B5 S5 Ep 20: Objects In Motion

It's definitely very hard to say goodbye to those you care about. Babylon 5 has been busy preparing alot of goodbyes of late.

Three to go. Wow. It's been a blogging journey. The last two entries have been very good. We kick things off with a visit from the illustrious Number One. She is now an elected official within the provisional Mars government. Mr. One Night Stand, a.k.a. Dr. Franklin, observes her entry aboard the station as he looks her over like a dog in heat. Zack asks if he knows her. BOY DOES HE EVER! INTIMATELY EVEN! She's a very tall woman as Dr. Franklin is made to look like a small, wee, little man next to her [slight exaggeration]. It must be those long, luscious legs. Actually, we've never seen much of the girl. She wears far too many clothes. She's looking for Michael Garibaldi. Well, he's busy undergoing detox with Lise's supervision. Franklin escorts Number One, real name Tessa, to Garibaldi's quarters. Tessa is an ice queen and not as attractive for it. I remember thinking she was more attractive than she really is. She brings comforting news to the bald one. Someone is going to try and kill Garibaldi and Lise soon, but who?

Garibaldi in a very intimate relationship with the porcelain throne. Don't you just hate those nights when you get the bug?

Boy oh boy. Welcome to all the happy, happy, joy, joy of the always happy times on Babylon 5, with Season Five, Episode 20, Objects In Motion. Things are moving along and that much closer to the season and series ending finale. It was interesting to note the story is penned by J. Michael Straczynski [as always], but along with Star Trek writer Harlan Ellison [The City On The Edge Of Forever]. Director Jesus Salvador Trevino also returns. This is welcomed news.

G'Kar is still being placed upon a pedestal. Lyta sits alone in the brig. G'Kar pays her a visit. G'Kar discusses his offer about leaving the station. She is aware of it. Lyta assumes G'Kar wants her close to him for his race's vested interest in telepathic DNA. She assumes he has ulterior motives about travelling away from the station with her. G'Kar is disappointed she feels this way toward him. She certainly doesn't know him as we do. He is certain his decision to bring her with him was the right one following his conversation with her. It is clear G'Kar feels she needs help. He is someone who likes to fix things and he has faith in people. He's a true believer.

Sheridan speaks with Garibaldi. His plan is to give Lise and Michael undocumented quarters so they may operate under the radar. Next, they will give an elaborate going away ceremony. The hope is to draw out the bad guy. It was Zack's idea and Garibaldi is proud of his former apprentice's strategy. Sheridan tells Garibaldi it's time he was taken care of for a change.

Elsewhere on the station, a male security guard is stabbed to death in the elevator by an unknown assailant. The baddie takes one of the com links from the deceased's hand. Zack and Franklin find the dead guard later.

The ice queen speaks with Sheridan. Apparently Mars is treated like a colony still. Everything goes through Earth. Number One feels it is part of an Earth plan to create conflict on Mars. Truthfully, the girl playing the part of Tessa is a terrible actress. She's more like a number three or four, maybe even a number five starter. Sheridan has some ideas.

Meanwhile on the station the assailant/ murderer continues to modify the com link device.

A Narn corners G'Kar upset that he is planning to leave the station. He tells G'Kar he spent all of his cashola, a.k.a. Narn currency, to get to him, to see him on the station. He feels G'Kar owes him something. He tells G'Kar without him, without the followers he is nothing. G'Kar, as only G'Kar can, and I would too, tells him, "than I am nothing." I always enjoy the profound words of Straczynski channeled through G'Kar. The Narn follower tells G'Kar he is the one who is the maker of the statuettes. G'Kar is angry and snaps the statue in half telling him to go home and walks away. The male Narn looks rather offended, almost as much as G'Kar. This could get ugly with the follower embarrassed.

By the way, Zack has gotten a bit curmudgeony on us yes? Still, Zack has become a bit of a gumshoe noting the molecular bonded security gaurd's com link is missing and has been substituted with a phony one complete with backing adhesive. Nice job Zack old boy. Zack knows the jig is up. The hitman is in the house.

Supporters are chanting for G'Kar. Sheridan recognizes both G'Kar and Garibaldi in a ceremony of distinction. It was rather odd that the audience was almost entirely comprised of Narn. That's what you get when you're not worshipped like a god as in G'Kar's case. This is the kind of thankless job poor Michael Garibaldi has had over the years. There's little thanks in honest public service. He's definitely done something he's loved because there is no glory in it. The security team is in position awaiting the assassin. I must say, nothing about this concept of a hitman seemed fresh. It felt old and stale as an idea and seemed a little forced. Anyway, the assassin tries to make his move, but is taken out. On the flip side, G'Kar is at the stand and nutsy fagan the Narn worshipper makes an effort to kill G'Kar calling him unworthy. He takes his shot as Zack saves G'Kar leaving Lise exposed who is shot instead. Oh boy, nothing worse than a zealot scorned.

In medlab, Garibaldi visits Lise as does G'Kar who is clearly worried. G'Kar feels just terrible as only G'Kar can. Garibaldi feels he can and will take matters into his own hands and out of the blue goes rushing out of medlab. Huh? Anyway, Garibaldi tells Zack he wants five minutes with the monkey who tried to shoot him and Lise. Inevitably he slams the guy after telling Zack he wouldn't lay a finger on him. So much for that honest public service. Yup, that's Garibaldi. I like him.

Garibaldi brings the scumbag into Lyta's cell and he is on a mission. Lyta uncovers the fact that the board members at Edgars Industries sent the dirt bag.

