7-25 - 7-26. What You Leave Behind.

The Dominion War ends the way wars do -
With leaders gathered around a conference table.

THE PLOT

The stage has been set for the final battle of the Dominion War. The Dominion has pulled back to defensive positions around Cardassia Prime, and Sisko and Martok lead their alliance in an invasion. There is a weak point in the Dominion defenses, and that is where they will strike with full force - And with the aid of Damar's growing Cardassian rebellion.

Even as the Federation and the Dominion put their full strength into the battle, another dark plot advances back on Bajor. Kai Winn has finished studying the Book of the Kosst Amojan. She and Dukat proceed to the Fire Caves to perform the ritual that will unleash the pah-Wraiths on the galaxy.

"Soon, the pah-Wraiths will burn across Bajor, the Celestial Temple, the Alpha Quadrant! Can you picture it? An entire universe in flames, to burn for all eternity!"


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Makes a deal with Martok and Admiral Ross to share a bottle of blood wine once they have won the battle. When the three men meet on Cardassia, however, Sisko looks at the devastation surrounding them and finds he has no stomach for celebrating this carnage. He ends the episode by fulfilling the Prophets' role for him as Emissary, moving on from the station and the relationships he has forged - Though he does promise Kasidy that he'll return. This last was apparently a late addition, insisted on by Avery Brooks - Who was 100% right to do so; Sisko would never willingly abandon his family, particularly with a baby on the way.

Col. Kira: There's a particularly good scene early in the episode. She, Damar, and Garak have just sabotaged the power in the capital, and Weyoun makes a televised announcement in response. Garak and Damar are giddy, waiting to see what Weyoun will say. Kira is far more subdued, her expression growing ever graver as Weyoun speaks. Unlike her two compatriots, she knows all too well what's coming next. During the Occupation, she saw and heard 100 such speeches from Gul Dukat, and knows that reprisals against the innocent are sure to follow. Great nonverbal acting by Nana Visitor, adding an extra layer onto an already good scene.

Odo: Unsuprisingly, Odo is key to the resolution of the Dominion War - Though I'm a bit surprised (and disappointed) that there's no follow-up to his frustration last episode at Starfleet's tolerance of the Dominion plague. Odo does admit his desire to return to his people, and volunteers to effectively act as an ambassador to them, sharing his experiences with "Solids" through the Great Link to change his people's point of view.

Damar: Remains constantly focused on stopping the Dominion. When it appears he is about to be executed, he uses what he believes will be his last moments to speak out in defiance. A terrific scene has Damar, Kira, and Garak sharing a moment of uncontrollable, semi-hysterical laughter when it appears their efforts have been thwarted by something as simple as an impenetrable locked door.

Weyoun/female changeling: Both severely misjudge Cardassia. After Damar's attack disrupts communications, they decide to take reprisals against the civilian population. Instead of quelling rebellion, their harsh actions intensify it, turning the Cardassian military against the Dominion. This is especially ill-timed for the Dominion, as the Cardassian shift turns the tide of a battle Starfleet had been losing.

Garak: Had always dreamed of returning home one day. Now that he finds himself on Cardassia, it's a shell barely recognizable as the powerful world he left behind. His one friend on the planet is brutally murdered by the Dominion, and Weyoun sneers at him about "what's left of" Cardassia. Yet another misjudgment on Weyoun's part, as Garak is far from being an honorable Federation officer bound to behave with mercy toward a prisoner. With the war won, Garak has the toughest job of all - Being left to pick up the pieces of a world that he's been outcast from, but whose culture and society he's always taken pride in. His final scene, opposite Dr. Bashir, is wonderfully written and performed, a suitable place to leave one of the franchise's richest supporting characters.

Kai Winn: Has waited for Gul Dukat to recover from his blindness before completing the ritual, something Dukat takes as sentimentality. Of course, this is Winn we're dealing with, so the real purpose is a bit darker. She continues to harbor resentment at his seduction of her under false pretenses, and tells him that he has no right to refer to her by her first name. "From now on, you will address me as 'Your Eminence.' Is that clear?" She becomes giddy at the anticipation of power when they finally reach the Fire Caves - But once the pah-Wraiths take possession of Dukat as their true intended Emissary, she finally realizes what she has done and assists Sisko in defeating the evil she has unleashed.

Gul Dukat: The most disappointing aspect of this finale is the characterization of Dukat, who is reduced from a wonderfully complex villain to just an evil caricature. I can rationalize away his final scenes as being not really Dukat - Once the pah-wraith takes possession, it makes sense that only his worst aspects would be on display. Even so, his evil cackling and final Villain Speech to Sisko feel unworthy of the character created over the course of the series. It's rare for Dukat to be the weakest element of an episode... But in this instance, he strikes the only sour note of the entire 90 minutes.


