100 Things: Londo Mollari (Babylon 5)
This post is part of the 100 Things: A Blogging Challenge; please click here to learn more about the challenge and the full list of topics I've discussed.
AMBASSADOR LONDO MOLLARI (BABYLON 5)
The accent. The hair. The drinking and the laughing and the yelling. Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic is a boisterous and fascinating character and a familiar feature in Babylon 5. He made it on my favourite male character list because he's just so fascinating (for lack of a better word) and his story arc from season 1 right through to season 5 has been one of the best that I've ever seen in a television series. I mean, everyone's character arcs on Babylon 5 have been this wonderful unfolding and journey but Londo Mollari's is especially fascinating because of everything he has gone through. If John Sheridan's story led him one way, Londo's led him in quite a different and stark path.
Anyways, like before, if you're planning on watching this show at any point there's potential spoilers ahead! as I will be talking about her character development from the first time she appeared in the show right up to her last appearance.
Gosh, where to begin about a character like Londo Mollari? It seemed his storyline has been going on well before the start of the series. He had a lot of ambition growing up yet things moved too slowly for him or somewhere along the way he was passed over for certain appointments that in the end he ends up on Babylon 5 as ambassador. However many from his homeworld consider it to be a joke of a position. And that's how we meet him on B5: a bit of a buffoon, a bit of a mess, cynical (I think it was episode...1.15? "War Prayer"? when he was talking about the grim reality that Centauri couples face in arranged marriages), neglected by the Court and left to his own devices. And yet when you hear what Londo wants to Mr. Morden in season 1, you can see that he's also driven by his Centauri pride and his desire/dream to see his people restored:
Do you really want to know what I want? Do you really want to know the truth? I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power! I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or look forward. I want us to be what we used to be! I want... I want it all back the way it was. Does that answer your question? (1.13)
Thus he ended up in league with the Shadows, which in turn propelled a whole lot of other things you can put under the heading of "bad luck for you". It's pretty much a bargain with the devil; in return of gaining aid that would garner him attention from the Court, he pretty much alienated himself from the people he considered as friends as well as put everyone he cared about in grave danger. He put his entire world at the mercy of the Shadows, inadvertently but there we are. Seasons 2 and 3 were pretty dark for Londo Mollari. Sure, he had his moments here and there but for the most part things were pretty lonely for him; I remember that one episode in season 3 when Vir came to visit from Minbar and at the end of the episode he asked Vir whether he can stay for another day but Vir told him he had to leave for a ceremony. Londo looked so crestfallen =(
Yet even after he managed to save Centauri Prime from the Vorlons' wrath in season 4, oust the mad Emperor Cartagia and agreed to free Narn from Centauri Prime's rule, he still manages to get sucked back in to the consequences of his decisions in season 5: the Drakh, Centauri Prime falling, etc. It's interesting/strange to see how something he wanted for so long (a high, well-regarded position in court, in line to become Emperor someday) are suddenly things he does not want. And he ends up having them anyways in order to save his world somehow. I thought he summed it up perfectly when he said:
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. (5.18)
It's hard for me to explain just the sheer art and examination of Londo Mollari's downfall and tragedy as a character over the course of the show. I mean, the episode 5 episode "The Long Night of Londo Mollari" is a perfect example of this close examination of his character. It's a gradually-paced development that has a lot of facets to it: the political intrigue, the connections with the larger, galactic implications, the personal consequences. If I haven't mentioned enough how much I recommend this show, it's worth checking out for Londo's storyline.
I should also mention his relationships with the other characters and how they range from the fairly-close-but-Londo-wouldn't-admit it (i.e. Vir, his former aide) to tolerable (i.e. Sheridan, Delenn) to adversarial (i.e. G'Kar). But his relationship with G'Kar's is the most fascinating because of how far they've come over the course of the series: from bitter adversaries to mortal enemies to reluctant allies to reluctant (?) friends. G'Kar's development as a character over the series is just as fascinating as Londo (if I had more room in this meme I would have dedicated a post on him) but I love where they ended up by the end of the series; their partnership in season 5 with the alliance and the events on Centauri Prime were a lot of fun to watch and I can see how much the two actors enjoyed acting off each other.
