lurkers-guide/guide/067

<!-- TITLE The Hour of the Wolf -->

<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>

<blockquote><cite>
Sheridan's disappearance begins to unravel the alliance.
Londo discovers that Emperor Cartagia has
struck a disturbing deal.  G'Kar decides to search for Garibaldi.  Ivanova,
Delenn, and Lyta head toward Z'ha'dum to search for Sheridan.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Wasser,+Ed">Ed Wasser</a> as Morden.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Krimmer,+Wortham">Wortham Krimmer</a> as Emperor Cartagia.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alexander,+Wayne">Wayne Alexander</a> as Lorien.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+London,+Damian">Damian London</a> as Minister.
</blockquote>

<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/067">8.89</a>

Production number: 401
Original air week: November 4, 1996
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DGBEY/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: January 6, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by David Eagle
</pre>

<h3>Watch For</h3>

<ul>
   <li>@@@847695807 <a href="#NO.glitch">A switch of hands.</a>
</ul>

<p>
<hr size=3>

<h2><a name="BP">Plot Points</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li>@@@847096870 A thousand years ago, the Shadows seeded hundreds of
	worlds with their ships so their forces couldn't be wiped out in
	a single attack.

   <li>@@@847065886 The explosion on Z'ha'dum destroyed the Shadows' biggest
	city and threw them into chaos.  Now they've decided to seek outside
	help, and have enlisted the Centauri to shelter a small fleet of
	their ships in case Z'ha'dum is attacked while they're weak.

   <li>@@@847065886 Londo and Vir are scheming to kill Emperor Cartagia, who
	Londo believes has seriously endangered Centauri Prime by giving land
	to the Shadows.

   <li>@@@847065886 According to Kosh, Sheridan opened an unexpected door
	on Z'ha'dum.  Whatever that means, Sheridan somehow survived the
	two-mile fall, and now finds himself in the company of an enigmatic
	being, Lorien, who appears to know why Sheridan survived.

   <li>@@@847065886 The nonaligned worlds, believing Sheridan dead and the
	battle against the Shadows at an end, are beginning to withdraw from
	the alliance.

   <li>@@@847065886 The Shadows have something called "the Eye" near Z'ha'dum.
	It appears to be able to telepathically contact normals, probing their
	minds and drawing them to the planet.  It was this "Eye" that sensed
	Ivanova during her journey in the Great Machine on Epsilon 3
	(<a href="049.html">"Voices of Authority."</a>)

   <li>@@@847065886 The Vorlons are aware of what happened on Z'ha'dum, but
	according to Kosh, plan to do nothing about it.  Lyta, however,
	believes they're planning something.

</ul>

<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li>@@@847065886 What did Kosh mean about Sheridan opening an unexpected
	door?  A door to where, and why was it unexpected?

   <li>@@@847443478 Was Morden the human who introduced Cartagia to the term
	"the big picture?"

   <li>@@@847303489 What happened to Lyta while she was scanning for
	Sheridan?

   <li>@@@847303489 What is the "Eye" at Z'ha'dum?

   <li>@@@847613691 Why does it speak with a voice of infinite sadness?

   <li>@@@847097073 How did Sheridan survive his fall?

   <li>@@@847097073 Where is he now?

</ul>

<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li>@@@847065886 The Eye spoke to Ivanova and Delenn in the voices of
	their fathers.  That's the same image the old Kosh chose on more
	than one occasion (to Sheridan in
	<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations"</a>
	and to G'Kar in
	<a href="050.html">"Dust to Dust."</a>)
	Is there a connection?

   <li>@@@847065886 Is the Eye at Z'ha'dum the one Lady Morella referred to
	in the first of her prophecies
	(<a href="053.html">"Point of No Return?"</a>)
	If so, how will Londo be able to save it?  Will it be moved to Centauri
	Prime, or is it perhaps already there in some form as a result of
	Cartagia's arrangement with the Shadows?

