Babylon 5: Londo Molari and Reefa

[@Stingmon21]

"Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts, Only the heir to the Throne of the Kingdom of Idiots would fight a war twelve fronts". Londo always got the best lines.

[@frankclarady6643]

Stingmon21 True that! My personal favorite is "What do you want, you moonfaced assassin of joy??!!"

[@Asher_Tye]

Stingmon21 To be fair, or helps that he delivers them with such panache

[@decemberagents1401]

That must be why the United States has been deploying the military in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and dreams of adding Iran. Oh, and we used to mull the idea of Ukraine too, but someone must have had a gram of restraint that time. We're not quite heirs to the throne of the kingdom of idiots, but we're working hard, and we'll get there.

[@kennethdawson7774]

Afghanistan and Iraq were actual wars that have since wound down to a few thousand U.S. troops running patrols in those countries. All the rest are a handful of soldiers trainng the locals and doing occasional drone strikes on identified terrorists and their suppliers - not exactly a "war" by any modern definition.

[@Cyberplayer5]

This episode has a very cold war vibe to it.

[@KingCrimson250]

I love how when Londo says "and because, sooner or later, you would have done it to me," Refa's expression says "Yeah, that's fair."

[@NickMichalak]

Indeed. Because who else knows all of Refa's dirty schemes and secrets besides Londo? He was a threat if Refa ever got overzealous, and push against the wrong agendas.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

Indeed, Refa might be an asshole, but at least he acknowledges that (he doesn't protest, so he admits that he probably thought about it - at least if other methods of disposing of Londo failed because let us face: Londo Mollari knows too much to be kept around indefinitely, especially since he's none of Refa's crownies (not that he wouldn't dispose of those, too if he thought them disloyal, hell he has telepaths to check for that...he after all used one to read Vir's mind, which Londo used as a trap for Refa!))

[@johncrichton7461]

Refa was such a good character and William Forward was an amazing actor. No idea why he never got more and bigger roles after this.

[@J0krswy1d]

3:54!

[@MarsJenkar]

@@johncrichton7461 I remember hearing about William Forward wondering if JMS disliked his performance to have Refa killed off. Joe replied that no, the death was plot-mandated, and Forward had done such a _good_ job that it would be wrong not to give Refa the onscreen death he got.

[@Revan2908]

"One never knows when an inconvenient truth will fall between the cracks and vanish." Words to live by, indeed.

[@raven4k998]

and because I have poisoned your drink wise advise to not trust just anyone giving you a drink cause you never know when it maybe be more then you think it is

[@PredatorAlienate]

What Peter Jurasik accomplished on this show has long awed me. Somehow, he took the complicated character of Mollari and made him equal parts worldly and provincial, cunning and naive, caring and cruel, patriotic and vindictive, agreeable and obnoxious, eccentric and typical. Londo Mollari truly is the Doctor Faustus of science fiction.

[@OpenMawProductions]

Somewhat summed up in the line "We are returning the old ways Reefa... and poison was always the instrument of choice in the old republic. Being something of a sentimentalist...*I got here first.*" He goes from playful right down to utterly horrifying.

[@PredatorAlienate]

+OpenMawProductions Peter Jurasik knew how to sell playful and horrifying all in the same performance without making either trait seem insincere.

[@JamaicanCastle]

I love the way he says "to your health, Lord Refa". It's not every actor who can deliver a line like that, not corny but genuinely menacing.

[@JnEricsonx]

Very happy I met the man.

[@freezetasticvoyage19]

The similarities between londo and gul ducat are intriguing.

[@juliemcneely-kirwan9314]

A million years ago, the actor who plays Refa was the father of a child in the morning kindergarten class at my son school. My son was in the afternoon session. Anyway, there were events including all the kindergartners and I remember "Lord Refa" toiling away at the barbeque in the park. Lovely man. Very nice.

[@hibbidyjibbidyy]

did he have normal eyebrows?

[@Jokie155]

Reefa's eyebrow raise when Londo says 'from time to time, you should come to me' gets overlooked for such a great subtle moment. He doesn't appreciate the other side of the leash being tugged.

[@ahcokris]

Mollari became so dark. He got lost in the shadows. He was the saddest character on b5. Meanwhile G'Kar started out as a power mad bully and became a wonderful person. Just amazing how these two were written.

[@jesseberg3271]

The writing is, quite literally, not the half of it. Katsulas and Jurasik both gave masterful performances that lesser actors would have been unable to carry. It would have been so easy to make either role a confused mess, given the contridictions built into them. Being masters of their crafts, these two actors instead breathed life into those flaws, and hung convincing portrayals on them.

[@jesseberg3271]

@xellossaxon I'm not talking about what's more important, just what's harder to find. Good writing is a more widely available skill (D&D's unwillingness to avail themselves of additional writing talent when HBO offered it, not withstanding) than is good acting. Great writers, while still rare, are more common than Great Actors. You need quality in both roles to make a good finished product, but it's easier to end up with poor casting than bad writers, and much harder to correct it when it happens.

