More DS9 praise, mostly

[selenak]

ajhalluk gives us a funny list of annoying Harry Potter fanfic clichés here. And I watched more Star Trek.



Indiscretion, probably the result of the writers realising after the season 2 Civil Defense Kira/Dukat scenes that these characters worked well together on screen, remains a favourite among the Cardassian-centric episodes. "Old enemies forced to work together" is a genre standard, but as always with standard motifs, it depends on the execution and the twist. Now Kira as a character works generally well in any episode which gives her a Cardassian opposite, no matter whether it's Duet, Second Skin or her later season 7 episodes with Damar, because of her backstory as a Bajoran resistance fighter/terrorist (and you have to love the way DS9 is not afraid to use the term "terrorist" and lets Kira herself use it throughout) during the Cardassian occupation). Drama is guaranteed with any of these combinations.

But when it's Dukat, you have the additional advantage of terrific chemistry between the actors. More, imo, than Kira had with any of her on-screen lovers. Not that I think the writers should have gone for an affair between the two. (And I'm saying that independently of what happens to Dukat's character from season 6 Waltz onwards, just based on his pre-Waltz characterisation.) Kira with her - completely justified - issues would never have been able to have sex with the former head of the Cardassian occupation; it would have been totally out of character. Doesn't mean the UST isn't fun to watch.

Indiscretion also provides us with deeper insight into Dukat, and some backstory. Despite the above mentioned UST fun with Kira, the best scenes of the episode are the ones where we see Dukat crying silently over the grave of his dead Bajoran mistress, and of course the confrontation with his half-Bajoran daughter, Ziyal. I always regretted that they recast Ziyal later - this particular actress, imo, remains the best Ziyal and helped making said confrontation incredibly intense. It's an obvious homage to The Searcher, but while the mixture between racism and sexism which caused John Wayne's character wanting to kill his niece for being "defiled" by living with an Indian were so repellent to me that his change of heart wasn't quite as moving as intended, Dukat's earlier decision he'd have to kill his daughter in order not to become an outcast in Cardassian society and following change of heart hit all the right emotional buttons with me. (BTW, continuity rules on DS9: the next time we see Dukat, he did loose his position and family because of this.)

Rejoined caused quite a stir in its day. On the one hand, you had letters full of horror that Dax kisses a woman in this episode (one particular repellent one, published in the official magazine, asked what was next, Garak and a sheep?), on other end of the scale you got complaints that by stating that the symbionts of Jadzia and Lenara were (male) husband and (female) wife in their earlier hosts, ST wasn't endorsing same-sex relationships enough and was giving itself a heterosexual loophole. Personally? I thought it was a well-done episode, without any of the awkwardness of TNG's two attempts to tackle the subject. Nobody objects to Jadzia and Lenara being together on the grounds that they're both women, which is all the statement you need for the fact that by the 23rd century, same-sex couples won't be an issue anymore. On the other hand, the Trill reassociation taboo works as a good metaphor, and the reactions from the other Trills are an obvious parallel.

As a typical Trek one-episode-love story - show regular meets old love again, regular and old love realise they still feel for each other, fate or one of them intervenes and it is not to be - it hinges on the performances, and Terry Farrell's is excellent. When she watches Lenara go, she makes me feel for Dax every time.

Our Man Bashir has to be one of the highlights in ST history. Yes, it's sublimely silly, but Trek can be, in all the right ways, too. Here, they spoof James Bond via our trusty plot device, the holosuite, and it works superbly. Actually, if the Trio of BTVS fame were to ask me? My favourite Bond isn't Moore, Dalton, poor often forgotten Lazenby or even Sean Connery, and certainly not Pierce Brosnan. He's Bashir, Julian Bashir. And Our Man Bashir manages to play the Bond formula superbly, no matter whether it's the megalomaniac villain, the bad puns (Mona Luvsit, Professor Honey Bear), a visit to the casino, Bond/Bashir rattling off some arcane bit of knowledge in the middle of a tense scene, the sixtiesh music, or the gadgets (earring!). And the dialogue, particularly between Bashir and Garak, just sparkles. "Kiss the girl, get the key. They never taught me that in the Obsidian Order."

Crossfire hooks up Kira with the second of her long-term relationships, Shakaar, but that's almost incidental. It's an Odo episode first and foremost, as he starts to lose it in sight of Kira taking a new lover. Not so coincidentally, Quark is the only one who notices and correctly diagnoses the cause. There's always the feeling that Quark and Odo know each other just a little bit better than they know anyone else on the station, and the way Quark handles this particular situation is a case in point. He doesn't gloat, or use the opportunity for some blackmail or scheme; instead, he gives Odo some sensible advice in the most unsentimental fashion possible, so neither of them is embarrassed about it.

In an earlier entry, I mentioned in passing Rom's character development from the "Quark's younger brother, dim-witted and weak" basics which are all which is shown of him in the first two seasons. In the third season, we get scenes which make it clear Rom is actually very good at something (mechanics and engineering), and that he and Quark do have an emotional bond (their talk at the end of House of Quark, Rom playing the mediator between Quark and their mother, Ishka, in Family Business). But it's the fourth season which lets Rom come into his own. Bar Association has him found a union (and quote Karl Marx, which I always get a kick out - I wonder how many American viewers recognised where Rom's "Workers of the world, unite - all you have to loose are your chains!" call comes from) in protest against his brother. The writers did something very clever here; if Quark had been the bad guy all through the episode, it would left a sour taste. But half-way through, the FCA (Ferengi Commerce Authority) and everyone's favourite Ferengi villain, Liquidator Brunt, come in and take the "heavy" position which allows Quark to demonstrate fraternal concern along with capitalist pride, and suffer for it. The scene in sickbay, after Brunt's Nausicaans have beaten up Quark as a warning to Rom and the two brothers negotiate and make up in a way that lets Rom win but also lets Quark save face, has to rank as my favourite Quark-and-Rom scene ever.

But the best Ferengi episode of season 4 is undoubtedly Little Green Man. I don't care what the X-Files say, or Roswell the show for that matter, this is my explanation for the Roswell incident. Quark, Rom and Nog as the Roswell aliens are just plain fun, and you've got to love the attention to period details (such as the way the professor lights a cigarette for his girlfriend) and alien invasion films, twisted. Yep, it's the scientist who cooperates with those aliens, but that is actually the right thing to do, and the aliens in question are the ones the viewer is familiar with. Nog making up an invasion plan out of a bad Sci-Fi movie on the spot because no one believes the truth is a riot, as is Quark's summing up of 20th century humans, but my favourite scene is when Odo knocks out some of the guards, the nurse asks who he is and Quark drily replies: "My hero."

Finally, quiz time:


You should invite Dream, the tortured, brooding
Sandman, to dinner. If you do, you're in for
one of the most interesting converstations of
your life, but be careful not to piss him off.
He can get a bit...touchy.


Which of the Endless Should You Invite to Dinner?
brought to you by Quizilla

Comments

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

You should invite Delirium to dinner. She's sweet
and funny, but you might get confused by her
often incoherent rambling. Pay attention,
though--in moments of clarity she can be very
wise.


(http://quizilla.com/users/redpandaprincess/quizzes/Which%20of%20the%20Endless%20Should%20You%20Invite%20to%20Dinner%3F/)


As usual with quizzes about the Endless, my answers were split between Death, Delirium and Destruction.