"NOT THE CARDASSIA I KNEW": CHANGES AND FAREWELLS

"Some may say that we've gotten exactly what we deserve... Our entire history is one of arrogant aggression. We collaborated with the Dominion, betrayed the Alpha Quadrant - There's no doubt about it, we're guilty as charged... (but) our literature, music, art were second to none. And now, so much of it is lost. So many of our best people, our most gifted minds..."
-Garak, reflecting on the cost of war.

What You Leave Behind is a fine finale to the Dominion War arc and to Deep Space 9 in general. It does the basics of what it needs to do, tying up the major plot and character arcs in ways that make sense for the characters. But it also is a celebration of one of Deep Space 9's greatest strengths: It's ability to be a true ensemble piece.

The episode is appropriately titled, in that every character is leaving something behind. Garak and Damar must leave behind the ideal of the strong Cardassia they remember. As Damar has previously observed, that Cardassia is dead; as Garak laments here, so much of the literature, art, and culture that he has celebrated for the entire run of the series has been destroyed in the fighting. Cardassia will survive, but as a shell of its former self.

Virtually all of the regulars make major life changes, with several leaving the station behind and their former lives in pursuit of new roles. Chief O'Brien leaves Deep Space 9 for a plumb job on Earth, leaving him more time for family but also leaving his friendship with Bashir behind. Quark and Odo leave their rivalry behind in a wonderfully unsentimental, utterly unfriendly farewell scene that leaves Quark beaming with pleasure... almost as much as the reassurance that Kira will keep the same kind of eye on him now that Odo did in the past. Kira and Odo leave their relationship behind, and Sisko leaves for a new role with no certainty as to when he might return. Quark protests at one point that he hates change - But from top to bottom, the lives of the characters are poised to change in big ways as they move on to their next chapters.

Much of this plays out in an extended epilogue, as the characters prepare to move on and pause to relive flashbacks of their time on the station. This plays out as clips of past episodes, representing their memories. Jadzia's absence from the clips representing Worf's farewell sticks out like a sore thumb - It's obvious that Terry Farrell must have declined permission for her footage to be used, but it diminishes Worf's bit as this leaves out the most formative events of his time on the station. But overall, while the clips are unquestionably self-indulgent, the indulgence works. We've become invested in these characters, and looking back on their journeys is effective on many levels.


"YOU LOOK DISAPPOINTED...": WINN, DUKAT, AND THE PAH-WRAITHS

About halfway through the episode, Winn finishes leading Dukat to the Fire Caves. Dukat is visibly underwhelmed, prompting Winn to needle him at his disappointment. Unfortunately, Dukat's reaction to the Fire Caves pretty much sums up my reaction to this entire subplot. "I know this sounds naive, but I was expecting to see fire!"

After several episodes of build-up, the Dukat/Winn strand vanished entirely in recent entries. This was fine - After being prominently featured in four episodes running, it was time to take a break from them, and I felt sure that when we rejoined them the wait would have proved worth it. Instead, their material feels tacked-on and vaguely rushed. Dukat's blindness is cured offscreen, with no struggle at all. They then spend the entire first half on a light hike to a cave and more or less sit around and wait for Sisko to have his end-of-series confrontation with Dukat.

In contrast to the close out of the Dominion arc, none of this material is compelling or even particularly interesting. Louise Fletcher and Marc Alaimo do what they can (which is actually quite a lot), but their strand doesn't really connect to anything else or build to anything in particular. Compared to the incisive character study of the episode-long Sisko/Dukat interaction in Waltz, their confrontation here is just a generic scene pitting an action hero against a sneering villain. Both characters deserve a lot better.


CONCLUSION

Emotionally, I would love to give What You Leave Behind a "10." It's the finale to my favorite Star Trek series, the Dominion wrap-up is superb, and the character endings are emotionally satisfying. But after all the buildup the Dukat/Winn arc was given, it ends up feeling like an afterthought, and one that diminishes Dukat's character in particular. It's not enough of a fault to keep this from being a first-rate episode... But it is enough to cost it full marks.

Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: The Dogs of War

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7-7. Once More Unto the Breach.

Kor (John Colicos) yearns for a return to his glory days.

"Savor the fruit of life, my young friends. It has a sweet taste when it is fresh from the vine. But don't live too long. The taste turns bitter after a time."
-Kor, Dahar Master, teaches his final, bitter lesson.


