Acts of Sacrifice
Reviewed by Lady Keela Shanri
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This was a GREAT episode. I'd already heard about the infamous B-plot, but I never knew the A-plot was good TOO! The two plots had no connection, except for one eerie parallell, which I'll get to in a bit.
Let's start with the A-plot first. This was very good, and also important to the arc. It concerns the tensions between the Narns and the Centauri rising even further as the Centauri attack a transport ship full of Narn CIVILLIANS. Fights break out all over the place and the Narns get together and arm themselves for an attempt to wipe out EVERY Centauri on the station, but are stopped when G'Kar hears about it. This marks the first time we see him espousing PEACEFUL solutions instead of violence--a foreshadowing of the more mellow, spiritual man he is to become in later seasons. The very first scene of the episode, in fact, is a huge space battle between the two races (the Centauri kick the Narns' butts); an action-packed, attention-getting beginning to be sure. In fact, my mom went "This is how the episode STARTS?"
With an opening like that, you KNOW it has to be good. And it does not disappoint. This episode showed us some interesting cultural bits (for example, the Drazi use swords and knives with evil-looking squiggly blades and put POISON on the tips), and some great action sequences. But the best thing about it was the character development. Especially with Londo.
Londo, symbolic of his recent descent into darkness, is no longer "stunning in purple"--he has shed his gaudy plum finery for a more sinister jet BLACK coat in this episode. Poor, beleagured Londo. Now that his star is rising, he has more "friends", that is to say, ingratiating boot-lickers that want favours from him, than he can count, but at the same time his REAL friends are now leaving him. His scene with Garibaldi in the casino, in which he kept trying to get the Security Chief to just sit down and have a companionable "chemically inoffensive" drink with him was SO poignant, it almost made me cry. Garibaldi was the only man on the station who Londo considered a friend, the only one who would listen to him, take him seriously, and be kind to him, even when he WAS just a washed-up drunken has-been. And now Garibaldi won't have a drink with him.
"Why is everybody walking around as if they are afraid of me?" he asks Garibaldi. "Because maybe they are." he answers.
Chills...
Londo always wanted his people to "reclaim their proper place in the galaxy". And, now that they ARE returning to their "days of glory", (the drunken Centauri IDIOTS in the bar even used those exact words), he is discovering that you should be CAREFUL what you wish for.
You might just get it...
And now on to those drunken morons I mentioned. Now, the Centauri are still my favourite race even if they ARE acting rather nasty at the moment (just bear in mind WHO recently got the throne...), but THESE guys were a disgrace to the species! Especially the main one, who got stabbed to death later on. I liked their little fight with the Narns in the hall, though. It was nice to see that little guy do that fancy flying jump-kick, I mean, you never think of the Centauri as being PHYSICALLY strong. Warships, yes, swords, blasters, sure, but you don't think of them as being able to hold their own in UNARMED combat. They look soft, out-of-shape, spoiled, and in many cases outright FAT. But evidently they occasionally can kick butt on their own. I also found that comment from the main Narn thug to be interesting about how the Centauri are "creatures of the night". Nocturnal? Well, there IS no day or night on the station, and the Narn dude meant it symbolically, but STILL...nocturnal predators....with fangs...hmmmm...fits! (And bear in mind Cartagia seemed to ALWAYS be awake at odd hours of the night...)
Anyway, back to the actual plotline, G'Kar had several very good moments here too. I especially liked the "It's only a flesh wound!" bit after he got nicked with a POISON dagger during a fight with the Narn rebel thug leader. And it was NA'TOTH who bailed him out at the end. You go girl!
