but I decided to watch through.
Londo attempts to pull out of his relationship with Morden.
Londo: We have danced our last little dance, Mr. Morden.
Meanwhile, Sheridan and Delenn pretend they don’t know anything about the Shadow ship when Earthforce investigator Endawi questions them about Keffer’s last transmission.
Interesting to hear Londo recall the appearance of the Shadowships in his dream. From his question to Morden, it seems as if he doesn’t yet know for sure that those spider ships are connected with Morden’s “associates.” What does Londo believe his dream means, if anything? Don’t tell me.
The scene where the Ranger first meets Delenn and Lennier reminded me SO much of the scene in Lord of the Rings when Aragorn first meets the hobbits.
Love his accent. Kinda cute, too. And it sounds as if he has an interesting background, too…
Marcus: I stopped believing in miracles a long time ago, Ambassador. Part of the heart goes dead. Best to leave it that way.
Great fight scene with Aragorn Marcus and Delenn. Delenn can certain defend herself, can’t she? Marcus says the staff was a gift from a friend…I’m curious about what friend! Don’t tell me.
Funny how, when Sheridan tries filling in Ivanova, it turns out that Ivanova already knows everything.
Clearly, Morden can’t be trusted. I’m immensely curious about what the Shadows want and wanted, and why the Shadows have a vested interest in that world on the edge of Centauri space. And now Rifa’s involved!
The White Star is gorgeous! And such cool tech, too…able to open a jump-point itself, etc.
Interesting to hear G’Kar tell Endawi about the Narn legends surround the Shadowships.
Is it my imagination, or is there definite chemistry between Ivanova and Marcus?!? Don’t tell me. I’ve given up on Garibaldi — Ivanova and Marcus HAVE TO GET TOGETHER. He would be good for her; I bet she’d wear her hair down way more often, for one thing.
Delenn: We cannot hope to destroy the ship alone.
Sheridan: With all due respect, Ambassador, I’ve heard that before.
Heh. I’m liking Sheridan more and more.
And I love Lennier’s stunned, slightly euphoric reaction when they survive the explosion that destroys the Shadowship.
And then…
!!!
Senator: Not that I can see. The ship is a complete mystery to all of them.
Morden: Good. My associates will be very happy to hear that. There’s no need to rush things. Your government can dismiss this as an isolated incident.
Psi Cop: I don’t know. There’s something about this idea of a threat to planetary security I find very appealing. As long as we keep the real truth to ourselves, there’s no reason we can’t use this situation to speed up the program here at home.
Morden: Interesting. What did you have in mind?
“Real truth”??!???
Don’t tell me.
Next episode: Convictions.
[For those who comment below: As the title of my blog indicates, I'm watching B5 for the very first time so PLEASE refrain from posting plot/character spoilers/hints about upcoming episodes, or including links to pages with spoilers (unless you warn readers that they contain spoilers). More info about spoilers here. Thanks so much! - Debbie]
13 comments ↓
Yes, Marcus is Made of Awesome. And I heartily support any and all Marcus/Ivanova shipping.
As to Aragorn–hadn’t thought of that before, but you are so right. Mysterious Ranger meets our heroes in a seedy bar–heh.
My comment when Marcus appeared was “I bet all the girls are going to fall for him — and half the guys as well”.
Marcus is my favorite character on the whole darn show. And not just because I like listening to him talk…though that doesn’t hurt!
Oooo, I was hugely cynical when Marcus first came on the scene when I first saw the series- so -you’re- the one to make all the women swoon, eh? Let’s see if there’s any more to you. But Marcus is so funny and charming he can’t be denied. And he’s cute, too.
I’ve been looking at my old “B5 Save Files” from 1995 or so - where the viewers were at the same place as you are. Like the B5 Computer Virus post I put up for the last episode, there will be no spoilers in the stuff I bring forward.
Looking at those files reminded me of the very odd scheduling for the end of season 2. Normally the US viewers got the first crack at everything, with the UK viewers several months behind. But through a quirk of scheduling, the last 4 eps of season 2 were not shown in the spring in the USA - they got delayed to October. So people in the UK got to see them first, and they were making tapes to send to their friends over here.
Some of the “events” were known about in general - for example, “You will see Kosh outside his encounter suit”. There had been, quite naturally, quite a bit of speculation about that - and any material that had guessed about it would suddenly be obsolete. The author of the following recognized this, naturally, and got in a posting while speculation was still possible. Just a minor historical filk that got discarded when we finally got to see what JMS had in mind:
=====================================
From: “Kevin Wald”
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5
Organization: Dept. of Mathematics
Original Date: Sun, 27 Aug 1995 21:58:58 GMT
In a short while, we will all know what Kosh looks like. Thus, this is probably the last opportunity I will have to post an excerpt from my full length speculative rock opera on the subject, _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor ™ Dreamkosh_. Enjoy.