[@milesprower6426]

No one is as he appears.

[@vguyver2]

@xellossaxon Proven true when Al Pacino started in Jack and Jill. Your point stands.

[@rebeccacarter1914]

All his sins and errors, yet he sacrificed himself for his people and no one would ever know. THAT is nobility!

[@alanparsonsfan]

I always thought, in a way, that Babylon 5 was a Greek tragedy, about Londo... It was about many, many things, but this was at the heart of it. He made the bad bargain that cost him everything he ever cared about. Jurasik, that accent, his delivery, just breathtaking...

[@Darkwolfe73]

I always loved how Londo presented him with facts, reality, and every good reason in the world to see things his way, including putting his people before himself. He didn't mention the poison until Reefa ignored all of his political and personal attempts. He actually did exactly the same thing with Mr. Morden when he asked him to remove the Shadow vessels from his planet.

[@toshirohitsugaya2391]

Londo was always reasonable at first, but failing that, he was ruthless.

[@NickMichalak]

@@toshirohitsugaya2391 With Londo, it was always like "Don't ever say I didn't give you a chance."

[@cericat]

Londo was a true gambler, he was prepared to be called on his bluff.

[@Cool70sfreak]

He gave Morden multiple chances to talk the Shadows into removing their ships during that conversation too. But he kept countering Londo and being adamant about the ships staying on Centauri Prime...so... "So what are you gonna do, Mollari, huh? Blow up the island?" "Actually...now that you mention it..." *Shows a detonator* "NO!" *The island explodes* "I had most of our people evacuated from Selini during the night. A few stayed, to maintain the illusion of our presence. They knew what was being asked of them. I would have preferred another way, hoped that you would be reasonable, but..." The last resort was always just that for Londo, the last resort, but don't ever think he won't go there. You just don't fuck around with Londo Mollari, because he will do whatever he has to if pushed that far. He was very clever, especially considering what he did to Refa in the end.

[@nelsonchereta816]

Molari was actually a great diplomat; cynical, an expert liar, and more than willing to murder for the greater good.

[@MarkSiefert]

I have always loved the way Mollari would always give two "good" reasons before he make a threat.

[@scottmantooth8785]

he always had more if he ever needed them but seldom had cause to divulge what they might have been

[@iainanderson6775]

The iron fist inside the velvet glove

[@danieldickson8591]

It reminds me of what G'kar once said to Garibaldi, that Michael never started a confrontation unless he already knew how it would turn out. But Garibaldi said he always left room for the other person to disappoint him.

[@mattbartley2843]

@@danieldickson8591 "Thanks for not doing it!"

[@Mrgoogle8]

He laid it out and held his punch until he used leverage to get what he wanted. The calm before the storm. Great voice great acting

[@Hextraordinary13]

I absolutely LOVE how Peter Jurasik used one of his relative's Czech accents -- I believe his grandmothers -- and other actors who played Centauri tried to mimic it to sounds similar. I grew up in my family surrounded by two great women with Czech accents and he pulls it off spectacularly.

[@MrCordycep]

+Hextraordinary13 Do they always greet you with a friendly "ahhhhh" when ever you meet them? :D

[@Fellow_Traveller1985]

+Hextraordinary13 Some other guy in comment said it was Ukranian, besides, this accent does not sound Czech.

[@Hextraordinary13]

Here is the interview [Peter Jurasik (Dr. Geiger) Chat at I.D.I.C Online on July 10, 1999] where I read that Jurasik got the idea for the accent from his Czechoslovakian grandmother. In the interview text -- if you do a CRTL+F (FIND) for the word "accent" in the interview, you will see where Jurasik states it: www.earth62.net/transcripts/jurasik10jul99.htm

[@Fellow_Traveller1985]

Hm, well it still doesn't sounds like a czech accent.

[@Astrologon]

Well, I'm not sure whether anyone in this conversation is Czech or Slovak, but since I am, I would say yes and no. Before I learned in this thread that it is some kind of Slavic accent, it always sounded to me like mimicking one of the romance languages, Italian maybe. On the other hand, now that I do know, Czech and Italian are similar phonetically, especially in the pronounciation of vowels, and there are the slavic hard "R" sounds too in Jurasik's delivery. I'd say it is an attempt at Czech accent that doesn't get some consonant sounds exactly right (but that would just sound more lame, in my opinion), and it has also the touches of British and Italian pronounciations - British for the imperialism and royal connections, Italian for the Roman/opulent Baroque art style (in one episode, Londo with Vir even sang some Centauri opera that was clearly meant to sound like Figaro). Given that there is a little bit of Habsburgian political history (including that of Slavic nations) woven into the plot concerning the Centauri, they as a race, and Londo most of all as its main representative, are like the perfect quintessential absolutist monarchy in all of sci-fi, in my opinion.

