What do you mean, after a while - he didn't get on your nerves from the get go? *veg*

I think if we had some indication Lorien was actually not conscious through the millennia and Sheridan woke him up, we'd avoid the very problem you address - why didn't he do anything before? Of course, this brings me to one of my general Lorien problems; I was completely with Garibaldi when from the next ep onwards he questions why they should trust and believe Lorien unhesitatingly, but annoyingly is simultanously signalled to be untrustworthy himself due to brainwashing, which means the counter-Lorien argument is devalued by a narrative trick. But more about that once we get to ep 4.


One thing I always like in this arc is the quick shifts from humor to darkness – Londo’s brilliant contrived explanation for why Cartagia should not execute him leading directly into G’Kar’s arrival in chains – which, of course is great because Cartagia himself is all about sudden and unsettling mood shifts.

Yes. It also showcases that Londo, when pressed to a wall, actually is great at improvisation (and using courtier/political skills). Up to this point in the show, we've never seen him without support in critical situations, whether it's by Our Heroes (freeing Adira with Sinclair's help) or the villains (getting the Eye back via Morden, and the Shadow vessels available to fight Narn with a season later). In his scenes with Cartagia, he's usually (one or two times with Vir excepted) alone, and has to survive based on nothing but his wits.