TheGodBen Revisits Deep Space Nine
- Thread starter TheGodBen
- Start date
I dunno. The fan outcry has been it's own brand of edge-of-the-seat entertainment. Maybe he should review that!
Well I thought I hit acceptance as I was happily playing through for the second time. I've made it about three quarters of the way through though and I seem to have lost interest. 
That Garrus pillow is teh shits!
That Garrus pillow is teh shits!
Well, my ME3-induced depression is finally coming to a middle, so I guess it's time to get back up on the kakliosaur and pound that grindstone.
Crosstire (***)
An important Odo episode here, particularly in the way it affects his relationship with Kira. It's a good thing that the show has finally returned to Odo's struggles, he was the star of season 3, but so far in season 4 he has been in the background due to his conflict with his people being less urgent. Even in this Odo episode, there's nothing about the Changelings, it's all about Kira and how oblivious she is to his pain. In fact, this obliviousness from Kira and the lack of development for her character are problems with the episode, but I'll talk about that later. What saves this episode is a great performance from René Auberjonois, which is particularly notable considering Odo spends most of this episode as a tire.
The plot is very weak, a Cardassian terrorist organisation that never get developed properly blows up yet another runabout. How many times is Star Trek going to pull off the old tale about two people crashing on the surface of an alien world? Oh well, I suppose I can forgive that lack of imagination because of how imaginative the rest of the episode is. Kira and Odo need to make their way across a rocky desert to find rescue, so it's lucky that they crash landed next to an old 4x4. It's unlucky that the vehicle has a flat tire, but Kira finds a solution by convincing Odo to turn himself into a new tire, which she then fits to the vehicle and drives off. This is the meat of the story, watching Odo deal with the pain of being driven over pointy rocks is really emotional, and this is easily René's best work to date. You really get to understand what it must be like to be a tire, and the anger that comes from having your face pressed into the ground constantly.
Sadly, Kira's role in the story isn't as good, she drives the vehicle while listening to the radio, with the volume so loud she can't hear Odo's screams. I know that some people love it, but I think the scene where she sings along to Girls Just Want to Have Fun was gratuitous and not all that funny. The episode also has a sad ending where, upon returning to the station, a slight wedge has been driven between Kira and Odo's friendship.
Runabouts Lost: 5
Form of... a Tire: 25
Crosstire (***)
An important Odo episode here, particularly in the way it affects his relationship with Kira. It's a good thing that the show has finally returned to Odo's struggles, he was the star of season 3, but so far in season 4 he has been in the background due to his conflict with his people being less urgent. Even in this Odo episode, there's nothing about the Changelings, it's all about Kira and how oblivious she is to his pain. In fact, this obliviousness from Kira and the lack of development for her character are problems with the episode, but I'll talk about that later. What saves this episode is a great performance from René Auberjonois, which is particularly notable considering Odo spends most of this episode as a tire.
The plot is very weak, a Cardassian terrorist organisation that never get developed properly blows up yet another runabout. How many times is Star Trek going to pull off the old tale about two people crashing on the surface of an alien world? Oh well, I suppose I can forgive that lack of imagination because of how imaginative the rest of the episode is. Kira and Odo need to make their way across a rocky desert to find rescue, so it's lucky that they crash landed next to an old 4x4. It's unlucky that the vehicle has a flat tire, but Kira finds a solution by convincing Odo to turn himself into a new tire, which she then fits to the vehicle and drives off. This is the meat of the story, watching Odo deal with the pain of being driven over pointy rocks is really emotional, and this is easily René's best work to date. You really get to understand what it must be like to be a tire, and the anger that comes from having your face pressed into the ground constantly.
Sadly, Kira's role in the story isn't as good, she drives the vehicle while listening to the radio, with the volume so loud she can't hear Odo's screams. I know that some people love it, but I think the scene where she sings along to Girls Just Want to Have Fun was gratuitous and not all that funny. The episode also has a sad ending where, upon returning to the station, a slight wedge has been driven between Kira and Odo's friendship.
Runabouts Lost: 5
Form of... a Tire: 25
I guess it is an inside joke.
Crossfire (***½)
For all the joking about how terrible the ending of Mass Effect 3 was and how it left me so depressed that I couldn't find the energy to get back to this thread, there was another thing preventing me from wanting to return to DS9; the knowledge that this episode was next. Many guys on this site have expressed some sort of connection to Odo in this episode because of going through similar events in their own lives, and I'm one of them. Me? I once found myself in a situation where my best friend used to frequently ask em for advice about her new relationship, oblivious to my own feelings for her, and it put me in a situation where I had to choose between giving her the best advice I could, or giving her the advice I wanted her to hear. I'll leave you to decide whether I paragonned or renegaded my way through that minefield.