[@ProphetChuck8471]

That's it, no more youtube clips, I'm re watching the entire series as of now.

[@felang9257]

+Edward. C .Munsk You wont regret it, one of my favorite Sci-Fi TV series of all time.

[@IanPeon]

"And so, it begins."

[@captainspire9094]

The 1st season is a tad slow but it is a good foundation for everything else that goes down in the other seasons.

[@DGOODWIN19]

I bought all 5 seasons at Amazon for $99. You cannot find them streaming that I know of.

[@paulguerrero972]

Download the app for GO90, make a free account...all the episodes are there. I'm 1/2 way through the first season!!!!😀

[@OldDannyboy12]

Lando was hands down one of the best characters on B5. He could do hysterically funny, a complete bastard, a tragedy in the making, a patriot, hero, pretty much everything.

[@emsleywyatt3400]

And in the course of ten minutes.

[@rodneyleong3787]

One of the things I remember about Londo was Vir in Sleeping in Light. The two of them were passing the Pak’mara quarters when they heard them singing. I can’t remember the quote exactly but it was profound. “We have 48 gods in our pantheon. To tell you the truth, I don’t believe in any of them. But if there is a God, he sings in that voice”

[@alanparsonsfan]

@@rodneyleong3787 That quote about singing in that voice may be the most brilliant line JMS wrote here.

[@MaiAolei]

And in the end all of it would lead to him being the administrator of cloud city and later leading the assault on the second death star.

[@NickJohnCoop]

Just love the look he gives when Londo says ‘And because I have poisoned your drink’ It just screams ‘you did what!?’

[@robertnett9793]

The actor of Reefa was - albeit with little screen time - really good. And yeah - you need really good secondary characters, so figures like Londo really can shine. Imagine Reefa acted stupid or unbelievable in this scene - it would not only harmed himself but also Londos role...

[@davidking6750]

Yeah just moment before he was snickering at the idea that his loyalty to his people should be greater than his personal ambition ... kind of cut that snickering short!

[@Korraganitar]

The "yes!" He gives Refa in response is perfect too.

[@andrewarias1673]

I know it is nerdy of me to cross over two genres but...if Londo existed in the Game of Thrones universe, he'd be sitting on the Iron Throne in like a week.

[@MrRedcarpet02]

Would be great to see him spar verbally with Peter Bailish!

[@depressedhedonist]

You mean it's not him pulling all the strings in King's Landing??

[@Asher_Tye]

Andrew Arias With his luck? He'd be Hand of the King, but he'd also get to beat Littlefinger like a drum.

[@OldDannyboy12]

Interesting thought

[@toffeecrisp2146]

Oh please! Mollari would be putty in the hands of the first pretty lady that gave him the time of day :D

[@sunnchilde]

Lord Reefa had all of Londo's ruthlessness and none of his wisdom. At least Londo came to realize that the deal he made with the Shadows would bring doom to his people. As Vir later said "as a warning to the next 10 generations that some favors come at too high a price."

[@SalinaMoonfall]

It was "techinally" Londo who set the shadows in motion when he told Mordan off by stating his wish for the empire "To be what it used to be", and so we got them fighting wars left and right and a decadent brain addled ruler and daggers behind every back (though their ruling class going by Londo's opinion was still plenty ruthless).

[@TheBamaChad-W4CHD]

Reefa couldn't see the big picture. He couldn't see past his on nose. His ambition and lust for power blinded him to the larger picture

[@TheBamaChad-W4CHD]

@@SalinaMoonfall That's true but I'm sure the shadows would have found another if Londo didn't bite

[@JamaicanCastle]

@@TheBamaChad-W4CHD In fact, Londo himself is the other person they found, after G'Kar didn't bite. Morden asked G'Kar "what do you want" first, he just didn't like his answer.

[@TheBamaChad-W4CHD]

@@JamaicanCastle I was referring to just Centari but you are correct sir. Man what a freaking great show

[@_BLACKSTAR_]

"only the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots would fight a war on 12 fronts!"

[@Revkor]

one of the best lines.

[@JnEricsonx]

Well, we sure have him now.

[@CountryMetal01]

we've had him since the end of WW2, smaller wars here and there add up, especailly when Victory isn't the objective

[@snapdragon9300]

USA says, hold my beer...

[@pvtj0cker]

@LordMIGtau There are fronts and there are fronts.

[@dexternelson]

I always did like Londo. I wasn't surprised when he became Emperor. There is a Hawaiian saying, "Beware of old Hawaiian men who walk with a cane but not with a limp." When it comes to him, it's more like, "beware of Mollari when he bluffs... he doesn't."

[@SantomPh]

When Mollari has two drinks and no company, order your own

[@DrJReefer]

Heh. I walk with a cane and no limp.

