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Old 07-02-2013, 08:34 AM   #99 (permalink)
Trollheart
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1.20 "The quality of mercy"

Londo is bored, and decides to take Lennier under his wing, to further his education and bring him out of his shell. Meanwhile a murderer is sentenced to "the death of personality", the highest penalty that can be handed out for crimes, where the brain is completely wiped and a new personality inserted. A rehabilitation of the most literal kind; replace one mind with another. It's a controversial punishment, not without its critics, but the only other alternative is "spacing" --- death by expulsion from an airlock into space --- and that is reserved for military-style high crimes like mutiny and treason. In order for the sentence to be carried out, the judge needs Talia Winters to scan the criminal's mind, before it is wiped. Garibaldi is convinced the guy has killed before, and wants the telepath to look while she is inside his mind to see if there is any evidence of such, but the judge tells him harshly this will not be sanctioned.

Talia is not looking forward to the job. She says she was inside a murderer's mind before, and it was not a pleasant experience, as you would probably guess. Meanwhile Franklin, running a free clinic in Downbelow, sees his patients slacken off and goes looking to see what has happened. He comes upon a woman who seems to be healing people with an alien device she has in her possession, and accepting only voluntary contributions from her patients. The doctor is concerned that the woman, Laura Rosen, does not know what the alien artifact is or what it's meant for, though she does think it was used for punishment. In effect, it allows her to transfer a little of her life force to another person, thus healing that person but taking upon herself a huge burden. She is dying anyway, stricken with Lake's Syndrome, and has only a few years to live. Therefore she tells him she has nothing to lose, but he is still not happy.

Londo brings Lennier to one of his favourite bars, pulling the old "I-forgot-my-wallet" trick, and mesmerising the Minbari attache with sights he has never seen before. He is delighted when Lennier reveals he has a real talent for guessing odds, which of course Londo can use to great effect in his gambling enterprises. Talia prepares for her dark journey into the killer's mind. It's jsut as terrifying as she expected, and she finds that Garibaldi was indeed right: Karl Mueller has killed many, many times before. On the way to his "reprogramming" however he escapes and, wounded by a shot from Garibaldi, he makes it to Downbelow where he staggers into Laura Rosen's medical bay and takes her and her daughter hostage.

Meanwhile, back at the poker game, Londo is found to have been cheating, by using, shall we say, a certain part of his anatomy to palm cards, and a fight breaks out in classic western saloon style. Lennier has to employ all his fighting skills as a Minbari to get them out of trouble. When Franklin hears about Mueller's escape, he reasons that the killer must have gone to have his wound treated, and as he has not shown up in his own free clinic in Downbelow he must have gone to Laura. He gets there to find that the murderer is holding a gun to the daughter's head while he forces Laura to use her machine to heal him. But when she realises that he is going to kill them all anyway, she turns the alien machine to full power and transfers the entireity of her Lake's Syndrome to him, killing him in great pain.

No charges are brought against her, as it was seen as self-defence, and the doctor is a witness. But the alien artifact must be turned over to the station. Laura is completely well now, her Lake's Syndrome gone, but she is troubled by the fact that she, a doctor, has killed in order to save her and her loved ones. The machine is turned over to Franklin, who will study it, try to see if he can determine if it's safe to use.

IMPORTANT PLOT ARC POINTS

THE ALIEN MACHINE

Arc level: Red
This may seem to be a somewhat throwaway plot device, and in ways it is: more a way to exact justice on someone who deserves its harsh repercussions more than most. But file its existence away for later, as this machine will play a rather huge part in a section of one of the later seasons.

THE DEATH OF PERSONALITY

Arc Level: White
I sort of really wasn't going to place this in this section, so have made up a "white" level to address points that are not in any real way important to the arc, but do come back later in some form. The idea of wiping someone's mind and replacing it with a new personality as a form of justice or punishment is something that will be seen again in season three, when its full negative connotations and consequences will be seen.

Another small niggle: Sorry but there are the odd mistakes in Babylon 5, few though they may be. Here we see one, when Laura refers to the alien device as a method of corporal punishment. She means capital punishment obviously: corporal punishment is the likes of spanking, caning etc --- physical punishment --- whereas capital punishment is punishment meted out by the state; effectively, the death penalty. Straczynski's views on same will, as I say, be revisited in season three, where we will see if his proposal of the mindwipe is as clean and simple a method as it appears.

Additional notes: There are things said here too which will feed in to the arc later. When Talia meets Garibaldi in the stone garden and talks about her experiences inside Mueller's mind, she shivers and says "The things inside us: terrible." Make a note, and watch at the end of season two to see just how prophetic this remark will be. Also, Lennier's willingness to take the blame in order to save face for Londo will be a critical component in one of the early season two episodes. As in most things he does, or at least writes, very little JMS shows us in this series is inconsequential or trivial. Similarly, when Ivanova discovers Franklin's free clinic she does not report him, saying she has broken the rules on a few occasions herself. We remember her unauthorised used of the Gold Channel earlier in the season to enable her to talk to her dying father.

Another thing this episode does is brings us head-on with Dr. Franklin's views, the last time we were party to such was in "Believers". Here we see him initially happy to spend his own spare time helping to minister to those who can't afford to come "topside"; he is first and foremost a healer, and will rush to anyone's aid, friend or foe, rich or poor. We said this about him already. Mind you, he has little time for charlatans or quacks, as he believes Laura Rosen to be, but when he discovers that the machine is actually working, and why it is working, he becomes more concerned for her as a person than as a rival, genuine or not. He agrees to allow her use the machine without interference as long as she visits medlab for checkups, as he knows Lake's Syndrome is a deadly and extremely painful condition. Finally, we also see one of what will be not many, but more than one conquest, as he hooks up with Laura's daughter, the sly old dog!



QUOTES

Franklin (looking away): "You can start by removing your clothes."
Ivanova: "Not without dinner and flowers!"

Franklin (about Mueller's upcoming brainwipe): "I'll have to check the equipment later, make sure the process is painless."
Garibaldi: "Do me a favour, don't check too close. If there's a little pain I won't mind."

Londo to Lennier: "Here you will see the very heart and soul of Babylon 5. Also its spleen, its kidneys: a veritable parade of internal organs!"

Mueller (to Talia): "So, you're going to walk around inside my head, are you? I'd think twice if I were you. Something might just jump out of the shadows and bite you!"

Mueller, again to Talia though this time while she is scanning him and sees the multitude of his victims in his mind: "How many? How many worlds are there? How many flowers waiting to be harvested? How many new voices waiting to be recruited into my choir? I have to keep adding voices, until the choir is large enough to sing me into Heaven when I die. It's necessary. The overture is just beginning, Miss Winters."

Talia: "In the past five years I have scanned minds that were so alien, so different that at times I was afraid I would never find my way out again. But at least those minds held more humanity than what I saw a few hours ago. The things that live inside us, Mister Garibaldi: terrible things. You said earlier that you woudl bet good money that he had killed before. You would not have lost."

Janice Rosen: "You did the right thing, mother."
Laura: "I did the necessary thing. That is not always the same as the right thing."

Sinclair: "I'm still waiting for an explanation, gentlemen."
Londo: "And I am prepared to give you one, Commander. Just as soon as the room stops spinning."
Sinclair: "This station creates gravity by rotation, Ambassador. It never stops spinning."
Londo: "You see my problem then."

Londo, after Lennier has taken the blame: "Why?"
Lennier: "In Minbari culture, we are taught that it is an honour to help another save face."
Londo: "But Delenn ---"
Lennier: "Will know better, but will not enquire, out of respect."
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