For the life of me I can't remember what the B plot was all about. So I guess to me it literally was forgettable.
Deep Space Nine Rewatch
- Thread starter tomalak301
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For the life of me I can't remember what the B plot was all about. So I guess to me it literally was forgettable.
For the life of me I can't remember what the B plot was all about. So I guess to me it literally was forgettable.
Someone from Quarks past came to kill him and they kidnap Melora and Dax and hijack the runabout. Yeah it was kind of forgettable.
2-04 Invasive Procedures
I got a disappointed with Invasive Procedures. While another interesting insight to Trill biology, I had expected to see more of what Dax (the symbiont) was like. Instead I never felt that Verad or Verad Dax were all that different, aside for the latter being more confident. Imagine how interesting it would have been if the symbiont had tried and fought its new host? Likewise it would've been interesting if we'd seen more about how Jadzia was like without the symbiont.
And wasn't all too convenient that some plasma storm just had happened to evacuate the station so that it could be boarded? The fact that it was made possible by some rather severe criminal action (again) from Quark makes one wonder why he still goes unpunished after this.
But I admit it was amusing to see Tuvok as a Klingon and Lionel Luthor as a Trill.
In the end, however, I cannot give Invasive Procedures more than a 4 on my 10-graded scale.
2-05 Cardassians
Cardassians was a really good episode. First of all it showed the return of "plain, simple Garak" and Andrew Robinson does a stellar job in the role. I liked that Bashir had grown up and he made a very nice pair with Garak doing their joint investigation. They should team up more often. And one has to wonder exactly were Garak's loyalties lie.
It was interesting to see that the Cardassians aren't all quintessential bad guys, but that there are shades of grey. There is obviously a political struggle going on, and the poor orphans left on Bajor have become pawns in it. I could sympathise both with the kid, Rugal, and with his real father. Gul Dukat is still something of an enigma, but he makes a good bad guy.
I didn't care for Sisko's ruling in the end. To me it seemed clear that Rugal would be better off remaining on Bajor. I also wonder why that was even Sisko's decision. Wouldn't this fall under the purview of Bajoran authorities? Back in Dax he didn't even have authority over his own officer and had to call in a Bajoran arbiter for the extradition hearing.
Cardassians gets a grade of 7- from me.
2-06 Melora
I'm not sure what to say about this episode. I was rather slow and didn't seem to lead anywhere. We have this low-gravity woman, Melora, being rather crippled in our normal gravity environment and she's very defensive about it. Then we have Dr Bashir taking both a professional and personal interest in her, and he engineers some Trek Insta-cure™ treatment that would allow her to function normally at one g. But in the end she declines. So the episode doesn't actually say anything one way or another on the raised issue. A biological sidenote is that there is no way that a being evolving in such a low gravity that we're talking about here should look anything remotely like Melora.
The chemistry between Bashir and Melora was good, but I really don't like these romance-of-the-week plots. Of course Melora will be gone by next episode.
The subplot with a former "business associate" of Quark trying to kill him was really boring. I was actually a bit surprised when it eventually tied into the Melora plot, but even that resolution was unsatisfactory.
I'll give Melora a 4- on my 10-graded scale.
I got a disappointed with Invasive Procedures. While another interesting insight to Trill biology, I had expected to see more of what Dax (the symbiont) was like. Instead I never felt that Verad or Verad Dax were all that different, aside for the latter being more confident. Imagine how interesting it would have been if the symbiont had tried and fought its new host? Likewise it would've been interesting if we'd seen more about how Jadzia was like without the symbiont.
And wasn't all too convenient that some plasma storm just had happened to evacuate the station so that it could be boarded? The fact that it was made possible by some rather severe criminal action (again) from Quark makes one wonder why he still goes unpunished after this.
But I admit it was amusing to see Tuvok as a Klingon and Lionel Luthor as a Trill.
In the end, however, I cannot give Invasive Procedures more than a 4 on my 10-graded scale.
2-05 Cardassians
Cardassians was a really good episode. First of all it showed the return of "plain, simple Garak" and Andrew Robinson does a stellar job in the role. I liked that Bashir had grown up and he made a very nice pair with Garak doing their joint investigation. They should team up more often. And one has to wonder exactly were Garak's loyalties lie.
It was interesting to see that the Cardassians aren't all quintessential bad guys, but that there are shades of grey. There is obviously a political struggle going on, and the poor orphans left on Bajor have become pawns in it. I could sympathise both with the kid, Rugal, and with his real father. Gul Dukat is still something of an enigma, but he makes a good bad guy.
