Convictions
Garibaldi is in the customs area dealing with some Drazi pilgrims who have come to visit the place where Droshalla was seen, when Ivanova comes up with an issue with a series of strange calls promising chaos in a few hours. The chaos occurs when an explosion suddenly goes off. An investigation is launched, and the focal point of the blast is located, which is nowhere near anything that could have done it accidentally. A bomb.
Meanwhile, a group of monks come aboard, led by one named Brother Theo. He meets with Ivanova to explain why they're here: they want to move to the station long-term to learn about the religious beliefs of other species. Ivanova objects that they can't just hang out and pester people about their religion, and she can't supply them living arrangements, Theo assures her that they will not impose themselves on anyone, and they are all highly skilled in many fields, but they also believe.
Back in the customs area, Lennier greets Delenn, with Londo nearby, when another bomb goes off. Lennier pulls Londo to safety, but gets caught in the explosion himself. It is now clear that the bombs, which have gone off in highly traversed areas, are targeting people. Sheridan orders the station on lockdown, keeping people out of sight and in small groups that are less likely to be targeted.
Later, Londo goes down to Medlab to keep Lennier company for a while, since he feels indebted to the Minbari, talking and telling bad jokes.
A small break comes when another bomb goes off, but someone got a look at it before it exploded, and it looked pretty amateurish. They still don't know why, and Sheridan thinks the bomber might just be lashing out at people. They also manage to find the source, and Sheridan orders a check on everything from there. Then Ivanova has the idea that if the bomber wants to cause chaos, he might be coming around to see the aftermath, and might be on the security footage. Garibaldi doesn't have the time or resources for a check like that, but Ivanova has an idea who might. She has Brother Theo's people go over the footage and see if they can find anything.
- Garibaldi: May I be the first to say that this is the nuttiest idea you've ever had?
Ivanova: (Beat) Thank you.
Back with Lennier, Londo has to go do some things, but finds the transport tube with G'Kar already in it. He intends to wait for another one, but another bomb goes off, and he jumps in, trapping himself inside with the Narn who hates his guts. The explosion blows out most of Red 15, and leaves rescuers unable to reach anyone who might be trapped there. Bad news for Londo, who wakes up in the darkened tube car to find it's two hours later and G'Kar has just been sitting there. Londo points out that the door is hot, most likely from a fire on the other side; G'Kar look mildly interested. Either the fire will get in, or the smoke and heat will eventually suffocate them; G'Kar just chuckles. Perplexed Londo reminds him that there is no telling when help will come; G'Kar shrugs. If they are to survive, they must work together...
- G'Kar: No.
Londo: No? What do you mean "no"?
G'Kar: No. (laughter)
G'Kar admits he wants to live, but would rather see Londo dead, and this way he can do it without actually having to kill him (which would invoke the "five hundred Narns executed" penalty for murdering a Centauri), something he finds most appealing. Londo tries calling out for anyone who hears him.
- G'Kar: I hear you! Hahaha!
Meanwhile, the monks have found someone, a man standing around, watching. Cross-reference identifies him as Robert Carlson, hired as part of the station's maintenance department in January, which means he's had access to Babylon 5's vital systems. Garibaldi mobilizes a team and heads to find him. Sheridan meets them outside Carlson's quarters, only to find that he's ready for them. Carlson contacts them over the PA, informing them he's holding a Dead Man Switch and demands the captain inside before he releases it. Sheridan puts his link in his back pocket and has Garibaldi listen in on it as he goes to confront the bomber.
- Sheridan: Find that bomb, Michael.
Garibaldi: I will. Just don't do anything stupid.
Sheridan: Too late.
After making sure Sheridan isn't wearing his link in his shirt, Carlson comes out. He demands passage off station, otherwise the station will go up in an explosion as bright as the sun. Garibaldi gets a hunch that the bomb's in the fusion reactor, and sends a team to investigate. Sheridan asks why he's doing it, and Carlson begins to become unhinged, talking about how he's suffered so why shouldn't anyone else?
In the reactor core, the team begins their search, while Sheridan notices that Carlson's pretty nervous. The bomb is located, and Garibaldi orders them to chance moving it. Sheridan asks where Carlson intends to go, he's been flagged for thirty light-years in every direction. Carlson demands Sheridan sit down, and the captain does, rather than risk setting him off, and turns off his link, which beeps, alerting Carlson.
