more ds9 discussion
I've watched through 5x04; please avoid mentioning spoilers (including character development or revelations of character backstory) for any episodes past that. Thanks!
I've only commented on episodes that, well, I had something to say about. DS9 also has quite a few episodes that I like well enough but that don't really inspire thoughts.
4x17, "Accession"
This should've been a two-parter; there just wasn't enough time to properly develop Sisko's doubts about his emissary role, or the new emissary's connection with Kai Winn, or the reaction among the Bajorans. And I'm a little uncomfortable with how ready even Sisko is to take the "prophets" at face value as, if not technically gods, at least benevolent guides whose word should be accepted as law.
I had more fun with the b-plot, in which Keiko pwns all. I was surprised that the show was willing to go so far as to show Miles's friendship with Bashir becoming, or very nearly becoming, a threat to his marriage. If Keiko hadn't wisely intervened, I think she and Miles were headed for serious tensions (especially since Miles isn't 100% thrilled about the new baby).
I really like the way the show presents the O'Briens' marriage. It's close and loving without buying into the myth of 100% family togetherness all the time or family being more important than anything else. Instead, Keiko's need for satisfying work is depicted as valid and important enough to be worth temporarily splitting up the family for. Similarly, Miles is allowed (by the story) to have a meaningful friendship outside of marriage without being required to sacrifice it at the altar of Family Values.
I still think Miles is kind of in love with Bashir, but since he doesn't quite realize it, he'll get along just fine so long as he can have holosuite play dates with his friend.
4x19, "Hard Time"
Oh, god, O'Brien. Why is it that when truly terrible things happen, they mostly seem to happen to you? *hugs him lots*
I want fic about this episode, but I'm getting increasingly spoiler-averse about this show and I think I'll wait until I've seen the whole thing before reading even supposedly spoiler-free fic.
4x20, "Shattered Mirror"
Blimey, another Mirrorverse episode. It must be awfully easy to travel back and forth between universes--soon I expect characters will be popping over because there's a big sale on at Macy's (Terok Nor branch) or it's karaoke night at Quark's.
And now Jennifer Sisko has died twice, doubling the familial trauma. And hey, you know what I'd like to see on the show? A character played by a black woman who's not there to be a love interest for Ben Sisko.
The only truly memorable thing in this one is mirror!Garak offering sexual services to mirror!Worf. It was worth sitting through the whole episode just for that little scene.
4x21, "The Muse"
Dear writers: Writing Lwaxana Troi as utterly unbearable for the first 41 minutes of an episode and then giving her a gracious speech in the last 2 minutes is not actually very good characterization. It doesn't turn her selfishness into a charming eccentricity. She tramples all over Odo's wishes most of the time, and I feel mortified on his behalf every time she's onscreen, except during those little gracious speeches that don't actually fix anything.
I did feel sorry for the mess she's in. But that plot once again brought on my confusion/frustration about the whole "why doesn't the Federation ever do anything to protect people on its territory who are being persecuted because of outside laws that shouldn't apply there?" issue. I mean, to use a real-world example, let's say a woman who's been married under Saudi Arabian law flees her husband and runs to another country. Her husband can't just turn up in that country and insist on enforcing the Saudi marriage laws; local laws take precedence. (And if the Federation doesn't work that way, if it considers protecting people who are fleeing persecution and exploitation to be outside its purview, then what the fuck is it good for?)
Anyway. I didn't find Odo's sudden "oh, stay, let's be married for real" attitude convincing, even as a desire for companionship. There've been very few times when Lwaxana has offered him any kind of friendly, pleasant companionship as opposed to putting him on the spot and forcing her romantic attentions on him.
Yes, I'm close to ranting about this. But I hate the idea that it's ever okay, or funny, for someone to be subjected to unwanted advances that make them uncomfortable. Also, I have a huge embarrassment squick, and every time the show does this to Odo I cringe.
Speaking of cringing, the A-plot about Jake Sisko and the succubus/muse was crap. Kinda sexist crap.
4x22, "For the Cause"
So much for Kassidy Yates. I'd care a lot more if she'd been given any independent character development instead of just being a love interest. But the only time I ever liked her was when she said she took the job on Bajor because it was a good job, and if Sisko didn't want her living on the station, too bad.
And so much for Eddington. I had a feeling he'd eventually turn out to be a villain, and when he said he had no opinion about the Maquis unless Starfleet told him to, I knew he was their agent. Like Yates, he was never interesting and I can't care.
4x24, "The Quickening"
Not a great episode as such, although having a somewhat downbeat ending worked well. I enjoyed the focus on Bashir--his arrogance (which comes across more as a déformation professionelle than as the personal self-absorption it was in S1), his compassion, and how both traits combine to fuel his very hard work as a doctor.