I didn't care for Sisko's ruling in the end. To me it seemed clear that Rugal would be better off remaining on Bajor. I also wonder why that was even Sisko's decision. Wouldn't this fall under the purview of Bajoran authorities? Back in Dax he didn't even have authority over his own officer and had to call in a Bajoran arbiter for the extradition hearing.
Cardassians gets a grade of 7- from me.
2-06 Melora
I'm not sure what to say about this episode. I was rather slow and didn't seem to lead anywhere. We have this low-gravity woman, Melora, being rather crippled in our normal gravity environment and she's very defensive about it. Then we have Dr Bashir taking both a professional and personal interest in her, and he engineers some Trek Insta-cure™ treatment that would allow her to function normally at one g. But in the end she declines. So the episode doesn't actually say anything one way or another on the raised issue. A biological sidenote is that there is no way that a being evolving in such a low gravity that we're talking about here should look anything remotely like Melora.
The chemistry between Bashir and Melora was good, but I really don't like these romance-of-the-week plots. Of course Melora will be gone by next episode.
The subplot with a former "business associate" of Quark trying to kill him was really boring. I was actually a bit surprised when it eventually tied into the Melora plot, but even that resolution was unsatisfactory.
I'll give Melora a 4- on my 10-graded scale.
Who's Lionel Luthor?
Ah Ok, thank you.
Rules of Acquisition
I've come to like this episode a lot more over the years than I did when I first saw it. I think part of that is yes it's sexist, but the Ferengi as a whole are sexist and the main arc for them in this series was reforming those sexist principles. I also liked seeing another Gamma Quadrant alien and we got our first mention of the Dominion. While I'm not a fan of the Dozi (That make up effect made them look a little cartoonish), they did lead us to the Karemma and the Dominion so that is exciting. In terms of Pel, I wish we had seeing Pel again, maybe when she comes back and joins the feminist revolution movement. Also, we got what, 10 different rules of acquisition? One of my favorite things about Farengi society was the Rules of Acquisition.
Necessary Evil
Now this is DS9 at it's best. We go back to Terok Nor during the occupation and this is still one of Odo's best episodes. We get to see how he got the job as investigator, and his friendship with Kira is tested considering the revelation at the end. What this episode offers though is a look back at Terok Nor, the atmospheric darkness of the time, and that Noir feel was great. We even get Odo opening his security log, even though for some reason I think that didn't last very long. Still, like I said this is one of DS9's best episodes.
I've come to like this episode a lot more over the years than I did when I first saw it. I think part of that is yes it's sexist, but the Ferengi as a whole are sexist and the main arc for them in this series was reforming those sexist principles. I also liked seeing another Gamma Quadrant alien and we got our first mention of the Dominion. While I'm not a fan of the Dozi (That make up effect made them look a little cartoonish), they did lead us to the Karemma and the Dominion so that is exciting. In terms of Pel, I wish we had seeing Pel again, maybe when she comes back and joins the feminist revolution movement. Also, we got what, 10 different rules of acquisition? One of my favorite things about Farengi society was the Rules of Acquisition.
Necessary Evil
Now this is DS9 at it's best. We go back to Terok Nor during the occupation and this is still one of Odo's best episodes. We get to see how he got the job as investigator, and his friendship with Kira is tested considering the revelation at the end. What this episode offers though is a look back at Terok Nor, the atmospheric darkness of the time, and that Noir feel was great. We even get Odo opening his security log, even though for some reason I think that didn't last very long. Still, like I said this is one of DS9's best episodes.
Necessary Evil also tells us that the only reason Kira is still alive is because Odo believed her when she lied about her alibi. Odo's first case was a failure.
I wish Pel had shown up again at some point as well, and I really enjoy "Rules of Acquisition" as an episode overall. There's an element of "DS9 does 'The Crying Game'" here, but I don't know that that's a bad thing. The foreshadowing of the Dominion is neat stuff, which is neater on a rewatch (I certainly didn't envision it taking the turn it did). I believe Pel does show up in one of the novels.
On "Invasive Procedures", I agree that the episode doesn't really do the Dax symbiont any favors...I mean, it knows that what's happened constitutes a violation, but it's never clear that it has any objection to it either.
With regards to "Melora", beyond agreeing that it's a meh of an episode and the zero-g effects aren't quite as impressive as they might have been at the time (were they impressive at the time?), it bothers me that this is the first of at least two times we'll see Bashir develop a romantic attachment to a patient of his. Not very professional, Doc.
On "Invasive Procedures", I agree that the episode doesn't really do the Dax symbiont any favors...I mean, it knows that what's happened constitutes a violation, but it's never clear that it has any objection to it either.
