Recap and Discussion 2 x 21 – Comes the Inquisitor

This is probably one of the most hated and most loved episodes of the entire series. It was pretty obvious to most early on who Sebastian was.

Here is the recap:

G’kar is telling all who will listen that the Centauri will come for them next… and few really listen. JMS refers to him as Cassandra, a prophet who no one listens to. Another Narn comes to him and says the other person wishes to speak to him.

Kosh tells Delenn that an inquisitor will be coming to determine if she is doing what she is for the right reason. Delenn and Lennier tell Sheridan.

G’kar hurries to meet with a black market arms dealer who agrees to sell him what he wants but at a high price. G’kar agrees and tells the man what his fate will be should he cross them.

In C&C, a Vorlon vessel forms a jumpgate and comes through. Ivanova tells Sheridan who goes to the docking bay to greet the new arrival. A man dressed in late 19th century garb gets off the ship, with tophat and cane.

He comments of the chaos and sin on the station and tells Sheridan he is Sebastian, a man from 19th Century London and that he has been sent by the Vorlons and wishes to get to work; Sheridan is concerned.

Garibaldi confronts G’kar about arms dealing on B5. G’kar does not deny it and Garibaldi tells him he has a contact who can help him do this off the station and thus out of trouble with the station.

Sheridan tells Delenn that she is to go to Grey 19, where things have been set per Sebastian’s wishes. She is sealed in. Sebastian begins. “Who are you?” He asks the same things over and over again, forcing her to examine her motives, her very existence. He even tells her she could die here.

A Centauri comes to Vir, asking a favor of Mollari but Vir sort of runs him and off quickly steps into the elevator with G’kar. Vir asks his forgiveness and G’kar says no, cuts his hand and says “dead” with every drop that falls. The dead cannot forgive.

Sebastian continues, finally asking Delenn if she has ever considered that she might be wrong and she answers “yes”. This seems to throw him and he tells her she can have a ten minute break.

G’kar is speaking the Narn on the station and they question his leadership. One of them finally says they will follow him if he can actually manage to get a message from this one’s family from the Narn homeworld. G’kar agrees.

Back in Grey 19, Delenn calls Sebastian a bully and he gets even worse in his treatment of her.

G’kar asks Sheridan if he can get a message to the Narn homeworld. Sheridan says he will do what he can and after G’kar is gone, he says this is a good job for the Rangers. He says they need to become more involved and this is a good start. He hopes cementying G’kar leadership might stabilize the Narn on the station somewhat as well.

Lennier finds a weak Delenn on the floor and asks her to stop but she refuses. He finally agrees to leave but ask Sheridan to stop this. Sheridan goes to Grey 19, weapon in hand. Sebastian throws him against the wall with some force from his cane and says the other player has arrived. He ask Sheridan "Are you willing to die friendless, alone, deserted by everyone?" Sheridan refuses to answer and finally Delnn demands that Sebastian stop. He asks her if she would die for Sheridan, for the cause and she says yes, because if she does another will take up the cause and another. She does not matter. Life matters and the fight will go on.

He tells her she and Sheridan pass.

Later in the C&C, John asks Ivanova to look up the address Sebastian gave him in the East End of London in 1888.

The Rangers do manage to get a message from the Narn homeworld and the Narn recognizer G’kar as their leader on the station.

Sebastian is leaving. John tells him that has found out something interesting and that he disappeared on November 12, 1888, the same time a grisly bunch of murders ended in White Chapel. Sebastian said he had been trying to clean up the city and the Vorlons had shown him that his reason were wrong and that he’d been doing penance for them ever since. He hopes his job is finally done: "Remembered not as a messenger, remembered not as a reformer, not as a prophet, not as a hero, not even as Sebastian...remembered only...as Jack."

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Quotes:
"This body is only a shell. You cannot touch me. You cannot harm me. I'm not afraid." ~ Delenn to Sebastian

"How do you know the chosen ones? No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions, .. not for glory, not for fame. For one person, .. in the dark .. where no one will ever know .. or see." ~ Sebastian

"At last, my job is finished. Yours is just beginning. When the darkness comes, know this: you are the right people, in the right place at the right time."~ Sebastian to John and Delenn

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Questions:
1. JMS took some flack for Jack the Ripper and his overuse on tv shows. Did you find the choice effective? Is there any other figure in history who would be better?
2. Was the purpose of the inquisition to find out if Delenn had the right motives OR was it to harden her resolve, to cement her and Sheridan’s commitment?
3. After seeing the shadows with Morden, did you find the ‘servant’ of the Vorlons any less horrifying? Did it make you wonder about the Vorlons?
4. Since the Vorlons had Sebastian since 1888, who exactly could they have used him on? He mentions others have not lived up to his inquisitions. The other war was way before Sebastian’s time…
5. Do you see any real change in G’kar yet?


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Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/guide/043.html
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517638/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Comes_the_Inquisitor
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comes_the_Inquisitor