“CHANGE OF HEART”
In all honesty, date night could have gone better.
“Change of Heart” is an episode that always pleasantly surprises me. Though there’s perhaps not a whole lot
to it, I nevertheless think it’s one of the best love stories the series ever told. Unlike the formulaic romance-of-the-week drivel the Star Trek writers regularly insist on foisting upon us, this is a
genuine love story and one that’s surprisingly powerful and moving.
What astonishes me most about this episode is just how enjoyable, endearing and authentic the relationship between Worf and Jadzia feels by this point in the show’s run. Make no mistake, it’s a relationship that got off to a rocky start. Although foreshadowed by a plenty of flirting and bat’lething in the fourth season, when the relationship abruptly began (in an episode primarily focused on Quark’s love life, of all things) it kind of felt like an afterthought. We never got to see Worf and Dax falling in love; it just kind of
happened. It certainly didn’t help that the next episode to focus on the relationship was the fifth season’s absolute nadir, “Let He Who Is Without Sin”, an episode whose sins I still haven’t forgiven. That episode SO bad it threatened to irreparably damage not only the relationship between Worf and Jadzia, but Worf as a character, period. He was infuriating, borderline abusive and downright toxic toward Jadzia in that episode, through no fault other than some uncharacteristically terrible writing. Subsequent episodes still portrayed Worf as a tad overbearing, controlling and condescending, even if this was usually handled in a flippant, humorous manner. Fortunately, by the sixth season the relationship began to feel even-handed and more engaging and enjoyable to watch. “You Are Cordially Invited” was a triumph and comedic highlight of the season, although the pair actually spent most of the episode apart.
It’s not until now, however, a season and a half after they got together, that we are finally treated to an actual Jadzia/Worf love story. While DS9’s romance stories invariably leave me cold, “Change of Heart” is effective because it shows us a genuine and committed relationship that has deepened and matured from initial infatuation to actual
love. That’s something Trek rarely has the time to show us in the space of a single episode. It’s still very rare for Trek to depict ongoing relationships, much less marriages. On DS9, we have Keiko and Miles, of course, but that was pretty much a lost cause, firstly because Rosalind Chao’s long departures from the show made Keiko essentially an absent wife, and secondly because the writers just didn’t seem to care about either the character or relationship. Sisko and Kasidy have been far more fun to watch, with greater chemistry, too, although, Penny Johnson’s absence for long spells is also unfortunate, and we’ve never actually had much focus on Ben and Kasidy other than occasional B-plots.
Which, I suppose, is why I find this episode so compelling, and, for my money, the best depiction of marriage ever seen on Star Trek. That’s a testament to how well the writers and actors have managed to rehabilitate this relationship following the lows of “Let He Who Is Without Sin”, which almost made me an
anti-shipper, and also how Worf as a character has improved since that crushingly low point. There are so many wonderful little touches demonstrating this throughout the episode. Whereas once Worf would likely have berated Jadzia for playing Tongo with Quark and insist that she stop, we now see him proudly championing her as she plays, even though he hasn’t a clue how the game is played. It’s such an unexpected, sweet moment, and it’s followed by many others, from Jadzia’s polite silence while Worf prays at his shrine, to the fun-filled banter and gentle ribbing on the runabout and as they start their mission. It’s the little details that make this episode, and contribute to such a natural, heartfelt and genuinely human story (you know what I mean!). Terry Farrell and Michael Dorn are also on brilliant form throughout, revelling in their natural chemistry and delivering what might arguably be their finest work on the show to date.
The plot is admittedly thin on the ground. Our intrepid married couple have to pick up a (surprisingly obnoxious) Cardassian defector and transport him back to Federation space. Due to transporter dampeners this necessitates a significant hike through jungle terrain (an impressive and quite realistic studio set—a far cry from the somewhat camp, tacky jungle sets from TOS and the early days of TNG). Of course, a run-in with the Jem’Hadar leaves Jadzia on death’s door and Worf must choose between duty and love. Unsurprisingly, he chooses to rescue Jadzia. It’s interesting that while Sisko later makes it clear that he officially must chastise Worf and impose sanctions, he admits that he wouldn’t have left his wife either. Really,
who would have, though? The impulse to protect our loved ones is deep and primal. Although we logically know that the information held by the Cardassian, Lasaran, might save countless lives, it’s hard not to empathise with Worf’s decision. In fact, the way he gets castigated by Starfleet seems very harsh when surely a great deal of the blame ought to lie WITH Starfleet for assigning a married couple to such a dangerous mission. Like it or not, the fact they are a couple would naturally compromise some of their objectivity, as it would for any of us. There’s no real reason that it had to be these two officers, and you’d think Starfleet would already have appropriate policies in place in this event.
In spite of these issues, the episode is brought to beautiful life by David Livingston’s stellar directing and the bravura performances of Terry Farrell and Michael Dorn. Farrell, in particular, is brilliant, delivering perhaps her finest performance of the series to date, and making Jadzia’s gradual decline painful to watch, even as she tries to keep her natural levity. Both actors sell the heck out of the drama and capture a warmth and closeness rarely seen on the series. The final scene is performed with such open-hearted simplicity that it’s impossible not to be moved; and even more-so knowing what lies ahead for the couple (by the way, if you want to avoid Spoilers for future episodes, please STOP reading now).
The real missed opportunity of this episode is that it should, frankly, have been Jadzia’s final episode. By this point it was clear that Terry Farrell wasn’t returning for the seventh season. Why they have her survive death here only to be killed in the most offhand and, frankly, crappiest way in the season finale I will never know. I guess hindsight is a great thing. Jadzia’s death here would have been utterly heartbreaking, with Worf either having to face the fact that he left his wife to die—or perhaps, worse, that he abandoned the mission to go back for Jadzia, only to find he was too late. Such a tragedy could have given the character an interesting healing arc for the show’s final season. Alas, what could have been one of the most powerful send-offs for any Trek character, was not to be.
Finally, we have a sub-plot in which O’Brien enlists Bashir in a strangely desperate bid to kick Quark’s ass at Tongo. There’s not much to say about this storyline, other than it implies that Bashir still has feelings for Dax—and has a strange, rather stalker-ish take on it, too! He states something to the effect of he “shouldn’t have let her get away.” Um, Julian, it wasn’t a case of “letting her get away”—she wasn’t interested! Do we need to call Personnel? Joking aside, these scenes are pure fluff, but amiable enough. It also occurs to me that, aside from the opening six-part arc, this season has almost entirely abandoned B-plots, which is quite a shame. If I think back to the third season, we got a number of offbeat yet charming little sub-plots and, random as they could sometimes be, it was always nice getting little glimpses into the daily lives and relationships on the station. I’ve missed that touch of lightness this season. While we’ve had no shortage of comedy outings, the lack of lighter B-plots has made the sixth season feel a little colder and maybe even a little less...human. Maybe that was intentional, however, given the war narrative. Strong episode.
Rating: 8
