"Midnight on the Firing Line" discussion [spoilers]

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 1X01 "Midnight on the Firing Line". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Extra reading:

The article for "Midnight on the Firing Line" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I so love this opener. As has been said, so many important plot arcs are introduced here, in addition to three new characters (Ivanova, Talia and Vir), and yet it doesn't feel overcrowded at all.

Observations upon rewatching: I had forgotten JMS even smuggled in a brief remark about Santiago's Vice President (as a reason not to vote for him). All the bits about Earth elections is neatly done. The first time I watched, I thought it was just to explain the Senator's order to Sinclair, but in retrospect it's of course part of the build up to the season finale and beyond.

I had a friend who had followed the bad advice of starting with s2 and who watched s1 only later, after she had seen the other seasons, and who felt disturbed and angry to see "G'Kar in the wrong, almost like a baddie" - she wanted the G'Kar of later seasons. Whereas to me the first season, as epitomized in this episode, is why JMS was so great with his character arcs for Londo and G'Kar. If G'Kar had started out as being the way she wanted, there would have been nearly no growth. Instead, you have the backstory - the Centauri occupation of a hundred years, liberation from slavery - introduced from the start, but you also see G'Kar arrogant as hell, bent on vengeance, enjoying every chance he has to humiliate Londo and looking forward to wiping out the Centauri. You see G'Kar being perfectly fine with sneak attacks on civilian planets and ensuing occupations, provided the Narn are the ones carrying them out. (The parallel between this and what happens in Coming of Shadows in s2 is obvious.) This is both why G'Kar has the possibility of growth (and why it's all themore impressive when he takes it) and, I think, a big reason why he eventually is able to forgive Londo. Because he understands him all too well. (As for the audience, I maintain that if you haven't seen where Lodno is coming from in season 1, then you will react completely differently in season 2.)

And Londo! There is so much important character stuff in this episode. The dream, of course, but more importantly his frustration about the fact his goverment isn't willing to do anything about the Narn attack and is prepared to sacrifice everyone on Ragesh III as lost. The sense of humiliation and helplessness boiling over in violence. The way this is all intensely personal for him. In one of the few continuity glitches for Londo, we never hear from his nephew Karn again (which is why my fanon is poor Karn committed suicide after being called back to Centauri Prime because of his forced speech), but I think it's important, character wise, that Londo is still concerned for him after the speech and the public humiliation, because as we later learn this isn't typical the Centauri, who put saving face first. Vir's uncle would have disowned his nephew at once.

Speaking of Vir, this is both where he gets introduced and where his relationship with Londo starts, which is going to become one of the most important of the show. At this point, they simply start off as yelling ambassador and bumbling assistant, but note Vir already keeps switching between addressing him as "Ambassador" and "Londo", and for the first time is asked to keep one of Londo's secrets, and does.

The Susan/Talia tension set up is great, and I think the only time Andrea Thompson didn't convince me as Talia was when she ran into Londo - that was a bit too theatrical. But she's great in her scenes with Garibaldi and Ivanova both.

[andraste]

In one of the few continuity glitches for Londo, we never hear from his nephew Karn again (which is why my fanon is poor Karn committed suicide after being called back to Centauri Prime because of his forced speech)

That makes a disturbing amount of sense. Otherwise, you'd expect Londo to be advancing his career later on when he goes up in the world.

Also, not only do we never hear from Karn again, but his existence implies that Londo has a brother we never hear a single thing about. Londo is the head of the family, so either his sibling is younger or he died young.

Either way, I suspect he's dead by this point given his conspicuous absence in this episode. If he was alive, you'd expect Londo to mention him.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm voting for both "younger" - otherwise Londo would have had more freedom in his choice of wife, one presumes - and "died young".

Londo's readiness to plot against Turhan in s2 would also gain additional weight of Turhan's policy was the direct cause for his nephew's death...

[wychwood]

The sense of humiliation and helplessness boiling over in violence. The way this is all intensely personal for him.