And the Dominion-created virus highlights their utter ruthlessness, since it's specifically designed to be incurable. That's a useful reminder in the run-up to 4x26.
4x26, "Broken Link"
Okaaaaaay. I was expecting that the Changelings would somehow reject Odo (thank you, spoilery episode title) but not that they would turn him human, ffs. It made for a powerful emotional moment (poor Odo lying naked and traumatized on the rock) but I think it's a poor storytelling choice in the long term. Shapeshifter!Odo trying to negotiate his difference from humanoids and his relationships (affectionate, collegial, etc.) with them is interesting. Suddenly!human!Odo feeling depressed about being human, not so much.
I enjoyed Garak's clumsy attempt to cheer him up with the thought of delicious food, but the scenes at the beginning and end with the Random Bajoran Woman hitting on Odo irked me. It's partly that, as I've already said, I cringe for poor Odo's discomfort, and partly that the show seems to think that aggressive romantic/sexual overtures directed at unwilling people are funny (see also: Lwaxana/Odo, Bashir/Dax in the first season, Quark/half the women he talks to). And also, I must confess, I don't want to see Odo in a romantic relationship, especially (as will inevitably be the case) a heterosexual one. If the show really must do that, it had better damn well do it right and give us a slow-growing relationship between Odo and a woman he gets to know, talks to, has things in common with, etc.
The scene between Odo and Quark was very sweet; equally delightful was Garak's enthusiastic way of helping Odo by intriguing him with innuendos and enigmatic half-truths.
Speaking of Garak, I found myself unexpectedly sympathetic to his attempt to commit "a little genocide in the name of self-defense." Not that I think pre-emptive strikes are okay, but the Founder did just tell Garak, "You're dead. Cardassia is dead. Your people were doomed the moment they attacked us." Which, yes, is only a threat and not yet actual attempted genocide, but it's not like the Founders have a history of being merciful. (And also, six months in one of those awful holding cells on the station, the tiny ones with no privacy? Poor Garak. Bashir had better be visiting him several times a week. Conjugally.)
And speaking of conjugal relations, I just about keeled over when O'Brien said (regarding his new domestic arrangement with Keiko and Kira Nerys): "I'm thinking of asking Julian to come live with us. Even things up a little." This is the line that launched a thousand fics, yes?
5x01, "Apocalypse Rising"
I have nothing to say about the main plot, except that I keep thinking of Gowron as "Klingon Marty Feldman." At the end of 4x26 I figured that his being a Changeling would explain the eyes (presuming Odo isn't the only one who can't always get faces right) but of course he turned out not to be.
Speaking of Odo: We seem to be in TV Depression territory, where a few stern talkings-to and a difficult job to accomplish will cure any level of emotional pain! On the other (heavy) hand, there are the Giant Hints that Odo might be becoming an alcoholic. I'm not sure which scenario I want least. I did like Odo's choice at the end of the episode to have his old face restored rather than getting a perfect copy of a human or Bajoran face. I was wondering about that after 4x26, since plastic surgery is obviously so good and so easy.
On very shallow topics, I'm glad that Kira's hair is dark again and that Jake Sisko is finally getting some outfits that aren't hideous. That one from last season with the gingham patches was just unspeakable.
5x03, "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"
I was spoiled for Jadzia Dax and Worf getting together, and it worked better than I had expected. It's well-established that Dax likes Klingons and their culture, and Worf isn't as hopelessly crude as most Klingons. (Sorry. But unlike Dax, I am not a Klingon-ophile.) And I like that at the end they decided to take things slowly and not rush into commitment.
The best thing in the episode, though, was the O'Briens' complicated domestic life. The sudden attraction between Miles and Kira was plausible even though it was mostly played for comedy (with a nice touch of bittersweet regret at the end). And it was refreshing to see characters handle a problematic attraction with maturity and grace.
Having said that, I do think there's an interesting absence at the center of the episode. In the scene between Odo and Kira, Kira talks about feeling like a member of the O'Brien family. Odo asks her which family member she is: a sister, a daughter, a cousin? (Carefully avoiding "wife" because he's trying to clue Kira in to the potential problem.) Kira, of course, can't find a term for her role. What I find fascinating is that neither Kira nor Odo seems to have any way to conceptualize a possible family structure other than "one husband, one wife, their children, other blood relatives." It doesn't make much sense--surely given the big, diverse universe they live in, they've encountered other family types? Of course there's every canonical evidence that the O'Brien marriage is monogamous, but the episode's silence around the possibility of non-monogamy was a very, very loud silence. Polyamory isn't my thing, personally or in fiction, but even I keep imagining "another life" (as Kira puts it) in which Miles, Keiko, Nerys, Julian (as per 4x26) and their children all live together happily ever after.
