{"id":7066,"date":"2018-11-12T13:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T21:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7066"},"modified":"2018-11-07T13:08:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T21:08:53","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s02e14-there-all-the-honor-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/11\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s02e14-there-all-the-honor-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S02E14 – There All The Honor Lies"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fourteenth episode of the second season of Babylon 5<\/i>, Sheridan is accused of murder, and this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even the most dramatic plot in the episode. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hit me until the episode was over, but this is all an examination of loneliness. REALLY INTENSE LONELINESS. That was spelled out during that incredible scene between Delenn and Sheridan in the zen garden, yes, but Vir falls into it, too, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he? All three of these people are dealing with a sense of separation, a feeling that they will always<\/i> be alone in a crowd. And lord, if you know what that feels like, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it a cutting<\/i> emotion?<\/p>\n

So let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start with Vir because I was blown away by the chance to peel back the curtain on his life. Initially, I thought the message that he got had more to do with Londo than him, but it makes so much sense that he would go into a drinking spiral because he was being replaced<\/i>. His monologue to Londo was heartbreaking, particularly since this was the first time we learned the real details of his appointment to Londo. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wild to think that Londo used to be a joke in Centauri society, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I feel like that was a million years ago??? But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a side effect of how fast the serialized plot seems to unfold in this season ALONE.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, Vir\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sense of loneliness and difference fits in so well with what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen throughout his time on this show, so I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want it to seem like I think like this was just added in for the hell of it. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sense that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always been a bit desperate, and his imminent replacement sets him loose in despair. He believes he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done a good job, but what is<\/i> that job? Vir\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never made it a secret from Londo that he believes Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone down a dark path, but he still has to do what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s asked. So he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stuck in this position where he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fit in at home, where he was given this job as a joke. But he rose to prominence alongside Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u201dby means he utterly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t agree with, but is still expected to keep secrets for\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand now, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d enough for that either. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lonely position to be in, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like Londo has made it better, you know? Well, not until the end, when he graciously and brilliantly appeals to his government to keep Vir or he’ll<\/i> leave Babylon 5<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tender moment and a caring gesture, one that reveals that Londo is a complicated character just as much as Vir is.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile: CHAOS. While this review is more serious, I actually really<\/i> enjoyed the mixture of drama and humor in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There All the Honor Lies.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d While Sheridan, Delenn, and Lennier are all dealing with the ramifications of the set-up job against Sheridan, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lovely subplot with the new Babylon 5<\/i> merchandise shop. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hilarious, but it also adds to the chaos present in this episode. And I do like that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a feeling that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always ten things going on at once, rather than just a single issue per episode.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That being said, the murder accusation here is ENGROSSING. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s written so well, and it draws back to Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time with Lennier near the end of season one, as well as the Starkiller reputation that follows Sheridan. We get a complicated story of clan honor, something that had only been explored briefly before. Here, a senior member of Lennier\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clan decides to frame Sheridan and make it look like Sheridan murdered a Minbari who was trying to surrender. The whole con is immensely detailed and kind of impressive, which is why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so thrilling to watch. The audience knows that Lavell (was that how it was spelled? I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T KNOW) shouted, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Death first!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d We know that Sheridan did what he had to in order to defend himself. But Ashan was not supposed to be there, and his presence is really what unraveled this.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to feel much sympathy for Ashan, though. Like Lennier, he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what other members of his clan were doing. But what does he choose to do? Lie to protect someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s honor. Treat Delenn like GARBAGE. Oh my god, talk about feeling alone in a crowd. Everywhere she goes among the Minbari, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s treated the worst. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that this is something she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to have to deal with for a long time, and it worries me. How is she ever going to bridge the gap between herself and her own people? As it stands, Lennier is the sole Minbari who accepts and respects her! WHO DO I HAVE TO FIGHT, OKAY.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, I found this to be a rewarding and enthralling episode of the show. I also love how unabashedly weird it is? I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t claim to fully understand why Kosh sent Sheridan into the Downbelow, nor do I get what that display of beauty was. Was that really there or was it in his mind? Does it matter? It was a cool sequence, though, and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait for another \u00e2\u20ac\u0153lesson\u00e2\u20ac\u009d between Ambassador Kosh and Sheridan.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There All The Honor Lies\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"