Alright, I'm catching some episodes tonight. Needing a break from writing and all.
Playing God
♥♥♥♥♥♥---- (6/10)
The good: More on Trill culture.
The bad: This episode was all over the place.
The Zany: Quark complaining about the rodents. Maybe it was because I was watching with my kids, but I snickered when Kira encouraged Quark to leave, but I really guffawed when O'Brien turned on the devices and our little Ferengi friend started squealing. I'm still giggling over it now.
Summary: This is one of those episodes that after it's over I think, "What a missed opportunity." There are episodes that I think are so-so or out-right crappy, that I think the show could have benefitted from cutting altogether... but this one had so much potential and it was utterly wasted.
The greatest potential laid with the Dax/Initiate storyline. (And I'm not using "/" to indicate some shippy thing.) The proto-universe storyline was worse than the rodent plot. And I was kinda put off that the "voice" of the story suddenly shifted to Sisko (along with an out of place scene with Jake) for a while when it's been a Jadzia episode all along. And don't even get me started on the "action" sequence that put me to sleep.
They missed the mark as far as what they could have done for further development for Trills. I wanted more and I didn't get it.
And I can't quite figure out how a proto-universe that's displacing our universe is safe to leave in the Gamma quadrant. Isn't that still in our universe?
Fuzzy science going on here, methinks.
Profit and Loss
♥♥♥------- (3/10)
The good: Cardassian rebels... and interesting premise. And, of course, Garak.
The bad: Quark and Natima. It's not that I don't think it's believable for a Ferengi and a Cardassian to hook up (even if it is unlikely)... it just wasn't well done.
The zany: Quark gets slapped in the face and he considers it the best day of his life.
Summary: Okay this episode was happily humming along at five hearts from me until that scene after Natima shoots Quark. OMG it was awful. Awful!
Here was another missed opportunity again... We have a chance to learn about Cardassians who don't tow the party line and these "kids" who are supposed to be revolutionary leaders are anything but. They are naive to a fault, not shrewd at all. I find it highly suspect that they could lead anything, let alone a movement that could drastically change their world.
The only thing that saves this episode is Garak. I'm going to say it again, though... I'm sad that they took away his flamboyance. He's still an interesting and mysterious character (though now I know that until some unknown fall from grace he was some kind of leader)... but he was
more watchable when he was even quirkier.
Blood Oath
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--- (7/10)
The good: A Jadzia episode that I really, really like. (I know that someone once said something about her turning into a tomboy who sleeps around or something, but I really like her this way.
The bad: It was a bit predictable. And really, where is the honor in choosing a battle when you know you can't get to the man you've spent most of your life seeking for vengeance. There's going into battle knowing the odds are against surviving, and then there's suicide. Didn't seem very Klingon to me.
The zany: Kor. (The drunk Klingon). He's just all kinds of awesome. "I need another arm. Or am I doomed to choose between perfection and palate."
Summary: All in all, an entertaining episode. I liked that Jadzia had an internal conflict... feeling the need to keep the blood oath versus what it would entail. I can forgive the writers for not explaining who the Albino was(other than someone who raided colonies and killed our old Klingon's babies) for the most part.
Is it just me or did the Albino look like a Klingon?
The Maquis (Pt 1)
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)
The good: Very well written (with one exception, see below). And well... DUKAT!!
The bad: The Vulcan chick. I'll reserve full judgment until I see the second part, but aside from me wondering what the heck a Vuclan is doing mixed up in this... She is probably one of the worst portrayed Vulcans I've seen in Trek. She's too naive (I mean she's never interacted with a Ferengi before?) Did she literally just step off of Vulcan for the first time in her life and join a terrorist group? What? And I know it's not the actress, as I watch Criminal Minds and she's fantastic. Just terrible writing. (Vulcans are my FAVORITE Trek species by millions of light years -- so I'm extra harsh with bad writing of Vulcans... an yes, I screamed at the television when I watched ENT's "Broken Bow" for the first time.)
The zany: I want to say Quark, but really he was annoying this time around. I suppose the zany award goes to Dukat for sneaking onto DS9. It's just hard to imagine.
Summary: Just when I think it's not going to get really good again this season, I finally get something like this. Fantastic way to end my night. The pacing was perfect for this... everything (other than the Vulcan) was authentic, the characters were very 3-dimensional and the story is believable.
On top of that, it has been years since I watched VOY, so I couldn't remember how the Maquis came to pass. I like learning about this. It's definitely a "rock and a hard place" concept. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
That's it. I now must wait on Netflix to send the next disks.
It's not like they are people of the same magnitude as the defecting Romulans in TNG's The Face of the Enemy. 
)
I've seen it here and there for years. 
