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b5_revisited2010-04-26 08:27 am
ruuger) wrote in b5_revisited2010-04-26 08:27 am
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"Z'ha'dum" discussion
This is the discussion post for the episode 3X22 "Z'ha'dum". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.
Summary:
Anna Sheridan returns.
Extra reading:
The article for "Z'ha'dum" at Lurker's Guide.
Summary:
Anna Sheridan returns.
Extra reading:
The article for "Z'ha'dum" at Lurker's Guide.
I.
Anna: is, in addition to Talia, probably the most screwed over character of the show. You can make an argument that every other character of note might be tested by the universe, but in a way that allows them to pass or fall by their own decisions. Their fate is the result of what they themselves chose to do (or not to do). Not so for Anna Sheridan (and actually all the telepaths plugged into Shadow vessels as well). She only decided to be an archaelogist and go on an interplanetary expedition. What the Shadows to those who, unlike Morden, don't join the club voluntarily is actually their most chilling action and biggest argument against some fanfic interpretation of them as proponents of free will. I always felt immensely sorry for Anna, and couldn't help speculating that there probably was a tiny bit of her left and locked in her mind while the brainwashed rest did the Shadow's bidding, which made it even more horrible for her.
I didn't become a fan of the classic British show Blake's 7 until after already having seen all of B5, otherwise I'd have twigged what was to come re: Anna from the moment Sheridan revealed his widower's backstory in s2, because the Anna Sheridan storyline strongly resembles the one of Anna Grant in B7 (introduced as the tragic lost love of Avon in s2, revealed to be alive and working for the enemy in a crucial position in s3). With the key difference that Anna Grant acted of free will, whereas Anna Sheridan got zombified. I'm not sure whether it would have made a better story if she had joined Team Shadow voluntarily, though, because Sheridan's quiet question, revealing he realised the implication between Franklin's discovery of Anna having identical scars to Carolyn Sanderson long ago, is such a powerful moment.
Otherwise, the big exposition scene near the end is somewhat problematic, because Justin is such a let down, laziest exposition character after Lorien, if you ask me. Otoh, the revelation that the Shadow/Vorlon struggle is ideological in nature rather and not in a good/evil way, that the Vorlons conditioned the younger races to respond to them as divine beings and created telepaths, was a great twist. I remember most fans I knew in real life doubting it because Morden says so and Morden is a bad guy, and being stunned when s4 confirmed it to be true.
The Delenn/Sheridan argument is actually more moving to non-shipper me than several of their love scenes, not least because it's the only example of Sheridan addressing Delenn's manipulativeness, and he's not wrong, and yet you can understand her pov as well.
Re: I.
II.
As for Garibaldi: poor Garibaldi. I'm not sure how exactly the Psi Corps knew how to capture him at this particular point (we're certainly misled to assume he ends up a Shadow prisoner). Back in the day, he was probably the character I was most worried about in the cliffhanger ending, because while I was now ready to believe B5 would sacrifice its leading man, I still thought it was more likely they'd keep him. Garibaldi, otoh, had no leading man survival odds, and so might actually end up dead.
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Very good episode, very important episode, of course, but since positive reviews tend not to spark much discussion around here, I thought I’d instead focus on the bits of the episode I dislike.
Anna Sheridan – well, for all the build-up and foreshadowing, she proves to be nothing more than a plot device to get Sheridan to Z’ha’dum. The most interesting scene involving her is Sheridan confronting Delenn, and, of course, she’s not in it. I think one problem is that Sheridan finds out extremely quickly that it’s not really Anna, the other problem is that, well, we don’t actually know Anna, so finding that out doesn’t have much impact.
(On the other hand, if it had been, say, Sinclair and Catherine Sakai, this episode would probably have ended up giving me the same nightmares as “Divided Loyalties”, so I guess I’m not really complaining.)
