Were the "Odo Explores Love" Episodes Slow and Boring?

[tomalak301]

I was watching A Simple Investigation (Now there's and episode that I'm sure hasn't been brought up much this year) tonight and was wondering something. People tend to like the Odo explores love themes that went throughout the series, like this one, Fascination, Crossover, episodes like that. However, I'm watching this one and wondering why do all these episodes have to be so slow. I mean they might have good character moments, but was this episode or Crossover memorable to anyone else? Of course things got better once Odo and Kira finally got together (Which in itself took quite a long time) but before then I'm not sure I liked this theme of the series very much.

Also, was it me or did Odo seem a bit out of character in this episode. He's always more concerned with his work and never lets his gaurd down, yet here he starts to love a woman who has lied to him so many times and who he has just met. The ending was good though, but back to the original question. Were these episodes where Odo explores a relationship tedious?

 

[Amaris]

No, I found them to be a nice respite set against all the war and bloodshed. I loved those episodes, because Odo was a fascinating character worth exploring in depth, and his pairing with Kira was a lovely turn of events. I quite enjoyed them and found them engaging and worthwhile.

 

[apostle83]

I was watching Crossfire last evening. When Odo destroyed his quarters, and was just sitting there are the end, that was a slow, slow scene.

The thing that gets me is that, while I like Odo, they have to write in awkward physical stances to convey emotion - he can't cry. And that makes it slow. He does a clown posture, without the nose.

 

[TheGodBen]

I like slow and boring. Well, not boring, but I do enjoy slow stories if they're handled well. Boardwalk Empire for example is extremely slow, but I love it partly because of that.

 

[DonIago]

I thought Crossover was quite memorable, espeically MirrorOdo's obvious bromance with our Bashir.

...oh, did you mean Crossfire?

In any event, I generally liked the "Let's explore Odo" episodes.

 

[tomalak301]

...oh, did you mean Crossfire?

Yes, Yes I did.

 

[DS9 Gal AZ]

I would've loved the episode where Odo and Kira finally got together, exept that stupid Vic Fontaine had to ruin it for me.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Slow and boring? No. Perhaps they may have been slowly (some might say deliberately) paced. But I was rarely bored by the explorations of Odo's character. Unless, Lwaxana was involved. And even then, I found that, in those episodes, the presentation of her character was more palatable than what we saw in TNG.

 

[ALF]

No where near as mind numbingly boring as the "past trill host" snoozers that Dax drags us through!

 

[DonIago]

Now now, "Facets" was pretty cool.

 

[plynch]

I found a noncorporeal/nonbiological being falling in love to be too farfetched. Silly, since so much of Trek is farfetched. But it just seemed another of those writers' room dart-at-the-dartboard moves: Hey, let's have ____ fall in love with ______!

 

[Paradon]

Odo and the relationship with Kira is complicated and worth exploring in depth. It took a while because he was a shape shifter and she was a humonoid species. Kira wasn't really that attracted to Odo in the beginning because I guess he was a shape shifter. Plus Odo doesn't really talk about his feelings...or at least he tried not to show how he really felt. It's hard for him to open up to someone. That's why it took quite a while to write about Kira beginning to understand Odo and eventually fell in love with him.

 

[Paradon]

I think Odo really like Bajoran women...if you asked me. There is something calm and peaceful about religeous people and it helps shape shifters deal with the chaos in the universe. The universe is chaotic! I guess religeon takes some of that away.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I think Odo really like Bajoran women...if you asked me. There is something calm and peaceful about religeous people and it helps shape shifters deal with the chaos in the universe.

Ummm ... I wouldn't exactly identify Kira as the epitome of "calm and peaceful."

 

[BennyRussel]

I just didn't get it with Odo's romantic sagas. I mean - are changelings really male or female. I know they can take the form of a male or female, but isn't that just an arbitrary choice? If the scientist that found Odo had been a female, would Odo have been a female? When Odo became a hawk, was it a male hawk?

I just think it was unnecessary and raised more questions than answers.

If they needed him to fall in love, I think it would have been more worthwhile for Odo to fall in love with another changeling - or maybe the great link itself.

I know they needed a romantic interest for Kira, but it just felt like it was forced.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I just didn't get it with Odo's romantic sagas. I mean - are changelings really male or female. I know they can take the form of a male or female, but isn't that just an arbitrary choice?

...

If they needed him to fall in love, I think it would have been more worthwhile for Odo to fall in love with another changeling - or maybe the great link itself.

Or, perhaps, love can exist regardless of gender. Or sentient species. Or any other "social norms" which may or may not exist. In which case, the plausibility of Odo falling in love with Kira has nothing to do with his gender (or lack thereof), and instead focuses squarely on the personalities of the two characters - a very compelling premise (IMO).

 

[Paradon]

Shape shifters imprint on the shape of things they are going to assume... I think because the first person that found Odo was a male he imprinted on him and so identify himself as male. JUst like baby birds and dogs that imprint on their human caretakers. And he spend the first part of his life with humanoids, so he develop these feelings for them since he is a shape shifters. When a shifter assumes a form, they become the thing that they mimick. "To know a thing is to become a thing"...that's what the female shifter said. They even turned Odo into a human as part of the punishment. The tricorder couldn't even tell them apart.

 

[Paradon]

I think Odo really like Bajoran women...if you asked me. There is something calm and peaceful about religeous people and it helps shape shifters deal with the chaos in the universe.

Ummm ... I wouldn't exactly identify Kira as the epitome of "calm and peaceful."

Well, shifters are very nosey, inquisitive and observant; it's part of their traits, that helps them assume many shapes. That's why he's always pissed! [laugh] I guess when he observe the Bajoran's spiritual aspect he kindda find it peaceful and fulfilling.

 

[Killandra]

I'd trade those episodes in for more Lawaxana and Odo moments...

 

[Navaros]

I'm gonna answer this thread's question with a big resounding OH HECK NO!!!!

Normally I hate "love interest of the week" stories, but in due to Auberjonois' masterful acting, I love them in Odo's case.

Crossfire is also far better than any other "love interest of the week" story in all of Trek, because it is based on a theme that has been developed over years rather than over 15 minutes like in almost every other "love interest of the week" Trek episode.

I wish they would have done even more Odo-centric episode, "love interest"-based or not.