"The Excercise of Vital Powers" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 4X16, "The Excercise of Vital Powers". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Garibaldi meets with William Edgars and Franklin asks Lyta's help in communicating with the frozen telepaths.

Extra reading:
The article for "The Excercise of Vital Powers" at The Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

This episode's main claim to fame, if you're a Centauriphile like myself, is that it is the one JMS wrote an entire fake script for to prank the actors, the fake script containing the Londo/G'Kar hook-up. Before rewatching. Tongue not entirely in cheek comment: I wish they'd filmed that one.

More seriously: actually, this episode is better than I remember. The weakness is that I think JMS is going for a Gilda vibe with Edgars, Lise and Garibaldi, and none of the three fits for the roles assigned. But as far as minor villains go, Edgars is actually a good one, plausibly motivated from his pov, and JMS adds a touch that makes the telepath experimenting more, not less chilling, Edgars showing - in his mind - compassion by ordering to "put them down" instead of letting them suffer through the experiments he himself ordered. It's the kind of thing that makes Edgars both more believable and frightening than, say, the xenophobia-ranting what's his name Ivanova used to date in an s1 episode.

Also, the paralleling of this plot with the B5 one where Sheridan comes clean about how he intends to use the frozen telepaths to Franklin is effective. Mind you, I could have done without Franklin's "when he came back from Z'ha'dum, everyone talked about how different Sheridan was, but I couldn't see it, until now" line, because that's retconning within the same season - NOBODY talked about how different Sheridan was, except Garibaldi, which was an important plot point back then. Anyway: Sheridan intending to sacrifice the telepaths for the greater good, Edgars doing and intending to do the same - the emotional difference is that the audience trusts Sheridan, being the hero of the show, to do this really to free Earth and not to grab power for himself, whereas Edgars, being a minor villain within a single season, is more likely to go after power for his own sake. Presumably most of the telepaths who die in either's cause would not care that much about this difference.

Back when we rewatched s1 I thought they basically dropped the "Psi Corps is in bed with Clark and actually pulls Clark's strings" insinuations after ca. the middle of s2, but actually we get a wrap up of that particular subplot here, via Edgars, which is neat, continuity wise, and the retrospective explanation he gives - Clark using telepaths out of paranoia and gives the Corps more and more power - even works with what he doesn't mention - Clark simultanously handing over Psi Corps telepaths to the Shadows as canon fodder. Presumably Clark thought this way they'd cancel each other out and be both useful to him.

Rare blood disease: only relevant if you've read the novels, specifically the Psi Corps trilogy, but I thought, ah, that's where Greg Reyes got this plot point from.

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

Of course, amusingly, the reclusive Edgars seems pretty unlikely to try and seize power publically, while Sheridan... does not exactly fade from public life after liberating Earth.