The Babylon 5 First-Timer's Watch Log.
The Face of the Enemy
Garibaldi, I am at least relieved you're intelligent enough to realize there's no fucking way Sheridan will thank you for capturing and imprisoning his father. And you're bright enough to realize this is, truly, betrayal. So why aren't you bright enough to do something about it before things go REALLY sour? Inquiring minds need to know.
And now we reach the Judas Kiss. If Sheridan had the brains of a whelk, he'd set up contingency orders for the campaign to continue without him. It has good momentum now, it doesn't really need him and honestly he's probably a detriment since Clark can demonize him pretty easily. But whether Sheridan has the brains of a whelk seems to be the ongoing question of the show, so.
And this, ladies and gentlepeeps, is why you really don't want to rely on vigilante justice. Because when you do it tends to be vindictive. This is also why you really, really want the police force to be fair and treat everyone fairly. Because sooner or later, people who receive no protection under your law will go and make up their own. And it is nearly always both efficient and ugly. It has nothing to do with being a telepath (or insert-disenfranchised-minority-here) and everything to do with being human.
Did they borrow this 'alien world bar' setup from TNG? I keep expecting some Nosicans to stick a knife in Picard's back in the background.
That tranq took a hella long time to work.
...Seriously? Clark can't even issue a beatdown that won't leave marks? Well. It is a nineties show. Dear President Clark. Check your in universe history books and go look up Gitmo. Oh wait. This is a writing error. This isn't about beating Sheridan, it's about the writers wanting it to be clear Clark is off his nut. Y'know, because we're not clear on that yet, apparently.
Dear B5: Rampage. No really. If you wanted Sheridan back the smartest move would be to make clear that noooobody is going to play nice without him. Let's see if you can think of that.
*stares* You're shitting me. This goes way beyond writer stupid if you're not shitting me. *facepalm* Okay. The internet totally existed in the 90s so I am not giving the show runners a pass on this one. The telepaths represent no greater danger to freedom than does the internet. There is fuckall about you a telepath could find out about or even fabricate to use against you that a sufficiently skilled hacker could not also do. The real threat the telepaths represent is that they are an actual group. By birth. You can't train your darlin' kid to be a telepath, they either are or aren't. They can share information that is only traceable by their own group, so if they close ranks you're fucked, and as such they represent a group that money (more specifically, monied families) can't simply buy control over, or buy immunity from. And money hates what money can't buy. That's why the megacorps have to restrict them and bind them. Because it's a form of power money can't flat out buy. (And yes you can bribe an individual telepath - but so can someone else. You can't buy it for yourself.)
Showrunners. Seriously. If the megacorps (read: rich old white dudes) truly find telepathy that much of a threat the first thing they'd be doing is marrying telepaths to have telepathic kids. They'd PUT the power in THEIR families. They'd work at it for GENERATIONS if they had to. The method you're proposing is just...pointless.
Garibaldi if you go along with this you lose ALL your intelligence credits. If you can't even hear the plea of the old plantation owner, "But we *can't* free the slaves! We've treated them like shit! What'll they DO to us if we free them?" then you're a completely undredeemable moron.
I will however give one lone intelligence point to the megacorp CEO. For his voice stumbling over the words "Telepath Problem". He heard the echo of the Nazis in his own voice. Just for a moment. That he heard it and is not changing his stance is really all the indication needed that this guy needs to be shot.
It's time for Lise to decide if she's intelligent or not.
EVIL CHEKOV I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO GLAD TO SEE YOU IN MY WHOLE LIFE EVER.
....Is it bad that I find Bester to be reasonable and even merciful? I mean if he were a good guy, he'd let Garibaldi go AND get Sheridan back to finish things. But there are no good guys in this universe. That said, Bester is supremely pragmatic. And powerful enough not to be paranoid. Hail our telepathic overlords!
Ivanova. You deserve all the hugs in the uuuuuniverse. Go kick thou some righteous ass.
Intersections in Real Time
Pratchett wrote, there are no depravities of the most insane psychopath that can't be replicated by an entirely normal family man who just comes in and has a job to do. Apparently somebody read Small Gods.
*sigh* Yes. It's torture. It's an ordinary guy being a complete prick. Please, just get on with it.
Oh gods. It's an entire episode of this. YOU DID NOT HIRE PATRICK STEWART TO PLAY SHERIDAN. THIS IS NOT GOOD. THIS IS REALLY, REALLY NOT GOOD.
Advice to anyone else watching the series for the first time: Skip this episode. "They torture Sheridan for the whole episode. It doesn't work." There, now you know everything you need to know.
Between the Darkness and the Light
They're STILL torturing Sheridan. Now using drugs, which is actually working a bit, but still.
...Lyta. Oh gods. Lyta, I adore you. I adore you. And okay the doctor isn't a bad guy either, but Lyta, you're amazing.
And Ivanova. Ivanova is awesome too.
Oh gods. Oh gods. Londo...Londo you idiot, you fool. Sheridan's major wise move here was to ask the alien worlds to keep out of it. Humans will turn against aliens a lot faster. Don't be the Other Tribe, you moron.
Ivaonva has reached "I want figurines of this woman for my altar" status. *!!!!*
Endgame
Apparently Garibaldi is all better, and Ivanova is dying. Marcus is a very sad puppy. And we're going to find out what The Plan for the Shadow-altered telepaths is. Sounds like it's going to be vengeance on the people that allowed them to be altered.
Lyta has also reached "I want figurines of this woman for my altar". Wow.
And...I am rather impressed with Marcus' ability to put things together and then act on them. Honestly, the choice to give his life or not was one he could only have made of his own free will anyway. The Jeff Ryan type are pretty much designed for martyrdom.