Episode 2.3: The Geometry of Shadows

There is a concept in writing called Scene/Sequel, which states that a story is a series of scenes—bits where stuff happens—and sequels—bits where the characters react to the scenes. The Lord of the Rings is a pretty good example of this, especially THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: the hobbits get chased by a monster, then they stop to eat; they get chased by a different monster, then they stop to sing some songs; they get chased by a monster, then they stop to plan. In that kind of an epic fantasy, the sequels are often longer than the scenes; in a fast-paced thriller, the sequels are usually much shorter. In RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Indy fights his way out of a tomb full of snakes and mummies only to be told that the ark has been loaded onto a truck and taken away. He gets about ten seconds to catch his breath, say “What truck?” and then we’re off into another action scene. Neither style, or any of the spectrum in between them, is better or more correct than any other; they each create a certain tone and feeling, and you use whichever one is best for the story you’re trying to tell.

(I should also point out that while this concept exists in storytelling inherently—meaning that you can read or watch anything and identify the scenes and sequels—very few authors use it overtly. I certainly don’t. It will occasionally come up as a tool to fix a broken story (“Why is the pacing off here? Oh, it’s because I don’t have a scene and/or sequel where I should.”), but for the most part it just chugs away in the background.)

The reason I mention all of this is because THE GEOMETRY OF SHADOWS is pure sequel, start to finish. The last episode was a big crazy mytharc bonanza, full of shocking reveals, slightly-less-shocking reveals, and major points of action and decision. This episode is where the show steps back to take a breather, relaxing into an old-school Star Trek episode while it gives Garibaldi the chance to come to terms with his injury.

Let’s start with the Star Trek stuff: a group of aliens called the Drazi have started beating each other up in public places, which turns out to be some kind of vast cultural gang fight on a 5-year cycle. They pull a bunch of sashes from a barrel, divide into arbitrary groups of green and purple, and then fight for dominance to see who runs their society until the next gang fight. This is an obviously stupid way to run a society, and I was excited to learn how their culture could have developed this way, and how they benefitted from it, but the episode is not interested in exploring any of that; instead it ends, as did the cultural Narn stuff in BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, with a human stepping in and finding a loophole and bringing peace to a primitive society. Sigh. As a cultural quirk this is allegedly based on the Nika riots of Constantople, which really did use color-based gangs to decide political matters, but even those were based on sports teams—not an especially meaningful division, but at least not an arbitrary one.

The other reason this plotline exists is because it gives Garibaldi the kick in the pants he needs to get back on the job after his injury. That it does so by essentially “fridging” Ivanova is kind of par for the course: Drazi are fighting, Garibaldi is off duty, so Ivanova gets the job and ends up getting attacked, injured, and even kidnapped while trying to deal with it. It’s at this point, when her life is in peril, that Garibaldi finally swoops in and saves the day. And yes, this fits perfectly with Garibaldi’s character—he’s a fantastic investigator and security chief, as we’ve seen time and again—but it doesn’t fit with Ivanova’s at all. She’s competent and capable and, most notably, a proven brawler; the fact that she would get her foot broken in three places literally the first time a Drazi hits her seems very off. It turns out, though, that this was written into the story because Claudia Christian broke her foot in real life, and they needed an on-screen excuse for the crutches. That also helps explain how Garibaldi can recover from a gunshot coma in two weeks, while Franklin says Ivanova’s ankle will take between three and nine weeks to heal. Ivanova isn’t completely mistreated by the episode, though: she’s the one “clever” enough to find the loophole in Drazi culture. But the whole thing is just a detour from the real story—a Sequel to help us recover from last and get everybody back on track again.

Meanwhile, in the C-plot, Londo continues to fall from grace. I am loving this direction for his character, though again, this episode is not interested in advancing that storyline so much as just stepping back and noting that it is happening. We begin with a Centauri official telling Londo that his star is on the rise in Centauri political circles, and we end with a random guest star telling Londo that he's an evil dude on the road to Eviltown, and that's basically it. The middle part is full of a conceit so silly, and so ultimately pointless, that it's not even worth mentioning.