   <li>@@@848684747 Perhaps the Eye is the Shadows' main defense system on
	Z'ha'dum.  That would explain why the White Star was able to get
	to the surface unharmed in
	<a href="066.html">"Z'ha'dum."</a>
	It wasn't touched by the Eye because there was nobody onboard to
	influence.

   <li>@@@848684605 The blackening of Lyta's eyes was similar to G'Kar's
	telepathic experience in
	<a href="050.html">"Dust to Dust."</a>
	Perhaps it's simply a side effect of intense telepathic activity.

   <li>@@@847702441 In <a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations,"</a>
	Morden warned Londo that the Shadows might turn their eye toward
	Centauri Prime if Londo stood in their way.  Was he speaking in
	general terms, as it appeared to Londo, or was he referring to
	something more specific?  If he meant the Eye in this episode, what
	implications are there in Londo's reply that the Centauri would
	pluck the eye out?

   <li>@@@848344628 Morden said Sheridan's actions forced the Shadows to seek
	outside assistance earlier than they'd planned.  That implies they
	thought they'd eventually have to do so.  When were they originally
	planning to get help, and from whom?  Seeking outside help would seem
	to put them on par with the Vorlons, who Morden castigated for doing
	exactly the same thing in
	<a href="066.html">"Z'ha'dum."</a>

   <li>@@@847613691 G'Kar credits Garibaldi with giving him a second chance
	and allowing him to redeem himself.  Garibaldi probably had that
	capacity in part because he'd been given a second chance himself,
	by Sinclair.

   <li>@@@847067361 The White Star seems to have been replaced with one of
	the other ships from the fleet; Ivanova and Lyta talked about taking
	the White Star to Z'ha'dum without referring to the fact that Sheridan
	destroyed the original White Star.

   <li>@@@847097073 Kosh may not have meant that Sheridan opened a door in a
	literal sense; perhaps it's more figurative.  Maybe Sheridan's attack
	on the Shadows has weakened them enough to make it possible for the
	Vorlons to wipe the Shadows out, if indeed that's what they want.

   <li>@@@847702124 "Some must be sacrificed for the greater good" is a
	sentiment that's widely shared, and "the greater good" typically means
	"your own good."  Kosh planted the idea in G'Kar's mind, implying it
	was the way to the salvation of the Narn people
	(<a href="050.html">"Dust to Dust."</a>)
	Justin told Sheridan that some races are lost along the path of
	evolutionary progress, but that humans would likely come out on top
	(<a href="066.html">"Z'ha'dum."</a>)
	And here, Cartagia uses the same reasoning to justify, in his mind,
	the destruction of his own people, if it means his deification.
	About the only one firmly opposed to the idea is Delenn, who, as
	Lennier observed, treasures each life
	(<a href="063.html">"Grey 17 Is Missing"</a>)
	and would sacrifice herself to save another
	(<a href="043.html">"Comes the Inquisitor."</a>)
	The latter, of course, also applies to Sheridan, and is amply
	demonstrated by his journey to Z'ha'dum to save Centauri Prime.

   <li>@@@847695355 What did Lyta mean about the new Kosh being darker than
	the old one?  His demeanor is certainly less pleasant, but does she
	sense something beyond a simple difference in personality?

   <li>@@@847483734 Why did Lyta put on the mask after returning Kosh to his
	suit, if she has gills and can breathe in his quarters?  Perhaps
	simply to conceal her modification from anyone who might see her
	emerging from his quarters.  But gill implants aren't unheard of
	(<a href="000.html">"The Gathering"</a>)
	and it's presumably widely known that she's Kosh's aide, so there
	would seem to be little to gain by concealing that.

   <li>@@@847701166 Ivanova may not have been the only one awake during the
	hour of the wolf.  Emperor Cartagia visited his heads late at night,
	and Londo called Vir in the middle of the night.

