Into the Fire

(In my opinion, the best scene of the entire episode.)

Reviewed by Lady Keela Shanri

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"When I think about this war being over, I find I cannot quite wrap my brain around the concept."--Londo

That quote pretty much sums up MY feelings about this episode, and the ending of the Shadow/Vorlon conflict in general. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
This episode had, as usual, two plotlines, although in this case, even though they were happening in two different places, they were both ABOUT the same thing. I'll switch back and forth between them in sequence (or as well as I can.)
First of all, we start off with the huge fleet going through hyperspace to reach the big stand-off point, Coriana 6, and Ivanova and Lorien trying to find the remaining first ones. Now, despite the fact that we finally find out what's the deal with Lorien being immortal, and that great "Ah, hell" bit, I could have done WITHOUT this part. I seriously do NOT like Lorien, and he was at his most annoying in this episode. My mother started hating him just as much as I do at this point, too. She started yelling at the screen for him to GO beyond the Rim already, "We're not stopping you! Don't let the jumpgate bang your butt on the way out!" etc. But I guess it was VAGUELY important...
Back on Centauri Prime, we see the newly-promoted Prime Minister Londo Mollari settling into his new job and attempting to organise things, while the delightfully campy No-Name Minister Dude helps (?) him. (And is it just me, or did the Minister cut off his hair? I wonder why...) He sits down in the throne without thinking, COMPLETELY giving the poor little guy a heart attack or two, ("It did feel very natural, though." says Londo. BWAHAHA.) and tells the Minister to get rid of EVERYONE who worked for Cartagia--a very smart move. Shortly after this, we have a VERY intense scene with Londo in his quarters.
Durano, the Minister of Intelligence (hmph, only one episode and HE gets a name, grumble grumble...) comes to Londo with some rather shocking news. He was assigned to investigate the poisoning of "Lady" Adira (Durano: "I do not think 'Lady' is the correct term, Minister. She was a dancer, and a former slave." Londo: "I know what she was. And I know what she meant to ME." Awww...) and the in-fighting between Londo and Lord Refa, and he discovered something rather nasty. He was sworn by Emperor Cartagia never to speak of it as long as he (the Emperor) was still alive, but since that's no longer an issue...
Lord Refa did not have Adira poisoned, as Londo always assumed.
MORDEN did. (And for EXACTLY the reasons Durano guesses, as it turned out.)
What follows is an absolutely HEARTBREAKING scene, and a stunning bit of acting from Peter Jurasik. Londo tells Durano to get out, in a broken voice, barely in control. Then once the door is closed he loses it.
He cries, he curses the gods, he smashes everything, and basically leaves his room a total shambles, and you can FEEL the grief, rage, and overwhelming sense of betrayal just emanating from the screen. This is SUCH a powerful scene, and I defy ANYONE to take their eyes off the screen during this moment--or to keep those eyes dry. Oh, GEEZ...poor Londo!! Sniff.
Meanwhile, we have Sheridan and the fleet getting there, where he tells them all the cheerful news that he does NOT think they can win. Then what are they doing here? That's a question that remains to be answered. Marcus and Lyta are discussing why the fleet is here instead of trying to protect Centauri Prime. "Cold, hard numbers" says Marcus (why am I reminded of that classic sci-fi story, "The Cold Equations"? SHUDDER!). "Coriana 6 has 6 billion people, Centauri Prime has only 3 billion. I only hope they've managed to get rid of their Shadow influences. Otherwise I woudln't give them two snaps for their chances."
Speaking of which, getting rid of Shadow influences, we now have the showdown between Londo and Morden, at last, a WONDERFUL scene. Londo is finally on top of the situation, he FINALLY knows what's REALLY going on. Morden is dragged in before Londo (on the THRONE again, watch it!), his hair messed up for the first time since...ever, and a note of real nervousness in his voice. Londo tells him that he knows all about what he is doing, and that he does not think the Vorlons are going to leave Centauri Prime alone, so he demands that Morden tell the Shadow vessels to leave. Of course he doesn't, so then Londo gets nasty. First, he tells Morden to stand VERY STILL--and he MEANS it--as the two guards holding him both back off cautiously to the sides, Morden looks around in almost a state of panic, and two guards next to Londo let go with heavy rifles and WHAM the two Shadows that escort Morden around everywhere are no more. As Morden gets steadily more and more scared, the Centauri guards come back IN and surround him--for real this time. "Your ships are very impressive in the air, or in space," says Londo, "but right now they are on the GROUND, are they not?" "Yes," says Morden, still struggling with the guards, "they are on the ground. What are you going to do, blow up the island?"
