^ As long as it wasn't the Human Torch that was bipolar, I'm relatively okay with that.
Shatnertage's Mostly-1st-Time Watch Thread
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One more thing about that episode--in the end, no one was forsaken. Lwaxana and Odo reached an understanding, the ambassadors had fun with "Julian," and the "puppy" got a dog house. So I totally don't get the title.
Of course, if you really want to know what's going on in a play, you should consult the...
"Dramatis Personae"
The teaser starts with Kira and Sisko arguing about a Valerian freighter being allowed to dock; she thinks they are still giving weapons to the Cardassians, while he thinks there's no proof, so they can't stop them from docking. He tasks her with finding proof of the weapons trading, but in a pretty ambiguous way.
We also learn that Keiko and Molly are off the station before the wormhole opens.
Everytime the wormhole opens, it looks like the Gamma Quadrant is spitting up on the station. Dealing with spit-up these days, I know what it's like.
So the Gamma Quadrant spits up a Klingon ship called something that sounds like "the Toker" at the station. I guess it's not a midnight toker, because the ship blows up. A Klingon transports to the Ops and says one word, "Victory," before dying.
When we get back, no one can figure out what the Klingon meant, but I've got a theory. He'd just finished beating the captain in Mortal Kombat without sustaining any damage, and said "Flawless" before he transported out.
Then Jadzia starts giggling like she's taken happy pills, and I realize what's happening: the station crew has been infected by whatever made the Klingons blow themselves up. Things will get progressively worse until someone, probably Dr. Bashir, finds a cure at the end.
And that's exactly what happens.
This story was much better when it was "The Naked Time." Hell, it was better when it was "The Naked Now." Although I'm anticipating who's going to be running around the station shirtless brandishing a sword. Sisko? Bashir? Quark? Dax?
As it turns out, it's none of them. We get Sisko obsessed with building a clock, O'Brien obsessed with protecting Sisko, Kira obsessed with overthrowing Sisko, Dax going on about this time, when she was in band camp, and Bashir obsessed with being a conniving bastard.
So the story was completely unoriginal, but I had fun watching it because the actors got to do something different. Alexander Siddig plays conniving bastard really, really well. He'd make a great bad guy. And scheming, seductive Kira was pretty good too. I'm sure there was a lot of fan love for that.
This was the second episode in a row where Odo got to shine. I LOVED the way he was able to talk Bashir into doing the annoying noise thing at the end.
The thing that made the biggest impression on me in this episode was when Kira walked into Sisko's office the first time. Sisko was sketching out the clock, which he quickly covered up, but it looked suspiciously like he was doing a line of coke off of his desk.
Besides the performances, there really wasn't a lot to this episode. Like I said before, it's an idea that's been done before. Yes, it's a telepathic engram (or whatever) instead of a virus (or whatever), but it's an idea that's been done before: crew goes nuts, acts nuts, then gets cured. At this stage I think ENT: "Singularity" did it best, playing it almost entirely for laughs. This one had some humor, but not quite enough.
And the scene where the Bajoran guy tries to inject Sisko is really poorly edited; they needed to spend some more time on that one.
Of course, if you really want to know what's going on in a play, you should consult the...
"Dramatis Personae"
The teaser starts with Kira and Sisko arguing about a Valerian freighter being allowed to dock; she thinks they are still giving weapons to the Cardassians, while he thinks there's no proof, so they can't stop them from docking. He tasks her with finding proof of the weapons trading, but in a pretty ambiguous way.
We also learn that Keiko and Molly are off the station before the wormhole opens.
Everytime the wormhole opens, it looks like the Gamma Quadrant is spitting up on the station. Dealing with spit-up these days, I know what it's like.
So the Gamma Quadrant spits up a Klingon ship called something that sounds like "the Toker" at the station. I guess it's not a midnight toker, because the ship blows up. A Klingon transports to the Ops and says one word, "Victory," before dying.
When we get back, no one can figure out what the Klingon meant, but I've got a theory. He'd just finished beating the captain in Mortal Kombat without sustaining any damage, and said "Flawless" before he transported out.
Then Jadzia starts giggling like she's taken happy pills, and I realize what's happening: the station crew has been infected by whatever made the Klingons blow themselves up. Things will get progressively worse until someone, probably Dr. Bashir, finds a cure at the end.
And that's exactly what happens.