   <li>@@@847395993 Who or what is Lorien?  Quite possibly, he's a Soul
	Hunter
	(<a href="002.html">"Soul Hunter"</a>)
	since he has a similar gem implanted in his forehead.  If so, does
	that mean Sheridan is indeed physically dead?  The Soul Hunters
	capture the personalities of the dying, then spend their days talking
	with the dead souls and learning from them.  Sheridan's environment
	might simply be what one of the Soul Hunters' globes looks like to
	the occupant, and Lorien might be projecting himself inside somehow
	in order to converse with Sheridan.

   <li>@@@847445291 If, on the other hand, Sheridan survived physically,
	could it have been due to the presence of Kosh in his mind?  Kosh
	has already shown that Vorlons can fly
	(<a href="044.html">"The Fall of Night"</a>)
	and that they have telekinetic power
	(<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations."</a>)
	The latter might well have softened Sheridan's landing.

   <li>@@@847613691 Does Lorien's presence on Z'ha'dum (if that's where he's
	speaking with Sheridan) imply some connection to the Shadows?

   <li>@@@847445291 Sheridan and Lorien greet each other with the Vorlon
	question: "Who are you?"  Perhaps Lorien knows what significance
	that question has to the Vorlons.

   <li>@@@847483734 Sheridan dropped his rank insignia on the ground.  This
	parallels his experience in
	<a href="036.html">"There All the Honor Lies,"</a>
	in which he had to give up his insignia during one of Kosh's lessons
	and in return was granted "beauty... in the dark."  His current
	situation is certainly the darkest he's seen.

   <li>@@@847216936 Now that the Shadows are on Centauri Prime, will they
	begin eliminating Centauri telepaths as they did to the Narn?
	(<a href="058.html">"Ship of Tears"</a>)

   <li>@@@847303489 Why didn't Ivanova bring along more than one telepath on
	the White Star?  Given that for all she knew, Z'ha'dum was crawling
	with Shadow vessels, going there with only Lyta ran the risk of
	the White Star being blown out of the sky the moment it emerged
	from hyperspace.  Granted, telepaths are a scarce, strategically
	valuable resource, but she could probably have justified bringing
	three or four others to hold any nearby Shadow ships at bay.

   <li>@@@847216936 Is this the arrival of the Shadows and their minions 
	mentioned by Londo in
	<a href="061.html">"War Without End, Part Two?"</a>
	If so, why did Londo blame Sheridan for it?  Certainly Sheridan's
	attack on Z'ha'dum prompted the Shadows to seek shelter, but as Londo
	described it, it seemed more like he thought Sheridan had intentionally
	neglected Centauri Prime.

</ul>

<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li>@@@839122108 Filming began August 26, 1996.

   <li>@@@847695807 <a name="NO.glitch">Continuity glitch:</a> During the
	Morden-Londo scene, when Londo is about to sit down, Morden begins
	picking at his left hand.  After Londo is seated, he drops a flake of
	skin he clearly just removed from his right hand.

</ul>

<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li>@@@840214223 When I can announce the overall year 4 title, I will.
	Filming starts August 26th.  The writing is coming well.  Actually
	walked the sets today for the first time since we wrapped in May; it's
	just too depressing to walk on a dead set.  Lots of work going on now,
	new sets being built, noise and energy and enthusiasm...much better
	now.

<p>
   <li>@@@833267888 Re: vacation...I wish.  We're still doing post production,
	still editing, mixing, spotting for music and sound...it's a long
	process that will take us right through the prep time for year four,
	assuming renewal.  I can grab a day here or there, that's about it.  And
	even while awaiting word, I still have to begin working on year four
	scripts.  (The tentative title for the first episode of year four is
	"The Hour of the Wolf.")

<p>
   <li>@@@833868130 The Hour of the Wolf is that hour around 3 a.m. when you
	can't sleep because you're worried about one thing or another....