Realizing he's been set up, Carlson tries to set off the bomb, but Sheridan tackles him, keeping him from dropping it, while the bomb is moved and then rocketed away from the station, right before Carlson manages to drop the switch. The bomb explodes, but the station is out of danger.
- Carlson: No... it didn't. It's not fair! It's not fair!
Sheridan: (knocks Carlson out) What can I say? Life's tough sometimes.
He goes and lets Garibaldi in to take Carlson into custody. When Sheridan asks about everything else, Garibaldi mentions he thinks they found everyone from the last bomb. In the transport tube, Londo and G'Kar are at death's door.
In Medlab, Delenn comes to check on Lennier, who wakes up soon after. He doesn't seem happy at the prospect of having the Centauri's gratitude. Speaking of whom, a team finally manages to locate Londo and G'Kar. Londo is delighted, but G'Kar is resigned to not being rid of his nemesis yet, which annoys Londo.
- Londo: Bastard!
G'Kar: Monster!
Londo: Fanatic!
G'Kar: Murderer!
Londo: You are insane!
G'Kar: And that is why we'll win!
Londo: Go and be the ambassador to Babylon 5, they say, it will be an easy assignment. Oh, I hate my life.
G'Kar: So do I.
Londo: SHUT UP!
This episode contains examples of:
- Artistic License – Nuclear Physics: No, blowing up a fusion reactor would not cause "an explosion as bright as the sun" — the reaction would simply stop. Fusion isn't self-sustaining; the reactor would need to keep on functioning to maintain the ultra-high temperature and pressure necessary to keep the reaction going.
- Ass Shove: Where Sheridan hides his open commlink before talking to the bomber.
- Big "NO!": G'Kar when the station crew rescues him and Londo.
- Big "SHUT UP!": And Londo gets the last word this episode.
- Blatant Lies: Lennier tells the drunk man in the Waiting area that he has a deadly disease transmitted by touch. He is, of course, lying, both to get away from the man but also to save face for him since Minbari only lie to save the face of another.
- Bomb Disposal: Garibaldi's men find the final bomb and rig it to a jetpack to get it clear of the station Just in Time.
- Brick Joke: The joke Londo tells to the comatose Lennier is repeated by Dr. Franklin and finished by Lennier as he wakes up.
- Chekhov's Skill: Brother Theo explains to Ivanova how his order is comprised of various experts and geniuses, including ones expert in computer programming. That comes in handy when they need the computers programmed to scan video footage for their perp.
- Continuity Nod:
- The song G'Kar sings (used as the page quote, above) is a parody of the song he sang in The Parliament of Dreams.
- The Home Guard and Free Mars both get mentioned as suspects, being extremist groups the crew had to deal with in the first and second seasons respectively.
- The Drazi pilgrims in the beginning are there because of Droshalla.
- G'Kar reminds Londo that the penalty for the killing of a Centauri by a Narn is the execution of 500 Narns, including the perpetrator's own family.
- Contrived Coincidence: A completely random bombing spree manages to get Londo twice. The first instance was originally written with a random Centauri woman, but JMS decided Lennier saving a main character would have more impact.
- Converse with the Unconscious: Londo comes to visit the comatose Lennier, rambling on about random things and one Lightbulb Joke just to talk.
- Dead Man Switch: When Sheridan confronts Carlson, the bomber is holding a jury-rigged one. As long as he's gripping it, the bomb won't go off. If he releases his hold so the switch opens, kaboom!.
- Disorganized Outline Speech: Londo's bedside vigil beside Lennier consists of him trying to comfort him by saying "If I were in your position" but gets bogged down by further semantics.
- Double Entendre: Before going off with Ivanova, Garibaldi asks Zack to explain the missionary position to the Drazi missionaries.
- Elevator Failure: Londo and G'Kar spend half the episode stuck in the elevator.
- Enemy Mine: Defied Trope. The only way Londo and G'Kar will escape the elevator before the fire kills them is by working together. However, G'Kar would much rather see Londo dead. He can't kill Londo directly without resulting in reprisal against 500 Narns, but simply sitting by and doing nothing while the fire does the job for him...
- Foreshadowing:
- Carlson's rant about chaos spreading is a major theme of this season as the Shadow War looms near.
