Caught this one recently and it's just so weird. I remember liking it the first time I saw it, this time not so much.
I won't call it bad, because the storyline is fantastic.
But the acting is just plain horrendous. Most of the guest stars are laughable. Particularly the Starfleet infantry guy, whose death scene was like something from a bad 80's action flick. The guy who shot himself in the foot was just as bad. His dialogue in the last scene is cringe-worthy. THe whole thing was very Starship Troopers-esque.
Everything just seemed a little "off". Bashir, who has been allowed some serious character growth up until now, reverts to the babbling egocentric prick on the runabout. The scene with Kira trying the decaffienated Raktajino is just ridiculous, and Sisko's emotions in the scene with Odo are completely counteracted by his ridiculous banter with Jadzia in engineering. The doctors are really cavalier in their attitudes about death - Jake was right to lose his shit in that scene, but Bashir is dumbfounded as to why he would be offended by someone making light of the situation.
I understand exactly what the episode was trying to convey, the whole horrors of war, Heart of Darkness thing. The ending is pretty profound and makes the whole thing work, but lots of wasted potential in this one. And that's a shame. It could've been one of the best all-time episodes in sci-fi TV history with a little more work.
I won't call it bad, because the storyline is fantastic.
But the acting is just plain horrendous. Most of the guest stars are laughable. Particularly the Starfleet infantry guy, whose death scene was like something from a bad 80's action flick. The guy who shot himself in the foot was just as bad. His dialogue in the last scene is cringe-worthy. THe whole thing was very Starship Troopers-esque.
Everything just seemed a little "off". Bashir, who has been allowed some serious character growth up until now, reverts to the babbling egocentric prick on the runabout. The scene with Kira trying the decaffienated Raktajino is just ridiculous, and Sisko's emotions in the scene with Odo are completely counteracted by his ridiculous banter with Jadzia in engineering. The doctors are really cavalier in their attitudes about death - Jake was right to lose his shit in that scene, but Bashir is dumbfounded as to why he would be offended by someone making light of the situation.
I understand exactly what the episode was trying to convey, the whole horrors of war, Heart of Darkness thing. The ending is pretty profound and makes the whole thing work, but lots of wasted potential in this one. And that's a shame. It could've been one of the best all-time episodes in sci-fi TV history with a little more work.
