A Berserker threatens B5, Franklin is a drug addict, G’Kar doesn’t leave B5, and…(*sob) Vir does!
Heh, I like Ivanova’s reaction to how Sheridan put that heckling worker in his place. The conversation between Ivanova, Garibaldi and Franklin about the captain afterward was interesting…how Franklin found Sheridan more “hard ass” than usual, with Ivanova defending him.
Franklin’s turning into a drug addict! I didn’t see that coming. I like the friendship between these three, how they all look out for each other.
Interesting to hear that Garibaldi snooped through Sheridan’s files to find out more about him. When Ivanova asked Garibaldi if he also checked out HER files, I’m wondering if she was asking in light curiosity, or if she was nervous about something. Don’t tell me.
The Berserker subplot was original but didn’t seem to tie in with the Bigger Picture. Hm…though by the end of the episode, we still don’t know who sent it, do we? Don’t tell me.
I also found Sheridan’s knowledge about the Berserker a bit too convenient, and how he decided to NOT send the info at the last minute based on knowledge he had at the beginning, rather than any particular evidence that had cropped up.
I was disappointed to hear that Londo’s sending Vir away from B5! I like Vir!!! 
Londo tells Delenn (after she pushes him to tell the truth) that he cares about Vir, and that he wants Vir to be away from what’s happening at B5.
Londo is SO good at lying so it’s sometimes hard to pick out the truth from fabrication, but I do think he does care about what happens to Vir. He says that Vir reminds him a bit of what he was like many years ago.
I was deeply moved by the scene where Vir tries to convince Londo to let him stay. “You need me!” Vir tells Londo. And Vir’s right. Who will be Londo’s conscience now?
G’Kar: If I stay here, your families are in jeopardy. Is anything more important than their safety?
Narn: Yes, their freedom.
In a way, I think Londo is trying to protect his own naivete, when he himself was idealistic and uncorrupted. He doesn’t want Vir to become like him.
Londo continues to fascinate me. He seems to have set his path unwaveringly on the Dark Side, yet there still remains a part of him that wistfully misses the old days.
When Londo says, “Sometimes I miss that we don’t talk anymore, Delenn” just before he leaves her in that scene, it’s with much more sincerity than when he said pretty much the same thing at the beginning of the scene, and my heart weeps for him. Yes, despite all the horrible things he’s done and continues to do.
Delenn replies, “We never did.” Londo replies, “No, I suppose not,” but I know he’s not talking about his friendship with Delenn specifically.
So cool that the Narn that Sheridan rescued from that species-kidnapping ship came back…and he ends up joining G’Kar!
I was glad G’Kar doesn’t get sent away to Centauri (where he would inevitably be killed) but because of Season 5 DVD box cover spoilers, I knew that he’d be around for a while.
Loved the scene between Garibaldi and G’Kar, when G’Kar is touched that Garibaldi cares enough to try convincing G’Kar to stay on B5. I also cheered when the other Narn kept G’Kar from leaving, saying they couldn’t let him go because he was too valuable and needed by them.
I can’t believe Vir has left B5. I’m going to miss that guy! Does he come back to B5? Don’t tell me. I hope so.
Thanks for all your comments to my reports; I’m enjoying them and your comments are enhancing my overall B5 Virgin experience. 
Next episode: Passing Through Gethsemane.
[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]
9 comments ↓
re Franklin’s stims addiction: Here’s another piece of foreshadowing in season 1 - remember the Doctor, Laura Rosen, with the alien healing machine in “The Quality of Mercy”, who lost her license because she’d become addicted to stims?
The stim use was also touched on in CONFESSIONS AND LAMENTATIONS and shown in a few others, I believe.
Yes, a few other cases of Franklin self-medicating himself, all without logging it. I’m surprised that their is not a better Inventory Control system in Earth Alliance med sys.
from the Lurker’s Guide:
Vir’s departure has, in part, a real-world cause: actor Stephen Furst is starring in a sitcom on the Fox network.
Talk about organized pilots! In the second meeting they were all standing in the same spot as the first meeting we seen.
Re: Sheridan as a “hard-ass” and Ivanova saying he’s trying to make things more like what he’s used to. ?? A very interesting comment. More like when he was in command of a star cruiser/military ship? And on that theme–did you notice the military buzz cut on young Corwin, the C&C officer Ivanova talks to frequently during this episode? I didn’t notice if the other “perfect hair” people in C&C also had new dos.
Vir’s exit here was to accomodate Stephen Furst, who was filming a pilot for a new series at this time, I believe.
Accommodate, damn it. I misspelled accommodate. I’m so ashamed.
I think this plotline was supposed to show how Sheridan is capable of thinking outside the box and seeing solutions where others can’t. Which is an important quality for his character (you’ll see this trait come up again).
Another stim reference was waaay back in the pilot movie. The doctor before Franklin (his name escapes me at the moment) admits to using stims to stay awake during the events of the pilot and Takashima warns him about addiction. So even though the addiction plot got transfered to another actor/character it was hinted at a few times before this episode.
Ah, Vir :(. Yeah, this episode made me sad, too. More proof that though Londo has made appallingly dark choices, there’s some flashes of goodness, too. Very mixed motivations here. I think Londo really couldn’t take Vir’s presence anymore, showing him the way he could have gone that seems beyond hope to him now, but at the same time he cares enough about Vir that he wants to protect him and the best way he can do that is to get him as far away from Londo and Centauri intrigue as possible. I am a sucker, though, for Vir’s loyalty to Londo through everything and Londo’s strange and back-handed loyalty to Vir, as well.
A_Tim, Terrance: remember the Debbie Mantra (i.e. the last three words):
“I can’t believe Vir has left B5. I’m going to miss that guy! Does he come back to B5? Don’t tell me.”