Yeah, I thought that was so key here - Londo's terrible frustration. You can really see where his later poor decisions are coming from...

I think part of the reason I'm so fond of G'Kar is exactly that growth. He starts out so unlikeable, so manipulative and arrogant and full of hate, that his changes, even before Dust to Dust, are that much more striking. Londo always has that humanity, that decency, within him - when he volunteers for the machine in A Voice in the Wilderness, it's unexpected, but not implausible. He falls and then rises, but he's always Londo. G'Kar, on the other hand, shows a lot less of his potential at this point - his growth is believable, but it's hard to imagine when we see him like this!

I was struck by Sinclair's attitude to G'Kar, actually. I suppose I'd forgotten that Sinclair only knows Angry!G'Kar, that he doesn't magically watch the changes like the rest of them *g*. It's entirely plausible that he should dislike G'Kar - I mean, G'Kar has more than justified it - but I generally think of Sinclair as being pretty even-tempered and diplomatic, and he's really not here! *g*

a big reason why he eventually is able to forgive Londo. Because he understands him all too well.

That's a good point, and one I hadn't actually thought of. It's clear from Morden's reaction to them that Londo's answer gives him more scope but you're right, it's a difference in degree rather than kind; G'Kar (perhaps because he's been able to do more fighting back himself, and see more actual results from his struggle? The Narn *did* get rid of the Centauri, after all) is less frustrated, less bitter, but the two of them are very similar.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I suppose I'd forgotten that Sinclair only knows Angry!G'Kar, that he doesn't magically watch the changes like the rest of them *g*. It's entirely plausible that he should dislike G'Kar - I mean, G'Kar has more than justified it - but I generally think of Sinclair as being pretty even-tempered and diplomatic, and he's really not here! *g*

Nope. He is when dealing with both Londo and G'Kar being asses in the strike episode in the middle of the season, and in the season finale he really goes out of his way to bring G'Kar around by diplomacy, but early on, especially in this episode, he's indeed downright hostile. As you say, it's understandable given how G'Kar has behaved so far, and that in this episode in particular Sinclair has seen him first insincerly expressing his condolences for the attack and then smugly taking pride in it while enjoying Londo's humiliation (boy, does G'Kar rack up the bad karma there, and boy, does it ever come home soon). But Sinclair rarely is this partisan with his ambassadors.

It's a fascinating what if to wonder how Sinclair would have responded in s2. Because the first thing Sheridan sees Londo doing is to pull a fast one with the technomages, and the first thing he sees G'Kar doing is to warn everyone about the Shadows. It makes it easy to choose whom to side with later on. Not that I don't think Sheridan wouldn't have chosen the Narn anyway, given how the Centauri were behaving in s2, mass drivers and all, and of course Sinclair would have seen a similar right and wrong situation - but with his different relationship with the ambassadors, he might have tried to talk to Londo on a personal level to make him see reason. (Not that he would have succeeded, since Vir didn't, but he probably would have tried.) On the darker side of things, I wonder if G'Kar would have founded it harder to trust Sinclair than Sheridan given their backstory?

[wychwood]

He is when dealing with both Londo and G'Kar being asses in the strike episode in the middle of the season, and in the season finale he really goes out of his way to bring G'Kar around by diplomacy

Yeah, which, again, I'd expect from Sinclair. And - doesn't he actually help G'Kar get the plant he needs for his religious ceremony in Parliament of Dreams? IIRC he's the one who mentions the time delay, too. So he's certainly not anti-G'Kar in that sense. It's perfectly understandable that he's hostile here, either way; G'Kar has more than deserved it! *g*

On the darker side of things, I wonder if G'Kar would have founded it harder to trust Sinclair than Sheridan given their backstory?

Hmm, I don't know... I'm inclined to think that events would have played out pretty much the same way for either captain. With Londo, too. Neither Sheridan nor Sinclair is the type to let personal feelings get in the way of the necessary action, I don't think; we'd have had a few attempts at personal intervention more or less, but the basic outcomes would have been the same. The relationships would have evolved along the same lines...