[@lloroshastar6347]

@@DrJReefer Yeah but I'm sure you're probably doing it because you're a hipster and you like the look, nuffin wrong with that. If it's for a medical reason and you just don't have a limp then I apologise unreservedly.

[@DrJReefer]

@@lloroshastar6347 Its a really rough town. I like having a stout stick in my hand.

[@lloroshastar6347]

@@DrJReefer Fair enough, a nice idea for self defense too, I approve.

[@augusthawks6576]

I love listening to Londo speak. His voice and inflections make the listener run the gambit of emotions - whether he wants to or not.

[@tawabunny]

Also.. "yaeeyss"

[@nitehawk86]

Ahhh, Mr. Garibaldi!

[@0x777]

In the characters of Mollari and Refa is an interesting contrast of something that looks similar on the surface. Both of them want to reestablish the old times where the Centauri ruled the galaxy, but the key difference is their motivation. Londo wants to reestablish the rule of his people over the galaxy, Antono wants personal power. This is why Mollari was able to shake the lure of the Shadows. He realized that even if his people ruled the galaxy, they'd do so only as a puppet of a greater master, which he could not accept. For Refa this is no problem, for all he wanted was the throne.

[@brathernumzy]

Peter Jurasik played londo so well . every scene he did was brilliant i especially loved the way he greeted people like he has been rather bored and something interesting has come along

[@MaiAolei]

You mean how he starts the greeting with "Aaaaah", like "Aaaaah, Mr Morden!", or "Aaaaah, Vir!"?

[@brathernumzy]

@@MaiAolei Ahhh mr morden was a awesome scene

[@Beldan4]

So I never seen Babylon 5 before and I was flipping through the Syfy channel. This particular episode happened to be on this particular scene, and just watching this scene made me realize I had see the rest of the show.

[@herbertholland924]

"When they go down anyone nearby will go with them." quite prophetic.

[@joes6527]

"...And because sooner or later you would do it to me....." ---You simply MUST know your enemy.

[@odysseusrex5908]

I love how casually he says, "And because I have poisoned your drink."

[@jasonallman696]

That's called knowing how to use the Whip Hand. Having the power, excersising the power and not even gloating unduly......

[@fairmont66]

Such a great show. intrigue, betrayal, war, romance the show had it all!

[@tomsmith5584]

Machiavelli: I am the most ruthless. Londo: Hold my poisoned beer.

[@popkhorne5372]

Well machiavelli wasnt ruthless himself. Both his morale and position held him back from putting his theories to use. And if londo did not have morden help him move up the ranks, he would have had the same ideals, but he wouldnt have effectively done the nasty shit he did. Or the good parts, from a position of power.

[@flamingspinach]

@@popkhorne5372 morality or morals, not morale

[@popkhorne5372]

@@flamingspinach sorry, in french morals is morale in singular, and morale is actually moral. Confusing sometimes. And ironic given that while it is originally the latin word mor, both moral and morale were taken from the french language. Which means that in a sense, you guys are using it wrong.

[@SantomPh]

Machiavelli only wrote about ruthlessness and how it is necessary for great leaders to use it at times- but never really used his own ideas and required political favors and a measure of support to just get a normal job. "The Prince" was written to favor the Borgias. His two best known books, The Prince and Discourses on Livy were published only after he died.

[@rebeccacarter1914]

I have never forgotten this scene and the line about fighting a war on more than one front. Wisdom! What a wonderful character Londo is! So complex and based on history. The writing was so brilliant and intelligent!

[@ZalMoxis]

This was a good show back in the day

[@fangfyre3800]

2:38 "...Why would I abandon them?" "Because I have asked you (BLOOP)" I laugh every time I hear the liquid in the drink glass make that sound, and I am glad JMS left it in. He could have easily left it out of the final cut.

[@logion567]

Now I can't un-hear it

[@jayman105]

The nine people who disliked this video are associates of Lord Refa.

[@christopherbacon1077]

Or agents of the Shadows

[@hunterschoumacher9560]

Three are Londo's wives...

[@kamikaze6201]

But they are KEY, to his eventual rise to the throne!...

[@HouseJawn]

Lol 🤣👌

[@michaelweigel8253]

@@hunterschoumacher9560 Take it Easy, take it easy...don't the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy...

[@thitsugaya1224]

Reefa played three moves ahead, Lando always played 10 moves and a checkmate ahead.

[@scottmantooth8785]

the game was won before it ever began weeks if not years in advance

[@BogeyTheBear]

Refa is always three moves ahead. Mollari has a smuggled pocket gun in his waistcoat which he will draw and prove to you that you weren't in the sort of game you thought you were. "Whatya gonna do-- blow up the entire island?"

[@aaronbittner7356]

Well, it did cost Londo Adira.

[@chickensandwich77]

2:56 when Londo says "yes"... kills me every time...

