Boom today. A mad bomber terrorizes the station. When one of his bombs traps G'Kar and Londo in an elevator, they get to spend some quality time together.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Mike Vejar

Patrick Kilpatrick - Robert Carlson
Louis Turenne - Brother Theo
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa - Morishi

How many Centauri does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one, but in the great old days of the Republic, hundreds of servants would change a thousand light bulbs at our slightest whim.

Carlson, the mad bomber on the loose in this episode, is a patsy. No, he isn't part of a larger conspiracy of forces interested in undermining alien-human relations or spreading President Clark's reign of terror to Babylon 5. That would be too easy. Carlson is a pawn of none other than J. Michael Straczynski.

While it can be argued that any character or situation begins in the mind of the writer, Carlson's behavior is absolutely dictated by the requirements of the story Straczynski sets out to tell. The mad bomber's actions are the frame onto which Straczynski hangs the important dramatic and narrative moments of the episode.

The attacks achieve two critical objectives.

First, the investigation into the bombings gives Brother Theo and the members of his order an opportunity to prove their worth to the station. With something to contribute, the monks become a valuable resource to Sheridan and his team rather than just a narrative oddity.

More importantly, the attacks allow Straczynski to roast a classic television chestnut by trapping G'Kar and Londo in a confined space for an extended period of time. Usually, this plot device leads to a Deeper Understanding between two mutually antagonistic characters -- at least that's the way it worked when Magnum and Higgins got trapped in an elevator.

Not so in this case. Londo and G'Kar are too far apart to let anything as inconsequential as a matter of life and death to bridge the gap between them. If anything, each character comes away from this enforced interlude more convinced of the other's perfidy. There is a deeper understanding in their future, but it is still a long time in the forging.

Londo should also come away from this encounter with an uncomfortable feeling of humility. After having his life saved by Lennier earlier in the episode, Londo comes face to face with G'Kar, who would sooner die than lift a finger to help his Centauri opponent.

If he is honest with himself, Londo must admit that he deserves G'Kar's antipathy more than he does Lennier's selfless act.

"A Day in the Strife"

G'Kar gets replaced?
Londo sends Vir to Minbar --
Can they trust the probe?