Actually...and here Londo holds up a small device.
"NO!!" screams Morden, lunging forward, but it's too late, he can't reach Londo, and BOOM the island of Celini--and all the Shadow vessels based on Centauri Prime--goes up in smoke.
WHOAH.
I'll bet you weren't expecting anything THAT drastic. But it is, after all, only hours before the Vorlons get to Centauri Prime, and he's desperate, so it's better one island than the entire planet, yes? He then explains that he had evacuated almost all the people ahead of time, leaving just enough to maintain the ruse, and that those people KNEW what they were getting into. I am SO glad Straczynski put this line in; it proves that Londo is NOT a cold-blooded killer. The explosion of Celini affects Morden STRONGLY. He slumps weakly, as if his strength has been cut off, and then, as the guards are dragging him away to his cell, he shows the most emotion we have EVER seen from him. Mr. Totally Calm, Spit-and-Polish is SCREAMING, desperate, scared to death, going hoarse from yelling, completely panicked. It was GOOD to see him that way. Heh heh. "You'll regret what you've done today!!" he shrieks as the guards drag him out of the throne room. "My associates have allies! They'll get revenge for this!!!"
"What I have done," says Londo musingly. "Oh, Mr. Morden. I have not even STARTED with you yet."
And as for what Morden was saying--sounds like the ravings of an angry supervillian from a comic book or something, right? Like he's saying it just to say it?
Oh, no...the Shadows DO have deadly allies that are QUITE mad at the Centauri, as you'll see later...
Back at Coriana 6, the big battle is starting. The "Army of Light" fleet is there, and the Vorlons and Shadows arrive soon afterwards. They start to waste each other and ignore Sheridan's attempts to talk them out of attacking the planet until he activates the nukes that they're using as a mine field to get their attention. Then, as Lyta says, "Captain--they're pissed." Great line.
Then the battle begins in earnest--all kinds of WONDERFUL special effects, incredible stuff. Really beautiful. Our guys are in trouble until they call the First Ones out to help them, then they start kicking some major OTHER First-One butt. The Vorlons are forced to call ALL their other ships in to help with the battle.
Meanwhile, back on Centauri Prime, we have one of the best scenes of the whole show in my opinion, very suspenseful and scary and very touching. Londo and Vir are out in the gardens, and Londo is so overcome with emotion he's not sure whether to laugh or cry, so he's kinda doing both. He has sent a message to the Vorlons telling them that they have gotten rid of all their Shadow influences, so they should go away and leave Centauri Prime alone now. "Oh, gods, Vir," he cries, "I cannot believe we actually made it, that we saved Centauri Prime."
"Not EVERYTHING that has been touched by the Shadows, influenced by them, is gone..." says Vir solemnly--and points to Londo.
And overhead, a Vorlon planet killer arrives. So big that it blocks out the sun.
Oh, NO!! After all that struggle and hardship, it CAN'T end like this, no!!
So if they're there because of him, Londo then begs Vir to KILL him!
Oh, geez!! If anyone ever thought that Londo was evil to the core, this scene should prove them DEAD WRONG. Londo is willing to DIE, on a moment's notice, to save his people! He cares about ALL of them, not just himself! And you can tell, from the look in his eyes, the desperation in his voice, that he is quite serious. He means it. He is willing to die. Right then.
And the Vorlon ship...goes away...
Londo and Vir think that the Vorlons have simply decided not to bother, when in fact they're leaving because they have been called away to Coriana 6. But let's not tell them that...
Meanwhile, the Vorlons and Shadows have decided that enough is enough. If the younger races want to talk, fine, then let's talk and get it over with. Lyta turns around, her eyes blazing green, and zaps Sheridan with a bolt of paralyzing energy, then her eyes do that old solid-black thing and she zaps Delenn with the same thing. This plunges both of them into a sort of telepathic vision/communication thing that everyone else on the bridge seems to be able to watch along with them.
