I clicked on this comment to argue that I like G’Kar more than Londo but the more I think about it the more I’m forced to agree. I think I do like who G’Kar is more, but Londo’s story is richer. Completely agree on Garrak though. IMO he’s the most impactful character on a sci fi series.
It's that: "Hey! Somebody better pay for that drink!" bit at the end that takes this from funny to memorably hilarious. I cannot picture a more Londo moment.
Londo is THE MOST brilliantly written tragic character I know of. ALso no less briliantly acted by P. Jurasik. Huge props to everyone involved in this.
Londo was a very complex character. You really never knew where he stood on anything but you could always count on that whatever it was it would benefit him and by extension the Centari people, as justification. The dynamic between him and G'Kar is a master class of two forces headed towards destruction, and knowing that still fulfilled their role for the greater good long after they are gone.
He had the prophetic dreams of where he was headed. Attached to the parasite who would control his every move, destroying his nation and needing G'kar to kill him yet he could not find a way off that path. You were supposed to get something about patriotism from Londo, and G'kar as well. As a matter of fact the entirety of B5 was on the excesses of patriotism not on extolling it.
It's writing this good that truly made the characters feel like real people. I'd say it's a lost art today but that's not true. It was as rare then as it is now Straczynski was a master.
The characters had such depth on this show... Londo alone has more intricate facets to his personality than the entire cast of most shows today.. Portrayed by a brilliant actor.
2:30 The tragic irony, oh the incredibly marketable irony. Londo started off the series with no power and all choice (cushy but useless job, zero oversight) and ended the series with all power and no choice (Emperor with even his body on Drakh failsafe)
After the bombardment of Narn Lando tries to buddy up with Garabaldi again just like this, but G mans having none of it. There's a price to be paid for what he did, even though he took the deal without knowing what it would be.
@@Marveryn He married four times. He was forced to divorce the first wife (the dancer), then later asked the emperor to grant him a divorce from his other three, but the emperor asked him to keep one so he ended up not divorcing Timov.
Especially since this was so early in the series that Londo would have still been a complete joke amongst his own people. Te scene plays as though it's doing Garibaldi a service, reminding him he has friends (Molari), but at this moment Molari msu still be amongst the lowest in his entire career, completely cut off from imperial court and still being a complete joke of a position. It's doubly heeartbreaking since at the time of this scene, Molari had fewer friends than Garibaldi and much more reason to despair, but his pride would never allow himself to weep. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad" applies more to Molari than any other character at this very moment
and yet has he say at the end he had no power but all the choices in the world, he was free, happy compared to having all that power and no choice whatsoever
It was real moments like this that distinguish Babylon 5 from all other science fiction movies and TV, and but one of the many reasons that I will always love this show.
Man, I love shows that aren't just skin deep. This moment, even if a bit corny, shows the DEVELOPMENT of a relationship between two characters. Not a romantic one. Not a 'you killed my family' one. Friendship, the most common one. The characters in this show aren't static stereotypes, they shift and move in response to the chaotic world they live in.
Agreed. The characters' evolution on the show was phenomenal. When I first saw the series it was in its original run, and I came in mid-season 2, either right before or right after Londo made the deal. It was only years later did I get a chance to see season 1, and the very different places Londo and G'Kar started from. Just amazing. (My roommate hadn't seen any of it yet, so any time the Londo-G'Kar conflict came up in the first season, I had to bite my tongue to keep from giving things away.)
@@eledhwenmare2403And there are chunks of it that have aged depressingly-well, given the context. But so much of it still holds up on a fundamental level.
Londo Mollari.... The unsung hero of unrequited comedy and good-joy to the series. He and G'kar's love/hate relationship is one of the best rivalries, bar none, in a long list of TV series.
What always struck me about Londo was that he didn't necessarily have all the best lines in the show, but the way that Peter Jurasik delivered the lines and his portrayal of the character is truly what made Londo's lines the most memorable of any character on the show.
IIRC, Peter Jurasik said somewhere that whenever he needed to get back into Londo's character, he would say "Mister Garibaldi!" and that always did the trick.
He was an absolute master of the craft of acting. Londo is easily one of the best written scifi characters of all time. It's amazing how much they can make the man so endearing while so flawed. Knowing the pain and suffering he's inflicted but also capturing the moments where he brings camaraderie to those around him.
Londo is the most interesting character. He's the epitome of Centauri royalty and Centauri Politician. And that is always his primary motivation, the Centauri Republic. But he has a deep fondness for life and everyone who lives it. He will absolutely leverage good will politically, but even when the leverage isn't there, he'd rather spread joy than hate.
nah. maybe from your point of view. but what you describe is not politics. anyhow.. Londo was nice, and i do believe he honestly forgot to pay the bill. this happens to me too.
Part of being a professional at anything, even a professional alcoholic. Be polite to those in your profession. Especially those in your logistics and supply chain.
He had the lowest political function and was considered a joke by the Centuri higher than him. As G'kar put it: "I have seen what power does, and I have seen what power costs. The one is never equal to the other.", and Londo soon experienced that on his own skin more and more as the show progressed and his arc unfolded.
If I recall, this was when there was fresh rioting happening at Mars, and Garibaldi was worried sick over his old flame Lise. Michael was sitting at that bar contemplating on giving that water a whiskey chaser when Londo showed up. Londo not only cheered Garibaldi up, he also kept him from falling off the wagon.
@William Lee It is surprising how many of them have passed. Doyle was an alumnus from my university and I remember seeing an interview with him in our newsletter.