THE PLOT

Kor (John Colicos) returns to Deep Space 9, seeking Worf's help. He has made too many enemies throughout his long life. Despite his status as a Dahar Master, he is unable to receive a battle command during the current war. He pleads with Worf to find him a place in Martok's fleet. "Help me fight again, Worf. Help me end my life as I've lived it: As a warrior."

Martok becomes enraged at the mention of Kor's name, but allows Worf to assign him as Third Officer on his ship. When Worf presses to know why he hates Kor so much, Martok reveals that long ago, when he was working to become trained as an officer, Kor struck his name from consideration because of his bloodlines. Though Martok would later rise through his own merit, he has never been able to forgive the slight, not least because his father died before he was able to prove himself.

Martok's current mission is a bold one: A strike across enemy lines, to quickly hit a Jem'Hadar breeding facility and then race back to Federation territory, doubtless with the enemy in pursuit. They find their target easily and decloak to begin the attack. But when a hit on Martok's ship leaves both him and Worf temporarily incapacitated, Kor assumes command - Barking orders that make it clear that he cannot distinguish this battle from battles long past!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Appreciates the audacity of Martok's plan, which he likens to a cavalry charge. Is so enthusiastic that he offers to join the raid, but settles for waiting at the rendezvous point to turn back any Jem'Hadar pursuit.

Worf: Even after all he's been through, Worf cannot always reconcile the Klingon ideals that he grew up yearning for against the nastier realities of an often corrupt Empire. He labels Kor's long-ago dismissal of the young Martok as "unworthy," barely listening to Kor's protestations about the importance of bloodlines to the Empire. He remains protective of Kor, but never at the expense of his loyalty to Martok or the mission - and when Kor's weakness shows itself, he does not hesitate to remove the old man from active duty.

Ezri: Clearly enjoys seeing Kor again. Even so, she complains to Kira that she keeps having the same conversation with people who knew Dax's previous hosts: incredulity that she could be Dax, then insistence on finding (likely nonexistent) physical similarities between her and previous hosts. She talks about how vividly she remembers being with Kor on a Klingon ship in the past - which Quark, in true sitcom fashion, misinterprets as her talking about wanting to get back together with Worf.

Martok: The episode's central character conflict doesn't center on any of the regulars, but rather on Kor and Martok. Over the past two seasons, J. G. Hertzler's Martok has become part of the series' fabric, and it's a credit to how well DS9 has integrated its recurring cast into its overall tapestry that focusing on an episode on his resentment of a guest character doesn't feel jarring at all. An early scene in which he tells Worf exactly why he despises Kor so much makes the Kor/Martok conflict meaningful. Martok gets his revenge in the second half, his old adversary laid as low as a Klingon warrior likely could be... But he gains no joy from Kor's misery, and his entire attitude shifts from that point on.

Kor: Shades of King Lear, as Kor's bravado in the first half cracks, revealing diminished capacity as he confuses present and past. John Colicos is suitably larger than life as he boasts about his past and basks in the young crew's admiration of him. But his best acting comes in the second half, when a shattered Kor sits and endures the scorn of those same warriors, now mocking him for his age and weakness. What happens next can be seen coming from as far away as the teaser - But to the episode's credit, Kor's final stand works, in large part because Colicos makes us invested in the character.


THOUGHTS

"The only real question is whether you believe in the legend of Davy Crockett or not. If you do, then there should be no doubt in your mind that he died the death of a hero. If you do not believe in the legend, then he was just a man and it does not matter how he died."
-Worf, unwittingly foreshadowing Kor's final mission.

Once More Unto the Breach is utterly predictable in its plot, with no surprises in the way its story unfolds. Kor's disintegration during the first battle is clearly telegraphed, as is his triumph at the end. That Kor will earn Martok's sympathy and, ultimately, his respect is something most viewers will guess before the teaser ends. In story terms, this is pedestrian stuff.

But writer Ronald D. Moore, the default Klingon scribe of both TNG and DS9, has a way of breathing life into this warrior race. Kor, Martok, Worf, and the elderly Darok (Neil Vipond)... They are all fully realized characters, and their interactions resonate. The scene in which Martok and his crew sneer at Kor's mental weakness is the episode's best, Kor reduced to an object of ridicule by the very crew that had previously worshipped him. Director Allan Kroeker keeps the focus of the scene on Kor's face, which is stone-like, betraying no emotion as he endures this verbal onslaught. When he finally does speak, he does so with equal stoicism, weariness in his voice but no real emotion, which makes the effect of his words all the stronger.