[@hyptro]

That one word always summed up Londo's character perfectly for me. Even more than "Mr Garibaldi!"

[@toshirohitsugaya2391]

Almost as if he was talking to a wayward child.

[@jamesmartin9401]

I'm right there with you. That "yes" sounds like it's scraping up the darkest leavings of your soul and pouring it over your head.

[@toffeecrisp2146]

Ahhhhhh! Viiiiiiiiiir!

[@Mxyzptlksac]

It’s almost a patronizing tone.

[@trymetal95]

For those who wonder why bother with two poisons, Reefa can get the entire palace staff to check the food and drink for poisons, the 2nd half is harmless and won't show up unless it's introduced to the chemical Reefa now carries. Reefa would need to know exactly what Londo put in his drink, and i imagine that'd be difficult to find out

[@DrJReefer]

There might not even be a poison. Sinclair plays a light hearted version of the same ruse on G'Kar. Made him believe he had a tracking device hidden somewhere in his body. There wasn't one. But G'Kar would lose weeks while Narn stuck cameras up his pouch looking for it.

[@dynamicworlds1]

@Matrix29bear make it an advanced alien culture with many alien biospheres to draw chemicals from (and a higher tech level meaning a greater ability to synthesize other chemicals) _and_ an alien biology and the list for them could be even longer.

[@Axius27]

@@dynamicworlds1 The poison might not even be Centauri in origin. With so many species on Babylon 5, he could have easily have obtained the poison from a more obscure species. Reefa could search for years and never know for sure who he got the poison from.

[@NickMichalak]

@@DrJReefer Absolutely! Make him paranoid enough to drive him mad. And the fact Londo doesn't ultimately kill Refa using poison is potentially rather telling.

[@DrJReefer]

@@NickMichalak Thinking about it JMS uses the fake out ruse a few times in the show. Remember that time absolutely nothing happened in a sector?

[@berighteous]

"...and because I have poisoned your drink..."

[@Mecha82]

Londo was always smarter and more cunning than anyone else. This scene pretty much proves it.

[@mrssalina]

Ah yes, except then the Shadows move on and form a direct alliance with Emperor and from the frying pan and into the fire!

[@Lava91point0]

+mrssalina the road to hell is paved with good intentions

[@mountainstartemple6041]

too bad he couldn't escape the Keeper on his shoulder ,,, except with enough alcohol LOL!

[@leonidasj406]

Londo had to be, and all seasons after the first one were him trying to make up for his initial mistake of foolishly answering Morden’s initial question- “What do you want?”

[@Relugus]

He was the smartest man in the room. However he illustrates how even a very smart man can be undone by character flaws.

[@writchey1]

To Your Health Lord Reefa!!

[@nnthayer]

“Dormant, silent, waiting.” ... just like the Shadows. One wonders if Londo’s choice of poison was even subconsciously due to his familiarity with them.

[@gilliansuter9657]

Has anyone ever noticed that Reefa's resting face always looks like he just farted and is trying to hide it, and Molari's resting face always looks like he smelled it but doesn't want to say anything.

[@itsMe_TheHerpes]

marry me, lol.

[@itsMe_TheHerpes]

but seriously yes, lol. and babylon 5 is a good show, shows a lot about how politics is actually made and who is behind it. it ends with londo being king, but... a king without power. i suspect it's pretty much the same in politics, it's so insidious. you fight to get to the top, and when you get to the top you realize you fought for the right to be a slave to a maleficent power. and you have no more freedom. you have your chains on you. of course, they are gold chains, and people who are lower in rank envy you, and they think you wear them because they are fashionable and not because someone else has the key and you can't get them off. and you... well your pride compels you to play along, and pose as powerful to those people beneath you. after all... you worked all your life to get where you are. TRAGIC !

[@thanatosstorm]

That's character acting at its finest. Both know the other so well they can't even hide their animosity from the other.

[@-pancakes7205]

I always liked that Londo had this meeting in public and out of the open.

[@JamaicanCastle]

I imagine that's to reduce Refa's temptation to strangle him and make it look like an accident. You never want to be the path of least resistance between someone like Refa and what they want.

[@cericat]

@@JamaicanCastle Given Centauri politics it's probably preferred to meet with witnesses by both parties to avoid accidents.

[@catprog]

And possibly even had the posion in plain sight.

[@No1ofConsequence]

This series was Game of Thrones years ahead of its time.

[@scottmantooth8785]

by decades and ended much better

[@lenrek]

@@scottmantooth8785 To be fair, is the HBO series that was disppointing. The Books, I hear is way better than the HBO series. I believe, a lot of GOT fan would want to forget HBO series ever existed, after its last season.

[@scottmantooth8785]

@@lenrek *the fact that the directors themselves should have been replaced the moment they began going so far off from the books but were not says a lot...hbo might never fully recover from this one*

[@lenrek]

@@scottmantooth8785 Ya... I have unsubscribed HBO and move on to Netflix. Oh... I subscribe Amazon to watch The Expanse.