Crossposted at Dreamwidth (
comments); you can comment here or there.
I've only commented on episodes that, well, I had something to say about. DS9 also has quite a few episodes that I like well enough but that don't really inspire thoughts.
4x17, "Accession"
This should've been a two-parter; there just wasn't enough time to properly develop Sisko's doubts about his emissary role, or the new emissary's connection with Kai Winn, or the reaction among the Bajorans. And I'm a little uncomfortable with how ready even Sisko is to take the "prophets" at face value as, if not technically gods, at least benevolent guides whose word should be accepted as law.
I had more fun with the b-plot, in which Keiko pwns all. I was surprised that the show was willing to go so far as to show Miles's friendship with Bashir becoming, or very nearly becoming, a threat to his marriage. If Keiko hadn't wisely intervened, I think she and Miles were headed for serious tensions (especially since Miles isn't 100% thrilled about the new baby).
I really like the way the show presents the O'Briens' marriage. It's close and loving without buying into the myth of 100% family togetherness all the time or family being more important than anything else. Instead, Keiko's need for satisfying work is depicted as valid and important enough to be worth temporarily splitting up the family for. Similarly, Miles is allowed (by the story) to have a meaningful friendship outside of marriage without being required to sacrifice it at the altar of Family Values.
I still think Miles is kind of in love with Bashir, but since he doesn't quite realize it, he'll get along just fine so long as he can have holosuite play dates with his friend.
4x19, "Hard Time"
Oh, god, O'Brien. Why is it that when truly terrible things happen, they mostly seem to happen to you? *hugs him lots*
I want fic about this episode, but I'm getting increasingly spoiler-averse about this show and I think I'll wait until I've seen the whole thing before reading even supposedly spoiler-free fic.
4x20, "Shattered Mirror"
Blimey, another Mirrorverse episode. It must be awfully easy to travel back and forth between universes--soon I expect characters will be popping over because there's a big sale on at Macy's (Terok Nor branch) or it's karaoke night at Quark's.
And now Jennifer Sisko has died twice, doubling the familial trauma. And hey, you know what I'd like to see on the show? A character played by a black woman who's not there to be a love interest for Ben Sisko.
The only truly memorable thing in this one is mirror!Garak offering sexual services to mirror!Worf. It was worth sitting through the whole episode just for that little scene.
4x21, "The Muse"
Dear writers: Writing Lwaxana Troi as utterly unbearable for the first 41 minutes of an episode and then giving her a gracious speech in the last 2 minutes is not actually very good characterization. It doesn't turn her selfishness into a charming eccentricity. She tramples all over Odo's wishes most of the time, and I feel mortified on his behalf every time she's onscreen, except during those little gracious speeches that don't actually fix anything.
I did feel sorry for the mess she's in. But that plot once again brought on my confusion/frustration about the whole "why doesn't the Federation ever do anything to protect people on its territory who are being persecuted because of outside laws that shouldn't apply there?" issue. I mean, to use a real-world example, let's say a woman who's been married under Saudi Arabian law flees her husband and runs to another country. Her husband can't just turn up in that country and insist on enforcing the Saudi marriage laws; local laws take precedence. (And if the Federation doesn't work that way, if it considers protecting people who are fleeing persecution and exploitation to be outside its purview, then what the fuck is it good for?)
Anyway. I didn't find Odo's sudden "oh, stay, let's be married for real" attitude convincing, even as a desire for companionship. There've been very few times when Lwaxana has offered him any kind of friendly, pleasant companionship as opposed to putting him on the spot and forcing her romantic attentions on him.
Yes, I'm close to ranting about this. But I hate the idea that it's ever okay, or funny, for someone to be subjected to unwanted advances that make them uncomfortable. Also, I have a huge embarrassment squick, and every time the show does this to Odo I cringe.
Speaking of cringing, the A-plot about Jake Sisko and the succubus/muse was crap. Kinda sexist crap.
4x22, "For the Cause"
So much for Kassidy Yates. I'd care a lot more if she'd been given any independent character development instead of just being a love interest. But the only time I ever liked her was when she said she took the job on Bajor because it was a good job, and if Sisko didn't want her living on the station, too bad.
And so much for Eddington. I had a feeling he'd eventually turn out to be a villain, and when he said he had no opinion about the Maquis unless Starfleet told him to, I knew he was their agent. Like Yates, he was never interesting and I can't care.
4x24, "The Quickening"
Not a great episode as such, although having a somewhat downbeat ending worked well. I enjoyed the focus on Bashir--his arrogance (which comes across more as a déformation professionelle than as the personal self-absorption it was in S1), his compassion, and how both traits combine to fuel his very hard work as a doctor.
