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[personal profile] alexcat
Rewatch for Season2, Episode 16 – In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum

Here are the recaps:
Dreamwidth
And
Livejournal

And the Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5 has a lot of info for this episode.

This episode is another jam packed and maybe the MOST important episode so far. It tells us finally what is happening and ties together many of the hinted at mysteries of the last 2 seasons.

JMS said this and it’s the one truth about this show:
The key, again and always, is that nothing is what it seems on Babylon 5. And even if it looks like it IS what it is, you have to look at WHY it is what it is...and maybe at that point it isn't.

We have Morden’s encounter with Vir. Vir is actually the one true good man who is always good through the whole series, even when he had to do a bad thing.


Sheridan sees Morden in the crew list for Anna’s ship, the Icarus and has him held on the station. Morden gives him no answers and he refuses to let him go. Delenn and Kosh are forced to tell Sheridan what is going on finally. And they convince him to let Morden go so the Shadows won’t know they’re on to them.
16_MordenShadows

Also, we meet the representative of the Ministry of Peace… and we see the Night Watch armbands. We have our Nazis at last. They’re offering 50 credits a week to anyone who will spy on their neighbors and report bad thoughts and actions. Zack joins for the credits.
16_Piercemacabee

So we are set up for the rest of the season! Hang on! All hell is about to break loose!
[identity profile] alexcat.livejournal.com
Post them if you have them.

Mr. Morden with his ever present friends.
16_MordenShadows

The horror from home - Mr. Macabee and the Night Watch.
16_Piercemacabee
[identity profile] alexcat.livejournal.com
I am sorry this is late. I went to the hospital on Monday with a kidney stone and didn't get home until yesterday. I hope to get next Monday up on time... I have to go back for a laser surgery to remove to the stone next Tuesday.

~~~

Recap and discussion for 2 x 16 – In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum

This is the biggie, folks. The proverbial s*^# hits the fan when John sees Morden in a list of the crew of the Icarus that Anna had given to him before she left.

Garibaldi and Allen are watching the refugees from Narn come in. There are more than they have room for.

Morden meets Vir in the Zocalo, tells Vir he wanted to see Londo. Vir says he isn’t on the station. Morden asks Vir what he wants and Vir answers him: I'd like to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up at your lifeless eyes and wave like this. The he wags his fingers in a wave. Morden is angry but he gives Vir a data crystal.

Garibaldi goes to talk to Sheridan about the Narn refugees and John is going through Anna’s things. The photos of Anna’s crewmates on the Icarus are flashing on the screen and Garibaldi recognizes Morden, saying he’s been on the station before.

Garibaldi finds that Morden is still on the station so John asks him to detain him. He wants some answers.

A man named Pierce Macabee visits Talia, telling her he is the regional director for a new government ministry – the Ministry of Peace, and he is giving a lecture and her superiors said she might be of some help or support to him. She agrees to go to the meeting.

Susan catches Franklin dozing and orders him to get some rest and food.

Zack detains Morden when he tries to leave the station. Morden argues about being detained illegally and Sheridan tells him that the dead have no legal recourse. He tells Sheridan that he was rescued by a passing ship and denies any knowledge of Anna.

Franklin eats and drinks and tells Ivanova of his nightmares and of his religion: Foundationist.

John tried to catch Morden in a lie.

The Ministry of Peace meeting begins. Zack is there as well as Talia. The man talks about subversive thoughts and talks about the Nightwatch, designed to watch for bad thought. He encourages the people at the meeting to join for 50 credits a week and all they have to do is keep an eye out fopr troublemakers.

Garibaldi tells Sheridan that he has to let Morden go but he refuses; Garibaldi resigns.

Sheridan makes Zack the head of security and sends him to find Talia. Ivanova talks to Sherodan about Morden. Vir gives him a formal request from the Centauri to release Morden as he is protected by their diplomatic immunity. He refuses, saying Morden is in protective custody.

Talia refuses to scan Morden but Sheridan has her escorted back to her quarters and making sure she is in eye range of Morden. We see what she sees…the shadows. She collapses and goes to Medlab.

Delenn and Kosh ask Sheridan to release Morden and finally, they tell him that they will tell him what Morden won’t but he just release him.

He agrees and Delenn tells him of the Old Ones and how all of them are gone except for one race: the Vorlons, who guard until the ‘shadows’ come again. And she is convinced that they are coming. The message sghe’d sent Kosh before she transformed was “Have the Shadows returned to Z’ha’dum?” and his answer had been yes.

Kosh shows Anna’s ship landing on Z’ha’dum and awakening the shadows, and all the crew had to serve the shadows or die.

Delenn tells him he must let Morden go so the Shadows do nt find out how much they know – last time, the shadows knew and caught them unready. She says they are not yet ready but will be soon. She tells him that Morden is NEVER alone.

Sheridan tells Zack to let Morden go – that they must not let the enemy know who much they know and tells a story about Churchill sacrificing British civilians for the greater good and Zack says: “How many lives is a secret worth?”

Sheridan adjusts the monitor in Morden’s cell until the shadows show up…

Garibaldi comes back.

Morden leaves.

Sheridan asks Kosh to teach him how to fight the shadows and tells him that he will go to Z’ha’dum. Kosh tells him if he does, he will die. John is not deterred.


Zack joins the Nightwatch but doesn’t take it seriously.


*

Quotes:

Morden: What do you want?
Vir Cotto: I'd like to live just long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up at your lifeless eyes and wave like this. [gives a mockingly cheerful finger waggle]
Vir Cotto: Can you and your associates arrange this for me, Mr. Morden?


Capt. John Sheridan: I let him go. But there is a price tag attached. You've been teaching me so we can understand each other. That's not what I want any more. I want you to teach me... how to fight them. How to beat them. Because one day I'm going to go to Z'ha'dum and I'm going to stop them.
Kosh: If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die.
Capt. John Sheridan: Then I die, but I will not go down easily, I will not go down alone! You will teach me?
Kosh: Yes.

*
Questions:
1. Were you surprised when Morden showed up on Anna’s crew list?
2. What did you think of what Vir said to Morden? 
3. Are these shadows the ones G’kar has been talking about as well?
4. Did you find Sheridan unreasonable in his treatment of Morden? How far do you think he would have gone to get the truth?
5. Does Delenn becoming a hybrid make any more sense now that it did before?
6. Does Nightwatch give you a VERY creepy feeling?
*
Sources:
The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/guide/038.html
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0517657/
The Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/In_the_Shadow_of_Z'ha'dum
Wikia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Shadow_of_Z%27ha%27dum
ruuger: My hand with the nails painted red and black resting on the keyboard of my laptop (Sheridan - hero)
[personal profile] ruuger
Here you can post your fanworks about "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" - icons, fanart, fanfic, vids - or recommend fanworks made by others. You can also suggest fic-prompts.

(Remember to read the posting rules in the community profile!)

No spoilers are allowed in the the comments here (including in any possible fic prompts), but they are allowed in linked material (for example, you can link to a fic that's set during "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum", but contains references to later storylines) as long as they're clearly marked.
ruuger: My hand with the nails painted red and black resting on the keyboard of my laptop (Sheridan - hero)
[personal profile] ruuger
This is the discussion post for the episode 2X17, "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Sheridan finds out about a connection between Morden and Anna. Night Watch begins to recruit members on Babylon 5.

Extra reading:
The article for "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" at Lurker's Guide.

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