This story was much better when it was "The Naked Time." Hell, it was better when it was "The Naked Now." Although I'm anticipating who's going to be running around the station shirtless brandishing a sword. Sisko? Bashir? Quark? Dax?
As it turns out, it's none of them. We get Sisko obsessed with building a clock, O'Brien obsessed with protecting Sisko, Kira obsessed with overthrowing Sisko, Dax going on about this time, when she was in band camp, and Bashir obsessed with being a conniving bastard.
So the story was completely unoriginal, but I had fun watching it because the actors got to do something different. Alexander Siddig plays conniving bastard really, really well. He'd make a great bad guy. And scheming, seductive Kira was pretty good too. I'm sure there was a lot of fan love for that.
This was the second episode in a row where Odo got to shine. I LOVED the way he was able to talk Bashir into doing the annoying noise thing at the end.
The thing that made the biggest impression on me in this episode was when Kira walked into Sisko's office the first time. Sisko was sketching out the clock, which he quickly covered up, but it looked suspiciously like he was doing a line of coke off of his desk.
Besides the performances, there really wasn't a lot to this episode. Like I said before, it's an idea that's been done before. Yes, it's a telepathic engram (or whatever) instead of a virus (or whatever), but it's an idea that's been done before: crew goes nuts, acts nuts, then gets cured. At this stage I think ENT: "Singularity" did it best, playing it almost entirely for laughs. This one had some humor, but not quite enough.
And the scene where the Bajoran guy tries to inject Sisko is really poorly edited; they needed to spend some more time on that one.
"Next week, on Deep Space Nine... The Wormhole spits up a...!"
Generally, I see this one as harmless enough. It's a decent "crew goes crazy" story which give the actors a chance to show their chops. Siddig, in particular, has come a long way since The Passenger.
But, other than the acting, there's not really much that this one offers which sets it apart. Though, I will admit, I did like the scene where O'Brien backhands Dax damn near into next week.
However....
That's a bold statement.
But, other than the acting, there's not really much that this one offers which sets it apart. Though, I will admit, I did like the scene where O'Brien backhands Dax damn near into next week.
However....
That's a bold statement.
Nice reviews so far ... enjoy the ride. I've rewatched the shows so many times now. Probably will do again later this year.
With Dramatis Personae - I found it to be better episodes of the first season. I know it's been done before.
With Dramatis Personae - I found it to be better episodes of the first season. I know it's been done before.
I'll admit it loses points for drunk Wesley saving the day. But how can you argue with the brilliance of "fully functional?"
Imagine how different fandom would be today if we didn't have Yar/Data porn:
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I'm big Lwaxana Troi fan. I was so glad Majel finally got a juicy part after 'Number 1' was dropped.
Wow.
That's all I have to say after seeing...
"Duet"
I vaguely recalled seeing the episode mentioned as one of the better ones, so I had high hopes. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a light-hearted musical show (I was a big fan of them on Voyager) or what, but suffice it to say that I was totally blown away.
It was an incredible story that really worked because of Nana Visitor's total emotional embrace of her character's role in it. And Marritza...that guy has the honor of giving the first DS9 speech that actually brought tears to my eyes (his final confession). Unbelievable.
This story worked for me because there wasn't much technobabble and no space battles, but instead it was an interpersonal story that could have worked anywhere, not just on a space station. And it kept me guessing. At first I knew Marritza was hiding something. Then you've got the false reveal of him as Darhe'el. Then he admits who he is. Then Kira embraces him. Then he gets stabbed and dies, just because he's Cardassian. Unlike "Dramatis Personae," I never thought "Oh, I know exactly how this'll end."
It's easily one of the best episodes of Trek I've seen yet.
Now I'm looking forward to watching more DS9.
That's all I have to say after seeing...
"Duet"
I vaguely recalled seeing the episode mentioned as one of the better ones, so I had high hopes. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a light-hearted musical show (I was a big fan of them on Voyager) or what, but suffice it to say that I was totally blown away.
It was an incredible story that really worked because of Nana Visitor's total emotional embrace of her character's role in it. And Marritza...that guy has the honor of giving the first DS9 speech that actually brought tears to my eyes (his final confession). Unbelievable.
