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Necessary Evil: Nearly Flawless Trek

Photon

Photon

Commodore
Commodore
Except for dumbass Rom screaming like a banshee at the end, its a perfect story. Unbelievable writing and great delivery by Rene, Marc, and Nana. Really an episode that needs alot more props.

Many times showing the past doesn't fit in good w/the present storyline, but here its just like peas and carrots (thanks Mr Gump)
 
Certainly a truly great episode. It's episodes like this why DS9's Season 2 shouldn't be arbitrarily dismissed as 'bad' as is often done. Granted it's worse overall than the other Seasons of DS9, but that's not the point. A lot of people have the misconception that DS9 sucked until S3 or S4, which it didn't. That IMO contributes to why Necessary Evil is not so well-recognized.
 
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Navaros said:
Certainly a truly great episode. It's episodes like this why DS9's Season 2 shouldn't be arbitrarily dismissed as 'bad' as is often done. Granted it's worse overall than the other Seasons of DS9, but that's not the point. A lot of people have the misconception that DS9 sucked until S3 or S4, which it didn't. That IMO contributes to why Necessary Evil is not so well-recognized.
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Season 2 isn't worse than other DS9 sasons overall. And the folks who ignored it (as you indicated in your post) tend to be people who couldn't stomach DS9 at first, later rediscovered it during the Dominion War and then explained their initial dislike of the show on the so-called lack of quality in the early seasons or its folks who only came across the show in its final years and find the initial seasons to be lacking in that same war-like excitement when they go back to watch the previous years they missed.

Anyway for what seems like forever I have been claiming that season 2 from start to finish is one of the three best seasons of the series (along with seasons 4 and 5). Season 2 has so many rich gems its ridiculous. Its one of the best seasons of any Trek and Necessary Evil is one of the 10 greatest eps ever put out by DS9.
 
from the other thread:
One of my favorite episodes of ST ever. I knew as soon as it aired that DS9 would be the greatest series, that it would have layers of intrigue that far surpassed the other shows before or after.

I'm happy when a good episode doesn't answer all my questions. I think it adds much to not know what happened with the case.
I'm watching it now and did notice a smaller error.

When Quark and Rom are talking as they are breaking into the chemist shop, Rom cmments that Quark was in the Gamma quadrant overnight. Indeed, that's probably what Quark told him..rather than seeing the woman. But when Odo interrogates him after Quark is shot, Rom knows that he was hired by someone on Bajor.


No matter.

This episode, coupled with the Circle trilogy, made DS9 so much more epic and textured in its second year than almost anything I've ever seen since. I can't praise this episode enough.
 
I LOVE this episode. I love the flashback element to it. It just fits and helps move DS9 along a darker path than the other Treks, which I love.
 
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It's a great episode, for sure. It showcases the differences between DS9 and the other Treks quite nicely, I think.

I also agree that S2 is a very strong season. However, I truly feel it can't hold a candle to DS9 S4 and beyond. It's easily better than S1 and 3 IMHO but simply not on the same level as the other seasons. I'm saying this as somebody who followed and loved the show from the start.
 
Even the parts with Rom, this was the first time that I actually thought of Rom as a well defined character and not some sort of caricature of a Ferengi. In Emissary, The Nagus, and Rules of Acquisition, Rom was simply a mindless talking head that would do the "typical" Ferengi actions and be subserviant to his brother.

In this one, we actually find out that Rom has a brain, and this foreshadowed his usage later in the series. If we hadnt had this type of ep for Rom, then he might have been let go by the wayside as far as his involvement in storylines.

Off subject a bit, but I love this ep for other reasons as well. Currently I'm reading the Terok Nor trilogy and I gotta say that when first watching these 'Bajor' eps like The Collaborator, Necessary Evil, The Circle Trilogy, et al, I wasnt nearly as invested with the characters as I am now. I'm genuinely looking forward to when The Collaborator comes on again, even if all I want to see are a few minutes when Kubas Oak is thrown into a holding cell.
 
TigerBait said:
I'm genuinely looking forward to when The Collaborator comes on again, even if all I want to see are a few minutes when Kubas Oak is thrown into a holding cell.
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Oooh I watched "The Collaborator" after reading the Terok Nor trilogy. It really adds to this episode. Love it when a book can do that. Same with Blood Oath and Forged in Fire.
 
Tuln said:
from the other thread:


When Quark and Rom are talking as they are breaking into the chemist shop, Rom cmments that Quark was in the Gamma quadrant overnight. Indeed, that's probably what Quark told him..rather than seeing the woman. But when Odo interrogates him after Quark is shot, Rom knows that he was hired by someone on Bajor.
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I could be wrong but when Rom mentions the Gamma Quadrant I think he was referring to earlier in the season when Quark went there to establish trade with the Dominion.
 
This was a great episode but I do agree about Rom. He didn't ruin the episode per say, but he didn't help it either. Still, the stuff with Odo and Kira was gold.
 
I remember this episode really setting me back on Kira. I wasn't sure how much I liked her after watching it. The episodes from that era depicting Kira, Odo and Quark did a great job of showing how no one came out of the Occupation without some dirt on their hands.
 
I'm watching DS9 for the first time and so far I would say that "Necessary Evil" is my favorite episode with "Duet" coming in second.
 
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