"Between the Darkness and the Light" discussion

[ruuger]

Sorry for the lateness of this.

This is the discussion post for the episode 4X19, "Between the Darkness and the Light". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Ivanova continues to lead the fleet against Clark's forces while Franklin, Lyta and Garibaldi set out to rescue Sheridan.

Extra reading:
The article for "Between the Darkness and the Light" at The Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Didn't have time to rewatch until now, hence the belated comment.

As has been said: were this fanfic, it would be a blatant fix-it. Garibaldi disgraced? Wham, he's rehabilitated. Sheridan captured and tortured? Wham, he's free and recovered with lightning speed, able to assume command of the Agamemnon. All this being said, I had forgotten the guard's rant about tv and the "liberal media elite" to Garibaldi, which cracked me up (as JMS' potshots at conservatives go, this is one of the best), and consider the entire liberation sequence worth it.

Ivanova's big speech: I didn't have a problem with it being directed at an anonymous fleet; Delenn's big "he is behind me; you are in front of me; if you value your lives, be elsewhere" speech wasn't directed at big names, either. Claudia Chistian delivers it beautifully.

Something else I had forgotten: this is where we get our first clear indication that Lyta's modified powers now exceed even a P12. (She had been able to block Bester in Epiphanies but that proved only an equal level; being able to by pass his own blocks means hers are stronger.) Perhaps even more importantly, this is also where Lyta, previously very much "I can't do that!" about scanning people without permission, starts to use her powers to get what she wants if necessary, as seen by her projecting Garibaldi's memories into Number One.

Londo, G'Kar and League of Non-Alligned Worlds: I like the fact that here the League members don't need to be tricked or intimidated but agree on the support by their own decisions (and the Londo-G'Kar double teaming, of course).

Not all defectors being genuine but some spying for Clark: glad that came up, because it sounds plausible this would happen.

...in conclusion: I, too, wish JMS had known sooner he'd get season 5 and would have dispersed the good scenes here across various episodes, but as blatant fix-its go, this isn't the worst.