And the Dominion-created virus highlights their utter ruthlessness, since it's specifically designed to be incurable. That's a useful reminder in the run-up to 4x26.
4x26, "Broken Link"
Okaaaaaay. I was expecting that the Changelings would somehow reject Odo (thank you, spoilery episode title) but not that they would turn him human, ffs. It made for a powerful emotional moment (poor Odo lying naked and traumatized on the rock) but I think it's a poor storytelling choice in the long term. Shapeshifter!Odo trying to negotiate his difference from humanoids and his relationships (affectionate, collegial, etc.) with them is interesting. Suddenly!human!Odo feeling depressed about being human, not so much.
I enjoyed Garak's clumsy attempt to cheer him up with the thought of delicious food, but the scenes at the beginning and end with the Random Bajoran Woman hitting on Odo irked me. It's partly that, as I've already said, I cringe for poor Odo's discomfort, and partly that the show seems to think that aggressive romantic/sexual overtures directed at unwilling people are funny (see also: Lwaxana/Odo, Bashir/Dax in the first season, Quark/half the women he talks to). And also, I must confess, I don't want to see Odo in a romantic relationship, especially (as will inevitably be the case) a heterosexual one. If the show really must do that, it had better damn well do it right and give us a slow-growing relationship between Odo and a woman he gets to know, talks to, has things in common with, etc.
The scene between Odo and Quark was very sweet; equally delightful was Garak's enthusiastic way of helping Odo by intriguing him with innuendos and enigmatic half-truths.
Speaking of Garak, I found myself unexpectedly sympathetic to his attempt to commit "a little genocide in the name of self-defense." Not that I think pre-emptive strikes are okay, but the Founder did just tell Garak, "You're dead. Cardassia is dead. Your people were doomed the moment they attacked us." Which, yes, is only a threat and not yet actual attempted genocide, but it's not like the Founders have a history of being merciful. (And also, six months in one of those awful holding cells on the station, the tiny ones with no privacy? Poor Garak. Bashir had better be visiting him several times a week. Conjugally.)
And speaking of conjugal relations, I just about keeled over when O'Brien said (regarding his new domestic arrangement with Keiko and Kira Nerys): "I'm thinking of asking Julian to come live with us. Even things up a little." This is the line that launched a thousand fics, yes?
5x01, "Apocalypse Rising"
I have nothing to say about the main plot, except that I keep thinking of Gowron as "Klingon Marty Feldman." At the end of 4x26 I figured that his being a Changeling would explain the eyes (presuming Odo isn't the only one who can't always get faces right) but of course he turned out not to be.
Speaking of Odo: We seem to be in TV Depression territory, where a few stern talkings-to and a difficult job to accomplish will cure any level of emotional pain! On the other (heavy) hand, there are the Giant Hints that Odo might be becoming an alcoholic. I'm not sure which scenario I want least. I did like Odo's choice at the end of the episode to have his old face restored rather than getting a perfect copy of a human or Bajoran face. I was wondering about that after 4x26, since plastic surgery is obviously so good and so easy.
On very shallow topics, I'm glad that Kira's hair is dark again and that Jake Sisko is finally getting some outfits that aren't hideous. That one from last season with the gingham patches was just unspeakable.
5x03, "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"
I was spoiled for Jadzia Dax and Worf getting together, and it worked better than I had expected. It's well-established that Dax likes Klingons and their culture, and Worf isn't as hopelessly crude as most Klingons. (Sorry. But unlike Dax, I am not a Klingon-ophile.) And I like that at the end they decided to take things slowly and not rush into commitment.
The best thing in the episode, though, was the O'Briens' complicated domestic life. The sudden attraction between Miles and Kira was plausible even though it was mostly played for comedy (with a nice touch of bittersweet regret at the end). And it was refreshing to see characters handle a problematic attraction with maturity and grace.
Having said that, I do think there's an interesting absence at the center of the episode. In the scene between Odo and Kira, Kira talks about feeling like a member of the O'Brien family. Odo asks her which family member she is: a sister, a daughter, a cousin? (Carefully avoiding "wife" because he's trying to clue Kira in to the potential problem.) Kira, of course, can't find a term for her role. What I find fascinating is that neither Kira nor Odo seems to have any way to conceptualize a possible family structure other than "one husband, one wife, their children, other blood relatives." It doesn't make much sense--surely given the big, diverse universe they live in, they've encountered other family types? Of course there's every canonical evidence that the O'Brien marriage is monogamous, but the episode's silence around the possibility of non-monogamy was a very, very loud silence. Polyamory isn't my thing, personally or in fiction, but even I keep imagining "another life" (as Kira puts it) in which Miles, Keiko, Nerys, Julian (as per 4x26) and their children all live together happily ever after.
Crossposted at Dreamwidth (
comments); you can comment here or there.