The follow-up scene is also good, as a subdued Worf and Martok contemplate how they might appeal to the Klingon Chancellor to grant Kor an honorary position to lend some dignity to his dying days. Kor's acceptance of the insults, and his reply that rang too true, has drained away Martok's antagonism; he recognizes that this could be him in 100 years' time, if he lives that long. It's almost a shame when the action plot returns, with the too-predictable finish, as the character material up to then is so much more compelling than any of the actual combat scenes.

In the end, this is a touch too predictable to rank among this excellent series' greats - But the performances, sharp characterization, and excellent dialogue ensure that it's still quite a good one, and a suitable sendoff for Star Trek's original Klingon.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Treachery, Faith and the Great River
Next Episode: The Siege of AR-558

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7-6. Treachery, Faith and the Great River.

Weyoun surrenders to Odo.

THE PLOT

Odo receives a message from Gul Russol, a former contact whom he had assumed assassinated when the Dominion took control of Cardassia. He travels to the rendezvous point, in a cave on a deserted moon. But it's not Gul Russol who is waiting for him - It's Weyoun, claiming that he wants to defect!

They have only begun the trip back to Deep Space 9 when they receive a transmission from Damar, and from his Dominion handler - Weyoun! It turns out that the Weyoun Odo knew and despised died in a suspicious "transporter accident," and the Weyoun defecting (Weyoun 6) was a replacement who was judged "defective." Weyoun 7 and Damar demand Weyoun 6's surrender or death, insisting they will not allow the runabout to reach Deep Space 9.

Weyoun 6 is certain that no member of the Dominion would fire on a ship carrying a Founder. But Damar sees no reason to tell the Jem'Hadar that a Founder is on board. The target is the runabout, and if the Jem'Hadar are ordered to ignore transmissions then they will do so. One changeling who doesn't consider himself a Founder versus the fate of the entire war?

Even the fervently devoted Weyoun 7 can do that math, and reluctantly authorizes Odo's destruction...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Sisko may just be my favorite of the various Star Trek captains. But in this episode... Sisko is an ass. The comedy "B" plot starts because Sisko gives O'Brien a ridiculous timetable for replacing a part on the Defiant. O'Brien explains that it's impossible to get the part in three days, let alone install it, and Sisko's response is to make it O'Brien's problem. After that impossible deadline is miraculously met, Sisko responds by giving the engineer yet another impossible deadline to install it. Since there's no sense of this being an emergency, I'm left thinking that it would serve Sisko right if he took the Defiant out only for every system on the ship to crash, thanks to Engineering not having proper time to install and test all systems.

Col. Kira: She and Odo both acknowledge that the message from Russol is a trap, but she does not argue with his insistence that he owes it to his contact to make the rendezvous. At the end of the episode, she lends some perspective on the actions of Weyoun 6, equating his faith in the Founders with her own in the Prophets. At the same time, she doesn't hesitate to remind Odo that his people are the enemy, and that what they learn in this episode makes them even more dangerous than they were already.

Odo: At the start, Odo is as he usually is with Weyoun: Utterly dismissive of the awe the other man feels for him, wary of traps, and callous of emotion. When it's revealed that "Weyoun 6" is a clone who has been labeled defective for not believing in the war effort, Odo becomes considerably more sympathetic, and from that moment the two work effectively as allies. Odo reveals just how much he does care about his people, even as he fights them, which prompts Weyoun to make one more revelation, one with heavy implications for the future of Odo and of the Dominion itself.

O'Brien/Nog: The "B" plot sees Nog using his Ferengi expertise to secure an elusive part for O'Brien. The comedy shenanigans that follow, in which Nog trades away Martok's blood wine and Sisko's desk, are great fun - not least because they never take up enough screen time to come at the expense of the main plot. Colm Meaney and Aron Eisenberg make an enjoyable comedy duo, with No's enthusiastic assurances that all these deals will work out in the end a perfect contrast for O'Brien's weary resignation as the situation spirals ever more out of control.

Damar: His dislike of the Dominion, and particularly of Weyoun, has reached the stage of active sabotage. It's obvious that Weyoun 5's "accident" was arranged by Damar, and it's also obvious that both of the current Weyouns know it. He's likely still alive because: (a) They can't prove it; and (b) He's useful, and more malleable than Gul Dukat had been. Damar may drink to excess, but he is clear-headed about strategy, and he is able to persuade Weyoun 7 to sacrifice Odo to protect the war effort. It isn't even a particularly hard sell.