Just kidding, I'm totally going to mention it. They're called Technomages, and while they could have been interesting they're mostly just dumb. I feel bad for whoever pitched this idea in the writing room, because "Hey, let's have a magic wizard, except he does it all with technology," is actually a pretty cool pitch. You can imagine an episode where a guy shows up and starts summoning demons and casting spells, and everyone freaks out, and then eventually one character has a moment of belief and another character figures out that it's all just technology, and at the end Sheridan gives a little speech about the need for wonder in a world full of sadness. It probably wouldn't be a great episode, but you can see how it could have been a fun one. This one short-circuits that entire realm of possibility by calling them Technomages in the first place, and having Londo literally introduce them by saying that they pretend to do magic but it's all just tech. So they're basically just stage magicians, except for some reason every takes them super seriously, and for reasons that are never explained their mere presence is seen as ominous. You know that thing where people complain about Batman because he has the power to cause real change in the world but instead he just dresses up like a bat and freaks people out? That's the Technomages. And I don't begrudge them a little flair in their technology--I mean, why not use dramatic flame graphics to make your holograms look like magical summoning spells?--but it all just seems so pointless. We're never given any reason to see them as powerful or important or wise or anything else, we're just told that they are. So then the entire C-plot ends up being Vir and Londo and Sheridan running around trying to gain an audience with the most high-tech drama goths ever, and they don't do anything that matters, and then they leave. If they didn't have veteran character actor Michael Ansara playing the technomage--who calls himself Elric, and I am not making that up--it would have been outright laughable. As it was, Ansara knows how to deliver a portent of doom when called upon to do so, and the final portent of doom is indeed the highlight of the entire episode: he tells Londo he sees a great hand reaching out through the universe, and billions of voices calling his name. "My followers?" asks Londo. "Your victims," says the Technomage, and for all the silliness preceding it that moment is every bit as powerful and chilling as it needs to be.

In the end, the episodes not bad, it's just not great, either. It's a return to the lack of confidence and identity that defined the first season. And had this episode appeared in the first season, I probably would have like it a lot more. But now that we've seen what Babylon 5 can really do when it's hitting on all cylinders, I didn't want to step back and spend an entire episode on a Sequel. They're telling an awesome story with great characters, and I want that story to advance. Especially with a title that hints so strongly at the season's main arc: THE GEOMETRY OF SHADOWS does not really involve the Shadows at all, so it's a tease on top of everything else.

Quick note about the credits: I was told to avoid watching the opening credits for the first two episodes, which I assume was to avoid being spoiled on Delenn's hair. And may I just say, having finally watched them now, that putting Delenn's hair into the opening credits probably made that already-silly reveal at the end of episode two even sillier: she steps out, removes her hood, and she...looks exactly like something we've already seen twice so far? I don't want to spend the entire season harping on that hair, but it just continues to surprise me at every freaking turn.

Of note, the new opening credits give full prominence to the aides, Lennier and Vir and Na'Toth, which is pretty cool, although I note that Caitlin Brown has left the show so Na'Toth has been recast. That explains why her appearance in episode two didn't have the same crackling energy she had in Season 1. She didn't get much to do in that episode, though, so I'll reserve judgment until the new actor gets a scene she can really sink her teeth into. Wikipedia tells me that Brown left to pursue a movie career, and I don't blame her. She was one of my favorite's on the show, and she will be missed. The opening credits also introduce the pilot guy, Warren Whatsisname, who I thought was going to be a big deal after the first episode but has not to my knowledge even been in either of the other two. Is he a real character? Did I just dream all of this? I'm going to guess that he only lasts a season, if that; I'm going to further guess that he was brought in not to give the pilots a face but because JMS needed a character in a certain place to be able to do or say something specific down the road. Maybe die in a certain way. I don't know. I will continue to speculate blindly.