Thirty Days of TV: Day Nine

[selenak]

Day 09 - Best scene ever

Great Maker, as Londo Mollari would say. One? Out of the gazillion? Well... okay then. I'll just have to go with one particular scene from The Fall of Centauri Prime, a season 5 of Babylon 5 episode. In which the arcs of Londo and G'Kar culminate in a wonderful, sublime, unforgettable scene which has been termed by many a watcher of the show, including yours truly, you guessed it... "the best scene ever".

Mind you: you really have to have followed the show through its five seasons to understand the full emotional impact. What Londo did, what G'Kar did, the story of their worlds. You need to have watched their relationship change throughout the seasons, in the best canon example of mortal enemies-to-loverswhatever-you-want-to-call-them I've yet seen on tv. And one of the reasons why I love B5 even after all this years is that this scene is the big climax of it all. Not an action-ridden scene. Not one between the young and pretty characters. Or involving a human character. Between these two middle aged aliens, with blood on their hands, who've come so far. That it's also one of Londo's last moments as a free man before he subjects himself to the Keeper adds poignancy, but isn't the core of it. It is this: "You understand that I can never forgive your people. What they did to my world. My people can never forgive your people. But I can forgive you."

Best. Scene. Ever.




Day 01 - A show that should never have been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch

Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death.

Comments

[rembrandtswife]

I totally agree. I can hardly think about that scene without crying, let alone watch it.

[selenak]

It's perfection.

[andraste]

Indeed, it is. Shadows, Vorlons, five years of war both civil and interplanetary, the deaths of thousands, all of it comes down to one man forgiving another.

[selenak]

I've written about this before, but: in Coming of Shadows, Turhan says that the eternal cycle of hate and vengeance won't end before one man doesn't say "I'm sorry" - which of course he plans to do and can't because of his heart attack. Then you have s5 which starts with Londo finally reaching the point where he can say "I'm sorry", but that's just one part of it, and the story isn't complete until G'Kar reaches the point where he can say "I forgive you".

[andraste]

One of the many, many things I love about that scene is that it's not just about Londo accepting responsibility, it's about G'Kar finally letting go of his need for personal vengeance. He's not ready to accept the apology in The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari, even though he's obviously already stopped hoping Londo will die a horrible death, but he is eventually able to. Not because Londo doesn't deserve his anger (he most certainly does) but because they've both moved forward in spite of that.

[selenak]

Yes indeed. I wonder whether Londo ever told him about his death vision, though given the enforced telepathy in Dust to Dust, G'Kar most likely knows anyway. But no longer looking forward to that prospect and being able to extent personal forgiveness are two different things.

[andraste]

'How much did G'Kar take away from the mindmeld?' is, I think, one of the great unanswered questions of B5. He never uses any information he gets against Londo, and I suspect they're both keen to avoid ever having an actual conversation about that incident.

Of course, even if he did see what Londo saw he might not believe it - I think that Narns in general and G'Kar in particular are likely to be sceptical of the Centauri ability to see the future. Although he might change his mind a bit after he loses his eye ...

[vaysh]

I may have to watch Babylon 5, after all.

[vaysh]

Ordered the DVD. :)

[selenak]

The first season is a bit shaky - the show was still finding its legs - but essential for what it sets up. When you watch, tell me, and I'll give you an episode list. Some can safely be skipped because they have no arc relevance and are just plain bad, some are excellent, and some are only so so but contain important character stuff.

[vaysh]

I'll be coming back to you about that episode list. I never made it through either the first season of Merlin or SPN, so a "rec list" for which eps to skip will be very helpful.