Babylon 5 - Episodics (#402)
"Whatever Happened To Mr. Garibaldi?"

While Sheridan wakes up on Z'Ha'Dum in the company of the mysterious First One known as Lorien, G'Kar and Marcus continue their search for the missing Garibaldi. Marcus returns to Babylon 5, and shortly after, G'Kar is captured by Centauri agents. Delenn summons the Rangers to Babylon 5, where she tells them of her dangerous plan to attack Z'Ha'Dum with the Whitestar fleet in seven days. On Centauri Prime, Londo is summoned by the mad emperor Cartagia, who offers him the captured G'Kar as a gift. Elsewhere, a disheveled Garibaldi is being held prisoner, where he's interrogated by his unseen captors, who are eventually revealed to be the Psi Corps. Londo offers G'Kar a deal: he'll save G'Kar's life in return for his help in killing the emperor. G'Kar agrees, but only if Londo will free his people. On Z'Ha'Dum, Lorien tells Sheridan that he must surrender his life in order to escape his in-between existence. Sheridan agrees, reliving his fall into the chasm before finally slipping away, Lorien standing over him.

Although on first glance, 'Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?' may have moved a bit more slowly than other episodes, writer J. Michael Straczynski was busy laying down plot threads, many of which would not be tied up until late in the season. In fact, the question asked by the title would not be fully answered until 'The Face of The Enemy,' 15 episodes later. The role of the enigmatic alien Lorien, whom Sheridan discovers in the caves beneath Z'Ha'Dum, was played by Wayne Alexander, who had previously played Sebastian in 'Comes the Inquisitor.' Alexander would become one of the show's alien repertory players, eventually playing members of several different races. For Jerry Doyle, whose character Michael Garibaldi is briefly seen being interrogated by his unseen captors, the episode turned out to be somewhat cathartic. The actor was able to smash up everything in sight, and after getting hit in a particularly vulnerable place, he was able to vent his pain and anger by smashing the lights; an opportunity rarely afforded most actors. Sharp-eyed viewers may recognize the piece of debris found by G'Kar; it's the overthruster from the classic cult film, Buckaroo Banzai.

Joe Nazzaro