Group Watch: The Long Night

[SmileOfTheShadow]

The Long Night...the Very Long Night of Londo Mollari...corellations? Well, the Vorlons stepped it up, and in this episode, so did the shadows. Things do come to a head for Londo in this one, as he sets his plan into motion to take out the emperor once and for all.

Subplot here is Ivanova seeking out first ones again...I feel like we've seen this subplot one too many times and they start to blend together as I write synopses of all of these.

I think the b-plot is just to calm some of the tension as there's been a lot building up with the centauri thread for a long time here. Knowing babylon 5, you never know if JMS is just going to kill someone off, so it's a tense moment with G'Kar. Andreas, of course, makes the episode stronger than it ever could have been otherwise.

As the quote says, "Faith manages." And I think that's a theme that applies here with G'Kar as he breaks his chains that have been replaced by more solid ones. He believed that they were weakened and that he could make a difference, and so he did.

Another good part of this episode is watching Vir really lose his innocence. A beautiful portrayal of how freaked out he is, unwittingly involved in an assassination. Very nicely done.

No more complaints from my gf about things being boring and nothing happening.

[Hal_10000]

Stunning

I love that it is Vir who kills the Emperor in the end. Caught me by surprise but it was so right. And I love the confrontation between him and Londo at the end, where he tells him there's still hope for him

Another great scene is Sheridan ordering the Ranger to their deaths. Devastating scene and played so true.

[babylonlurker]

Ivanova's "First One" quest ? I like that we have a new little twist every time it happens.
Andreas' G'Kar just elevates the episode even more. What an intensity.
The scene sending the rangers to their death is extremely poignant.
... and the acting performance of Stephen Furst is really first class here.

[moreorless]

I love that it is Vir who kills the Emperor in the end. Caught me by surprise but it was so right. And I love the confrontation between him and Londo at the end, where he tells him there's still hope for him.

Indeed, it would have been very easy to just get caught up in "plot plot plot" for the two climatic episodes and let the tension drive everything. One big advanatge of finishing the arc a peice at a time IMHO was that there was time for scenes like this.