Season One: "Signs and portents" (Part seven)
1.15 "Eyes"
If this is your first time with Babylon 5 and you're either reading these synopses to find out about it or as a precursor to watching the series, or are indeed watching it now, and you think the last few episodes have been a little dull, you're right. But take heart: things are about to improve on a vast scale. Although not one of the really great episodes that takes season one towards its sensational conclusion, "Eyes" is a decent episode and far better than either of the two that have gone before. A colonel in Earthforce arrives on the station to quiz Sinclair about his loyalty, and indeed to investigate the entire station. He's from "Eyes", Internal Investigations, though he does not approach the command staff directly. He instead snoops around under an assumed name and role, trying to find out all he can about Sinclair and his people. When his cover is blown he reveals himself to be Colonel Ari Ben Zayn, and orders Sinclair to assemble his people.
There has been unrest in the colonies recently, particularly on Mars, and Earthforce fears that Babylon 5, with its open trading policy and its comings and goings of alien merchants, may be used as a staging point for arms transfers to the rebels. Ben Zayn says he is here to see who is still loyal to Earth, who can be trusted. Sinclair immediately vouches for all his people, but the colonel makes it obvious that he does not consider the commander's word any sort of guarantee, and that Sinclair himself is far from above suspicion. Ben Zayn has brought with him a specialist from Psi Corps, Harriman Grey, who will be scanning the crew's minds to determine the level --- or otherwise --- of their loyalty. When she hears this Ivanova flies into a panicked rage and tells Sinclair she will resign before allowing a telepath access to her mind.
Sinclair is suprised and appalled at the idea of using telepaths in investigations, as the law on Earth clearly prohibits this, but Ben Zayn smirks and tells him there are new laws in force back home, and he is perfectly within his rights to have Gray present. He attaches Garibaldi to his staff, over Sinclair's objections, and informs the security chief to assemble all files on the station's staff, including classified ones, and report back to him. While he waits for the computer to collate the files, Garibaldi runs his own little investigation on the colonel.
After questioning Sinclair about various episodes, including the destruction by the Vorlons of Warmaster Jha'dur's ship and the resultant loss of the anti-ageing drug (see my entry on "Deathwalker") Ben Zayn tells Sinclair he will formally question the commander the next day. Talking to Ivanova about why she so deeply opposes the idea of a mindscan, Susan tells him that her mother contacted her telepathically many times when she was young, and nothing must ever intrude on that memory, especially Psi Corps. She has a strange dream in which she sees her mother being injected by men in actor masks (obviously Psi Corps techs) and then the scene changes and it is she who is in the chair being injected. She bolts awake as her dream self, echoing the words of her mother, sighs "Only one way out".
When Sinclair turns up for his hearing the next morning he insists Gray leave, quoting the regulations, which he has of course studied: telepaths are only allowed to be used to determine the answers to specific questions, not as an overall "fishing expedition". Gray, to Ben Zayn's surprise and undisguised anger, agrees, and leaves. Meeting him in the lounge, Ivanova is intrigued to learn that Gray actually agreed with Sinclair, and the telepath tells her that he has to work with the colonel, but that Ben Zayn lacks compassion. She begins to slightly warm to Gray, but it does not last. Ivanova does not trust Psi Corps, never will.
The colonel, however, has decided he has enough "evidence" to bring in Mr. Gray as he intends to bring specific charges against Sinclair, and he relieves him of command, taking over in charge of Babylon 5. His first act is to go to C&C (Command & Control) and advise Ivanova she is ordered to report tomorrow for a telepathic scan. She swears to Garibaldi she will resign her commission before submitting. The next morning Sinclair reports for his hearing, but before he does he talks to Garibaldi, who tells him he has found out some interesting facts about the colonel. He was much higher in the pecking order as a candidate for command of the station, and he is aquainted with Bester, the psi cop who previously visited the station (see "Mind war") in search of the rogue telekinetic, Jason Ironheart. In fact, Garibaldi tells the ex-commander, it was Bester who assigned Gray to Ben Zayn, surely not a coincidence? The psi cop's way of getting revenge for Sinclair having let Ironheart escape and making him look foolish?
During the hearing Sinclair baits the colonel with the fact that he didn't get the command he was expecting, and asks why he has turned what should have been a routine investigation into a witch hunt? Ben Zayn loses control, pulls a gun on them but Gray, shocked, sends a message of pain into his mind and Sinclair is able to grab the gun and punch him to the floor. The colonel's true bias and intentions now revealed, the investigation is over. Sinclair, Garibaldi and Ivanova however know this was just the first shot from Bester, and he won't give up so easily. They'll hear from him again before too long.
There's a comic subplot that for once does not involve G'Kar or Londo: in fact, neither feature in this episode at all. Instead, it's Lennier, the quiet, humble attache to Ambassador Delenn who provides the comic relief, when he offers to help Garibaldi rebuild an old Earth motorcycle, and gets totally caught up in the history, the machismo and the symbolism of the motorbike on Earth. His efforts provide some of the funnier moments in a pretty dark and tense episode, and it's nice to see his lighter, more playful side for once.
Important Plot Arc Points
The Minbari
Arc Level: Red
Again we hear that Sinclair was given command of Babylon 5 at the direct behest of the Minbari government. Why? What is it about this human that would make them want to put him in such a position of power? Is it tied in to his kidnapping at the Battle of the Line? What happened then? And why? I would say all will be revealed, and it will, but not for some time yet.
