"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" discussion
Oct. 11th, 2009 11:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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b5_revisitedThis is the discussion post for the episode 2X17, "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.
Summary:
Sheridan finds out about a connection between Morden and Anna. Night Watch begins to recruit members on Babylon 5.
Extra reading:
The article for "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" at Lurker's Guide.
Summary:
Sheridan finds out about a connection between Morden and Anna. Night Watch begins to recruit members on Babylon 5.
Extra reading:
The article for "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" at Lurker's Guide.
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Date: 2009-10-12 06:01 am (UTC)Rewatch thoughts with the benefit of hindsight: This, Interludes and Examinations and Z'ha'dum are probably the best Sheridan-centric episodes of the show, and if I had to choose between the three, In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum would win. The moment early on when he says "my wife and my career" were the two things which defined him resonates with the central "who are you?" question as he's going to have to give up the career and in a way kill his wife again. "Who are you?" is also a question for the viewers who up to this episode have only seen Sheridan in the standard "heroic captain/leading man" role. What I admire about this episode is that the show doesn't try to justify his treatment of Morden with "but he's a villain/Morden is guilty". That's why the scene with Garibaldi is so important. (Also for Garibaldi's characterisation, btw. As opposed to Zack, whose willingness to join Night Watch in the subplot is paralleled with his willingness to accept Sheridan's orders even though he knows as well as Garibaldi did what Sheridan does is illegal.)
The very brief Shadows materialisation scene is still as effective as ever. So is Vir's scene with Morden. I find it interesting that Morden is the one person whose death Vir really rejoices in later on; as opposed to even Cartagia. (Though you could argue Vir getting drunk after Cartagia's death is because he's the one who had to do it, I suppose, and that he wouldn't have if the assassination had happened as planned with Londo as the killer.) Oh, and since Londo obliges Vir by really putting Morden's head on a pike, I wonder who told Londo of Vir's words to Morden - Morden or Vir?
This episode also marks the return of Delenn's determined and steely side, and a welcome return it is, after seeing her crumble in tears in the last couple of episodes. Incidentally, I don't think she had actual confirmation about Anna's alive or dead status, but she knew it was a possibility, and also that she couldn't afford Sheridan to contemplate an alive Anna. Hence point blank economy with the truth.
Franklin's "do you believe in God?" talk with Ivanova: back then, it struck me as another example that this show has its characters have religious beliefs of various kinds as opposed to most other genre shows. It's more common now, but I still like the way JMS uses religions convictions, or lack of same, for his characters.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-14 03:03 am (UTC)I don't think anyone told Londo about what Vir said to Morden. Putting criminals' heads on pikes as a warning was fairly common in a variety of Earth cultures; the way Vir mentions it so casually and so concretely, I'm fairly certain the Centauri have the same system. He wasn't talking about something he was going to do, or something he was having to make up; this was the natural consequence of Morden's actions, and Vir just wanted to be around to see it, and he wanted it to happen sooner rather than later.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 06:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 02:47 pm (UTC)What makes Sheridan so important in the coming war is his constant willingness to put aside smaller, more personal concerns, in favour of the bigger ones. Here it is letting go of the man who survived his wife's accident. Later he chooses to leave Earth Force in order to face Clark's shadow allies. This harks back to 'the Third Principle of Sentient Life' we saw in "A Voice in the Wilderness". Sheridan is willing to put aside even his strongest personal connections in favour of an ideal.
But, I have to say, the part I enjoy most about this episode is the increasing oddness Sheridan encounters. Without knowledge of the Shadows he picks up an obscure guy who no-one else should have much interest in. He expects resistance from his crew, because he knows what he's doing is illegal, and moreover wrong, but then for no apparent reason, he's confronted by increasingly assertive pressure from ambassadors who have no apparent reason for helping Morden. The sheer incredulity he shows when Vir gives Morden diplomatic immunity is, for me, the best scene in the episode.
Vir - "As an official guest of the Centauri Republic he is allowed diplomatic immunity..."
Sheridan - *boggles*
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 08:16 pm (UTC)Then I, um, got the point, that we're not supposed to cheer him on. What can I say, post-9/11 politics and B5 make a strange mix.
What I've really come to love here is the way Sheridan's behaviour comes so close to Clark's. That's what makes him, and the Earth civil war, so interesting to me. (That's also what makes me raise my eyebrows a whole lot at the Sheridan-love that takes over the last season. Ah well, what is fandom for, but to explain how the writers are wrong?)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 11:05 am (UTC)re: hero worship for Sheridan later on - to me that was best analyzed by (I think) Kds as the problem you get when you try to marry a traditional type of epic narrative with an attempt at storytelling with democratic rules. Aragorn can become king in RotK without anyone casting a vote, and we can take it for granted he'll be a good king. But Sheridan is supposed to be a president, not a war leader anymore, and suddenly we have the problem that what we see is one thing (he's not very good at it) and what we hear is another (he's the old ideal of the warrior-hero ruling by nearly universal acclaim and starting a legendary golden age). Think also of BSG which started with good intentions - in the commentaries for the miniseries you get Ron Moore saying one of the reasons why he invented Roslin as a character was that he didn't like that in the old show, the Quorum were shown as small-minded tools and Adama was always right overruling them, and he wanted a civilian authority as well - and ended up with a story where Roslin and Adama were literally in bed together and always right while the Quorum was always wrong. I think the only series who managed to pull off a narrative where there was a good head of goverment who was, nonetheless, not always right, and whose opponents had understandable motives and were right on occasion as well, in short, showed a practising democracy instead of a fantasy monarchy in disguise was The West Wing.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 07:30 pm (UTC)Sad fact: it's really just a matter of weeks since I watched "Intersections", but I can't remember either.