Weyoun: A spotlight episode for Jeffrey Combs' Weyoun, seen in two different incarnations - neither of which is the one we've been watching for most of the series! It's a clever use of the "clone" aspect of the Vorta. Both Weyouns have fundamentally the same personality. Both fervently believe in the Founders, though Weyoun 6 believes this war is against the Dominion's best interests. Combs is fantastic throughout, and it's a credit to him that there's just enough difference in the performances of the two Weyouns that they become distinct individuals, and that the interactions of Weyoun 7 and Damar are almost as interesting to watch as those between Weyoun 6 and Odo.


THOUGHTS

"There are millions upon millions of worlds in the universe, each one filled with too much of one thing and not enough of another. And the Great Continuum flows through them all like a mighty river, from have to want and back again. And if we navigate the Continuum with skill and grace, our ship will be filled with everything our hearts desire."
-Nog, persuading O'Brien that his multiple deals will work out in the end.

Treachery, Faith, and the Great River is one of several Deep Space 9 episodes tying a serious "A" plot and a comedy "B" plot together. To their credit, writers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson strike an effective balance between these seemingly incompatible strands. The O'Brien/Nog subplot gets enough screen time to work, but is never allowed to take up too much time. And by anchoring that plot to Nog's religious beliefs as a Ferengi, it is able to fit thematically with the main story.

Previous episodes have made Weyoun's devotion to the Founders apparent. Here, we get some sense of the depth of his feeling, and the ways in which he can reconcile his faith and his reason. For instance, when Odo points out that the Founders have surely coded the Vorta's worship of them into their genome, Weyoun isn't bothered in the slightest. He says of course the Founders have done so - "That's what gods do. After all, why be a god if there's no one to worship you?"

Odo's discomfort with Weyoun's worship of him never changes, but it does evolve over the course of the episode. He stops treating Weyoun's devotion as a joke during their time together. Odo spends a fair bit of the middle of the episode seriously debating questions of faith and the Founders with Weyoun, who tells Odo the story of how the Vorta were uplifted. By the end, Odo is willing to give Weyoun 6 his blessing, even though he still hates the thought of being anyone's god.

In addition to the closer examination of Weyoun's faith, and what that means to Odo, this episode also pushes events forward. In the course of the episode, we see the Female Changeling (Salome Jens) appear unwell, something Damar picks up on even as Weyoun 7 denies even the possibility. By the end of the episode, Weyoun 6 has confirmed this to Odo. This leaves Odo, Kira, and presumably Starfleet as a whole aware of the Founders' weakened condition... and leaves Kira warning that their desperation will now make them even more dangerous.

Overall, this is a very strong episode, one that entertains on its own merits even as it teases more developments to come.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Chrysalis
Next Episode: Once More Unto the Breach

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Thoughts on Season Six.

Starfleet prepares for what might be its final battle.

Deep Space 9's fifth season ended with the start of the Dominion War. Deep Space 9 fell under Dominion control, with Gul Dukat once again in command - though facing a promise from Sisko to return. This season ends with the station back in Starfleet control, but with the war still raging and victory far from assured. Along the way, two major characters die, another is changed forever, and the series generally continues to raise its already very high stakes.


"IT IS THE ORDER OF THINGS": WAGING WAR

I complained in Season Five that Apocalypse Rising too easily resolved the Starfleet/Klingon conflict within the space of just one episode. This season does not repeat that mistake. Sisko retakes the station... but only after a run of six episodes, in which all the characters face trials. The Founders offer Odo everything he ever wanted, and he briefly falls to that temptation. Kira finds herself in another Occupation, this time as the very type of collaborator she has always despised. Sisko leads an assault knowing full well that most of those following him will not survive, and even that isn't enough - He's ultimately forced to be not a Starfleet officer, but the Emissary, confronting the Prophets and pushing them to intervene.

That intervention wins Sisko back his station, but it doesn't end the war. Just a few episodes later, Dr. Bashir and a group of emotionally damaged geniuses deliver the devastating news that it is mathematically impossible for Starfleet to win this war. Throughout the season, we see people reading casualty counts, and watch the regulars grow quieter and more isolated as they learn of the losses of people they knew. Planets fall to the Dominion, and only a desperate deception by Sisko is enough to put the enemy on the defensive.

The season ends with Sisko choosing to be a Starfleet officer instead of the Emissary - the exact opposite of the choice that won him back the station. The personal cost to him is devastating, and he fails as a Starfleet officer at the same time. Even though the season finale portrays what should be a major Starfleet victory, it feels like a defeat - and ends with the sense that the hardest part is still to come...

