The Search Part II Contrary Opinion

[PorthosShadow]

I know that a number of fans don't like "The Search Part II" all that much because they feel the ending is a cop out or another horrible use of the reset button. However, I've felt the simulation that Dax, Bashier, O'Brien, T'Rul & Sisko were placed in is the exactly what The Dominon would do.

Before taking any major action in the Alpha Quadrant they would learn as much before invading. Now the experiment Borath was conducting was probably only one means by which they were preparing for an eventual invasion. So the so called "reset" of this episode fans complain about doesn't bother me.

Further more because of the VR nature of their experience we as fans get a glimpse of what else The Dominion is capable without actually having them impact The Federation in a BIG way. Honestly I like the second part of this episode even if others have a problem with it.

 

[Sykonee]

The VR plot might have worked better if it was given more time to flesh out. Unfortunately, the events that occurred in the simulation came across incredibly rushed and forced. Even if it wasn't real, it's hard to believe everything that took place would happen that quickly.

My own gripe, however, is the total contrivance of having it taking place on the same planet as where Odo and Kira are. The Founders have gone to great lengths to keep their homeworld's location a secret, yet they have a bunch of captives brought there!?? And they simply let them go just because Odo asked them to??? What happened to that scary-ass Dominion that just recently kamikaze'd a Galaxy-class starship??

 

[Amaris]

I'm watching it right now, and I enjoy it quite thoroughly. Yes, you have to take with a little grain of salt, but it's still a solid episode and worth watching, and I think it ads nicely to the lore of DS9.

 

[Yelgrun]

...The Founders have gone to great lengths to keep their homeworld's location a secret, yet they have a bunch of captives brought there!??

It may not have been intentional on the part of the writers at the time, but in retrospect, what better way to invite a combined Romulan-Cardassian invasion fleet to its destruction?

 

[carlmarx]

I love both parts equally. I never understood the gripe with Part 2. To me it's almost (stress on "almost") tantamount to complaining about "The Visitor" being a reset button.

I found the idea of the simulation to be really creepy actually, and I think it worked perfectly to foreshadow the power the Dominion had and to show just how unconventional they would be as villains.
Plus, I felt that for the whole show, you just know something's kinda wrong, I never watched the episode thinking there wasn't gonna be some big sweeping resolution, even the first time, and I like that. You know something's up, but you don't quite know what til the end when they drop the twist on you.

 

[PorthosShadow]

I love both parts equally. I never understood the gripe with Part 2. To me it's almost (stress on "almost") tantamount to complaining about "The Visitor" being a reset button.

I found the idea of the simulation to be really creepy actually, and I think it worked perfectly to foreshadow the power the Dominion had and to show just how unconventional they would be as villains.
Plus, I felt that for the whole show, you just know something's kinda wrong, I never watched the episode thinking there wasn't gonna be some big sweeping resolution, even the first time, and I like that. You know something's up, but you don't quite know what til the end when they drop the twist on you.

Also, if you've been watching TV long enough you do get a sense something isn't right because most of the time when characters are in a dream or simulation there are no exterior shots so that's a tip off right there. And even if you hadn't noticed that, the behavior of the Federation was a dead give-away something was off.

So I don't think the writers were trying all that hard to hide anything from the viewers because it would be pointless. Finally, good TV is made up coinscidences because otherwise it would be pretty dull and remember like the MST3K theme song says "It's just a show and you really should relax"

 

[Pemmer Harge]

I like the whole thing. Part 2 is mostly about Odo and Kira and foreshadowing the danger the Dominion might pose and I'm fine with that. Yes, they did reset part of it, but the Odo story had consequences that spanned the whole series and the episode as a whole did a lot to establish the Dominion.

 

[doctorfoto]

Also, it shows how cruel the Dominion was by making our heroes stand in those things for what - 2 or 3 days ?!?... and without using the restroom! :O

 

[Navaros]

I love both parts equally. I never understood the gripe with Part 2. To me it's almost (stress on "almost") tantamount to complaining about "The Visitor" being a reset button.

I think its perfectly fine to complain about "The Visitor" being a reset button, although I do share the sentiment that it is unfair how "The Visitor" gets off scott-free for that whilst other episodes like "The Search Part II" do not.

"The Search Part II" is definitely a solid episode, although the first time I watched it, I knew it was all fake as soon as I saw Garak's ridiculously melodramatic death.

 

[Myasishchev]

The Visitor is pretty upfront that it's a reset button episode, though. Unless some people really believed that Sisko was never going to be recovered and DS9 was going to be delivered to the Klingons, etc.