With regards to "Melora", beyond agreeing that it's a meh of an episode and the zero-g effects aren't quite as impressive as they might have been at the time (were they impressive at the time?), it bothers me that this is the first of at least two times we'll see Bashir develop a romantic attachment to a patient of his. Not very professional, Doc.
I've missed so many episodes so I'll be a bit more vague in my comments.
From Duet until about a third of the way into season two is quite a nice run indeed. In fact Necessary Evil is one of my series favourites, much like Duet.
Things take a turn for the average though for about another third, more or less, before picking up again (and then some for the last third.
I have to say I actually like season two more than season three.
From Duet until about a third of the way into season two is quite a nice run indeed. In fact Necessary Evil is one of my series favourites, much like Duet.
Things take a turn for the average though for about another third, more or less, before picking up again (and then some for the last third.
I have to say I actually like season two more than season three.
I'm a big proponent of season 2. Yeah it gets average for a few upcoming episodes but from Blood Oath to the end it's a really strong year of world biulding, setting up Voyager and the rest of DS9.
2-07 Rules of Acquisition
Gah, not another Ferengi-centred episode! I suppose we'll have to suffer through those at least once a season. I really didn't care for this, which isn't surprising considering my previously stated dislike for that species and especially all that anti-capitalist crap what permeates whenever they're showcased. I'm surprised that I normally like Quark - in moderation and when he's in clinch with Odo. The "romance" with the female Ferengi disguised as a male wasn't believable, and Quark had no chemistry with her.
The only thing worth something in this episode was the first mention of the Dominion, but I sure wish it had been in a better and more serious episode. And I recognized Brian Thompson as one of those ridiculous-looking Gamma quadrant aliens.
No profit can be made for Rules of Acquisition as it only gets a grade of 2+.
2-08 Necessary Evil
This is more the kind of DS9 that I really like. The flashback scenes to when the station was Cardassian and Odo was "recruited" as a criminal investigator by none other than Gul Dukat were awesome. I really enjoyed seeing some of the characters meeting each other for the first time. And the insights to Kira and especially Odo was very compelling. The murder plot was also intriguing, spanning both the past and present, and they did a good job of creating something of a film noir environment.
What I didn't quite get is what kind of relation Odo and Kira has, and why her lying about killing that collaborator all those years ago would have such an impact on their relationship. I suppose they're setting up for some deeper feelings between them, but frankly, I'm not getting those vibes.
Necessary Evil gets a well-earned grade of 8+ on my 10-graded scale.
Gah, not another Ferengi-centred episode! I suppose we'll have to suffer through those at least once a season. I really didn't care for this, which isn't surprising considering my previously stated dislike for that species and especially all that anti-capitalist crap what permeates whenever they're showcased. I'm surprised that I normally like Quark - in moderation and when he's in clinch with Odo. The "romance" with the female Ferengi disguised as a male wasn't believable, and Quark had no chemistry with her.
The only thing worth something in this episode was the first mention of the Dominion, but I sure wish it had been in a better and more serious episode. And I recognized Brian Thompson as one of those ridiculous-looking Gamma quadrant aliens.
No profit can be made for Rules of Acquisition as it only gets a grade of 2+.
2-08 Necessary Evil
This is more the kind of DS9 that I really like. The flashback scenes to when the station was Cardassian and Odo was "recruited" as a criminal investigator by none other than Gul Dukat were awesome. I really enjoyed seeing some of the characters meeting each other for the first time. And the insights to Kira and especially Odo was very compelling. The murder plot was also intriguing, spanning both the past and present, and they did a good job of creating something of a film noir environment.
What I didn't quite get is what kind of relation Odo and Kira has, and why her lying about killing that collaborator all those years ago would have such an impact on their relationship. I suppose they're setting up for some deeper feelings between them, but frankly, I'm not getting those vibes.
Necessary Evil gets a well-earned grade of 8+ on my 10-graded scale.
Second Sight
We are now at the part of the season where we see a lot of Mediocrity. They're not horrible episodes by any stretch, but they do provide a lull in the season where the series becomes just average. Second Sight perfectly exemplifies that pretty well. Here we have an episode that could have been so much more had they followed through on the teaser, which was Ben Sisko almost forgetting the 4th anniversary of Jennifer's death. We could have had a reflective episode on this event, maybe a follow up to his Emissary experience and maybe make it a Sisko/Jake episode. I think the first time we really got a Jake/Ben show won't come until Season 3's civil defense. These two have such a great relationship I think it would have been nice had they commemorated the time together.