In the Pale Moonlight: Sisko is haunted by difficult
choices in the season (and maybe the series)'s best episode.

"THE MOST DAMNING THING OF ALL? I THINK I CAN LIVE WITH IT": THE CHARACTERS

Deep Space 9 has never shied from putting its characters through the wringer, but Season Six is even more unforgiving to the regulars than previous years. Feeling depressed and powerless, Sisko experiences a vision of life as an African-American writer in the 1950's, getting a taste of true powerlessness. A few episodes later, he resolves to bring the Romulans into the war on Starfleet's side - but to do so means compromising everything he believes in... And at the end of the episode, he decides that the price was worth it.

Meanwhile, Kira learns that everything she learned about her mother as a stalwart member of the Resistance was a lie.  The Orb of Time reveals her mother to have been a woman who willingly became Gul Dukat's mistress in exchange for comfort for herself and food for her family. Kira probably only survived her childhood because of her mother's actions - but by her own strict code, Kira can only view her as a collaborator. This is only about half a season after she wrestles with fears that she has herself become a collaborator for urging Bajor not to resist the Dominion.

Odo is not only tempted by the female changeling (Salome Jens) - He gives into that temptation, betraying his friends. He snaps out of it when the female changeling overplays her hand by threatening to execute Kira. But that doesn't change his actions at the time, without which Sisko's appeal to the Prophets would have been unnecessary.

The characters are tested repeatedly through the season, and they don't always pass their tests. Or - as with Sisko's gambit to bring the Romulans into the war at a steep moral cost - it's left open to debate as to whether the choices made were right or wrong... Or wrong but sadly necessary.

Profite & Lace: Quark gets in touch with his
feminine side in the series's most notorious episode.

"HOPE AND DESPAIR WALK ARM IN ARM": QUALITY CONTROL

Season Six opens with a stunning run of episodes. The weakest installment of the first seven is Sons and Daughters, which suffers from a weak plot, but remains watchable thanks to good character material. So of the first seven episodes - more than a quarter of the season - the weakest episode is "okay," and the remainder vary between very good and outstanding.

It was a given that the entire season wasn't going to keep up that level. Once the Dominion Occupation is resolved, the season returns to the series' normal hit rate - which is still pretty darn good and refreshingly varied even around the central Dominion War thread. The Magnificent Ferengi delivers one of the series' better comedy outings, followed by Waltz's redefinition of the character of Gul Dukat, followed by the enjoyable caper Who Mourns for Morn?, followed by the truly remarkable Far Beyond the Stars. All of these are good episodes, and despite their stark differences in tone and style, they all fit perfectly within the series' framework.

It's become sadly standard for the last third or so of the season to see a sharp increase in filler episodes or episodes that feel like filler, and that trend does continue in Season Six.  Change of Heart and The Reckoning should be big episodes, the first doing some important character work for Worf and Dax, the second directly laying groundwork for the season finale... but neither episode fully hits the mark, with Change of Heart feeling small and stagy, and The Reckoning deteriorating into silliness.  Time's Orphan is pure filler that feels like something left over from Season Two or Three.  And it's made all the worse by coming immediately after Profit and Lace, which may not quite have lived down to its disastrous reputation but was still a pretty bad episode.

Still, if that last bit of the season feels a bit stretched, those weaker installments become easy enough to forgive when you reach a gem like In the Pale Moonlight or Tears of the Prophets.  And a quick survey of the scores I awarded this season show that it isn't hard to find gems in Season Six.

Dax and Worf struggle to balance their
relationship with mission priorities.

"I HAVE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AGAIN": SEASON SEVEN WISHLIST

I'll admit: I'm worried about introducing a new Dax in Season Seven. That's not a knock on Nicole de Boer, who is both a perfectly fine actress and a likable screen presence. I just can't help but feel that it's a bit late in the day to introduce a new character - particularly when the series has so many plot and character threads to tie up. I'll keep an open mind, and I'm actively curious to see how Ezri integrates into the crew (I have never seen a single Season Seven episode)... But my instinct is that it's too late in the day to properly develop a new character and that when they killed Jadzia, they should probably have killed Dax at the same time.

Beyond that, it would seem presumptuous to have a wish list for a show that so consistently impresses me. For the most part, Season Six has felt like a series at its absolute apex. I tend to suspect Season Seven won't quite match its heights (though I'm eager to be proved wrong!). Regardless, it is breathtaking to see just how good a Star Trek show can be when it's willing to take risks and follow up on plot and character turns, rather than simply resetting everything on a weekly basis.

