Better still an honest friend! :)

@wowalinbie Londo's marital situation rather proves your statement to be a lie. ;)

you must be one of them

So true, I respected the so-called counselor was an asshole than the one who pretended to be my friend.

YES SIR!

You get a gold star!

@@larrytipton2868 😍

It's a missed opportunity how she never appeared after this, especially as Londo Mollari fell deeper and deeper into the abyss.

@@svyatoslavrurikovich8831 They are in the Legions of Fire Centauri triology books written by Peter David who wrote this episode. jms considers these to be canon. The Long Night of Centauri Prime Armies of Light and Dark Out of the Darkness

Is it weird that I find that sentiment oddly romantic?

Later in life he said that for each in their own way he cared for all of his wives. You can see the way he cherished Timov. :D

The Respect was key. See her smile at the end? That's her realizing she earned his respect, and honesty.

Babylon 5 is full of great writing, i really should make time to watch the thing in it's entirety.

@@Self-replicating_whatnot …more than once!

Also -- Londo is very resourceful and I wouldn't put it past him to know who had his blood type and who MUST have come to his rescue when he was poisoned. He doesn't say it, because he doesn't want to embarrass her, but I think he knows.

Which, given his character arc, is apropos.

Exactly. I had always imagined the personification of war as not the one fighting it, but the one causing it, and manipulating events to prolong it. This personification fits since he helped engineer the war with narn, and the aggressive expansion of the centauri republic. He also prolonged the earth-mimbabari war.

I thought he called them War, Pestilence and Famine with Death, sadly turning out to be the slave girl Lady Adira.

Maybe a coincidence. But man, this show had some impressive forshadowing and story arcs that came full circle.

The wife he keeps is Timov, spell it backwards.

She didn't love him & never did. But she was the only one who was honest w/him. The man was surrounded by people who schemed behind his back & betrayed him whenever it suited their purposes. Londo decided he'd rather have a wife who was trustworthy and aloof than 2 who were friendly and treacherous.

For a man in his position, that is a very rare thing indeed.

Always know where I stand On the other side of the room

@@r.connor9280 and throwing glares at him like rocks! 😉

Yep. She doesn't like him, he knows it, but he also knows that she is honorable, and that counts for a lot.

That was an expression of "...well, at least I did not marry a _complete_ fool."

He says his line - and she goes 'Well... it IS a compelling argument...'

Life sometimes throws you a curve ball. I remember having a similar smile when my ex said I could keep the cat even though she bought it.

Hence why he prefers G’Kar’s company over any Centauri besides Vir.

@@SulliMike23 And he knows what a treasure he has in Vir. One honest friend. If only he'd listened to Vir he could have avoided a lot of trouble. Vir's political and social instincts were on point for the whole series.

@@SulliMike23 There were at least a few other Centauri he liked, Urza Jaddo, he also mentioned in his holographic message to Refa that he had considered Prime Minister Malachi a friend, until he was assassinated.

@@hagamapama Mainly because Vir just wanted to do the job, and not play the game.

Timov was never an enemy, but she was honest.

I agree with Molari.

Ironic, given his choice of associates.

It is the safer way to live :)

I believe that this is why Londo, with the exceptions of Adira and Vir, seemed to prefer the company of G’Kar to other Centauri, even before he convinced the Centauri to end their occupation of the Narn homeworld: He preferred G’Kar’s straightforward dislike of him to the false friendship of so many Centauri. He always knew where he stood in G’Kar’s eyes. This is why he was so desperate to engage G’Kar in conversation when they were trapped together in the elevator: He wanted a peer to talk to, but had alienated his friends on the station (such as Garibaldi) at that point. I think that, following the bombardment of the Narn homeworld, it genuinely bothered him to see G’Kar suffering.

@@garereeve117 I can definitely agree with this.

Being a good person is a reward in itself.

*blood transfusion

Londo was smart enough he didn't need to be told. Dr. Franklin would have to tell him what procedure they used to save him. Even without being told who helped him out, I'm pretty sure Londo would be able to figure it out on his own from there. He'd also be wise enough never to let on that he knew.

@@loka7783 Palace intrigues or when using the wrong spoon can be a terminal error.

he did find out though but kept that secret for many years after

I mean, it was an accurate assessment. Just a consistent thing across the series, with a pseudo-break where he kills Cartagia and kicks out the Shadows

She was the perfect wife to keep. Quite possibly the only person in his life that speaks honestly.

​@@aliciaborth3016 Vir is one of the few other people that Londo could rely on at that point. Choosing Timov is very sensible, because he knows he doesn't have to worry about a knife in his back from his wife with her at his side.

Yeah, Timov never expected Londo to say that he trusts her, she was surprised by that

I saw it as "Well, at least I didn't marry a _total_ fool..."

Is that what that was? I wondered.

@@r.c.auclair2042 Well, that's what it seemed to me.

@@r.c.auclair2042 I mean.. he basically chose the one who didn't try to seduce her way into staying. With her he had someone who was honest and as a politician that's rare to have.

Just watch out for the anglerfish's beacon.

At first I read "In a sea of liars honesty is like bacon." I suppose that works too, considering what sailors used to have to eat.

Further thought. I love the little head-nod at the end, as if to say "that's unexpectedly well considered. I can respect that and work with it!... Maybe there is more to him..."

Tell you that you are still wrong and tell it to your face.