So yeah, I see a lot of myself in Odo in this episode.
I've never been subjected to physical torture so I'm not much of an expert on it, but I once believed that unrequited love is the most powerful torture that can be inflicted upon someone. Then I saw Sayid do the nail trick on Lost and came to the conclusion that they're about even. Anyway, watching Odo go through such an experience made for some good drama, and René did a good job with it. Sometimes it's a little overboard in execution, and I suppose that this is DS9 at its most soap-operaesque, but it's a nice retelling of an age-old story. I really enjoyed the Odo material.
The problem is the blossoming relationship between Kira and Shakaar. Kira's a main character on this show, so it's weird that the sole purpose of her entering a relationship with another character is to see Odo's reaction to it. It feels somewhat disrespectful to the character, the relationship doesn't develop naturally and Kira feels a little off in this episode because of it. This episode also does a disservice to Shakaar, not that he was much of a character to begin with, but his main purpose in the episode isn't the negotiations with the Federation or the threats upon him by Cardassian terrorists, he's here to get into Kira's pants. Shakaar could have been anybody.
Form of... dumbbell arms: 24
For all the joking about how terrible the ending of Mass Effect 3 was and how it left me so depressed that I couldn't find the energy to get back to this thread, there was another thing preventing me from wanting to return to DS9; the knowledge that this episode was next. Many guys on this site have expressed some sort of connection to Odo in this episode because of going through similar events in their own lives, and I'm one of them. Me? I once found myself in a situation where my best friend used to frequently ask em for advice about her new relationship, oblivious to my own feelings for her, and it put me in a situation where I had to choose between giving her the best advice I could, or giving her the advice I wanted her to hear. I'll leave you to decide whether I paragonned or renegaded my way through that minefield.
So yeah, I see a lot of myself in Odo in this episode.I've never been subjected to physical torture so I'm not much of an expert on it, but I once believed that unrequited love is the most powerful torture that can be inflicted upon someone. Then I saw Sayid do the nail trick on Lost and came to the conclusion that they're about even. Anyway, watching Odo go through such an experience made for some good drama, and René did a good job with it. Sometimes it's a little overboard in execution, and I suppose that this is DS9 at its most soap-operaesque, but it's a nice retelling of an age-old story. I really enjoyed the Odo material.
The problem is the blossoming relationship between Kira and Shakaar. Kira's a main character on this show, so it's weird that the sole purpose of her entering a relationship with another character is to see Odo's reaction to it. It feels somewhat disrespectful to the character, the relationship doesn't develop naturally and Kira feels a little off in this episode because of it. This episode also does a disservice to Shakaar, not that he was much of a character to begin with, but his main purpose in the episode isn't the negotiations with the Federation or the threats upon him by Cardassian terrorists, he's here to get into Kira's pants. Shakaar could have been anybody.
Form of... dumbbell arms: 24
S
Stone_Cold_Sisko
Guest
The biggest flaw with the episode is Shakaar is boring as dirt in this episode. That pairing with Kira was just bad and boring. I almost feel like Kira would be tagged with someone even more of an aggressive fighter than her. I'm not sure who that would be though, since the only characters with that kind of personality tended to be villains.
Yeah, and anyone with a bit of sense knows that the Kira/Dukat pairing is SQUICK on every possible level. 
Just finished watching Our Man Bashir. It is so cool and cliched, plus Sisko makes one bad ass villain! I think Moog Island from Moorcheeba sums up this episode quite nicely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-R6tnC7dx8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-R6tnC7dx8
So, wait, you're saying the character's only purpose for being in the episode was to "get with" Kira, and somehow that's a dis-service to him? I figured characters would be lining up to be disrespected by Kira in this manner
It's sort of like nesting dolls, isn't it? Shakaar's character is watered down so his purpose is to fit inside Kira's character package, while Kira herself is watered down (in this episode) to fit inside Odo's. Shakaar's role is to be Kira's Boyfriend, and Kira's to be Odo's Not Girlfriend. While I love Odo episodes, it's a shame that Kira had to be temporarily diluted (and poor Shakaar never recovered). It was a bit too Odo-centric, not just in terms of focus but in how other characters were presented. Although maybe that does serve to highlight Odo's loneliness and general alienation.
Good point.So, wait, you're saying the character's only purpose for being in the episode was to "get with" Kira, and somehow that's a dis-service to him? I figured characters would be lining up to be disrespected by Kira in this manner
Perhaps I should say that it's a bit disrespectful to Bajor as a whole that their First Minister is on the station for an important negotiation regarding the planet's future, but all that really matters to the episode is that he gets into Kira's pants.Return to Grace (***)
First Minister Shakaar brings Kira on a romantic date, he wines and dines her to the point where she finds it impossible to say no to him (her words)... and he requests that she take part in a diplomatic mission with the Cardassians. Wow, he really is dull. If I were him I would have suggested a threesome with Leeta, but instead he sends his girlfriend away to spend time with a man that she hates? He's a weird politician, that's for sure.
