{"id":7186,"date":"2019-02-08T13:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T21:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7186"},"modified":"2019-01-30T14:58:56","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T22:58:56","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s04e19-between-the-darkness-and-the-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2019\/02\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s04e19-between-the-darkness-and-the-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S04E19 – Between the Darkness and the Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of Babylon 5<\/i>, the team attempts to rescue Sheridan; G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar and Londo make an important decision; Ivanova finishes what she started. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of torture, death, grief, consent<\/b>.<\/p>\n

This is both a lot AND STILL NOT THE END OF THIS SEASON. Holy shit, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this show just wants to end<\/i> me, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Truth<\/b><\/p>\n

So, I figured that somehow, Garibaldi would prove his innocence, but I did not expect this show to do so in a way that changed another<\/i> character\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arc. As soon as Garibaldi started asking Lyta to help him, I knew what a big deal this was. Garibaldi hates<\/i> telepaths, and the fact that he was willing to let Lyta do a deep scan on him??? I feel like that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s partially why Franklin was willing to listen to Garibaldi beyond their experience together.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But I am getting a feeling that Lyta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions here are a sign that the whole telepath issue is probably going to be a focus in season five. Lyta, who is normally very<\/i> much interested in following the rules, drops images into Number One\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind without her consent. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the only thing she does in this episode to get what she wants! Look at how she attacks one of the guards with a telepathic burst of pain before she hits him. Lyta has a power she has only yielded at key moments, but she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s far more loose with it here. It means that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exonerated Garibaldi, which is a great thing! (And I hope someone told Sheridan; there was a moment there where I thought he was going to shoot him.) But what else is she willing to do? How far will she go to fight President Clark and his forces?<\/p>\n

The Rescue<\/b><\/p>\n

I admire that this show cares about the cost of being a good person. Repeatedly, actual physical harm comes to those who are trying to do right, and in this case, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the form of Garibaldi getting stabbed in the back during a fight. (Again! He should really learn to watch his back.) But that also means that we get the very frustrating but understanding behavior of those in the Resistance contributing to Sheridan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rescue in limited ways. I respect that, especially since this all suggests that Number One is<\/i> thinking of the long run for the Resistance. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see her reaction to Lyta, Garibaldi, or Sheridan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rescue as being antagonistic but necessary; she has<\/i> to think of the future! She can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t risk these newcomers undoing the work that she and the other folks have done for years<\/i>. At the same time, I wish we know more about Number One and the work she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done, you know?<\/p>\n

Anyway, the rescue is so RAW, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that chilling moment that puts it all into a horrible context. After the events of the last episode, we understand why Sheridan, upon being freed, fires upon a guard more times than necessary. The show doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore that Sheridan has just been through a horrible trauma, either, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shown to us in that scene and<\/i> his reunion with Delenn. They are different sides of the same coin. What I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m most interested in seeing, though, is some sort of conversation between Garibaldi and the others. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had his moment with Dr. Franklin and Lyta, but what about with the man he turned in? How will Sheridan react? What about Ivanova? (DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T TOUCH ME, DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T LOOK AT ME, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M NOT OKAY. )<\/p>\n

Unity<\/b><\/p>\n

There is victory and loss in this episode, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bittersweet at time. But I felt such a pure burst of pride and happiness at that sequence in the League\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chambers. It is so incredible to me that these characters have accomplished something so significant, and they did so on their own<\/i>. Sheridan wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there to urge them to do the right thing; they left Delenn out of the vote so they could prove that she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t influence them. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar and Londo are working together<\/i>, and they want<\/i> to, and THIS IS SUCH A HUGE DEVELOPMENT AND I CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T DEAL WITH IT.<\/p>\n

The Battle<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m mad. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so mad and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m distraught and I feel personally attacked by this. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want it to be true, even though this is what Ivanova wanted. She always wanted to be on the front lines; she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to be given special treatment and protected from harm. She believes so wholly in this fight that she wanted to lead<\/i> it when Sheridan was captured. She commits to finishing what was started, even when she faces one of the most horrifying adversaries yet.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I was fucked up<\/i> by those destroyers. So much of this season has now turned into an examination of the fallout of the Shadow War! Garibaldi was captured by the Shadows, but they never used him for their intended purposes, so he fell into the hands of the Psi Corps. We haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen any of the Drakh stuff in a bit, but believe me, I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forgotten about that<\/i> nightmare. And now we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve another twist I should have seen coming. This show LITERALLY TOLD ME that Clark\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s forces had taken in a Shadow ship, and we were TOLD that they were developing technology. But once the Shadow War ended, I foolishly forgot about all of this. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re so awful! Those ships are remnants of a nightmare that was supposed to be over! But of course<\/i> Clark would think it appropriate to use that technology to further his own agenda.<\/p>\n

So, the Thing. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want it to happen, and like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 this hurts. I said on video that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost worse that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being drawn out. If Ivanova had just been killed, I could start the grieving process. Instead, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still alive, but they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t save her. I am upset now and forever. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my favorite character on this show, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m supposed to deal with Babylon 5<\/i> without her. I AM DISTRAUGHT. I mean, I guess I could<\/i> hold out some hope that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be okay because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still alive? Bah, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know!!! This is too much.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Between the Darkness and the Light\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now up for pre-order!<\/a> It comes out on May 7, 2019.\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":"