[@fadingjedi]

They should do a series about the rise and fall of the Centauri Empire pre B5. I bet it would make Game of Thrones seem childish.

[@worldtraveler930]

One of my many favorite scenes of the show.

[@charlesmunn4844]

I love how Londo looked at Reefa before he told him he poisoned his drink.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

Wow! Now, I remember why I loved this show!

[@OreadNYC]

Gotta love the way in which the props department working on a sci-fi piece almost always has the actors drinking out of what are usually intended to be bud vases to show that people in the future have really cool, minimalist, streamlined cocktail glasses...

[@xaenon]

In STAR TREK, Dr. McCoy's bio-scanners were dolled-up salt shakers. The Doomsday Machine was a wind sock dipped in cement.

[@Desmaad]

They could be _stangen_ -- the traditional glass for _Kölsch_ beer.

[@caronstout354]

In the original Battlestar Galactia the drinking glasses were UnCandles...

[@wtc175]

Lord Refa - a great character and beautifully portrayed by William Forward. ....and in the presence and Londo....brilliant characterisation by Peter Jurasik!

[@morganjohnson539]

To me BABYLON 5 is the pinnacle of science fiction storytelling brought to life by brilliant acting. It is the story of humanity stretching out into the cosmos with all of our flaws and hopefulness intact. As Delenn pointed out "Humans build communities. Any other race building this station would keep it to themselves." It was their very alienness that provided the mirror to see ourselves. The different ways we approach problems, the way we form communities around shared ideals more than shared heritage. Molari found us confusing; at once greedy and generous, stoic and silly. G'kar wondered at our mixture of warrior spirit and pacifism. Delenn saw our spiritual strength that we seemed to be unaware of despite the fact that so much of what we do is driven by a sense of divine purpose, for good or evil. There will never be anything like this again in my lifetime. I'm glad I took the time to immerse myself in that world.

[@romanpaladino]

Peter Jurasik was amazing in this role. Londo is such an incredibly complex character and Jurasik plays him to perfection.

[@CarrowMind]

Whenever I hear his name, I can't help but think of weed and giggle like a little kid while saying "Lord Reefer", I am 31 years old.

[@ant4812]

Don't worry, I do that too and I'm 51.:)

[@spartybrearly7221]

The first thing Reefa does once he returns to Centauri Prime is to see a doctor.

[@kekilocknan8624]

Only just started this show and my god this is peak sci fi, whatever happened to this kind of stuff makes me sad

[@MrRedcarpet02]

One of my favourite Londo conversations. Whoah! Big hit time! :)

[@s.beaumier8765]

Anyone note that little vial nearby the bottle? Poor Refa. The evidence was right there. Apparently he underestimated the nastier side of Londo Mollari. :)

[@BastardOfTheNorth]

Think thats just the bottle cork

[@ericmorang3903]

To your health, Lord Refa. The slow knife cuts the deepest.

[@scottmantooth8785]

and its removal is of equal agony

[@russell5078084]

you can apply what londo, said to our country today. politican's loyalty to their country and it's people, should be greater than their ambition. oh how I wish that were true. things would be soo much better if it were.

[@DutchGuyMike]

Money is to blame :p

[@iona2225]

Money in itself, no. Greed, yes. Greed exists without money, greed in this sense is focused on the acquisition of power, reverence and clout. Greed isnt a bad or good thing, without greed, humans would not have created electricity, sculpture, sliced bread, going all the way back to trying to learn how to make fire cause it made an early ancestor of yours food go down better. Fear, to my knowledge at least, is the counter weight to greed, having a higher dominion in man's heart then possibly even love or desire.

[@russell5078084]

@@saberiandream316 sounds like you need to get professional treatment for TDS. Also you should read more and watch propaganda TV less.

[@russell5078084]

@@saberiandream316 TDS is Trump Derangement Syndrome. There would be nothing wrong with a woman becoming President. But, just because a candidate is a woman doesn't mean she is the best person for the job. Hillary most certainly wasn't.

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@saberiandream316 Bernie has beat Trump in nearly every hypothetical matchup poll by a significant margin and did a huge amount of work helping Hillary even after the primary was demonstrably rigged against him (up to and including _at least_ voter registration purges that were pled guilty to in court) Your conspiratorial sabatoge theory about Bernie is total BS and he is absolutely the best qualified to take down Trump. Where TF are you getting this crap?

[@pt8208]

I remember watching regularly when this episode came along. Theer was a great deal of satisfaction on seeing Londo take the first steps in redeeming himself.

[@PtolemyCeasar]

The writing and the acting was way above there budget.

[@cugamer8862]

JMS should do a series on young Molari, so we can see his rise through the ranks and the antics he got into along the way.