<p>
   <li>@@@843864950 Well, just finished the first (writer's) draft of
	"The Hour of the Wolf," the first episode of year 4, to be directed by
	David Eagle.  It was a tough one, like all first-episode scripts...but
	quite interesting, in its way.  Once again the show takes a somewhat
	different tone, I'm using some tools I somewhat developed in the
	background in year 3 and am now trying in foreground, very interesting
	mood change...a good start.

<p>
   <li>@@@847070457 <em>Did you know what was going to happen to Sheridan
	when you wrote "Z'ha'dum?"</em><br>
	Well, I think you can't do something like that without knowing how
	you're going to pull the character's fat out of the fire, and it has to
	make sense.  I think people will be satisfied with what they see.

<p>
   <li>@@@847070339 "In "The Hour of the Wolf" there are two scenes -- you
	know which ones -- that seemed quite a departure from what one usually
	sees on TV.  Did you write "Wolf" before or after your revelation that
	you were not bound by Standards and Practices.  'Cause if you wrote
	this *before*, then we're in for quite a ride."

	<p>
	Aside from the desk scene, which was the other you're referring to?

	<p>
	Oh...and the answer is...before.

	<p>
	Hang on.  It's going to be a bumpy night.

<p>
   <li>@@@838583972 "Have you ever contemplated doing an episode of B5 that
	unfolds in real time (i.e. one minute of screen time is one minute
	of plot time, as done in the movies "Miracle Mile" and "Nick of
	Time"), or would that be counterproductive to the sorts of stories
	you're trying to tell?"

	<p>
	Actually, yeah, I have considered doing that...it can be a very
	limiting structure, and the story has to be just right for it to
	work.  Haven't quite worked out all the snags yet.

	<p>
	"Or is "Hour of the Wolf" a story of that particular variety?"

	<p>
	Nope.

<p>
   <li>@@@843864950 <em>How was the first day of filming?</em><br>
	It's frenetic, nuts, lots of running around and little fixes, we all 
	get a little crazy on first days...but it'll be okay.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 <em>How do the actors get back into character after a
	long summer break?</em><br>
	Usually they just pick up the script...and get right back into it.
	They've got the characters down now, so there's not a lot needed to get
	back into it.  Some of them run lines with each other, like Stephen and
	Peter, since that relationship is something very special, but mostly
	they just learn the lines and come in.  Some of them want to see the
	final episodes, but some don't.  The only one to see most of the last
	two episodes thus far is Bruce, who was just totally knocked out by
	them.

	<p>
	Peter has said that whenever he needs to get back into character, he
	just straightens and says, "MISter GARiBALdi," and he's right back into
	it.

<p>
   <li>@@@843864950 John Copeland and I just got finished with 
	the main title for year 4, which is, again, different from last year's.
	This time I wanted a whole new approach, on just about every level, and
	designed the thing myself, working with John and the editors to get the
	best shots and pull it all together.  It's *majorly* cool.  We showed it
	to some members of the crew, and they're all jazzed by it, they think
	it's our best main title ever.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 The B5 story is told from
	everyone's point of view, and they're all a part of it, so the opening
	now reflects that.  And it gives me the chance to do an opening that's
	sort of a prose poem, which is a nice touch.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 <em>Why the new music?</em><br>
	We change the theme every season to reflect the tonality and direction
	of that season's story.  Every season when it butts up against the
	previous season's intent, a lot of folks ask why change it, it was
	better before...and then, by the end of the season, when people see how
	it fits in, generally they like it a lot...and then ask why it got
	changed for the *next* season....

<p>
   <li>@@@844403731 Today John Copeland and I did our producer's cut on the
	first episode of year 4, "The Hour of the Wolf."  Granted my opinion is
	subjective and biased...but of all the first-episodes we've had each
	season, this one is the best.  I was searching for the right word after
	looking at the director's cut, and finally came to it...maturity.  It
	has a depth we've only skated through before, all meat, no filler.  This
	one and the next batch are also all over the map, literally...B5, Narn,
	Centauri Prime, elsewhere...so it's a real challenge.  But it looks
	great.