When he goes to ask for help from both the Humans and the Minbari, G'Kar's violent, bloody oaths against the Centauri (things like "carving their bones into flutes", for example) in the first season come back to haunt him, as Delenn is reluctant to help any cause that fanatical. But as a result of his asking, we see Sheridan make his first act that is truly AGAINST Earthforce's wishes. He calls them up and asks for permission to intervene and they say NO, absolutely NOT. So he and Delenn get together to arrange a sort of "underground railroad" to help Narns escape from Centauri-attacked worlds, and to also smuggle in surplus food from B5 to them. G'Kar is mad that they will not offer any MILITARY support, but it is a start. It also shows more of the Minbari and the Humans working together. Mild as this act of defiance seems, it paves the way for things to come...
(And why is the name "Abrahamo Linconi" coming to mind...?)
Now on to the B-Plot, a.k.a., "When Hairy Met Susan".
This new race called the Lumati, who have advanced technology and could really help B5 as an ally (in times of war, you need all the allies you can get), show up on the station in a really funky-looking ship. Sheridan gives Ivanova the job of getting them to start an embassy on B5, either as full allies or as members of the Leauge of Non-Aligned Worlds. He tells her to "do WHATEVER it takes, just make SURE they sign on."
Little did he know how MUCH "whatever it takes" would entail...
The annoyed Ivanova shows the two Lumati--the actual Ambassador, Corellilmurzon (wow, try saying THAT five times fast!) and his translator, Taq, a TINY little guy who speaks for him because they do not want to speak to potentially "inferior races" until they prove themselves worthy, around the station. This results in some interesting problems, as their reaction to Medlab almost starts a fight with Dr. Franklin (they could not understand WHY he would heal those of other races besides his own, because that would stop the proper "weeding out" function of evolution. If you ask me, these guys sound like they have the same philosophies as the SHADOWS!) "Strange notions. Yeah, I got your strange notions right here!" This is the eerie parallell to the other plot I mentioned--the Humans say that they WOULD help other races that were sick instead of just leaving them alone, the way the Lumati would. However, at the same time--EarthGov will not lift a FINGER to help the Narns in their war....
The Lumati are eventually impressed when they see, of all things, DOWN BELOW! But they ARE signing on, and they DO want to be allies, so everything seems to be hunky-dory, until they tell Ivanova the way that their race usually "seals the deal".
They have SEX with the other party!!
This COMPLETELY throws Ivanova for a loop, so she very frightenedly pretends to be wanted in C&C and gets the HELL out of there in a BIG hurry. She then has a talk with Franklin asking him what should she DO to get OUT of this? How was she to know that they treat sex the way Humans treat a handshake? "Well, you could always put a bag over his head and do it for Babylon 5", jokes Franklin.
Glare.
But then that "handshake" remark gives her an idea and the next scene finds us with a curly-haired Susan giving the Lumati Ambassador a sly come-hither stare. What IS she up to?
Oh, nothing much. Just one of the FUNNIEST scenes in all B5 history! She baits the guy by saying "Oh, we can do it YOUR way if you want, but I'll bet you CAN'T do it Human-style..." He decides to prove that he CAN do it any "style" she can. But he knows practically NOTHING about Human culture or physiology...
So Ivanova pretends that to SHAKE HANDS is the same thing as sex! She goes dancing around him in a circle while yelling "BOOM-shubba-lubba-lubba BOOM-shubba-lubba-lubba", chanting silly rhymes--"I slept with you the other night! You didn't call, you didn't write! I think you did it just for SPITE! BOOM-shubba-lubba-lubba..." and eventually puts her hand in his and starts yelling, "Yes, yes, oh, yes, yes, YES!! YEEEEESSSSS!!!!!"
I'll have some of what she's having...
"Now what?" asks the befuddled Ambassador.
"Old way--you roll over and go to sleep. New way--you go out for pizza and I never see you again".
Completely stunned, the Ambassador backs nervously out the door, saying, "I'll...call you..."
And the next day, he leaves a package for Ivanova containing a VERY risque-looking...something...and a note saying: "Next time--MY way."
All in all, a satisfying episode. HILARIOUSLY funny scenes, great Londo moments, arc advancement--what more could you possibly want?
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