The Political Advisor

Story: Voices of Authority
Written By: J. Michael Straczynski
Season: 3

The secret War Council/Rangers meeting starts our episode off with a decision made by Sheridan and Delenn that in order to fight the shadows, they must find and enlist the help of the mysterious beings known and “The First Ones”.  To find them, they enlist the help of Draal and the Great Machine.  Sheridan is to head down to the planet, get in the Great Machine and find the path to the Great Ones, unfortunately a new visitor from Earth screws up all their plans.  
This new visitor is Julie Musante from EarthGov’s Ministry of Peace, who is to be stationed on Babylon 5 as a Political Advisor to Sheridan, to make sure all of his decisions are politically advantageous to EarthGov and President Clark. She also seems to be advising Night Watch to get even more Gustapo like.  So she is as creepy and totalitarian as EarthGov has been so far.  She also tries to bang Sheridan in order to get him fully on her side. He manages to get out of it.  

So with Sheridan occupied by trying to keep their conspiracy out of sight for this new Political Advisor, Ivanova must go down to the Great Machine herself.  She gets in, finds the path to the First Ones, but also finds the proof of President Clark’s involvement in Santiago’s death, she has Draal record it and it is sent to Garibaldi.  This info is eventually passed on to people on the inside who also want the truth out, and the video is eventually passed on to the News.  This could either spell the beginning of the End of Clark’s reign, or EarthGov really kicking into high gear of Dictatorship.  Good Stuff.

Ivonova then takes out the White Star with Marcus Cole to find the First Ones, who after deliberating initially say no to helping, but Ivanova, having gathered that the First Ones aren’t entirely fond of Vorlons, decides to use reverse psychology on the First Ones by insinuating that the Vorlons said they were too pussy to join. The First Ones sign up. 

Garibaldi and Zach Allen seem to have a falling out in the end, with Zach seeming uncomfortable with the ways of Night Watch yet feeling irritated that he has been left out of whatever Garibaldi has been up to with the secret War Council stuff.  Zach Allen has some interesting complexities in his future I assume.

All in all a great episode that furthers several threads and keeps you engaged throughout.  

NEXT TIME: Dust

Comments