The majority of this episode is centred on Kira and Dukat and their hate/creepy-love relationship with one another, and that gets a bit too repetitive for me. It doesn't help that these two characters were already forced to spend time together earlier this season, and even though I took more than three weeks away from DS9, it still feels like this episode is too close to Indiscretion for its own good. This episode could have used a b-story to cut away to every once and a while, as it is there's scene after scene of Kira and Dukat interacting with one another, with Ziyal thrown in occasionally. It's not that the scenes are bad, there's just too much of the same material being repeated throughout the episode.
The main plot is quite good, a down on his luck Dukat decides to earn some respect back by taking on a considerably more powerful Klingon ship. It's a pretty good episode for Dukat, we get to see a more human side of him through Ziyal, but he's still driven by his ego and resentment. When the Cardassian government decides to make concessions to the Klingons, he declares himself the only true Cardassian left and goes off to fight a guerilla war with his new toy. It's a pity we don't see more of him in that role before he runs off to join the Dominion, it's rather intriguing.
It's fitting that I watched this episode at the same time that Shatnertage has reached the meat of Damar's story in season 7, because it's ridiculous how underused he is here. It must have been so gratifying for Casey Biggs that he went from reading technical jargon from a computer screen to an impassioned resistance leader that gets to give speeches about freedom and sacrifice.
Sons of Mogh (***)
I've got to start this review with the ending, don't I? It has a pretty good story, but then it ends in such a crazy, nonsensical way. Some might even call it offensive. It's a story that appears to have been a victim of overthinking things, of wanting to be unconventional and thought-provoking.
But enough about Mass Effect 3, let's talk about Sons of Mogh. (Those of you that saw this joke coming get a gold star.
) There are three ways the episode could have ended; Worf kills Kurn, Kurn sacrifices himself in a noble death, Kurn learns that there's more to life than the Klingon Empire and opens a jewellery store on the promenade. Okay, so those aren't the only three endings, but some variation on one of those three is what's expected. The problem is that the writers knew this and chose to come up with some other ending that we wouldn't see coming, and they came up with something pretty ridiculous. Why is it wrong to kill Kurn by stabbing him in the chest, but okay to kill him by erasing his identity? That's how I see it, it's murder in another form, and I don't see how Sisko, Bashir, or the others would be so willing to go along with it. In fact, I'm almost certain Bashir wouldn't considering the opinions about life that he expressed in Life Support. It's an unexpected random twist that doesn't make any sort of sense if you bother to scrutinise it, and I expect better from stories written by Ron Moore.
It's too bad because the rest of the episode was pretty good. Worf is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions in The Way of the Warrior, and eventually how far removed his is from true Klingons. We also get to see more of Kurn, and it's a pity that this ending makes it impossible for there to be more of him in the future. There's also a b-plot about the Klingons and their crazy mines, and it gives Kira an opportunity to blow things up, which is always a plus.
Sykonee's Counter: 19
I've got to start this review with the ending, don't I? It has a pretty good story, but then it ends in such a crazy, nonsensical way. Some might even call it offensive. It's a story that appears to have been a victim of overthinking things, of wanting to be unconventional and thought-provoking.
But enough about Mass Effect 3, let's talk about Sons of Mogh. (Those of you that saw this joke coming get a gold star.
) There are three ways the episode could have ended; Worf kills Kurn, Kurn sacrifices himself in a noble death, Kurn learns that there's more to life than the Klingon Empire and opens a jewellery store on the promenade. Okay, so those aren't the only three endings, but some variation on one of those three is what's expected. The problem is that the writers knew this and chose to come up with some other ending that we wouldn't see coming, and they came up with something pretty ridiculous. Why is it wrong to kill Kurn by stabbing him in the chest, but okay to kill him by erasing his identity? That's how I see it, it's murder in another form, and I don't see how Sisko, Bashir, or the others would be so willing to go along with it. In fact, I'm almost certain Bashir wouldn't considering the opinions about life that he expressed in Life Support. It's an unexpected random twist that doesn't make any sort of sense if you bother to scrutinise it, and I expect better from stories written by Ron Moore.It's too bad because the rest of the episode was pretty good. Worf is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions in The Way of the Warrior, and eventually how far removed his is from true Klingons. We also get to see more of Kurn, and it's a pity that this ending makes it impossible for there to be more of him in the future. There's also a b-plot about the Klingons and their crazy mines, and it gives Kira an opportunity to blow things up, which is always a plus.
Sykonee's Counter: 19
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