Bester and the Psi Corps
Arc Level: Red
Again we run into the Psi Corps, and again we hear of Bester's involvement. For once though we are shown a sympathetic telepath, a man who sticks to the rules and is not inherently contemptuous of "mundanes", as the telepaths call those without their gifts. Harriman Gray seems to be a good man, and though he has no choice but to follow his orders, from the start he is critical of the colonel and seems ill-at-ease about the mission.
Bester is said to have assigned him to Ben Zayn, and we know he holds much power in the Psi Corps, so is able to influence some major decisions with Earthforce, including obviously the mission to Babylon 5. There's a clear sense among some that Sinclair is seen as not working in the best interests of Earth, that he is little more than a puppet of the Minbari, and this makes some people in power very nervous.
Finally, what is the true story behind Ivanova's refusal to be scanned? She seems both angry and terrified. What is she hiding? And what did her dream mean, or did it in fact mean anything? The answer to that I can tell you: yes it did and it does, but what exactly we won't find out for a long time.
Free Mars/Rebels
Arc Level: Orange
This is the first real time we hear about a separatist group called Free Mars, who are, not surprisingly, working towards independence for the Red Planet. The planet itself was mentioned briefly in the pilot: we know Sinclair was born there and Laurel Takashima was stationed there with him, and saw the terrible food riots that took place there. Free Mars will become more and more important as the series begins to develop, leading to a massive climax that will only resolve itself in season four.
Quotes
The first hints that Colonel Ben Zayn and Harriman Gray see things differently are evident even in the very first scene, when the conversation between them runs like this:
Ben Zayn: "What do you think?"
Gray: "Most of the personnel will be no trouble. This one, however..."
Ben Zayn: "Anything you can't handle?"
Gray: "I don't
have to handle it. Her record's spotless. There's no reason to include her."
Ben Zayn: "That's not your decision. And she
will be included. Records don't always tell the whole story. That's one of the reasons you're here, Mr. Gray. Remember?"
Gray tells Ivanova that he wanted to be a fighter pilot, but telepaths are forbidden from serving in the military. So when he got the chance to be attached to the colonel he jumped at the opportunity, telling Ivanova wistfully: "Granted it's not the same as your kind of soldiering but part of a dream is better than none."
Ivanova warns Gray about attempting to scan her: "If you enter my mind for any reason," she tells him "I will twist your head off and use it for a chamberpot!"
Garibaldi reminds Sinclair that they've had to bend the rules over time, and that Ben Zayn may try to use this against the commander: "I know you're a by-the-book kind of guy, but let's face it, we've rewritten the book a few times to make B5 work. Made a few enemies along the way."
Ivanova tells Sinclair how private a thing it is to have another person in your mind: "You can't imagine what it's like. To share your own mother's love for you. To feel it in your thoughts. No one's ever been that close to me, Commander. And no one must ever intrude upon that memory. Especially Psi Corps."
After witnessing Sinclair get his own way against Ben Zayn, Gray admits to Ivanova that "I will long savour the look on the Colonel's face. Not many people are willing to stand up to him. It was very refreshing."
Ben Zayn betrays his feelings about Sinclair: "I've seen plenty like you," he says. "Hotshots promoted through the ranks without any real leadership ability."
Ivanova tells Ben Zayn, when he tells her she must submit to a scan: "The hell I will! Psi Corps may be running the rest of the world but..." She has no idea how close to the truth she will turn out to be.
Sinclair says "I don't like it any more than you do. Enough people have played with my brain already this year!" Obviously referencing both the events which took place in "And the sky full of stars" and no doubt also his suspicions that the Minbari did something to him also.
Garibaldi snaps "Who the hell is running Earthforce? Abbot and Costello?"
Ben Zayn, watching a clip of the Vorlon ship destroying Deathwalker's craft, muses "These Vorlons have been trouble ever since they arrived." When things get a bit more involved, that seemingly offhand comment will take on a whole new impact.
Ben Zayn loses it against Sinclair: "I deserved this command, but thanks to those damn Minbari you got it! I know all about you and the Minbari, but you won't be doing their bidding much longer. I'm commander of Babylon 5 now, and all your lies won't change that!"
When Garibaldi sees that not only has Lennier completely rebuilt the motorbike, and installed a workable power source so that he can actually ride it, he breathes "Get out of here!" Lennier, thinking he has given offence and taking Garibaldi literally, goes to leave, before the security chief calls him back.
QUESTIONS?
Just how high up the echelons of command has Bester got his grip? If he could influence an attempt to remove Sinclair from command of Babylon 5, his reach must be long indeed...
Did Ivanova actually sense Gray scanning her in the lounge, or did she just reason it out from what he was saying? And if she did sense it, what inescapable conclusion does that lead us to?
Interesting point: Harriman Gray is played by Jeffrey Combs, who all Star Trek fans will know as both the Vorta Weyoun and the Ferengi Regulator Brunt, in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine".
Another interesting point; well, an observation really. An episode like this just screams "clip show!" and I was delighted that JMS did not go down that route. It would have been very easy, for example, to have had clips of "By any means necessary" when Ben Zayn is quizzing Sinclair about the dockers' strike, and to fill up the episode that way. And who would have blamed him? But no, not one single clip is seen in the whole episode, the incidents only referred to. And for that I lavish great praise upon the writer and creator of Babylon 5, for not taking the easy, and expected, way out.