“Rules of Acquisition”
Hands off, these are MY lobes!
I’m not sure if this is still a minority view, but whenever I come back to DS9 I’m always surprised by how much I enjoy these early Ferengi episodes. “The Nagus” was a low-key first season highlight, and although “Rules of Acquisition” is a tad weaker, it’s still entertaining throughout. It also has the unlikely distinction of boasting the show’s first mention of the Dominion! The fact this important introduction happens in the middle of a lightweight Ferengi farce underscores the devilishly twisted way that DS9 tends to subvert expectations.
Once again, Wallace Shawn is marvellously entertaining as the larger than life Nagus. The scene in Sisko’s office and Zek’s lascivious interactions with Kira make for some amusingly awkward viewing. I especially liked the Kira/Dax scene where Jadzia expresses her fondness for the Ferengi. She admits that they’re basically sleazy assholes, but suggests that once you accept that fact, they’re actually pretty fun.
One of the things I love most about this episode is, in fact, Jadzia. This very much feels like the birth of Jadzia 2.0; the roguish, fun-loving, more joyous and wry Dax that takes the place of the rather dull, reserved and prim Lieutenant we saw in the first season. Terry Farrell is so much more confident and comfortable playing this Dax, and she brings a nice charisma to the part.
I have to highlight the scene where Pel confesses her feelings about Quark to Jadzia as one of my favourite scenes of the entire series. Basically, Jadzia surmises that Pel loves Quark before she realises Pel is actually a woman. This is probably the first time in Trek’s history that they even acknowledge that same sex love
exists! Furthermore, Jadzia’s reaction is so perfectly accepting, demonstrating that, to her, it is perfectly normal and no big deal at all. When I first saw this, as a gay fourteen year-old struggling to accept and deal with my sexuality, it was SUCH a heartening moment. Back in the 90’s, there were no gay role models anywhere. In fact, I didn’t know any openly gay people, and I was convinced that if anyone found out I’d not only be beaten to a pulp at school but disowned by all my family and friends. It was really a different world back then. Looking back, it’s amazing that Trek could have been so progressive and yet so behind when it came to gay representation. This was a subtle moment, to be, sure, and it speaks to how poor television and film was back then at even acknowledging gayness in anything other than a negative, stereotypical way. But it meant a lot to me, and still does all these years later,
The Pel storyline is enjoyable and begins what would become a long running arc on DS9 about the place of women in Ferengi society. It’s nowhere near as successful as later storylines with Quark’s mother, but it neatly foreshadows things to come. I enjoyed seeing Rom’s jealousy of “that flabby eared interloper” and his subsequent efforts to discredit Pel. The central plot, involving negotiations with a Gamma Quadrant race called the Dozi, is insubstantial and fluffy, but it’s engaging enough. The Dozi look like they’re straight out of Buck Rogers, but, as offbeat as they look, I actually found them a refreshingly change from Trek’s usual ‘forehead bump’ of the week aliens, which even by this point are getting pretty tired. They’re kind of fun, too, in an over the top, throwaway kind of manner.
The weakest aspect of the episode is the love story between Pel and Quark. While Pel’s feelings are built up nicely, by the end we’re meant to believe that Quark had also developed feelings for Pel, and I just didn’t see enough evidence of that. As a result, I found the supposedly emotional coda something of a misfire. I also feel that while the story is about how women are just as capable as men, it ultimately falls prey to age old gender-based stereotypes. Specifically, to make Pel look smart, Quark ends up being dumbed down somewhat, and we end up with the old comedy tropes of the men being generally clueless and weak, and the women being irrational and driven by their emotions.
The scene where Pel interrupts the meal with Zek to reveal the truth was great fun in terms of comedy (“you like my lobes? Good—well you can HAVE them!”) but it didn’t make much sense in terms of Pel’s motive. Why did she ‘come out’ to Zek? I can only assume she wasn’t thinking straight and flew into a hormonal tantrum because Quark had spurned her. I can forgive it, however, because it’s genuinely quite funny (and the way Shawn delivers the line “SHAME ON YOU!” is simply hilarious).
Overall though, a fun one, if just a little fluffy and muddled in its message.
Rating: 6.5