- The seeming randomness of his bombings (which would culminate in one massive blast) also mirrors the stratagem the Shadows will pull once the war begins.
- Freudian Excuse: Carlson lists the misfortunes he's had in recent months, but Sheridan puts him down anyway.Sheridan: What can I say? Life's tough sometimes.
- Laughing Mad: G'Kar seems to stray into this for a while.
- Lightbulb Joke: The afore-mentioned joke from Londo, which references the Centauri's obsession with the golden days of glory.How many Centauri does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one. But in the old days of the Centauri Republic, hundreds of servants would change thousands of lightbulbs at our slightest whim!
- Locked in a Freezer: Subverted. Londo and G'Kar get trapped in a transport tube by one of the bombs. G'Kar spends the entire time happily hoping they die before they're found, since it means he can watch Londo die without being found culpable for it. They're rescued in the nick of time, half-dead from heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. When the rescuers open the elevator door, the first thing the two do (following G'Kar's Big "NO!" since this means they'll both survive) is to feebly exchange Volleying Insults, indicating they hate each other even more than before.
- Mad Bomber: Carlson, whose bombing rampage seems to be motivated only by his general anger against the Universe for the misfortunes in his life.
- Monster of the Week: Unusually for the show at this point, Carlson, while having some thematic connections to ongoing plot arcs, has no actual ties to the Shadows, Clark's government, Psi Corp or any other existing group of antagonists. He's a lone guy suffering a mental breakdown and taking it out on the world at large.
- Murder by Inaction: What G'Kar tries to do to Londo when they're trapped in the elevator, since killing him directly would result in the Centauri executing 500 Narns in reprisal. He's quite upset when they're both rescued at the end of the episode.G'Kar: But I don't have to kill you. I don't have to do anything, and I still get to watch you die! I find this most appealing!
Londo: You’re insane! We must work together!
G'Kar: No. As the humans say: Up yours! - Nothing Personal, it's just the times.
- Oh, Crap!: When Sheridan is forced to sit down, causing his link to chirp audibly, both he and Carlson share one.Carlson: [Beat] WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?
- Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat: The stress of the situation is obviously getting to Carlson, as he spends his entire time on screen dripping with sweat.
- Pet the Dog: Londo's bedside vigil for Lennier.
- Relocating the Explosion: The final bomb is removed from its hiding place and moved far away from the station. When it's triggered, it explodes harmlessly in space.
- Remember the New Guy?: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Morishi is seemingly set up to be an important character given his heroics this episode, but not only have we not seen him before, we will never see him again.
- Sassy Black Woman: The Medlab Doctor that's attending to Lennier when Londo comes in is unusually curt towards him (considering that he's a foreign dignitary, no less).
- Suddenly Shouting:
- When Londo dares G'Kar to kill him, G'Kar begins answering, calmly, that he wouldn't do so, then begins shouting that it's because any Centauri killed by a Narn will result in the execution of 500 Narns including the perpetrator's own family, as Londo himself announced to the Babylon 5 Council last season. He then resumes his calm tone.
- Carlson too. He vacillates between whispering and then screaming at Sheridan's face.
- Taking You with Me: The final bomb—placed near the station's fusion reactor—is rigged to a Dead Man Switch in Carlson's hand.
- This Cannot Be!: When the station doesn't explode, all Carlson could exclaim was it's not fair...before Sheridan knocks him out.
- Understatement: Emerging from his coma, Lennier is asked how he feels. He responds, calmly, that he feels "As through a great many heavy objects had fallen on (him)".
- Villainous Breakdown: Carlson isn't very stable to begin with, but he becomes steadily less so while talking to Sheridan.
- Volleying Insults: The last scene of the episode.
- You're Insane!: Londo shouts this at G'Kar, who just retorts that that is why they'll win.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Lennier is unhappy with the idea of the Centauri giving him a medal for saving Londo's life. It's not that Lennier is upset by Londo's gratitude and approval, but rather the fact that he fears the consequences of saving Londo's life, given the harm that Londo has caused and will cause. That, and Centauri ceremonies can probably be rather wearing to non-Centauri.Lennier: I did what I did because I believe all life is sacred. But when the object of your actions does not share that belief... I fear I have saved the present by sacrificing the future.