This story worked for me because there wasn't much technobabble and no space battles, but instead it was an interpersonal story that could have worked anywhere, not just on a space station. And it kept me guessing. At first I knew Marritza was hiding something. Then you've got the false reveal of him as Darhe'el. Then he admits who he is. Then Kira embraces him. Then he gets stabbed and dies, just because he's Cardassian. Unlike "Dramatis Personae," I never thought "Oh, I know exactly how this'll end."
It's easily one of the best episodes of Trek I've seen yet.
Now I'm looking forward to watching more DS9.
That episode touched me very, very deeply.
So much so that I had to give Marritza a second chance at life, in my alternate universe.
So much so that I had to give Marritza a second chance at life, in my alternate universe.
Hurrah!
Been enjoying your reviews, may or may not chime in as you go along, but I'm glad you like Duet so much.
Well, you survived the choppiest of waters on your journey thus far. Tho' I wouldn't exactly say it's all smooth sailing from here - there's still a few patches of shoals and icebergs to navigate through in S2 & S3 (not to mention a few rogue waves in the later seasons) - but compared to the whirlpools, prevailing winds, and pirates faced in S1, you should be just fine.
Well, you survived the choppiest of waters on your journey thus far. Tho' I wouldn't exactly say it's all smooth sailing from here - there's still a few patches of shoals and icebergs to navigate through in S2 & S3 (not to mention a few rogue waves in the later seasons) - but compared to the whirlpools, prevailing winds, and pirates faced in S1, you should be just fine.
Great analogy there, Sykonee
Glad you liked Duet. Definitely one of the great ones.
You know it's good when the franchise tried to ape the idea into another episode on VOY with Jetrel. Though, to be honest, that one, while good, wasn't as successful, IMO.
One thing that I think gets lost in the shuffle of Duet is that it focuses so very effectively on the non-Human characters - something DS9 does better than any other Trek series. And, you'll see much more of that as the show progresses.
Yes! I almost said "It's a very human story" but then I realized that neither of the main characters in this one were human.
It's a testament to the actors.
It's a testament to the actors.
You forgot about the scurvy and how the crew began to resort to cannibalism right around the point of If Wishes Were Horses.Well, you survived the choppiest of waters on your journey thus far. Tho' I wouldn't exactly say it's all smooth sailing from here - there's still a few patches of shoals and icebergs to navigate through in S2 & S3 (not to mention a few rogue waves in the later seasons) - but compared to the whirlpools, prevailing winds, and pirates faced in S1, you should be just fine.
Duet is like a reward for managing to complete the first season. It's also the first of a run of Bajor-centric episodes; out of the next nine episodes, six of them are about Bajor, and not in a tangential way like The Storyteller. So Duet really stands out as something of a turning point for the show.
Well "Duet" wasn't the first episode to explore certain humanity and it's fallings. The Classic series often used aliens to highlight humanity.
You forgot about the scurvy and how the crew began to resort to cannibalism right around the point of If Wishes Were Horses.Well, you survived the choppiest of waters on your journey thus far. Tho' I wouldn't exactly say it's all smooth sailing from here - there's still a few patches of shoals and icebergs to navigate through in S2 & S3 (not to mention a few rogue waves in the later seasons) - but compared to the whirlpools, prevailing winds, and pirates faced in S1, you should be just fine.
Duet is like a reward for managing to complete the first season. It's also the first of a run of Bajor-centric episodes; out of the next nine episodes, six of them are about Bajor, and not in a tangential way like The Storyteller. So Duet really stands out as something of a turning point for the show.
Yeah. I tend to view "Duet," "In the Hands of the Prophets" and the S2 opener as a bit of a mini-arc, dealing with the past, present, and future of Bajor. It all comes together extremely well, and combined with a couple other gems in the early going of S2, like "Cardassians," and "Necessary Evil" show that the writers really were starting to figure out what DS9's strengths were.
But DS9, especially in episodes like Duet, does something I don't think the other series do very well. While Trek has always used aliens to highlight aspects of humanity, it's almost always done with the intention of having the Human characters either teach the aliens something or, less frequently, be taught something by them.
Duet lets Kira and Marritza be characters in their own right. At no point do the Humans come in and teach them a valuable lesson. And at no point is there an attempt for them to teach the Humans about their failings.
This is their story, through and through.
And they're also real characters, not just residents of planets where everyone wears the same hat. I don't think you can reduce either of them to a single defining characteristic, the way many TNG aliens are.
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