Heburn and Tracy... Bogart and Bacall...
Scoggins and Cole?
This episode could have easily been
the old B5 "religious zealot/mad bomber" show that is rapidly
turning into a cliche for JMS and crew. However, this episode managed
to be one of the most fun episodes of the series so far. The two saving
graces of this episode were the character moments between Dureena, Trace,
and Eilerson and the wonderfully comic dinner scene between Captains
Gideon and Lochley.
I've always like Lochley, despite
the fact that she never really got anything other than the bitchy commander
type parts. Seeing her in the new light of a normal person and her relationship
with Gideon was a nice change, and really helped make her character
stronger. Hopefully if Crusade is renewed, we can see how this subplot
develops. (It could go either way, depending on how well it's written.)
The main plot was weak, involving
a mad bomber who supposedly heard the voice of Joan of Arc in his head.
The mad bomber plot just didn't work for me, although Trace Miller did
get some interesting character development out of it. The voice of Joan
of Arc sounded like the voice of Celine Dion - which, when I think about
it, would make me want to blow myself to smithereens... especially if
it started singing.
Still, despite its flaws, this is
a good episode with some wonderful humor and character moments. It's
a nice change of pace from the normal heavier episodes while still showing
that the Excalibur and her crew are doing something about the plague.