"The Summoning" Discussion

[aris-tgd.livejournal.com]

This is the discussion post for the episode 4X03 "The Summoning." Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Zack makes a discovery in the search for Garibaldi. Delenn's plan to attack the Shadows runs into trouble. Ivanova and Marcus attempt to solicit aid from more First Ones.

Extra reading:
The article for "The Summoning" at The Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

Man, I always forget this episode has so much important stuff in it – possibly because it’s got such a bland title. I mean, alright, they can’t all be “Falling Towards Apotheosis”, but even the first season tended to do better with titles than this…

Anyway. Garibaldi and Sheridan – well, gotta agree with everyone else, I think it is a weakness of this arc that the show doesn’t realise Garibaldi’s concerns are actually justified. Captain returns from the dead with a weird old guy who won’t leave his side and won’t explain himself? Yeah, that kinda calls for more of an explanation than Sheridan gives. At the very least, someone should remember “Nobody returns from Z’ha’dum” isn’t entirely true – Nobody returns without being best buddies with the Shadows, maybe.

(And personally, I find it profoundly creepy the way Sheridan glances back at Lorien for support before launching into his big speech. Incidently, talking of the speech – it’s a bit overdramatic for my tastes, but I do like for once the League ambassadors are, while wrong, not presented as buffoons.)

I do think this arc needed Sheridan rather than Sinclair – Sinclair would have given the eventual betrayal more of a gut-punch, but would have removed what little subtlety existed about Garibaldi’s condition. And with Sheridan, there’s the little poignancy watching “Z’ha’dum” and realising that’s the first and last time the two of them will be show unconditionally trusting each other…

Unrelated, but – Lorien’s ship, the bird-thing? Is that actually a manifestation of him or something? Because that’s kinda weird, Sheridan flying back from Z’ha’dum inside Lorien – but if it’s a real ship, well, a, where’d Lorien get it, and b, is it just sitting in B5’s docking bay for the rest of the show’s run?

Obviously, as we’re building to the massive CGI resolution of the Shadow War, with teasing shots of thousands of Vorlon warships and superweapons… the most memorable scene is the one with a few actors in a dark room. Utterly painful to watch. If I were to nitpick, the only thing I’d say is that I feel it might be slightly more effective without the music. But that is nitpicking – one of the highlights of the show.

Ivanova/Marcus – not my favourite pairing, I’m afraid to say. Nothing against their scenes, they’re fun, they’re entertaining – but as it seems obvious Marcus was never going to ever openly say anything to Ivanova, well, I can’t maintain any interest in the relationship.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

At the very least, someone should remember “Nobody returns from Z’ha’dum” isn’t entirely true – Nobody returns without being best buddies with the Shadows, maybe.

I think I'll add something to my fanon, to wit, Franklin checking Sheridan for implants and implant scars, and Lyta scanning him after he volunteers for that to prove he's neither been lobotomized a la Anna nor won over a la Morden. Because that really should have been a possibility in people's minds.

Re: Lorien's ship: I've always assumed it's a part of himself he's able to manifest and reintegrate at will, and that it comes along to the big showdown and beyond the Rim.