Jumpgate #44 - Comes the Inquisitor

So Vera's criticism of this episode--that the thematic point is great but the execution does not work given how the characters have developed is so well put & reminds me of a criticism of B5 that I have that I think Vera will ultimately share. The way JMS has written the Vorlons in the universe of B5, they simply have not operated in a way that justify their thematic meaning that he wants to get out of them i.e. as parents of the younger races/the lords of order vs the Shadows as lords of chaos. The Vorlons don't really seem to have done too much ordering in the galaxy. Sure they killed Jha'duhr, abducted Sebastian & had him function as their inquistor for centuries, & Kosh provided a vision to G'Kar, but honestly if, as Justin eventually says, the Vorlons are like parents, they are deeply neglectful parents. They are not constantly intervening to stop wars by fiat like the Organians in TOS, providing religious inspiration (let alone establishing organized religions!), or providing material infrastructure help to the younger races. Really the only major role the Vorlons truly have in B5 depicted as playing is as the final guardian against the Shadows. Thematically, the idea of the "third age" where the outside powers that are obsessed with order to point of being oppressive despite over all helping the people they control leave after those they want to help stand up for themselves rather is a very powerful point. The Vorlons as oppressive lords of order that were good for us but that we ultimately need to outgrow or as overbearing parents that we need to standup to is great thematically. But the plot depiction of the Vorlons in seasons 1-3 is sufficient to ground that thematic point being made in season 4. The Shadows are so absolutely horrifically monstrous ideologically (social Darwinism is evil) & practically (the blood of hundreds of millions is on their hands & the Vorlons so hands off given what we've seen of them in seasons 1-3 that there's no real compelling reason that the Vorlons must leave the galaxy. Now the Vorlons' behavior in season 4--mass murders of those that have sided with the Shadows--is compelling reason to have them leave the galaxy as punishment/safety for the younger races BUT such behavior also seems to fly in the face of them being the lords of order/parental figures that they are supposed to represent. (I also have another problem with the Vorlons' behavior in season 4. Season 4 presents the Vorlons as WAY too powerful--as full equals to the Shadows. The lore in previous seasons (& even halfway in season 4) had consistently depicted the Vorlons as not being equals to the Shadows--most of the past Shadow wars had been between the Shadows & the other First Ones.) All of the above said, I still think that the Shadow war arc wrapped up remarkably well given how compressed it (JMS thought that season 4 would be the final season so he compressed things & he wanted to do the resolution of the Clark-Earth storyline right so I sympathize) BUT it does feel somewhat like Vera's criticism of this particular episode holds--JMS had a thematic point he wanted to make & wrote back from it.

Conrad

Vera has some great critiques of this episode here. Unlike her I genuinely enjoyed the episode when I first watched it and I still enjoy it for the thematic reasons you talk about Jessie, but I the more times every watch, the show the more I feel that while the thematic idea of what the Vorlons are supposed to represent is very interesting and occasionally executed well, JMS doesn’t always execute the idea in a way that works well with the characters & the world as presented in the narrative. Vera’s point about Delenn really being the wrong character for this to happen to I completely agree with.

Conrad

as do you :)

Ulrike Bogdan

I love that Vera hates the relationship between Delenn and Sheradon

Same!! I remember feeling so uneasy when I watched it for the first time. The Vorlons had seemed at least a bit shady before this, but this was the episode where a couple of random Vorlons could have been having an "Are we the baddies?" conversation and it would have worked.

Becky Sparks

Ulrike, I see you also support both of our Jessie and Vera 😊

S G Matthews

I'm in the middle of the episode and can't keep my feet still. For me this episode always was about how shitty the Vorlons actually are. Not only do they keep a pet serial killer but they should be the ones who should be questioned about their high and mightiness. I know it's been ages since you recorded it. But I was internally shouting the whole time while listening, it had to get out.

Ulrike Bogdan

Ah yes, the "Let's have Jack the Ripper torture Delenn" episode.

Emily Marriott