And it does undercut the Shadow’s philosophies that their emissary is a brainwashed drone. It’s kind of a shame we never really got a sense of what false Anna was like – she screams when killed, which to me implies there is some sort of self-aware independent mind there with some autonomy, not just an organic robot. I kind of want to see a fic where she survives and… I don’t know, commiserates with Lyta after the end of the Shadow war? I don’t know, I just feel there’s some lost potential there.
And then there’s Justin. Alright, who the hell is he? Is he Icarus crew? Some sort of Earth liaison to the Shadows? And while I get the idea, the irony that the fearsome Shadows communicate through a nice unthreatening old man who drinks camomile tea… well, isn’t that just a variant of Morden’s own smiling, charming and helpful personality? Cut him entirely, split his exposition between false Anna and Morden, and I think the big exposition scene would be a lot stronger – if nothing else, after “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum”, Morden and Sheridan really needed another big confrontation.
(I do find myself agreeing with selenak that it would have been very interesting to keep Sheridan dead
because it would eliminate Lorienbecause after all the discussion here about how if he died, someone would replace him, it’d be fun to have a season four with, I don’t know, I guess a triumvirate of Delenn, Ivanova and G’Kar leading the war and founding the ISA? Would also get rid of some of the more problematic elements of the later political plots…)Alright, one positive note – while I find Sheridan’s logic dubious in the extreme, I do love that he is apparently perfectly happy to sacrifice everything and walk into an obvious trap… to prevent the destruction of Centauri Prime. Now there’s a guy who understands what the show he’s in is about!
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(On the other hand, if it had been, say, Sinclair and Catherine Sakai, this episode would probably have ended up giving me the same nightmares as “Divided Loyalties”, so I guess I’m not really complaining.)
Point taken. I am glad Catherine escaped Anna's fate, which most likely would have been hers had Sinclair remained the leading man. I think the s2 ep where we get to see the Anna messages via Sheridan's sister was supposed to give an impression of what she was like as a person, which helps feeling the loss of that person, but that doesn't always work, and of course there wasn't exactly room for lengthy flashbacks on Sheridan's part. (Hm. Otoh, I think Atonment gives us a good impression of what Dukhat was like, and his relationship with Delenn.) I have to confess my own idea of Anna Sheridan was mostly formed by roleplay over at
Cut him entirely, split his exposition between false Anna and Morden, and I think the big exposition scene would be a lot stronger – if nothing else, after “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum”, Morden and Sheridan really needed another big confrontation.
I'm with you. That would have been much better.
Alright, one positive note – while I find Sheridan’s logic dubious in the extreme, I do love that he is apparently perfectly happy to sacrifice everything and walk into an obvious trap… to prevent the destruction of Centauri Prime. Now there’s a guy who understands what the show he’s in is about!
Oh yes. *pets Sheridan, bless his Centauri-friendly soul* It's also the only dubious explanation, other than complete amnesia post Z'ha'dum, for his inability to put 2 + 2 together in season 5. He could have been so majorly invested in the idea that he saved Centauri Prime by going to Z'ha'dum that his subconscious refused to acknowledge any other possibility.
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The meeting with Anna, Morden and 'Justin' does shed lots of light on the Shadows and the Vorlons. The petulant children of the old ones. I thought it was rather silly that Sheridan insisted on knowing who the old man was only to be told he was Justin... was that supposed to mean something? Perhaps he was Dr. Chang... or a PsiCorps operative.
I loved the explosion! Take that, Shadows!
I guess here I am actually reminded that JMS was very influenced by Tolkien even down to the name of Z'ha'dum. Sheridan's death even parallels the death of Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm in Moria.
I really hate what is done to Michael but it is sort of foreshadowed all through the third season, I thought. I do rememeber thinking that the shadows had taken him, as we all were supposed to think.
Londo and G'kar serve as historians for what has happened thus far too, I think with their speeches.
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It's always hard for me to see Sheridan fighting with Delenn - yes, he does have justification for being angry with her, but it's still hard for me to watch it. :(
The moment I think best sums up that 'no one is home' in Anna Sheridan, is when she's privately looking at at her wedding pictures with a blank/empty look in her eyes. Well, that's how I interpret it, anyway.