[@voiceover2191]

He had no rise through the ranks starting in his youth. His house had little status in the empire. His sending to B5 was treated and interpreted as a joke and so was he. Only after he alligned with Morden and the Shadows his star started to rise.

[@giggles61155]

Molari and Gkar

[@peskylisa]

I LOVE this show! So full of wisdom and it's life lessons and morals are so applicable to the current reality!

[@wolfgangschleis7949]

My favorite t.v. show.110 episodes,7movies, I still watch two or three episodes a day, and a movie once week. Great story.

[@BelieveNoGod]

"To your health. Lord Refa". :)

[@Mark73]

I find interesting that an unspoken detail about the poison is that food tasters wouldn't be effected by the second half.

[@GarrisonHat]

Refa: "They are the key to my eventual rise to the throne." Londo: "You forget, Lord Refa, that when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. How do I know this? I have poisoned your drink."

[@MegaIhateit]

Doctor van Nostrand Let's see here: Rangers, Night's Watch, heads on pikes, conspiracy, civil war... I think you're on to something here.

[@scouttroop291]

+ColdNebula well it good to have the name john and my car was bomb i think im safe now

[@ThePathStrider]

I knew I wasn't the only one who thought the Babylon 5 was Game Of Thrones from the nineties (minus the gore and sex).

[@carolinelynch2823]

Imagine if Londo visited Earth. He could have visited Versailles in France. Do you think he would have liked it.

[@suchiuomizu]

Londo has visited Earth (the Centauri sent him there shortly before the Earth-Minbari War).

[@fangorn23]

OH SNAP, I thought it was very odd that Londo had already poured his drink before he even sat down.

[@blintorzabat5798]

Yeah, me too. Refa shows carelessness. So one way or another, Londo would have had him

[@maxpower6110]

Is that unusual?

[@cericat]

@Techno Master It's common practice in bars generally too because of the frequency of people being drugged. Don't accept an open container, and watch it be poured. And that's not Ghana, that's Australia.

[@worldofthought8352]

So I watched this and realised you and a few others are right. Londo pours from a open container to refa but we never see londo pour it in his drink. We see him with a drink already start of the scene and just assume that londo got it from the container. That was perhaps the illusion, to make refa think he was drinking from the same container when in fact it was likely a seperate drink itself.

[@krzosu]

"Beacuse i have poisoned your drink" and later that mischievious "Yyyes" from Londo was amazing - Peter Jurasik did superb job in this entire series.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

The nonchalant delivery of the the line "...and because I have poisoned your drink!" - Masterfully done! Londo is GOAT!

[@taliawtf6944]

A conversation between Londo and Machiavelli would have being something to see and hear. xD

[@scottmantooth8785]

Machiavelli would be vastly out classed the moment eve entered the room

[@connordowning216]

2:49 small detail but you see he checks to see if he drunk enough of the drink to drop the bomb, little eye flick before the big moment exactly like you would in real life excellent actor

[@nathanielhellerstein5871]

0:19 That look from Londo when Reefa takes the half-poisoned drink.

[@FerretJohn]

When a person sticks a gun to your head you don't stop to consider whether the gun is loaded or the person holding it is the sort who'll pull the trigger, you assume it is and they are, doing otherwise would be foolish Reefa was an arrogant fool but not so foolish as to think Londo was bluffing, it is after all what Reefa himself would do.

[@craftuar2439]

I am glad i take the chance to buy this complete series with all episodes DVD pack 10 years ago ;) Time to watch this nice sci-fi-show again ;) lg

[@davemarkjackson]

I thought the same. I decided that it must be in case he has somebody taste his food (not out of the question on Centauri Prime..) - if somebody does taste it, they'll only get 1 part of the poison and it won't kill them. But it will kill him. Still seems barmy though, doesn't it? :)

[@glowing571]

I love Londo's real world politics here. He knows the shadows are a menace so after using them (from his point of you) he wants to be rid of them. Naive to think he could but at least understanding how dangerous they are and you shouldn't dance too long around a fire or you'll get burned. Great writing and acting.

[@pwnmeisterage]

The irony is that, in this instance, Londo didn't actually use a poison. Only the fear of poison. Because he knew that the most exhaustive medical scans would find nothing. But the less they found, the more sinister and powerful the fear of the poison would be.

[@Beldan4]

Actually he probably did use a poison. A poison like this actually exists. It has been used to kill someone before

[@jasong9492]

"Beep beep!"

[@AntonNight]

“Why should I abandon them?” “Because I have asked you to.” True, you just did. I’ll give you that much. “Because your loyalty to our people should be greater than your ambition.” Heh, you would think… “And because I have poisoned your drink.” Ah eh-what now?

[@kereminde]

It's interesting, but I wonder somehow if there was a first part of the poison. I hear they're still looking for that transmitter G'kar insists must be there.

