EpDis: Between The Darkness And The Light

[vacantlook]

Refresher Links:
Lurker's Guide Main Page for Between The Darkness And The Light
Lurker's Guide Extended Synopsis for Between The Darkness And The Light

[RW7427]

One of the heavy hitters of season 4. Just awesome viewing!

[GaribaldisHair]

For me this suffers from being placed amidst a run of truly stand-out episodes. I rate both Face of The Enemy and Intersections In Real Time higher than this one, so it only gets a good from me.

That isn't to say it is not a great ep in itself, it just isn't as great as some of the others around it, and it has some great moments.

[grumbler]

I thought that the Ivanova "God sent me" speech worked pretty well the first time I saw it, but was less effective upon repeated viewings. Still, I remember how I felt when this first aired, and so rate it excellent.

Man, those were the days when I literally was antsy between episodes, because JMS was always frakking with us! I was not at all sure Sheridan and co. were going to win this time around. There was, after all, another season to go.

[Boxie]

I loved that speech, and this episode! Every time I watch it, it hurts to see Sheridan like that...and those scenes at the end with Susan just rip your heart out. I gave it an "A" and would have upgraded it if there was anything higher!

[Elipsis]

A-.

A heavy episode, all this life risking finally has terrible consequences for one of our main characters (though as we find out in the next episode... not as expected).

[maneth]

One of the top episodes of season 4, especially Ivanova's contribution. She's come a long way from the first season where she pointed out she was a Russian in every other episode and a Jew in the ones in between.

[Elipsis]

Originally Posted by maneth

She's come a long way from the first season where she pointed out she was a Russian in every other episode and a Jew in the ones in between.

[Estelyn]

Fresh from rewatching this episode, I'm still deeply moved by the tragic ending. Just when it looked like Ivanova was beginning to warm to Marcus (having recognized his Minbari compliment and thanked him for it), she gets fatally injured. (And yes, I know what comes next, but it doesn't take away the feeling that overwhelms me now.) Her deathbed conversation with Sheridan is all about the war, about her role as a commanding soldier and his recognition. More important than the words are the faces - it's heartbreaking to see Marcus' bleak expression and the tears both he and Delenn shed.

Wrenching my thoughts back to the previous events...

Interesting that Sheridan's drugged vision of Franklin comes true when the doc and the others rescue him. Garibaldi gets stabbed in the back - an echo of his own actions, figuratively stabbing Sheridan in the back.

Interesting also the reaction and cooperation of the League worlds and the accompanying quote: politics and morality on the same side?!

Lyta's strength as a telepath, getting through P12 blocks, seems almost limitless at this point.

A pivotal episode!

[Alioth]

Drugged-up Sheridan, on seeing Garibaldi in the rescue party: "Michael... boy was I gonna kick your butt for something... but I don't remember." Classic line!

I kind of thought that the place they were holding Sheridan, the biggest fish they ever caught, would have been much more heavily guarded--or that he would have been transferred to Earth much sooner after his capture (they had him on Mars for a week or so already). But thank God for the arrogance or whatever it was on Earthgov's part that made it fairly easy to spring him.

Oh but that little tizzy Lyta got into about Garibaldi's joke ("I'm gonna sue somebody!") while walking through the tunnels into enemy territory (maybe you should do that more quiet-like)--that was cringeworthy.

Overall an excellent ep though, or at least one of that group of excellent eps that make up the climax of the Earth Civil War.