Recap and discussion for 5 x 8 – Day of the Dead

First, I had originally had our shows in the JMS order from the Lurker’s Guide but had already rewatched half of the episode before I realized that the DVD order was not the same so we will be doing them in DVD order and I will change the listing to reflect that.

If the last 2 episodes were some of the worst ones in the entire series, this was one of the best, I think. It was written by Neil Gaiman. JMS says that Neil already had an idea and he studied the characters, etc. and wrote a script. JMS added the message from Kosh.

The episode opens with Rebo and Zooty arriving.


Lochley agrees to sell a part of Babylon 5 to the Brakiri for the night for a religious ceremony.

The Brakiri are selling skull candy and one of them asks Londo who would he talk to if he could talk to the dead? He answers the first Centauri emperor. The Brakiri says “May the comet bring you wisdom,” as he hands him the skull.


Lennier comes aboard and says hello to Delenn. He says he has come for the Day of the Dead and is pleased when he finds out Rebo and Zooty are on the station.

Delenn tells him that John is hosting a cocktail party for the comedians – we see John introduce them and we see that Lochley is not amused at all. Rebo says Zooty has never broken character expect once to say “why?”

She leaves for her meeting with the Brakiri ambassador when a Brakiri hands her a skull as well. She agrees even though G’kar tries to stop her, telling her that strange things happen on the Day of the Dead.

John arrives at the cocktail party with Delenn. Delenn finds Rebo and Zooty funny.

Lochley is in her quarters an can only find Rebo and Zooty on her tv.

At sunset, an actual line forms to cordon off the Brakiri part of the station.

G;kar shows up in the C7C and asks Corwin oif he can sleep there as he does not want to be caught in the Day of the Dead in his own quarters.

Lochley’s power dims and the light is red. She tries to call C&C.

Londo is drinking and talking to a painting of the first emperor when someone ‘appears’ in his room. It is Adira. He is thrilled, telling her he’d give up everything to have her back. She doesn’t seem inclined to waste what time she has.


Garibaldi wakes from sleep and hear someone in his shower. He grabs his gun from beneath his pillow and goes to the shower, where he finds Dodger, his GROPOS friend who was killed in battle right after she left B5. She knows she’s dead and thinks it’s some sort of trick.


The computer tells Lockley that Sheridan is out of range. A young woman comes in and asks where she is. Elizabeth Lochley tells her that she went home with her father and joined the military. Lochley asks Zoe if it was an accident. She says she doesn’t remember. Zoe seems to remember that they had lots of fun but Lochley says all she remembers is being cold sick and hungry all the time. We can see that Zoe has little in common with Lochley now.


Corwin calls Sheridan and tells him about how part of the station has kind of disappeared and what Lochley had done. Sheridan tells Delenn and the comedians to continue without him. He leaves to investigate.

Dodger tells Garibaldi that she doesn’t have any wisdom that she didn’t have before she died: she doesn’t believe in ghosts and any Emily Dickinson song can be sung to the tune of The Yellow Rose of Texas.

Lennier is meditating when his visitor arrives. His visitor is Morden. He says he’s dead and this is his job. Lennier says he has come for the wisdom and Morden tells him wisdom does not come from the dead. Lennier tells him to go away but Morden says he can’t. Lennier tries to leave but he can’t.


Sheridan walked into the C&C and sees G’kar. Corwin tells Sheridan that G’kar did not want to be in Brakiri space for Day of the Dead. John asks Corwin if they can find a way to contact Lochley.

Morden tells Lennier that he can’t walk away. He tells Lennier that he will betray the Rangers and Lennier doesn’t want to talk anymore.

Zoe tells Liz that they are on the Brikiri homeworld. Liz tries to figure out a way to contact B5.

Dodger asks Garibaldi about Lise and she says she’s jealous because Lise is alive and she has him even if he’s old.

Lochley contacts Garibaldi and asks him to help her contact C&C and he does.

Londo is in bed with Adira and Lochley comes on, telling everyone what has happened and he turns the sound off. Adira tells him she is a dream.

Garibaldi doesn’t pay attention to Dodger until he gets Lochley’s task done.

Rebo and Zooty tell Delenn that they want to stop comedy and do something more important. John tells them their work is important.

Lochley calls John from Brakiri space.

Morden leaves, telling Lennier to think of him as a brief electromagnetic anomaly that tried to tell him some things for his own good then he disappears.

Dodger quotes:
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.
and she leaves.
Zoe says she has a message from someone named Kosh and that she remembers and she did kill herself.

The Brakiri are cleaning up the next morning. John asks Lochley why she sold part of the station for the night and she told him that she thought it was a metaphor. She gives him Kosh’s message: "When the long night comes, return to the end of the beginning."

G’kar says he regrets having missed the Day of the Dead, as the people who experienced it seem at peace.

Londo thinks Rebo and Zooty are funny. Zooty whispers a message to John: “Because it tells me to.”


*

Quotes:
Customs Guard: Anything to declare?
Rebo: [brightly] I have nothing to declare, my dear man, except my genius!
[He unzips the bag, and Zooty unfolds from inside.]
Zooty: [through his machine] And I have nothing to declare but Rebo's genius either! Zootyzoot, zoot, zoot!

Lt. David Corwin: There seems to be a slight problem, sir. It's kind of hard to explain. We seem to be missing a piece of the station. We can't reach it. We can't communicate with it.
John Sheridan: That piece is almost a square mile across. You can't just lose something that big.
Lt. Corwin: I agree, but it's still missing.


*

Questions
1. Do you think they were really in Brakiri space and the ‘ghosts’ were real or was it some telepathic trick or dream?
2. What did you think of Rebo and Zooty?
3. Which of the ghosts was your favorite? Why?
4. Was Zoe annoying?
5. Did you catch it the poem that Dodger sang that was not Emily Dickinson?


*

Sources:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517643/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead_(Babylon_5)
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/096.html
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead
Wikiquote: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Babylon_5#Day_of_the_Dead