Now this, THIS, my friends, is the actual climax of the Shadow war! Not a huge battle, or a big explosion, but the ENTIRE WAR, the "Great Darkness" and all of that, is brought to an end, in only the sixth episode of the fourth season (out of five!), in a CONVERSATION!
Rather anticlimactic if you ask me.
The Vorlons show up to Sheridan as a woman all in white, with a veil over her head, totally frozen, (and is it just me or did her outfit look sorta Centauri? Kinda like Lady Morella's style only in white), while the Shadows show up to Delenn as several of her friends, constantly shifting. Now, while the Vorlon image just confused me (at first), the Shadows' appearance BUGGED me. It was EXACTLY like how the Prophets talk to you on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!" They show up as people from your life, walk around you, speak in riddles, keep changing and appearing from strange new places, teleporting. And DON'T tell me that Straczynski never watches Trek and didn't know, 'cos it is AWFULLY damned close for comfort. Anyway, they both try to convince Sheridan and Delenn that THEIR way is the only way, starting off nice and friendly or sweet and motherly, but both Sheridan and Delenn reject the idea that they HAVE to choose (I loved Sheridan's line about "parents arguing in front of their children") and Lorien pulls them both out. Then they--and we, as the audience--wonder what will happen next.
Returning to Centauri Prime, we have one of the BEST scenes of Babylon 5 in general, certainly one of the most satisfactory payoffs. Londo tells Vir that he has a "present" for him out in the gardens. Vir goes out to look at it...and we have a flashback to Season Two:
Morden: "What do YOU want?"
Vir: "I'd like to live JUST long enough to be there when they cut your head off and stick it on a pike, as a reminder to the next ten generations that some favours come with TOO high a price. I'd look up into your lifeless eyes, and I'd wave, just like this. Can you and your associates arrange that for me?"
And in the garden...is Morden's head. On a pike.
Vir looks around at the guards...and waves. Just like that.
YES!!!!!! That is SO great!!! Out of everyone he dealt with, VIR was the ONLY person to actually get "what he wanted" out of Mr. Morden. I LOVE this scene...
Back on the White Star, two holograms appear, one of a Vorlon (in a Kosh Classic-style encounter suit) and one of a Shadow (voiced by Ed Wasser, or in other words, Morden!) who want to talk to the younger races. But Sheridan and Delenn, launching into a huge speech, don't let them get a word in edgewise. They ask "Who are YOU? What do YOU want?" and when the Vorlons and Shadows can't answer, they go on to explain how they don't WANT to be caught in the middle of their little war, and they can keep killing and killing them but it won't do any good, and they will have failed as guardians. We are old enough to make our OWN decisions now, thank you very much. We can stand or fall on our own. We don't NEED you anymore. "Now GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR GALAXY!!" Sheridan roars, a line that alMOST makes up for the anticlimactic ending and the Prophets/Shadows thing, but not quite.
Lorien then tells the Vorlons and Shadows that they have to go beyond the Rim now, and that when they do, they'll be reunited with all the others that have gone before them. (At this point, my irreverent, sarcastic brain started coming up with things like "You mean we'll get to see Auntie Zork again? And my little dog Squarirhtts? Oh, boy, Grandpa Lorien, I can't WAIT to go beyond the Rim!" but then again, maybe that's just me.) They ask, sounding rather like scared, petulant children, if he will be coming with them. Yes, (THANK THE GODS), he will. Then they all disappear.
As an epilogue, we go back to Centauri Prime, where Vir tells the confused (and rightly so!) Londo that maybe he should feel HAPPY right now! He can't see that any of the gods would object to Londo Mollari having one night of happiness. Yes, but as Londo points out, every time he has a chance for happiness it's pulled out from under him (which is totally true.) Vir is leaving for Babylon 5, and Londo will be joining him soon afterwards, as many opposed his freeing Narn, it is politically dangerous for him to stay here too long. They hug each other (AAWWWW...), a very touching moment, and a really big indicator of how far this relationship has come.
The episode ends with Sheridan and Delenn going back to B5 and trying to figure out what happens next. That's a very good question. It's only the sixth episode of Season Four, and the huge, built-up, foreshadowed-to-death Shadow War is OVER. It's DONE. Finit. Kaput. What DOES happen now?
Wait and see...

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