<p>
   <li>@@@847217394 Everybody's just cooking on this one, it has a
	very filmic, grand look to it.  I love it a lot.

<p>
   <li>@@@847445039 It's a terrific episode.  The music now echoes season
	one because in some thematic areas, we're starting to bend back on
	ourselves, and close some circles, as you'll see soon.

	<p>
	That it affects the emotions is, for me, the goal.  If you can
	make an audience *feel* something, in a medium as cold as TV, you've
	done your job right.

<p>
   <li>@@@854987688 Wortham [Krimmer] came in to audition, same as everybody
	else...and we thought he was great.

<p>
   <li>@@@847070068 Wayne Alexander plays Lorien, a character you'll see
	throughout the first six episodes of season 4.  We wanted to give
	him more to do.

<p>
   <li>@@@848311301 <em>Lorien's eyes look odd.</em><br>
	The eyes have metallic gold contact lenses; you can't see them
	as well in the red light, but later, you'll see them better.

<p>
   <li>@@@847583603 There's more to Lorien than meets the eye.

<p>
   <li>@@@847445039 I'll string out the Sheridan info for a while; as for
	Morden, as he said, his associates can repair flesh, replace flesh
	(though where they got replacements from is something I don't want to
	know)....

	<P>
	It's definitely a packed episode.  I still find myself realizing
	that the end of act one feels like two acts.  And the next three are
	every bit as intense, if not moreso.  I love it....

<p>
   <li>@@@847581324 <em>Why bother with the Sheridan scene at all?</em><br>
	To not do so would've been vastly unfair.  And it nicely
	replaces one mystery, is or isn't he, with "who the heck is THAT?"

<p>
   <li>@@@852708505 <em>Sheridan dropped his insignia during Kosh's lesson in
	<a href="036.html">"There All the Honor Lies."</a>
	And he dropped his stat bar here.  Was Kosh preparing him to
	see Lorien?</em><br>
	I think it was a more general sense than preparing him
	specifically for Lorien.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 It's not a captain's bar it's a stat bar (gold for
	command, gold and silver for command/administrative liaison, red for
	medical, green for security), and it's Sheridan's.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 <em>This is a pretty bleak episode.</em><br>
	Yeah, it's deliberate...take 'em apart, separate 'em, see how
	they react, and make everything as dark as possible in anticipation of
	some kind of dawn, though getting there will be a struggle.

<p>
   <li>@@@843864950 Season 4 definitely starts in dark mode.  Bigtime.

<p>
   <li>@@@847445039 <em>Did you have Londo put on his old coat so there
	wouldn't be the costume mismatch there was with Delenn in "Babylon
	Squared" and "War Without End?"</em><br>
	I never make the same mistake.

	<p>
	I just learn how to make new ones.

	<p>
	(And I'm very pleased with that scene...it's kinda goofy, with
	the minister in particular...he's just nuts.  Well, not as much as
	Cartagia, obviously....)

<p>
   <li>@@@847443920 The non-moving Centauri Prime shot is an original
	Foundation shot; the one where it's moving (with the cruiser fly-bys)
	is the new one, and there's a lot more detail now in the surface of
	the planet and other stuff.  

<p>
   <li>@@@847583603 "The first S4 episode (Hour of the Wolf) doesn't have
	nearly as many FX as the later S3 episodes, and what is there is mostly
	stock shots of the station rotating, etc."

	<p>
	There are as many CGI shots in "Wolf" as in most of our episodes, and
	more than in "Rock," a later S3 episode.  There's also the new
	establishers of Centauri Prime the planet, the revised Palace shots, new
	establishers of the station, a big new shot of the interior of the
	Garden that pans down, the beside-Z'ha'dum sequence...there's a LOT
	there.  So a) your latter observation is, I gently point out, factually
	inaccurate, and b) most station shots have been recycled stock since
	year one, adding new ones each season then dropping them into rotation
	(so to speak).