That's what I think the episode could have been. What we got was your standard alien of the week/science crazy guy of the week. Gideon was decent for the most part, but the whole Nadel/Finna thing was kind of dull. There really isn't much to talk about in this plot other than how eccentric Gideon is. Overall, a pretty average episode.
We are now at the part of the season where we see a lot of Mediocrity. They're not horrible episodes by any stretch, but they do provide a lull in the season where the series becomes just average. Second Sight perfectly exemplifies that pretty well. Here we have an episode that could have been so much more had they followed through on the teaser, which was Ben Sisko almost forgetting the 4th anniversary of Jennifer's death. We could have had a reflective episode on this event, maybe a follow up to his Emissary experience and maybe make it a Sisko/Jake episode. I think the first time we really got a Jake/Ben show won't come until Season 3's civil defense. These two have such a great relationship I think it would have been nice had they commemorated the time together.
That's what I think the episode could have been. What we got was your standard alien of the week/science crazy guy of the week. Gideon was decent for the most part, but the whole Nadel/Finna thing was kind of dull. There really isn't much to talk about in this plot other than how eccentric Gideon is. Overall, a pretty average episode.
However Gideon is paradoxically someone who's both sympathetic and extremely narcissistic, a very rare combination.
That's kind of why I liked him. He was simply te only thing interesting about that episode.
What I liked is that he seemed like a very nice person.
2-09 Second Sight
I didn't care that much for Second Sight. Here we again have a Trek Insta-Romance™ that will be forgotten next week. It didn't help that Sisko's love interest literally wasn't real, but some telepathic fantasy by another woman. Add the fact that there was scant chemistry between the two and I kept yawning.
The terraformer guy was as annoying as someone scratching their nails on a blackboard. I so wanted someone to punch the smugness off his face. I almost cheered when he decided to do a Commodore Decker on that cold sun (that really looked like a huge asteroid) to reignite it.
Sorry, but a 3+ is all this episode gets from me.
I'm still working on getting back to where I'd been before having to start my rewatch over, but I'm hesitant to wait any longer to post thoughts on the episode Dax (which, as noted, I'd intentionally yet erroneously skipped the first time around), so I'm making this post shorter, reciew-wise, than I'd originally been intending to.
Dax
Jadzia Dax has always been one of my favorite Deep Space Nine characters, and one of the more unique and complex characters from the franchise on the whole, and we get some early hints at said complexity and uniqueness in this episode, which is, IMO, a quintessential example of the series at its best.
Jadzia's response to the Klaestrons' accusations says something interesting about who she is as a person independent of the symbiote in that she was totally willing and prepared to "answer the demands of justice" based on nothing more than Ilon Tandro's obsessive conviction that Curzon was responsible for the death of his father, knowing full well that both Curzon and she herself were iinnocen.
I also found it interesting that, despite having Curzon's memories and being fully aware of the feelings that he felt towards Elenna Tandro, Jadzia herself did not seem to harbor those feelings, which, knowing what we later see from the character in Rejoined, begs the question of "what is/was it about Lenara Kahn specifically that engendered desire in Jadzia the person and prompted her to want to acknowledge and act on residual feelings from a past life lived by the Dax symbiote?"
Another thing I like about this episode - and that I think seems to end up being missed by a lot of DS9 fans - is that it's not actually about the extradition hearing, the accusations spelled out in Ilon Tandro's warrant, or even the question of whether or not a new joined Trill host can be held liable for the actions or perceived actions committed by a previous joined host; that stuff is merely a means of exploring Jadzia's character and providing insight into who she is both as a joined Trill and as her own independent person, as well as shedding a bit more light on Curzon Dax's character, both the bad and the good, and the relationship that he had with Sisko, who, for his part, is trying to push back against the accusations against Curzon as much as he is trying to save Jadzia's life.
Dax
Jadzia Dax has always been one of my favorite Deep Space Nine characters, and one of the more unique and complex characters from the franchise on the whole, and we get some early hints at said complexity and uniqueness in this episode, which is, IMO, a quintessential example of the series at its best.
Jadzia's response to the Klaestrons' accusations says something interesting about who she is as a person independent of the symbiote in that she was totally willing and prepared to "answer the demands of justice" based on nothing more than Ilon Tandro's obsessive conviction that Curzon was responsible for the death of his father, knowing full well that both Curzon and she herself were iinnocen.
I also found it interesting that, despite having Curzon's memories and being fully aware of the feelings that he felt towards Elenna Tandro, Jadzia herself did not seem to harbor those feelings, which, knowing what we later see from the character in Rejoined, begs the question of "what is/was it about Lenara Kahn specifically that engendered desire in Jadzia the person and prompted her to want to acknowledge and act on residual feelings from a past life lived by the Dax symbiote?"