As G'Kar packs his things Sheridan visits. G'Kar has a survey ship ready to take him away. This is an ever so sweet moment between Sheridan and G'Kar. It is sincere, insightful moments like this that I enjoy most about Babylon 5 and it is moments like this I will miss. Well, I can always revisit my own blog as I tried to capture most of those moments along the way. : ) [Shameless plug].

That message G'Kar records should be a joy to watch. I look forward to seeing it.

Lise pulls out of the PPG shoulder shooting event. Garibaldi wants to marry her as soon as possible and he does. It's one of those quickie-style weddings like in a Las Vegas chapel with an Elvis for a reverend.

G'Kar and Lyta prepare to leave the station on what hopes to be an extraordinary journey together. They are a rather sweet twosome, but then G'Kar does have that affect on people. He even pulls out some of the best in Lyta that I've always liked in her. She had been harder and thicker-skinned through much of Season Five and he seems to have found her sweet spot again [that didn't sound right]. I'm sure G'Kar wouldn't mind a romantic link. Perhaps there is something more intimate in store for them given their earlier conversations when Lyta alluded to her "pleasure threshold." It piqued G'Kar's interest and mine back in Babylon 5, Season Five, Episode 15, Darkness Ascending. There is a bit of a beauty and the beast quality to them. G'Kar speaks of the adventures ahead of them. Lyta humorously replies, "I smell another book coming." I can't help but wonder if G'Kar's character was channeling elements of Straczynski himself throughout this series? I had first thought it was a bit sad that no one was there to see Lyta off. She seemed so alone. She appeared to be feeling alone, but fairly resigned to her fate. I wasn't going to mention it, but that's the feeling I had, then lo and behold Zack arrives. He always had a soft spot for Lyta. They never did get on the right footing or the same page. Their timing seemed to be off in the end. Of course, the dreadful Byron had to show up along with that dreadful storyline for a good portion of Season Five. Arggh! I would rather have seen a date in the life episode between Zack and Lyta. Sadly, he never actually says goodbye to her. He does in his own sweet way and quietly to himself just by showing up and watching from a distance. So, he sees her off in his own sweet way. I wonder if our fiery, red-haired telepath knew he was there? There is a good chance she sensed his presence even though it doesn't show. That might have been a nice touch. A pause would have worked beautifully for me anyway.

So G'Kar and Lyta leave the station in a Minbari survey vessel and one that I don't believe I've ever seen before.

As you know, Lise is the owner of one of the ten biggest companies on Mars in the medical research company Edgars Industries. Garibaldi Babcoms down to the board room on Mars. The board expresses its false concern for Lise, but YOU KNOW our Mr. Garibaldi, he doesn't pull any punches. He lets them know what he thinks of their little, death panel. They of course have their own useless little internal investigation going on. They did have the head of security fingered, but as luck would have it, he hung himself and met an unfortunate early demise. Ah, such a pity. You see these internal things don't always work in science fiction because people end up dead and that's not good at all. His suicide note claims full responsibility and I'm sure he wrote it. Of course it's impossible to prove unless you have a friend like Lyta. Well, little old Garibaldi has all of the information he needs to black mail this nasty bunch of cronies. Garibaldi has assigned Number One to head up intelligence for the Interstellar Alliance. She will be Garibaldi's replacement. Garibaldi tells the board there are new plans for Edgars Industries. There is also an account that will be paid out to hitmen to take care of the board should anything happen to Lise or Garibaldi other than dying of "old age." Nice touch. Resignations must be on the desk toot sweet. Now that's a good business move.

Franklin dines with Number One. They talk about what they "had." What did they have apart from a piece of ass and a hot shower? I really wasn't feeling any chemistry between them. It was a clunker of a scene, but the not-so-apparent, sexual chemistry is there for the two and they will spend the next hour to and fro as the 'objects in motion' mentioned in the title of this episode. Oh! Ba dump bump!

Delenn returns to the station. Sheridan greets her. They are planning to leave and Sheridan will miss Babylon 5. G'Kar and Lyta are gone. Londo is gone. Now Garibaldi and Lise are leaving. This is yet another touching goodbye.

Garibaldi is always such a tough guy. It's a welcomed sight to see him when he's soft and having a hard time letting down those defensive walls. Still, you really get the sense from that sequence that as much as he loved those people around him on Babylon 5 he's never actually allowed himself to stop and be happy. You really get that sense here [based on five seasons of solid character development] and he's finally letting himself take a chance on love. It also feels like these actors, like the characters, are saying goodbye forever. Pretty sweet stuff.

While it wasn't a great episode, there were a couple of standout moments for me that made it worthwhile. I can't help but wonder thinking of all the characters here as they say their goodbyes if the loss of Claudia Christian as Ivanova didn't have some impact on the show for this final season's flow. It certainly didn't help Straczynski's cause, that and losing his scripts of course. Amazing, just two to go. I feel like I'm going to walk off the station and say goodbye myself. There was certainly an air of finality to the proceedings here. It does feel as though we may never see some of these characters again. It could have ended here.
*

Objects In Motion: B-

Unexpected development: Houston, we have a problem. I took my Babylon 5, Season Five, Disc 6 [containing the last two episodes] with me on vacation, and well, I have somehow lost it. I can't understand it. I never lose anything. If you knew me people I don't misplace anything, hardly ever. I'm thorough! Can you freakin' believe this? I feel like such a Minbari- a real bonehead. I have searched high and low and I cannot find Disc 6. It must have slipped out of my laptop case or something. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. If I can get Season Five on box set for a sale price I'm going to grab it. I know iTunes offers the episodes at $1.99 a piece, but I know the quality of the shots and images just won't be there. Arggh! I'm so ticked off right now and only two left.