"Also, I suspect, if the crap hits the fan you can rely on a woman like that 100% to be in your corner." It depends on what you mean by "in your corner." When you're right, they will fight tooth and nail to support you. A person like that will not stand with you when you are really wrong. They'll push you toward what's right. But in a way (a way that is more important and better than others ways, if you ask me), that's still being "in your corner."

@@BladeOfLight16 Timov could be counted on for tough love, and tough love is only given by people who are in for the long haul.

@@BladeOfLight16 they are in the corner of ‘the best you’

I like to think of him as being the worse and the best of ALL OF US.

and look good bald witch not everybody can pull off

You forgot Mr. Morden

@@RoTenken Lovi went to the rock to hide his face, but the rock cried out "No Hiding Place".

by centauri nobel standards it kinda was

He knows that if she wants to kill him she will have the decently to look him eyes when she shoves in the knife.

Yeah i guess. Though with the way Londo was at that time it would not surprise me if he divorced her just so she wont be caught up in the web of darkness around him. I mean she would notice he is differend and the Drakh would have killed her to keep the secret. I bet he would try to save her from that. He may not love her but he does know where she stands, and thats clearly worth something to him.

In one of the books, they mention her at the time of Londo's death. It is a tiny scene but such a great follow-on from this one. (The famous series, about how Bester ended I think.) I think she was something like an "Empress in Seclusion" or similar - given all honor but zero actual power or involvement.

@@reddir I could see Emperor Vir doing something decent like that.

@@snelson134 It was something Londo did. [spoiler ahead] She was kept away in some remote place with servents. At the moment of Londo's death it seems his spirit called upon her's and, somehow, she heard it and went to him - she must have truly loved him, she died a few moments after he did despite being in very good health.

@@reddir She did. And so did he. He sent her away to save her from the destruction he knew that was coming - she hated him at the time, but after a while she understood it.

The entire show was a Greek myth but the Centauri was like watching the twilight of the Roman Empire. The games, the betrayals, the deceit, the shameless plays for power.

That is pretty moving. Also at that stage...if I recall Londo finally sees what a Vorlon looks like and it takes the form of Adira to take him away to heaven.

As he said once, "my shoes are too tight and I have forgotten how to dance". While with Timov he may not have done much "dancing", he certainly felt the music again with her.

In a world where deception is the norm, finding someone who will be honest with you is like finding a flower in a barren wasteland. Only a fool would squander such a treasure

Lando was a romantic at heart. Most people focus on how machiavellian he was as well as his ambition. His love affair with Adira Tyree was one facet, as well as his love of Timov. Another facet is his romantic view of what the centauri republic was, and what it could be.

Any man who loves his people and country as much as Londo did could never be anything but a romantic.

No, he doesn't want that, but he's wise enough to know that he NEEDS that.

After a long day of hard work, Londo is content that his wife is 75 light years away.

​@@jacevicki because she's safe from his political enemies and other dangers there.

Exactly. The way they slowly transitioned from being mortal enemies to reluctant allies and finally to trusted friends was one of the best, if not THE best, story arcs in all sci-fi. Sadly, we no longer have either the writers or the actors capable of creating or presenting such wonderful performances.

@@tomjustis7237 There WILL be excellent actors and writers again.....it will be up to us to recognize them, rather than depend on either the critics OR popular opinion. While I loved this show when it first aired, I find that my appreciation for it only increases with time.

She'd rather die than admit it.

Not, I think, quite then. But if you were to read the _Legions of Fire_ trilogy by Peter David you'd find that you weren't far wrong.

@@calmeilles Yes you do see their love in that book

Not right then - but before a woman can love a man, she needs to be able to respect him first. In this scene, he indicated he kept her for her honesty and forthrightness, thus revealing his own wisdom and discernment. Plus, his actions acknowledged and complimented her for her values. She not only learned to respect him that day, she found she admired those qualities in him. Thus the foundation was set for her loving him later.

Considering he dumped two of them, that tracks correctly.

Ooh, I love that idea - I enjoy the notion that he doesn't regret marrying Timov as much as they dislike each other, and I like the fact that the other two would misunderstand him as simply saying he regrets marrying all three.

considering he sent her away expressly to keep her from being chained down? Maybe there was no love there, but he cared about her welfare.

He's so often a tragic figure that this moment of insight is a glorious one.

yeah.... but that voice though

I thought that too, actually. Jane Carr.

I thought she had a certain something too.

I do believe she was!

And yet... that little smile at the end. The fact that she knows he finds her honesty refreshing, and is a little bit flattered. The fact that she was willing to step in and save him when he was dying too -- especially when she could have done nothing and probably inherited a decent fortune. There might be just a little more between them than either one would admit under torture.

I never remember if Peter David made that intentional or not.

got lost there.

@@scottlyttle5586 He did.

@@RoTenken Timov is vomit spelled backwards. Timov would be one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, Famine. Daggair and Mariel are Pestilence and Death, leaving Londo as War. According to The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, the episode was originally titled "Pestilence, Famine, and Death" Daggair is Pestilence, Timov is Famine, and Mariel is Death. At first I was going to have all their names be reflections of the titles "assigned" them by Londo, but I decided that would be too cutesy. The only holdover from that idea is Timov, whose name backwards is, of course, Vomit. (I'll never forget Jane Carr coming over to me the fifth day of shooting and saying in that accented voice of hers, "Peter...did you *know* that my character's name is vomit spelled backwards?" Uhhhh...well, yeah...) You all realize, of course, that Londo is--by process of elimination-- War.

Sounds Russian on the face of it ( not backwards, of course).