But Sheridan is supposed to be a president, not a war leader anymore, and suddenly we have the problem that what we see is one thing (he's not very good at it) and what we hear is another (he's the old ideal of the warrior-hero ruling by nearly universal acclaim and starting a legendary golden age).
I read an old interview with Bruce Boxleitner recently, where he said he drew a lot of Sheridan from leaders like Churchill, Eisenhower and MacArthur. Which I thought was really telling, because with the exception of Eisenhower, they weren't really men known for their successes after WW2. And MacArthur was deeply unpopular outside of America, particularly in Australia, where he had a base.
As for a legendary golden age -- congratulations, dude, you have invented the Federation. Countdown to creation of Section 31 in five, four, three...
...fantasy monarchy in disguise...
There's a bit in "The Lost Tales" where Sheridan refers to ISA HQ as "the royal palace". A Freudian slip, but his, or JMS's? I'm not saying that it keeps me up at night, but I did once wake up wondering about it.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 12:01 am (UTC)Having said that, this is the episode where the whole thing begins to come together. Delenn and Kosh begin their, for lack of a better word, manipulation of Sheridan and Sheridan finally digs his heels in and begins to actually become what he is in later seasons. For me, Sheridan always was more of an idea than a man.
Vir also begins to become what he will be in the far future. I cheered him when he told Morden what he wanted and I cheered when it came to pass. Vir is probably what Londo may have once been but he lacks Londo's obsession to bring Centauri Prime back to its former glory. Somewhere along the line, Vir seems to actually have developed a sense of morality. Sometimes he does nothing about it but sometimes he does.
Night Watch seems almost like an afterthought in the story but is, in many ways the most insidious thing about the whole episode.
OH and the shadows looked like evil spiders to me!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 09:26 am (UTC)As other people have pointed out, this episode looks a little different today in a political environment where, well, it may still be ‘traditional’ to charge someone with a crime before holding them indefinably, but it’s no longer guaranteed… Been a while since I saw this one, so I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded just how strongly Garibaldi and Ivanova are opposed to Sheridan’s actions.
Zack gets his first major role in a story, and manages to both be the only character to go along with Sheridan and join the Nightwatch all in the one episode. On that note – you know what bugs me about the Nightwatch? Their sinister logo and black-yellow colour scheme. Give them a nice friendly logo, and they might be a bit ambiguous. Then again, we’re hearing the phrase “Ministry of Peace”, so I guess subtlety was never really on the cards here.
Odd to realise we’re almost at the end of season two, and this is really only the first major Sheridan-focused episode. There’s some interesting hints of darker and selfish elements of his character here that I wish had been dealt with more later in the series; it’s interesting that the episode ends with him going to Kosh… and demanding Kosh give him what he wants.
Minor notes:
- Random thing that bugs me: We get introduced to the Walkers at Sigma 957 in “Mind War”, Delenn’s description of the First Ones here is clearly intended to echo G’Kar and talks about them aiding in the last Shadow war, early season four Ivanova convinces them to join the war… and then they go beyond the Rim with everyone else having never done anything whatsoever. Were they always meant to be such an anti-climax, or were they part of some discarded plot thread? Can’t help but think they should have been merged with Lorien somehow.
- The “Morden is never alone” thing? I don’t buy it. I mean, sure, the Shadows might *like* to be following him all the time, but they’re pretty big and seem to be only invisible, not incorporeal. I gotta assume most of the time when Morden’s off doing business, his escorts have fallen miles behind, having stepped aside to prevent someone running into them and are now stuck somewhere waiting for the crowds to thin a little so they can catch up with Morden… *grin*
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 06:04 pm (UTC)Great points both, which I hadn't considered.
Then again, we’re hearing the phrase “Ministry of Peace”, so I guess subtlety was never really on the cards here.
Depends on whether or not JMS trusted his viewers on being familiar with George Orwell.:) But yes. I haven't heard the audio commentary this time, but as I recall on it, and it was recorded ca. 2002 or 2003, he says he thought he was exaggarating there until the PATRIOT Act came along. Ahem.
I'm very amused imagining Morden's escorts stuck in elevators complete with muzak now, thanks!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-14 10:11 am (UTC)And I just watched the Max Payne speedrun, where you enter an elevator with muzak and can shoot the speaker, to which Max goes "thank you!".
So I'm picturing Morden entering a crowded elevator (where do the Shadows stand? don't ask!), the doors close and that "doot doo doo dooooo" starts, then he does that trademark Morden smile, the lights flicker, and fffpzzzzt there's no more music.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-14 12:53 pm (UTC)