	<p>
	We always balance big EFX shows with smaller ones, building up to some
	big stuff.  We're doing the same thing here this year as we've ever
	done.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 <em>About the visual of Kosh leaving Lyta</em><br>
	The streams were done on a flint, and there were not two takes 
	edited together, there was just the one continuous take.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 The streams aren't technically considered CGI as we use
	it.  That's roto work.

<p>
   <li>@@@864894298 CGI is specifically graphics generated on a computer,
	usually 2d or 3d animation.  Roto work like the streams from Lyta's eyes
	are done by hand, frame by frame.

<p>
   <li>@@@844796984 The events in 401 take place roughly 7 days after 322.

<p>
   <li>@@@847581324 <em>The alien ambassadors' English has improved.</em><br>
	Ambassadors have been learning as they've gone along; I took the
	notion that the higher ups didn't have that much contact with humans,
	so their grasp of english was halting at best, but over 4 years,
	they've gotten better.  The grunts/lower echelons, though, are still
	marginal at best.

<p>
   <li>@@@847694781 <em>About Cartagia looking up women's dresses</em><br>
	"best I can tell from my (admittedly limited) knowledge of Centauri
	physiology, he would have been looking in the wrong place - kinda like
	looking down a human woman's socks, or something."

	<p>
	Tell that to a foot fetishist.

<p>
   <li>@@@847581324 It's fun and interesting to see Londo now
	having to deal with being in a sense on the same side as Sheridan, but
	for vastly different reasons.

<p>
   <li>@@@851074419 By building up Cartagia offscreen, it helped pave
	the way for what we do finally see.

	<p>
	And the only reason to not hold back Sheridan for one more ep
	was my feeling that if I held him *and* Garibaldi back, it'd be a bit
	much.

<p>
   <li>@@@847217342 <em>Why did Lyta refer to the White Star as if it hadn't
	been destroyed?</em><br>
	The ships provided by Delenn are White Star class ships, hence the
	usage.

<p>
   <li>@@@847694894 <em>Why am I here?</em><br>
	Yes, the last piece there is kind of the key, isn't it?

	<p>
	I've always kept the minister just that, no name, for the
	reasons you cite.  This is someone who's a survivor, who bends with the
	wind, and somehow keeps going by not being noticed, or taken seriously.

	<p>
	And yes, this season I was noticing that eyes have become a
	predominant image, from Lyta to the shadows to Lorien to some stuff
	coming in the next few episodes...funny, how this stuff creeps up on
	you.

<p>
   <li>@@@847445039 Check out "Voices of Authority."  You've seen those eyes
	before.

<p>
   <li>@@@865283204 The eyes were a projection of a shadow face, as you can
	note in the main title.

<p>
   <li>@@@865283204 <em>Any connection between the Shadows speaking with a
	father's voice and Kosh appearing to Sheridan as his dad?</em><br>
	I figured that they would both tend to use a patriarchal
	influence, which would tie into so many races having that system.

<p>
   <li>@@@851074567 Actually, the ship was what technically saved them...
	Lennier also began to fall under the influence of the shadow voice, as
	we saw. There was some forethought on his part, but the ship activated
	itself on timer.

<p>
   <li>@@@847613692 "After watching Z'ha'dum and "Wolf"  (No spoilers here),
	my main thought was basically,  who the hell are these old races who
	assume moral superiority based on technical superiority?  How dare
	they interfere with our development as a species just to suit their
	own petty needs? I wonder if any character  on the show will take that
	same line of thought and expand upon it?"

	<p>
	Well, until now, that's been primarily unknown to the other species.
	Now, thanks to Sheridan's trip to Z'ha'dum, and stuff coming up, that
	information will start to get out.

	<p>
	So yeah, you may find someone or someones picking this thread up....

</ul>