About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me strength!

[Mike Have-Not]

Re-watching DS9 DVD's again. Just got to "The Visitor". This one gets to me every time. And this is will be my first viewing of this ep. since becoming a father myself (my newborn son was born a month and a half ago!).

Prophets grant me strength! Especially since the situation with my and the baby's mother is not going so well...

Was thinking of skipping this one, but... it's one of the best.

The other ep. that really gets to me is "Emmisary". When Sisko is dealing with the loss of his wife.

What eps. do YOU find moving on an emotional level?

 

[TeutonicNights]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

All the best to you, fellow Trekker! And congrats

my most moving eps:
the Visitor
Darmok
The Inner Light
Duet
oh and TATV gets me emotional, too

 

[Mike Have-Not]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

Ha! The only emotion I remember feeling upon viewing TATV was boredom and disinterest...

The first scene of "The Visitor" that really got to me was when Sisko re-appears the second time, and they've got him in the infirmary. The way Jake loses it...

Geez, now I'm at the part where adult Jake loses it when Sisko appears at his home...

Ok, that wasn't as bad. But, Young Jake's reaction when Sisko disapears from the infirmary... wow. That's some good acting on the part of Lofton. Probably his best.

 

[Garrett]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

"The Visitor" is the only Trek episode that I've seen (modern Trek at least) that I found moving. I posted a gushy thread here after I watched it for the first time.

 

[dogsowar]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

"The Visitor" pushes my buttons, also "The Inner Light"

 

[Mike Have-Not]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

Finished now. The way Sisko says "I am now" at the end...

I'm not sure I get the message of the episode. It would seem to be contrindictory. On the face of it, the message seems to be one of "letting go" and "moving on". Every time Sisko appears, he tries to convince Jake to LIVE HIS LIFE. Jake's writing, his relationship with his wife, and presumably all other aspects of his life, have fallen to the wayside in his pursuit to somehow bring his father back.

It seems a similar message to that of "The Emmissary". Sisko learns that he must learn to let go of, or at least deal with, the pain he feels over the loss of his wife. "You exist here", the prophets keep telling him, brining him to the moment Jennifer died. He learns he must exist in the present. Live for the future. Just as he tries to insist Jake must do in "The Visitor".

However, it was Jake's determination NOT to let go. NOT to move on, that led him to the solution that, in the end, restores things back to "normal", gives us a "happy ending".

However, Jake's solution for bringing Sisko back DOES seem to be an analogy for "letting go". He even refers to it as "cutting the cord"...

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

[MyCylon]

I recently rewatched The Visitor to myself. And it gets me everytime as well. It's never easy to get through but just so worthwhile.
Since I first saw this, this has been my favorite DS9 and Trek episode. It's just beautiful on every level. And I agree that Lofton's performance (as well as everyone else's btw.) is really strong here. He's also very strong in Nor the Battle to the Strong, I noticed. That one has a few scenes that get me as well but it's not as strong emotionally as this one.
I think The Visitor is really very, very special. Fantastic.

 

[MyCylon]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

Mike Have-Not said:
I'm not sure I get the message of the episode. It would seem to be contrindictory.
[...]
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

I think there's a difference here between Emissary and this episode. In Emissary, Jennifer dies. All Ben has to hang on to is her memory and it's strong enough to keep him stuck at that moment.
In The Visitor, it's even harder for Jake to let go. He REALLY tries to and even succeeds in building a life for himself. But the nature of the situation is such that he really can't let go - not by mere acceptance, anyway.
I think a fitting analogy might be when somebody goes missing. There's no closure. You can't move on because there's always that piece of hope which keeps you going and searching for the beloved person but which also keeps you from ever finding peace yourself.
I think the message of living your life, enjoying it while it lasts is still central here. But it's also clear that it's not always that easy. The strong bond between Jake and Ben is one of their greatest strengths. This situation turns it into Jake's tragedy until he, as you pointed out yourself, realizes that he most literally has to let go.

 

[scottydog]

After watching The Visitor, I was a crying puddly mess of goo. Sisko embracing his son at the end, saying "I am now," his voice cracking, shows sooo much love. The episode is a remarkable story of love between father and son. I'm choking up right now just thinking about it.

What's the take-home message of this story? I would say, simply, love. Jake loved his dad and wanted him back so badly that he selflessly devoted his entire lifespan trying to rescue his dad. Sisko wanted his son to life a happy life so badly that he begged & pleaded with his son to live his life and to let go of his despair. Each of them displayed selfless love.

Which is, after all, what life is all about

 

[Mike Have-Not]

scottydemon said:
After watching The Visitor, I was a crying puddly mess of goo. Sisko embracing his son at the end, saying "I am now," his voice cracking, shows sooo much love. The episode is a remarkable story of love between father and son. I'm choking up right now just thinking about it.

What's the take-home message of this story? I would say, simply, love. Jake loved his dad and wanted him back so badly that he selflessly devoted his entire lifespan trying to rescue his dad. Sisko wanted his son to life a happy life so badly that he begged & pleaded with his son to live his life and to let go of his despair. Each of them displayed selfless love.

Which is, after all, what life is all about

I agree. It's a shame there are some who do not understand that

 

[Photon]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

"Jake.....my SWEET boy....." Man if that one doesn't getcha you ain't gotta a soul.

 

[Amaris]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

scottydemon said:
After watching The Visitor, I was a crying puddly mess of goo. Sisko embracing his son at the end, saying "I am now," his voice cracking, shows sooo much love. The episode is a remarkable story of love between father and son. I'm choking up right now just thinking about it.

What's the take-home message of this story? I would say, simply, love. Jake loved his dad and wanted him back so badly that he selflessly devoted his entire lifespan trying to rescue his dad. Sisko wanted his son to life a happy life so badly that he begged & pleaded with his son to live his life and to let go of his despair. Each of them displayed selfless love.

Which is, after all, what life is all about

It's choking me up just reading the short summary you gave. Wow, it truly is an incredible episode. I love it. Ah, DS9.

J.

 

[scottydog]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

Every Father's Day, I watch The Visitor. It's become an annual get-the-kleenex-out day for me

 

[indranee]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

^same here. every father's day, if I can. the last time, my father and I watched it together. an experience I shall never forget.

this ep gets me on the visceral level so bad. the only other Trek ep that comes even close is City on the Edge of Forever. but it's not on this level.

the message to me is also "love", and "holding on to the ones we love".

 

[Garth Rockett]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

I shed tears whenever I see it too. It's my favorite episode of any television series, without a doubt.

For me, the message of the episode is in Jake's stated reason for cutting the cord. He says he is doing it for his father, and also for the boy he was, because "he needs you more than you know." It's about how boys need fathers to guide them as they grow up into adults. I think it's a message that's very important in this day and age when there are too many fathers who abandon their responsibilities so easily.

One of the things I love about Deep Space Nine is the strong father/son bonds we see, not only between Ben and Jake, but also between Joseph and Ben.

 

[Angel4576]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

The Visitor is such a great story.

Other episodes that do it for me;

Far Beyond the Stars
What You Leave Behind (the montage piece at the end)

And whilst not a Voyager fan by any stretch of the imagination, I found Joel Grey's performance in Resistance to be utterly captivating.

 

[Mike Have-Not]

Re: About to watch "The Visitor".... Prophets grant me stren

Other episodes that get me to me emotionally include "Past Tense" and "Far Beyond the Stars".

"Past Tense" gets me angry at social injustice. And I always find Benny's breakdown in "FBTS" touching.

I like it when brooks goes "over the top"...