I could go on and on talking about how Londo Mollari fascinates me as a character but I'll stop there. His story is a tragic one, one that is in many ways of his own making. Anyways, there are far too many favourite moments involving Londo but here are a choice few (to wrap up this post):
One of my favourite Londo and Vir moments from season 1. LMAO, "cats"
Londo and his wives, from season 2
A lovely moment between Londo and Vir
An example of the tragic; from season 4 when Londo learns who really killed the love of his life
A moment from season 5; by the way, I love how G'Kar and Londo sort of became friends in this season--they came a long way =)
A tragic character indeed; from season 5
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/398072.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
AMBASSADOR LONDO MOLLARI (BABYLON 5)
The accent. The hair. The drinking and the laughing and the yelling. Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic is a boisterous and fascinating character and a familiar feature in Babylon 5. He made it on my favourite male character list because he's just so fascinating (for lack of a better word) and his story arc from season 1 right through to season 5 has been one of the best that I've ever seen in a television series. I mean, everyone's character arcs on Babylon 5 have been this wonderful unfolding and journey but Londo Mollari's is especially fascinating because of everything he has gone through. If John Sheridan's story led him one way, Londo's led him in quite a different and stark path.
Anyways, like before, if you're planning on watching this show at any point there's potential spoilers ahead! as I will be talking about her character development from the first time she appeared in the show right up to her last appearance.
Gosh, where to begin about a character like Londo Mollari? It seemed his storyline has been going on well before the start of the series. He had a lot of ambition growing up yet things moved too slowly for him or somewhere along the way he was passed over for certain appointments that in the end he ends up on Babylon 5 as ambassador. However many from his homeworld consider it to be a joke of a position. And that's how we meet him on B5: a bit of a buffoon, a bit of a mess, cynical (I think it was episode...1.15? "War Prayer"? when he was talking about the grim reality that Centauri couples face in arranged marriages), neglected by the Court and left to his own devices. And yet when you hear what Londo wants to Mr. Morden in season 1, you can see that he's also driven by his Centauri pride and his desire/dream to see his people restored:
Do you really want to know what I want? Do you really want to know the truth? I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again and command the stars. I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power! I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to look back or look forward. I want us to be what we used to be! I want... I want it all back the way it was. Does that answer your question? (1.13)
Thus he ended up in league with the Shadows, which in turn propelled a whole lot of other things you can put under the heading of "bad luck for you". It's pretty much a bargain with the devil; in return of gaining aid that would garner him attention from the Court, he pretty much alienated himself from the people he considered as friends as well as put everyone he cared about in grave danger. He put his entire world at the mercy of the Shadows, inadvertently but there we are. Seasons 2 and 3 were pretty dark for Londo Mollari. Sure, he had his moments here and there but for the most part things were pretty lonely for him; I remember that one episode in season 3 when Vir came to visit from Minbar and at the end of the episode he asked Vir whether he can stay for another day but Vir told him he had to leave for a ceremony. Londo looked so crestfallen =(
Yet even after he managed to save Centauri Prime from the Vorlons' wrath in season 4, oust the mad Emperor Cartagia and agreed to free Narn from Centauri Prime's rule, he still manages to get sucked back in to the consequences of his decisions in season 5: the Drakh, Centauri Prime falling, etc. It's interesting/strange to see how something he wanted for so long (a high, well-regarded position in court, in line to become Emperor someday) are suddenly things he does not want. And he ends up having them anyways in order to save his world somehow. I thought he summed it up perfectly when he said:
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. (5.18)
It's hard for me to explain just the sheer art and examination of Londo Mollari's downfall and tragedy as a character over the course of the show. I mean, the episode 5 episode "The Long Night of Londo Mollari" is a perfect example of this close examination of his character. It's a gradually-paced development that has a lot of facets to it: the political intrigue, the connections with the larger, galactic implications, the personal consequences. If I haven't mentioned enough how much I recommend this show, it's worth checking out for Londo's storyline.
I should also mention his relationships with the other characters and how they range from the fairly-close-but-Londo-wouldn't-admit it (i.e. Vir, his former aide) to tolerable (i.e. Sheridan, Delenn) to adversarial (i.e. G'Kar). But his relationship with G'Kar's is the most fascinating because of how far they've come over the course of the series: from bitter adversaries to mortal enemies to reluctant allies to reluctant (?) friends. G'Kar's development as a character over the series is just as fascinating as Londo (if I had more room in this meme I would have dedicated a post on him) but I love where they ended up by the end of the series; their partnership in season 5 with the alliance and the events on Centauri Prime were a lot of fun to watch and I can see how much the two actors enjoyed acting off each other.
I could go on and on talking about how Londo Mollari fascinates me as a character but I'll stop there. His story is a tragic one, one that is in many ways of his own making. Anyways, there are far too many favourite moments involving Londo but here are a choice few (to wrap up this post):
Click to viewOne of my favourite Londo and Vir moments from season 1. LMAO, "cats"
Londo and his wives, from season 2
A lovely moment between Londo and Vir
An example of the tragic; from season 4 when Londo learns who really killed the love of his life
A moment from season 5; by the way, I love how G'Kar and Londo sort of became friends in this season--they came a long way =)
A tragic character indeed; from season 5
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/398072.html. Please comment there using OpenID.