Another thing I like about this episode - and that I think seems to end up being missed by a lot of DS9 fans - is that it's not actually about the extradition hearing, the accusations spelled out in Ilon Tandro's warrant, or even the question of whether or not a new joined Trill host can be held liable for the actions or perceived actions committed by a previous joined host; that stuff is merely a means of exploring Jadzia's character and providing insight into who she is both as a joined Trill and as her own independent person, as well as shedding a bit more light on Curzon Dax's character, both the bad and the good, and the relationship that he had with Sisko, who, for his part, is trying to push back against the accusations against Curzon as much as he is trying to save Jadzia's life.
Sanctuary
I'm not a fan of this episode at all. In fact, it might be my least favorite episode of the season (But still better than some of Season 6 offerings like Profit and Lace and Valiant) because I found the aliens to be uninteresting and then overly pushy. You have Heneek, who comes out and says Bajor is Kentana and when they ask the officials to settle and they say no, she takes it all on Kira. Unfortunately it wasn't Kira's decision and she couldn't change their minds about letting the Skreeans settle. I thought Heneek was overreactionary. Also this episode didn't help with Tumak being kind of annoying and bratish. I also think they took the drama a little too far (Almost hitting you over the head) with the shuttle sequence. It's a shame because I did like seeing Schellert again (Trouble with Tribbles), and we got mention #2 about the Dominion. Still, this episode was not good.
Rivals
I've always been perplexed why this episode gets a bad rap from DS9 fans. I've always liked the aspect of Quark getting competition and that it came from a listener (Listeners do make good bartenders, just ask Guinan). I think my only issue with this episode is it felt like half the episode was written and the other half was desperate for a plot that was not all that great and realistic with the whole probability thing. However, I really enjoyed the Bashir/O'Brian plot, even though I'm glad Racquetball was replaced by Darts. What was that hideous uniform Bashir was wearing?
I'm not a fan of this episode at all. In fact, it might be my least favorite episode of the season (But still better than some of Season 6 offerings like Profit and Lace and Valiant) because I found the aliens to be uninteresting and then overly pushy. You have Heneek, who comes out and says Bajor is Kentana and when they ask the officials to settle and they say no, she takes it all on Kira. Unfortunately it wasn't Kira's decision and she couldn't change their minds about letting the Skreeans settle. I thought Heneek was overreactionary. Also this episode didn't help with Tumak being kind of annoying and bratish. I also think they took the drama a little too far (Almost hitting you over the head) with the shuttle sequence. It's a shame because I did like seeing Schellert again (Trouble with Tribbles), and we got mention #2 about the Dominion. Still, this episode was not good.
Rivals
I've always been perplexed why this episode gets a bad rap from DS9 fans. I've always liked the aspect of Quark getting competition and that it came from a listener (Listeners do make good bartenders, just ask Guinan). I think my only issue with this episode is it felt like half the episode was written and the other half was desperate for a plot that was not all that great and realistic with the whole probability thing. However, I really enjoyed the Bashir/O'Brian plot, even though I'm glad Racquetball was replaced by Darts. What was that hideous uniform Bashir was wearing?
Sanctuary
I like some of the concepts of the episode, but the execution is an issue.
I think it would have been worth exploring why Bajor is the promised land for these people; perhaps someone traveled through the wormhole previously?
It's interesting to see the UT not work initially, though I'm not sure this was played as well as it could have been.
Agreed that the biggest problem is simply that the Skreeans don't come across as particularly sympathetic, and I'm left wondering whether this would have been a more effective episode if it had come after we'd been introduced to the Jem'hadar and the Dominion was less of an ambiguous presence.
Rivals
I think my main issues with the episode are that Martus doesn't come across as a very interesting character (a male Guinan, for lack of a better term, would have been more interesting to me), and that it's ultimately a one-off episode with no consequences. DS9 has and will do comedy well, but not this time.
I like some of the concepts of the episode, but the execution is an issue.
I think it would have been worth exploring why Bajor is the promised land for these people; perhaps someone traveled through the wormhole previously?
It's interesting to see the UT not work initially, though I'm not sure this was played as well as it could have been.
Agreed that the biggest problem is simply that the Skreeans don't come across as particularly sympathetic, and I'm left wondering whether this would have been a more effective episode if it had come after we'd been introduced to the Jem'hadar and the Dominion was less of an ambiguous presence.
Rivals
I think my main issues with the episode are that Martus doesn't come across as a very interesting character (a male Guinan, for lack of a better term, would have been more interesting to me), and that it's ultimately a one-off episode with no consequences. DS9 has and will do comedy well, but not this time.