A wake for the fallen.

Deep Space 9 is more than just a great Star Trek series. This is one of the finest science fiction television sagas I have ever witnessed. I look forward to watching the unfolding of its final chapter.

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6-22. Valiant.

Jake and Nog find themselves on a ship crewed entirely by cadets.

THE PLOT

Jake and Nog are heading to Feringinar on a runabout - Nog to officially represent Starfleet in asking for the Grand Nagus' aid with the war effort, Jake in hopes of getting an interview with the Nagus. Their journey is cut short, however, when they stumble right in the middle of a squadron of Jem'Hadar. Hopelessly outmatched, the two youths appear moments from death. Then the Valiant appears. A Defiant-class ship sent on a mission behind enemy lines, it effortlessly destroys the runabout's pursuers and beams Jake and Nog to safety.

To their surprise, the ship's crew is made up of cadets. Members of Red Squad, Starfleet Academy's elite cadet unit, they were on a training mission when they came under Dominion attack. The experienced Captain Ramirez was killed in the battle. Tim Watters (Paul Popowich), the senior cadet, assumed command, and has been continuing to fight ever since.

Watters insists on fulfilling a mission intended for Capt. Ramirez, to scan and analyze a new Dominion warship. The Valiant has been unable to complete the mission, because of the same engine problems that initially plagued the Defiant. Nog's familiarity with this problem allows him to get the engines up to speed - allowing them to catch up with and scan the warship without incident.

Then Watters decides to take his mission one step further. Instead of returning to Starfleet with the data, he decides they will exploit the weak spot they've identified and destroy the ship themselves - A plan that Jake feels is certain death...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Present only at the very end, when the Defiant receives a Starfleet distress call from an escape pod behind enemy lines. Sisko listens to the caution that this may be a Dominion trap, and acknowledges the possibility - But he also knows it might not be a trap, and decides they have to answer the distress call. His quiet confidence is a stark contrast against Waters' vehemence. Sisko doesn't have to insist he's in command, because unlike Waters, it's very obvious that he truly is a captain.

Jake: While Nog is quickly accepted into this crew of elite cadets, particularly after he proves himself by solving the warp problem, Jake is very much an outsider. When he steps into the mess hall, conversations stop around him. His unease is mostly just a feeling, which could be put down to being the outsider of the group... Until Watters upbraids him for having a simple conversation with a young woman who misses her home. From this point on, Jake is convinced that something is very wrong on this ship. He attempts to convince others after Watters decides on his suicide mission, but he's like Cassandra - He can clearly see the disaster to come, but no one will listen to him.

Nog: Is uneasy when Watters admits that the orders he's following were meant for Capt. Ramirez. But Watters offers him everything he's always wanted: A purpose, a place to belong, a position of responsibility. Rank, without having to go through years of grunt work to get it. He's even made a member of Red Squad, the elite group of cadets he was so desperate to join back at the Academy. And he believes Watters' insistence that the Valiant can complete this mission and can make a real difference to the war. Which makes his disillusionment all the sharper when Watters fails so completely. Aron Eisenberg is superb throughout, keeping our sympathies with Nog even when he becomes a fanatical Red Squad devotee and turns on Jake.

Capt. Watters: I'll give Watters this much credit: After the ship's captain died, he held the crew together and kept Valiant in one piece on the wrong side of enemy lines. Sure, it was reckless of him to accept orders meant for Capt. Ramirez when he clearly should have headed for home (as Ramirez certainly intended him to do)... But he does manage to complete the mission; and if he'd stopped there, returning vital data to Starfleet, declaring him a "hero" would have been fully justified.

However, he's also young and inexperienced, and not up to the responsibility he's assumed. He takes stimulants to keep himself alert, which means he's constantly sleep-deprived. He is controlling to the point of confronting Jake over having a conversation with one of his crew members. Then he insists on attacking the Dominion warship - something Valiant has not been ordered to do, and which in fact jeopardizes the very information the ship was meant to collect and return to Starfleet! When Jake rightly points out that this plan is idiotic, Watters responds by chanting Red Squad propaganda as if he was back at the Academy, using the chant to block out any dissent or even thought. As Nog sums up: "He may have been a hero. He may even have been a great man. But in the end he was a bad captain."


THOUGHTS

I expected Valiant to be terrible. An episode about a starship under the command of a bunch of kids? It sounded like a nightmarish early TNG scenario.

