Vortex is okay the first time you watch it, but it's easy to forget about (I know I did). When you rewatch the series, it stands out a little more, things just click and you come away from the episode with a little smile, which helps it go from okay/enjoyable to good. At least, that's how it worked for me. I'd say that Captive Pursuit is the better episode, but Vortex is more important overall and it's one of the few episodes from season 1 that resonates with the rest of the series.
I can believe that. There are episodes in ENT that originally didn't do much for me, but later, having watched the entire series, they have little nuggets of goodness. Same for TNG, etc. (Though I honestly don't see myself rewatching VOY. Ever.)
Alright... still dealing with illnesses in the house, so today is another DS9 day for me.
I've got my next disk and I'm getting comfy with a blanket (yes, I'm the one who's sick this time), my laptop and some episodes I don't remember ever seeing.
First up:
Battle Lines
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)
The good: I don't even know where to start with this one. Fantastic line: "When you cease to fear death, the rules of war change." I loved the parallels between the battle between the people on the moon and Kira's own struggles.
The bad: There were a couple of clunky moments in the acting... Bashir lapsed into
Passenger-esque halted speech a couple of times when they are taken by the Ennis. Both Sisko and Kira had some emotional outbursts that lacked authenticity for me. But those moments were few and far between.
The zany: Technobabble. Seriously. I want to claw the inside of my skull for overuse of technobabble. (TNG was guilty this too). But I did get a laugh when Dax asks how a differential magnetomer works and O'Brien replies: "I'll let you know as soon as I've finished making one."
Summary: Thus far the BEST episode of the season. While the story itself probably could have easily gone southward into cheesy-land, whoever wrote this episode was skilled enough to keep much of the conflict subtle and more emotionally moving. I was drawn near to tears more than once during this episode. The internal battle of the Ennis between wishing to finally be able to die and desiring vengeance against the Nol was believable. Kira's struggle to find her place in peace time was very real to me. Beautifully done... just beautiful. Even Bashir's desire at the end to give these people the ability to die was well done.
And of course this episode gets my "What the hell??" award for when Opaka comes walking into the cave. After so many years watching Trek, I'm rarely shocked... but my eyeballs were popping out of my head. (Probably helped that I actually grieved Opaka's death right along with Kira).
Whew! More of THIS, please!!
Now onto:
The Storyteller
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)
The good: Somewhat interesting premise (both the A and B storylines).
The bad: The execution! Not well done.
The zany: Bashir's and O'Brien's conversation in the shuttlepod.
Summary: Not really a bad episode. It kept me entertained enough to want to keep watching. However, this is where I think it failed: I believe from the title that the A storyline was O'Brien's moment as the "Sirah"... it was fairly predictable. The bigger fail was in the B-storyline. The premise had a great deal of potential, and in my mind should have been the main plot. However, instead of "telling" that plot from a more active perspective (allowing us as the viewers to watch the negotiations, to understand deeper why Varis is willing to send her people to war over land that they only obtained because of the Cardassian occupation -- I mean a bigger "why" than what was presented, a deeper conflict within herself over how to fill her father's shoes, etc.) It was a very passive way to tell the story and perhaps since the writers obviously wanted O'Brien and Bashir to be the main plot, they fell into that trap. The Sirah storyline was too campy to be worthy of being the main story. There was too much potential with Varis for it to be the secondary plot.
It was a miss.
And Bashir? Hello, Mr. Enigma. I'm not sure if the writers have figured out exactly what he's meant to be. Sometimes he seems over-eager, openly anxious to be liked, and then he can be extremely self-confident and arrogant. It flip flops between episodes, so I'm guessing it really depends on whoever is writing him for that particular hour of entertainment. I recognize that he could actually be both, but honestly, with my plentiful experience with people like that (either arrogant or openly desiring the friendship of others), one personality trait is obviously more dominant over the other, even if that person feels both ways. I think they are doing him a grave disservice but it happens in Trek, sadly. (Archer from ENT comes to mind). I am hoping that they will find a foothold for that character soon... I'm frustrated because I want to like him -- even if only because I actually
know him and what motivates him, despite possibly not liking his choices -- but the inconsistencies in the writing of Bashir are starting to grate on my nerves.
I realize that my reviews are getting more verbose... but more than halfway through the season, I am getting a good feel for the characters and the show. At this point, I think I am better able to say whether or not I feel an episode is fitting both the characters and the premise of DS9 well enough.
Okay, next:
Progress
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--- (7/10)
The good: Mullibok. Fascinating character. Well acted too. This episode gets two of those hearts from the conversation between Sisko and Kira in Mullibok's yard. Fantastic stuff: Sisko says, "You're on the other side now. Pretty uncomfortable, isn't it?" To which Kira replies: "It's awful." Wow, wow, wow!
The bad: It was kinda boring. Look, I like character pieces well enough... I don't mind when there isn't a space battle or external conflict going on. I'm okay with episodes that don't have action. It's not the premise that is the problem, I think it's more the pacing. It was off and I can't quite put my finger on it.
The zany: I want to say that the Jake/Nog antics were what win the zany award this time, but they don't. I think that this b-plot would be better when paired with a different A-plot. Mullibok wins the zany award for his tale on how he plowed the fields with his bare hands. Love it.
Summary: The A-plot was pretty good (despite pacing issues)... but in retrospect, I think maybe it was the the B-plot that really interfered with good story telling here. The two storylines were too dichotomous and shouldn't have been joined together. Just when I start to really feel something with Mullibok and Kira, suddenly I'm switched to "Hey look what these nutty boys are up to now!" It's jarring and took me out of really experiencing the more serious A-story.
Alright... last one until tomorrow (or the next day -- whenever I have time LOL):
If Wishes were Horses
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)
The good: The teaser. My favorite Quark/Odo exchange yet. Something tells me that when Odo says: "Waste of time. Too many people dream of places they'll never go, wish for things they'll never have, instead of paying adequate attention to their real lives." That maybe it was a tiny wake-up call for us trekkies. LOL I also enjoyed all the exchanges just before the the imaginary beings showed up (Bashir/Dax and Obrien & family).
The bad: Totally absurd. Seriously. And there seems to be at least one episode of "Imagination Gone Wild!" in some form or another in each series. Kinda overdone.
The zany: The argument between Dax and Fake!Dax. I couldn't help but laugh.
Summary: Mostly just meh. As I watched there were moments where I thought, "Ooo... that gets a heart" only to be followed by "Argh, taking off a heart". It fluctuated wildly for me. Comedy is okay in Trek, but it's a subtle art (one that they have a hard time getting right in any of the trek series). I think the writers didn't quite manage it this time either.
The one good that came from this: Bashir. I think that's the most 3-dimensional that he's ever been written. I think I like him better as a more arrogant womanizer than Mr. Eager-to-please-every-one-just-has-to-like-me. He was far more authentic, his attempt at Dax in the beginning was overt but yet not overly so. Much, much better. I only hope they don't swing the pendulum in the other direction again for his character in the next episode.
Alright. The last disk comes tomorrow from Netflix.
Thanks for letting me share my journey with you!
I can believe that.
Even in the worst episode of the series (you know the episode I'm talking about) when Sid turned in a poor performance because he was up all night after the birth of his son, he still turned in a better performance than The Passenger. That's an amazing feat.
Talk about a random ending.