The scene at the end where Anna is walking towards John, tempting him, reminds me of the scene in 'Empire Strikes Back' where Vader is tempting Luke. Similar to Luke, all Sheridan can feel is horror at what he's hearing, before the jump into a pit. Hmm, wonder how the ending of 'Empire' would have been if Luke had programmed his X-wing to crash through the roof... ok, too much thinking on my part there!
The scene where the incandescent White Star crashes through the skylight always gives me goosebumps.
One of the scariest moments of this episode is when you see Garibaldi being carried away by a Shadow ship. Brr...
G'kar's speech at the end never fails to bring a lump to my throat.
I should re-read the third 'Technomage' novel again, as some of it is set at the same time as this episode, and as well as Galen, looks at the POV of Anna, Kosh (what's left of him inside Sheridan) and gives an explanation too of what happens to Morden at the end. Galen rules! *cough*
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The fight with Delenn was heartbreaking but necessary. I felt bad for him because now that he had finally gotten to the point of loving her, he felt betrayed and used by her. Let's face it, she and her buddy Kosh had been manipulating things all along and now, she's going to pay the price. He had to walk away from her at that point though. He would never have left her if he turned around after she told him she loved him. I can understand her point of view, though.She had to do what she thought was best to defeat the Shadows, even at the cost to her personally.
I think he realized that this was a way to strike a blow that would set the Shadows back and he was always willing to sacrifice himself to defeat them. I think he also felt that maybe he could avoid the future he saw on Centauri Prime during his flash forward if he did this. The most interesting part of the episode is how the Shadow agents were portrayed as seemingly reasonable people. The revelation of just what has been happening finally puts the the Vorlons into proper perspective. How annoying to see they had been used as pawns by two races trying to promote their respective ideologies.
Being a long time TV and science fiction fan, I wasn't too worried about the cliffhanger aspect. I knew some sort of Deus ex machina was coming next season and I was pleasantly surprised to see it had a price.
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To me, this episode is all about the concurrence and conflict between the personal and the political.
With Sheridan and Delenn, there is the painful realization (and omg how painful it is) of the conflict. At this point, their relationship is hampering their work on their political goals. Sheridan has to deal with his feelings of personal betrayal, and ends up making (what turns out to be) the right decision for the wrong reasons. Delenn's tendency to secretiveness and behind-the-scenes manipulation hits back at her, and her subsequent guilt and remorse threaten to ruin all their plans.
The concurrence comes with Londo and Vir (and later G'Kar) in the next episodes.
As you would probably guess, Sheridan and Delenn's story means the most to me. This is some of the best acting both of them do; and Anna adds that bite of angst that makes it all work. I see Delenn as a bit at sea here; it is only a few months since Kosh's death. She's lost Sinclair, who was working closely with her. The new Kosh isn't as involved. She believes, fervently, that those who go to Z'ha'dum will die (or be changed...that's a new option) and is facing the fact that she doesn't want Sheridan to go, or to die. It's not a pleasant position to be in. I particularly love her painful honesty in answering his question with 'it would depend...on what she had become.'
This and the next few episodes are pivotal in their becoming true and equal partners in the war, and in life.
Asides: I think Anna's story is very realistic. Bad things do happen to good people, through no fault of their own, particularly in war. Although the series is all about choices, consequences, and responsibility; sometimes you have no choice at all.
And I have never bought Sheridan's lame idea that he was going to save Centauri Prime. I think he wanted to go (and knew he would have to--Kosh told him that) and make a grand gesture. Along with a smidgeon of revenge and burning resentment at what they had done to Anna. If he hadn't, all would have been lost, since it's his symbolic resurrection that brings the other races back into line, and his understanding of what it's all about (very prophetic of Anna to tell him he would only know if he went to Z'ha'dum) that leads to the resolution of the war.