{"id":7113,"date":"2018-12-14T13:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T21:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7113"},"modified":"2018-12-05T22:34:11","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T06:34:11","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e15-interludes-and-examinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/12\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e15-interludes-and-examinations\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S03E15 – Interludes and Examinations"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifteenth episode of the third season of Babylon 5<\/i>, threats are leveled; the war begins; the war changes. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of addiction, abuse.<\/b><\/p>\n

Good god, this just keeps getting more and more messed up. How? How is this all happening?<\/p>\n

Dr. Franklin<\/b><\/p>\n

Even if there are things here that are inevitable\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlike Dr. Franklin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot, for instance\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthis story still manages to take the viewer to unexpected places. I figured that this season would have<\/i> to deal with Dr. Franklin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s addiction to stims, but I had not even considered this<\/i> specific ramification. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Interludes and Examinations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d leaves us in the lurch. After Garibaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pressure finally gets Dr. Franklin to run the numbers on his bloodwork, the truth is no longer easy to deny or ignore anymore. As someone who dealt with an addiction a long time ago, that one remark from Dr. Franklin was the realest thing in the episode. A lot of addicts I know go through something similar: thinking they have a grasp on what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re addicted to because they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the whole of it. I certainly couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t when I was drinking heavily. I lived moment-to-moment, and a few sips or swallows here and there never seemed to add up.<\/p>\n

But they do. And once Dr. Franklin is faced with the reality of his addiction, it is devastating. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not JUST the addiction that is harming him; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hurting others with his abusive behavior. His outburst in the early parts of this episode is just one of many, and this time, it nearly caused the death of a patient. Which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to say that it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bad enough that he was verbally abusing people in Medlab; that was horrific, too. Thus, as surprising as it was, I think quitting<\/i> was Dr. Franklin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best option here. He needs to remove himself from that environment because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that environment that influenced him to start relying so wholly on meds to keep up that sort of schedule. I have no idea what the future is for this character, though. Who takes up as the commanding officer in the Medlab? What is Dr. Franklin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s role in the Shadow War? Will we see much of him in season three?<\/p>\n

The Last Chance<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been trying to keep an eye peeled for elements of Lady Morella\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prophecy throughout this show, and I think<\/i> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spotted one prediction. I believe this might very well be Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s last chance, the final path that he could have taken to avoid the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fire\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in his future. It feels like such a huge moment, too, since Morden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very presence comes as the Shadows are now openly attacking races on the outer rim. The war isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a secret, and neither is the reason for Morden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s distaste for Londo. The Shadows\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 plan to divide and conquer isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite working ever since Londo poisoned Lord Refa, and even worse, no amount of threats seems to work on Londo, either. Their confrontational scene was a huge moment, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Londo was openly rebuking Morden, and he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come across as afraid at all. Maybe he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t as crude as Vir, but he wanted nothing<\/i> to do with the Shadows. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a step, right?<\/p>\n

So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m struggling a bit with where this goes, and perhaps that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m an outside party. I felt that Morden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manipulation of Londo was a bit<\/i> too obvious. He was clearly upset and menacing when he tried to get Londo to see his way, and I thought it was clear that he was going to retaliate. Indeed, even after Adira\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death, I believed that Morden was going to taunt Londo, to make it clear that he could do what he wanted and take what he wanted if he was defied. Instead, he \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tricks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Londo into believing that Lord Refa retaliated by killing Adira, and it seemed a bit rushed to me.<\/p>\n

At the same time, what Morden was feeding into was Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sense of pride. So maybe this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the most well-designed manipulation imaginable. Perhaps the point is that it worked because Londo was primed for it to work. Morden knew that deep within Londo was a darkness, a craving for violence, and he provided the most obvious means of dangling a carrot in front of him. Londo had tried to empathize with others and examine his actions, but perhaps, in the end, all he really cared about was himself.<\/p>\n

Demands<\/b><\/p>\n

I love that Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot is contrasted with Sheridan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s refusal to let the Vorlons sit on the sidelines. The decision to have the Vorlons be uncaring beings with a superiority complex continues to be one of the most interesting things about this show, and now we see one of its ends. Ambassador Kosh is dead, and they died fully knowing that they were paying a cost that had<\/i> to be paid. This episode provides us with some closure and a whole hell of a lot of questions. But I admire that Sheridan gets to be so angry, and I admire that this episode goes so hard on the notion of neutrality or passivity. The Vorlons wanted to wait until the right time, but how can it not<\/i> be the right time when so many people and races are dying? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an even larger version of the question raised in the previous episode around G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar. The Vorlons have the means to deliver a definitive blow against the Shadows, but continue to refuse to. Is that a moral decision or a practical one? And do they consider it impossible to act in both moral and political ways at the same time?<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a repeated motif of characters having to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wait\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for the right time. Delenn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great example of that. Which makes Sheridan perfect for this role. Prophecy or practicality be damned! He sees a solution to the continual suffering of other races and to the lack of motivation the various military forces feel. So he goes for it. He escalates his confrontation with Kosh until Kosh uses some sort of telekinesis power on him, and then HE KEEPS FUCKING GOING. Sheridan refuses to back down!!! Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such an incredible scene, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made even better (and more heartbreaking) once you know why that moment was so difficult for Kosh. Well, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know everything. I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know why Sheridan has to go to Z\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122dum, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know why it would have been important for Kosh to be there. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never<\/i> know. Kosh\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s assassination by Morden and the Shadows is horrifying, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! Just like that, a major player is gone from this chessboard, and Kosh knew the price they had to pay the whole time. They knew that getting the other Vorlons involved would cost Kosh their life. And they did it anyway.<\/p>\n

THE DREAM, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. We knew Kosh could communicate with Sheridan telepathically, and it seems like it was all leading to this. AND WHAT A SCENE. Kosh apologizes to Sheridan, regrets being so afraid that they were inactive, and IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ALL TOO MUCH. I just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what the fuck!!!<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Interludes and Examinations\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":"