[@davidjackson6835]

all these comments are so valid. Londo was one of my favourite characters. some time ago, I noticed a frozen dessert in the grocery freezers..."Frutare"....my son laughs as I always say it in Londo's voice....

[@paviad]

I love the little bit of brilliant acting when Reefa says 2:23 "You are a fool!" and Londo gets visibly upset and quickly goes for his drink to subdue it.

[@tomsmith5584]

Machiavelli had nothing on the Centarians.

[@terraclaiborne2088]

Tom S. Centauri. But yes.

[@ericpelote998]

You had to love tbis show !!! Amazing Story arcs and interplay

[@Comkill117]

Never watched this before, apparently it’s time to fix that because this scene is great.

[@mrssalina]

I think George Martin put some Londo into Tyrion Lannister

[@MinscFromBaldursGate92]

But Londo is not Evil or killed by his own son.

[@roguishpaladin]

Tyrion, not Tywin

[@JamaicanCastle]

Only *some* Londo, though, or he would've taken over the whole world with just himself and G'Kar.

[@SantomPh]

Londo is a patriot and a pragmatic politician who simply wants his nation to be strong and self sufficient, but has to deal with the web of Centauri politics. A better equivalent might be the book version of Doran Martell, who flips everyone's expectation of him and Dorne by revealing his master plan, which stumps everyone in his court and stands to make Dorne quite powerful if it succeeds. Tyrion is more of a self serving man who hates most of his immediate family but has compassion for others.

[@JnEricsonx]

So...Vir. :)

[@alcohol-freebeer3642]

Wow, Londo really cared about Reefa's health at the end here. I guess these two guys are going to get past this bump in their working relationship and go on to be good pals.

[@MaiAolei]

They will, Londo will even leave Refa's face undamaged.

[@SuperPuzzler]

Londo was such a badass in his own way.

[@adamglenn5477]

Peter Jurassic was great. Lo do was so layered, so complex, it was truly riveting to watch him.

[@shiroamakusa8075]

It's amazing how Refa so obliviously takes a drink offered to him from a person he knows has a less than friendly disposition towards his cause. He obviously wasn't as clever or ruthless as he thought or he'd have Londo eliminated as soon as he secured Mr. Morden's assistance. That happens when you fail to tie up loose ends.

[@johnmartin4152]

"Being something of a sentimentalist...."

[@PaiSAMSEN]

"Only the heir to the Throne of the Kingdom of Idiots would fight a war twelve fronts" Me, a Stellaris player : I feel personally attacked.

[@alanparsonsfan]

One of the top 10 moments in Babylon 5.

[@dndboy13]

he casually pulls out a conversational lebensraum, does really really bad things to narn, is recklessly militarisic and poilitcally manuevering-y (?). And even has a german accent! JMS had a field day coming up with the this guy i bet

[@JnEricsonx]

Not a German accent. It's supposed to be non-specific so no one could give him crap for a bad regional accent.

[@lovipoekimo176]

Al Gore saw this episode and thought "Inconvenient Truth. Hmmm. I like that phrase."

[@wintermute7378]

This aged like fine wine 🍷 This show is fucking incredible.

[@respectfulconversation944]

I love Lord Reefa's face when Londo says "and because.. sooner or later you would do it to me" it somehow says "well that's fair.."

[@pepleatherlab3872]

There is a definite advantage to those who understand that 'getting there first' is among the best of strategies. It works extremely well as a real life strategy when opportunities are in short supply.

[@RelativelyBest]

*is designing a sword while casually listening to Babylon 5 quotes* *is drawing the line where the thumb aligns with the edge* _...and because I have poisoned your drink."_ *slightly corrects the alignment.*

[@the_sixxness]

I think Morden took G'Kar's first answer at face value. Because he knew that the second answer was not what G'Kar truly wanted. And when he challenged the idea of completely murdering the Centari and what G'Kar would do next, G'Kar was not intrested in conquest.

[@bthsr7113]

12 fronts. To quote a younger Londo, "arrogance and stupidity at once. how efficient of you."

[@robbabcock_]

Londo was an amazing character!

[@Mxyzptlksac]

This is one of the best threats to anyone. Next to threats made by Delenn eg “Only one Human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else!"

[@tnerbtnerb5136]

Londo Mollari was truly a compelling character, and the definition of a tragic hero. Had he lived in another time (almost any other time), he would have been a minor figure, remembered by no one, and most likely quire happy for many small victories. Instead he became a figure og infamy; reviled by many enemies and more respected than loved by allies. He gained the height of power and influence, but by the end wanted nothing to do with it. Lost nearly everything he loved or cared about either as a consequence of his flaws or in sacrifice to a greater good. And only after his death was any remembered with any modicum of fondness: one of the more unlikely saviors of the galaxy. Londo Mollari: Conman, manipulator, machiavellian diplomat...hero.