[In the following, Ivanova sings the part of the perky narrator (someone had to do it, and she's the obvious choice); all others play themselves:]
Ivanova: Joseph wanted to show the world an Ancient One.
He swore that by the time that season two was done:
JMS: I’ll have, by Gosh, a living Kosh,
A multi-colored Kosh to show.
Ivanova: But ’til then our Joseph tried to keep a lid
On what Kosh was; in season uno, all he did
Was give us signs and cryptic lines,
And putter to and fro.
And when Sheridan appeared,
Kosh continued acting weird:
Kosh: Come to Down Below when you’re off-duty;
Witness half a mo’ of perfect beauty.
Ivanova: What that meant is quite obscure;
Is even Joseph really sure?
Such a cryptic Kosh of many colors,
How we love our Kosh of many colors;
He’ll be red and yellow and green and brown and –
Kosh: Blue.
Ivanova: Now the Britons all have seen the final four;
The show that shows the Vorlon whom we all adore
Has come and gone in Albion,
But here we just don’t know.
And ’til Joseph shows that scene,
We’ll be discussing Purple/Green
And the other topics that we quarrel on,
While we wait to see our favorite Vorlon:
Kosh: (*Tinkle*) Handsome. (*Wirble*) Smart.
(*Kerthumpa*) Walking work of art.
Ivanova: Such a dazzling Kosh of many colors,
How we love our Kosh of many colors;
He’ll be:
Delenn: Crimson and Scarlet and
Lennier: Ecru and Ocher and
Sheridan: Genuine Orange,
Garibaldi: Chartreuse and Burgundy,
Drazi: Green! and
Another Drazi: Purple! and
Bester: Ebon and Sable and
Talia: Blonde and Mousy and
H. Gray: Harriman Gray and
Knight: Or and Argent and
Londo: Fuchsia and Mauve and
Vir: Brown and . . . brown and
Gropos: $%#@! and &*%%#! and
Morden: Subfusc and Shadowy
Spoo: Pale and Sallow and
Jean-Luc Picard: Teal, Wine, Mustard, and
Jean Valjean: Red and Black and
Kosh: Blue.
On another subject - while the similarities between the B5 Rangers and Tolkien’s Rangers were pointed out quite often by B5 fans (as you have done with the Marcus/Aragorn comparison), JMS actually was thinking along the lines of the Texas Rangers when he created them. Naturally, I wouldn’t expect that Legend to resonate nearly so strongly up in Canada.
I’m immensely curious about what the Shadows want and wanted, and why the Shadows have a vested interest in that world on the edge of Centauri space.
I thought it was pretty clear that the world Morden was talking about was the one with the Ranger training camp, where Sheridan & Co. encountered the Shadow ship.
And btw, thanks for posting your impressions of the episodes. I’m enjoying reading them!
Ah, the White Star. Beautiful, until someone points out that it looks like a plucked chicken.
And of course Marcus is the subject of Phoenix’s filk “Gimme Gimme Gimme (a Ranger at Midnight)” (to the tune of ABBA’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)”.
The world Morden was talking about on the edge of Centauri Space was Zagros VII, the planet the White Star went to help the Rangers flee from.
Centari ships have yet to see the Shadow ships, so Centari ships needed to be pulled from Zagros VII.
Londo now knows that the black ships of his dreams are real, but still does not make the connection to Morden’s ‘associates’.
I noticed (this time) that the PsiCop on Earth was not troubled by being in the same room as Morden. Better control by a telepath? (P10 vs. P5)? Or was Morden on his own, without ‘associates’?
I like the projector Morden brought with him to use in Londo’s quarters, reminded me a bit of what some images Technomages would create.
Didn’t Earthforce investigator Endawi leave his data crystal behind in Sheridan’s office? He had another one for Londo’s quarters.
IIRC, the images on Endawi’s data crystal were ones that had already been on ISN (from Keffer’s final broadcast), so there’s no particular reason he would care about leaving copies with anybody who might remember something useful.
(Irrelevant digression: Data crystals would look more practical if they had some place to write labels on them….)
You know, when I had no familiarity with the LotR books or Tolkien’s Rangers, I could have bought the whole “No, it’s the Texas Rangers!” thingy. But once you get a little famliarity, it’s Elves and Rangers of Men all the way.
Texas rangers? When did Texas rangers ever face a dark evil in Khazad-dum, I mean Z’ha’dum?
And when JMS tried to write another sequel what did he call it? Legends of the Rangers, that’s what. Or LotR for short…
The character “Marcus” is pure Wonderfulness. Unfortunately, I found the actor less so in person. It was my last Marcon (not the reason; I just haven’t been able to get back) and I was SO excited to Meet Marcus.
HUGE disappointment. Entirely self-absorbed, not particularly bright, and drunk as all get out.
On a very sad note: While I was reading your script excerpt of the scene in the Senator’s office, I became quite queasy. Think Bush, Chaney and Rumsfeld.