Point of No Return

Reviewed by Lady Keela Shanri

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Second in the third-season "trilogy" of very heavy arc episodes, "Point of No Return" is also an excellent episode. And because, unlike the others, it contains a large amount of CENTAURI stuff, I, of course, like it even more!
It has, like any B5 episode worth its flarn, (just as long as SHERIDAN doesn't cook it), several plotlines going on at once; two of which were connected to each other closely. The first two plotlines concern the repurcussions of Earth going to martial law, and then its impact on Babylon 5 in particular. The third is about G'Kar and the other Narns, and the fourth, unrelated (but good) plotline is about Lady Morella, the late Emperor Turhan's third wife and the prophecy she gives Londo.
Let's tackle the Earth-politics story first. The declaration of martial law on Earth causes total chaos on B5. General Hague, their only contact into the government, the only official they can count on, is being chased down by the President's ships. Four of the five ships that are with him have been destroyed by the end of the episode. B5 itself is ordered under martial law. And Nightwatch COMPLETELY takes over Security--and attempts to take over the station itself.
This plotline was quite tense, well-paced, and suspenseful. A tale of politics and betrayal, darkness and redemption--no, wait, that description is for the Centauri plot. Or is it...?
Anyway, it was good. It was CREEPY to realise that Nightwatch had actually FOUND OUT about Sheridan--at least, it seemed they had anyway. They were going to ARREST him when our guys put their plan into action and trapped them all in the cargo bay. Heh heh. Funny on the one hand, and you have a real temptation to gloat over the bad guys (Nightwatch), but it's still SCARY how CLOSE our side came to losing everything...
Highlights from this plotline include Sheridan reading the order about B5 being under martial law now during a RIOT in the Zocalo--bringing horrible news, but no-one hears it...strangely foreboding, and a comment on our own society, obliquely--and his expression afterwards as he wads the order up into a ball and throws it VIOLENTLY on the floor. Garibaldi coming in and smashing up the Nightwatch office, while begging his Security people to side with HIM--and they won't, even though he's done so much for them in the past. And the best moment of all--when Zack RIPPED that hateful Nightwatch armband OFF HIS ARM! YAY!! I never wanted him to be a bad guy...I LIKE Zack, dangit...
The reactions of the people in the Zocalo are telling, too. Almost NO-ONE except for some greedy fat-cat politicians actually supports the paranoid whacko Clark anymore. When the ISN broadcast about General Hague beating Clark's ships comes over the airwaves, the entire crowd CHEERS. They WANT the rebels to win. This is, of course, when Nightwatch moves in and starts the riot...
And even creepier is the way that Clark has DISSOLVED the SENATE. Is this starting to remind you of maybe some infamous dictators from history...? This guy doesn't just want the Presidency. He wants ULTIMATE power. Yikes.
Sheridan's solution to the whole thing, using the message that the other General had given him--that the Nightwatch is being run by a CIVILIAN branch, and therefore has no power over the station, was clever, and I like how they left you guessing which way Zack would go until the very last second. Although I never doubted him.
The Narn plotline ties into this, too. It all starts when Garibaldi lets G'Kar out of his quarters early (and we get to hear some of that infamous singing, I can SEE why the other prisoners thought he was being tortured! GACK) because his Security guards have better things to do than guard him. G'Kar then meets with Ta'Lon, who has been waiting for him in the corridor outside his quarters, standing on his feet for (almost) THREE WEEKS SOLID! He wants to repay his debt to G'Kar somehow. G'Kar then rallies up the other Narns and tries to guide them in his new more philosophical, spiritual ways, not just brute violence. Then he walks right into C&C--which is for Earthforce personnel only--and asks to be let "in". He wants to be PART of the new alliance our guys have been forming (or "The Army of Light" as it will soon be called). In exchange for their information, he is willing to give them an entire squadron of Narn warriors to help out their Security force! (Since half of that force is now locked up in the cargo bay, being in Nightwatch and all, remember). And so now we will have Narn Security guards wandering the corridors with B5 Security badges on their chests and swords on their backs. As Franklin says, grinning, "Londo is gonna LOVE this."
Speaking of Londo, that now brings us to the last plotline of the episode. We begin with a delightful scene of Londo ripping apart and COMPLETELY re-writing poor Vir's report on Minbar--AGAIN--and after Vir stayed up ALL NIGHT writing it! Vir is understandably VERY mad and is about to storm off in a huff when Londo gets a communique from Centauri Prime, so he stays around to listen. It turns out that Lady Morella, the late Emperor Turhan's third wife, is visiting the station, and for some reason Londo REALLY wants to meet her. Why? He TELLS her it's so that she can tour the station and see what kind of people the great Centauri Republic is now aligned with, but the truth is that she is a Seeress, and he wants her to do a reading for him. "So," says Vir, "you want her to tell you that what you see IS going to happen?"
"No," replies Londo sadly, "I want her to tell me it WON'T."
Brrrr....
Lady Morella herself is played excellently by the formidable Majel Barrett, "First Lady of Science Fiction" (and the only person even REMOTELY connected to B5 I have personally met!). She is a pretty cool character, not just being a standard psychic OR a standard snooty noblewoman; she has a definite (and likeable) personality all her own. When dangerous things start happening on the Zocalo, she pushes herself RIGHT into the middle of the crowd to see for herself, rather than leading a sheltered life, keeping away from the "nasty things", as you would expect someone of her rank to be like. And when poor little Vir is cut on the back of the neck in the growing riot, SHE takes care of him afterwards, NOT a servant like you might expect. And she sees right through Londo's little "tour" excuse VERY quickly.
Like I said, a pretty cool lady.
Through her, we also learn an interesting piece of background information: when an Emperor dies, the Royal Consort--that would be her, in this case--starts talking in the plural, to indicate that she speaks for herself as WELL as her dead husband, as it is thought that she takes on his spirit after he dies.
But of course, the most important part of this plotline is the prophecy she gives Londo. "You have three more chances to avoid the fire before you," she says. "You have already wasted the first two. You must save the eye that cannot see. You must not kill the one who is already dead. And having failed all the others, you must surrender yourself to your worst fear--knowing that it WILL destroy you."..."Oh, and one more thing. You WILL be Emperor. That much of your destiny cannot be avoided."
Just as we're all reeling from THAT little bombshell, she drops the ultimate one--(turning to Vir) "You will be Emperor as well."
Vir CRACKS UP LAUGHING!! (Parallells to "I, Claudius"--when Claudius hears the "wrong" prophecy that HE is going to be Emperor, HE cracks up laughing! Literary allusions...gotta love it...) Lady Morella just looks at him stonefaced. "Why are you laughing?"
"I...I thought..." Vir falls deadly silent. "But we can't BOTH be Emperor!"
"One of you will become Emperor after the other one is dead.", she says ominously, and sweeps from the room.
WHOAH.
Then afterwards, we get this GREAT funny scene in which Vir and Londo are parked at exact opposite ends of the couch, STARING at each other suspiciously. Well, hey, wouldn't that kind of thing freak YOU out just a bit? "I cooked you dinner", says Vir, hoping to break the tension.
"I think I will order in today..." replies Londo, no longer trusting him. To paraphrase Casablanca, "this could be the end of a beautiful friendship..."
All over the station, things are indeed at a "moment of transition" as G'Kar said.
Nightwatch has been disbanded.
Narns are now on the Security force.
B5 is under martial law.
And Londo and Vir now know that they are BOTH destined to rule the Centauri someday.
We are indeed at the point of no return.
And the ride only gets bumpier from here on in...

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