*later* Londo: My planet is almost destroyed, there`s a strange creature on my neck, life sucks I hate it! Garibaldi: bruh, Whatever it is, it can't be that bad!
"Somebody better pay for that drink" As if Molari hadn't all his station expenses covered by the Centauri government. The Bartender just wanted to cash in double :p
"Isn't it strange, G'Kar? When we first met I had no power and all the choices I could ever want. And now I have all the power I could ever want and no choices at all. No choice at all." =(
Makes sense in context: one reason why humanity has never looked alcohol the same way as other drugs is that it is so interconnected to our developement as a species that we cannot look it with the same disdain like say heroin or cocaine(Weed is starting to become normalized, but otherwise not many intoxicants outside of tobacco enjoy same status as Alcohol). Hell, only 200 years ago, US used Whisky as a currency and paid wages and goods with it. There was actually a real crisis over it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wpc9GQEy0bg.html But the Centauri have such a normalized relationship with alcohol which goes even further that of humans. They even see as their duty to be at least little tipsy and have such a normalized relationship with alcohol that they consider sobrierity to be a vice.
This is because it is a Drama at many points the show was also stupid especially at the end when they missed the chance to make a clear table when the human civil war ended. I'm also surprised how poor the special effeckts and custom was. I can clearly see Londo plastic parts of his head.
I have been fortunate to watch some marvellous SciFi series over the years, but B5 was, for me, the GOAT. Brilliantly penned characters, brilliant scripts and brilliant actors.
Darth Zed true but let me kill the cameraman in seasons 1 to 3, the camera work is awfully soapy. And yes, every talk scene includes a turn in the doorway while walking out.
Londo at his best putting forth his version of help! Actually This little scene has more wisdom in it that most people would think! Thank you Londo for spreading happiness throughout the station
Well sound advice is worth the price of a drink. Hell I wouldn't even be mad. Dude's that damned entertaining. Now if I got stuck with the bill after buying a fuckton of drinks..... ya I'd make sure to remind him. 'I know where you live.'
Londo could be duplicitous, untrustworthy and even totally treacherous at times, but this is one of the times where you saw a glimpse of that little part of him that still cared about others. A great scene from what is still the most underrated piece of genius in sci-fi history.
I dont think it is underappreciated. It really is very well regarded by those who have seen it. It just sadly doesn't look as good as you might like on modern screens. It's in that early CGI period, the older model shows age well. The first gen CGI and green screen sets doesn't. But it's characters and dialogue remain the best.
@@andrewtaylor940 Well it's not just that, but it didn't have the budget of shows like pretty much any Star Trek series running at the time. It's kinda funny to think there were shows on UPN that were more expensive and could throw together more advanced CGI than what this show could do around the same time really (aside from Star Trek Voyager, Seven Days is another example that immediately comes to mind). Anyhow, I don't think they're necessarily saying it's underappreciated. Of course it's well regarded by those who have seen it. It's just that a lot more people should have seen it by now. It does have a very strong fanbase, but more people do need to watch this show is the TLDR here :)
Those who've watched the whole thing know its greatness. But it does not have the respect in general that it deserves. The combination of ultimate writing and ultimate acting. The only series on American TV that came close in terms of top shelf writing +top shelf acting were Frasier and Mash. I doubt that this trio will ever be surpassed in excellence.
Every time I see Peter Jurasik in one of these vids, I'm astonished anew at what a great job he did with his Londo character. Off hand, I can't think of another sci-fi show with a character who had such an evolved development - other than Andreas Katsulas as G'kar.
The way he describes her here fits Timov to a T. You can actually see the Dancer in her who leaned over and said, "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."
In the Long Night of Londo Mollari he refers to this marriage and says he was told he'd married beneath his stature and had to get a divorce immediately or they'd disown him, he let her go before his three wives.
Happy Londo: "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad!" Me: Lol, Londo's so much fun! I Wish I had a friend like him! Sad Londo: "My shoes are too tight...and I have forgotten how to dance..." Me: Aww, poor Londo! I feel so sorry for him... Serious Londo: "...the penalty for the murder of any Centauri by any Narn will be the execution of 500 Narns, including the perpetrator's own family..." Me: O_O
Of course, Londo was merely stating what his government's policies were in dealing with the Narns, he didn't agree with it of course. A better line for serious Londo would be "Blood calls out for blood....." as it reflected his sincere feelings at the time he said it.
@@girlgarde Good point and a great line! I guess in that scene, I was never 100% sure if Londo vengefully agreed with his Government's policies are not. In fact, it's ironic you suggested that line because when Londo is looking down at a defeated and humiliated G'Kar, I always wondered if he wasn't thinking back to that very episode your line is from, where after getting into a heated argument with G'Kar about the Narn attack on his people's colony including Londo's nephew, G'Kar defiantly tells Londo "Your time has come and gone! It's our turn now!" How the Wheel turns indeed...
I only just noticed even after viewing this scene countless times. Exactly at the "She kissed me right here" moment @ 1:18 or so you can hear an oddly fitting background chuckle from off screen. No doubt meant to be part of the background but I only heard it as I had to chuckle to myself as well at Londo's action.
@@zvimur You remember how Garibaldi described himself as his own boss, when he formed the private security/detection firm on B5, and that how he doesn't like to get himself in trouble with himself.... right?
I just started a couple weeks ago after not having watched it in its entirety since it first aired. Damn, this show is so well written and acted that I am constantly amazed. All the main characters have such depth with Londo being one of the best.
I always hoped, that some studio would've picked up the show and digitaly remaster it. Don't let anyone ever touch the greatness of this great written show and drag it down into the garbage like they did with the Star Trek Franchise