But Michael Vejar's direction lends energy and urgency to what occurs on-screen. Writer Ronald D. Moore's script is carefully structured, with the cracks in the apparently tightly-run Valiant only gradually revealed over the first half of the episode. First comes Watters' admission that Starfleet's orders were actually meant for Ramirez, and that nobody back home realizes that this is a ship of cadets. Then Jake is reprimanded for having a conversation with a crew member. Finally, we see the captain's pill-popping... at which point, we recognize that this crew is on the verge of imploding.

Then Watters comes up with his plan: To charge in and exploit a single weakness that will miraculously cause the Dominion ship to blow up like a firework! It's basically the Death Star run. But it turns out that blowing up that one weak point doesn't actually make the entire enemy ship go "Boom!" Imagine Luke Skywalker going through that trench run and hitting the vent perfectly... Only to discover that all it accomplished was knocking out the Death Star's air conditioning.

To cut a long review short: Good writing and good directing transforms a premise that had every reason to be terrible into a surprisingly pretty good episode.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Reckoning
Next Episode: Profit and Lace

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6-19. In the Pale Moonlight.

Sisko is haunted after sacrificing his
integrity for a chance at victory.

THE PLOT

The war is going badly. The Dominion are striking at the Federation through Romulan space, thanks to the non-aggression pact the Romulans signed, and this is proving to be crippling for Starfleet - as shown by the casualty reports posted every Friday, with every Friday bringing station staff new heartache as they read the names of more friends and loved ones who are now gone forever.

Sisko is certain that the Dominion will attack Romulus as soon as the Federation is dealt with. If he can prove this, then he has a good chance of breaking that nonaggression pact and possibly even bringing the Romulans into the war. He goes to Garak, who agrees to call in favors with his Cardassian contacts. But the Dominion is as watchful as it is ruthless, and every agent Garak communicates with quickly ends up dead.

That's when Garak proposes another solution. If they can't find evidence of a Dominion plot against the Romulans, then why not fabricate some? He comes up with a plan to create an entirely authentic-seeming forged data record, to present to Sen. Vreenak (Stephen McHattie), the Romulans' most outspoken supporter of the Dominion; if they can convince Vreenak, Garak reasons, then the entire Romulan Empire will fall in line.

As the plan unfolds, Sisko is forced again and again to compromise his integrity. If the ruse succeeds, he will secure a powerful ally for the Federation. But at what point does the cost become too great?


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Avery Brooks' stagier tendencies are on full display in the framing device that sees Sisko recording his thoughts on the events after the fact. But the emoting feels entirely in-character. As Sisko recalls the story for our benefit, he wrestles with himself to decide whether the things he did were justified. He crosses one small line after another: He agrees to fake evidence; he frees forger Grathon Tlar (Howard Shangraw) to achieve this; he covers up a crime Grathon commits on the station... On and on, keeping his eyes latched to the promise of an ultimate greater good at the end. As he records his log, Sisko seems to be weighing whether his choices were correct and he should move onto his next challenge, or whether he went too far and should resign his commission. By the end, he reaches a decision... and erases his entire personal log to make sure there is no trace of what may be considered a confession.

Quark: It's critical to Sisko's plans that there be no record of Grathon's presence on the station - So when the forger physically assaults Quark, he must stop the Ferengi from pressing charges. He asks Quark what it will take to make the situation go away, and the Ferengi's eyes light up at seeing the noble Starfleet captain reduced to offering a bribe. To his credit, Quark doesn't make Sisko squirm too badly. He secures a handful of largely reasonable concessions from the captain, then lets the matter go. But the very fact of this transaction is his true reward, as he tells Sisko when their business is concluded: "Thank you for restoring my faith in the 98th RUle of Acquisition: Every man has his price."

Weyoun/Damar: Seen only in the forged holo recording - Which, as Garak gleefully notes, is made convincing with the addition of (a bit of bickering and mutual loathing quote). Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs do a splendid job of playing convincing replicas of Damar and Weyoun - They aren't quite the real thing, but they're very close to it... Which, for this episode's purposes, is exactly right.

Garak: I commented back in my review of Empok Nor that Garak had been allowed to become too safe a character. This episode restores him to his proper status as someone who may be an ally, but one who is as ruthless as he is formidable. Garak is a little like a dark side Jiminy Cricket on Sisko's shoulder, prodding the captain to just one more compromise... And furthering a plan of his own all the while. The best part of the episode's treatment of Garak is that every single thing he says is absolutely correct, right down to his observation that Sisko came to him because he specifically needed someone like him, someone willing to do the dark and nasty things required to make the plan work. In a very real sense, Garak is the hero of the episode, arguably the hero of the entire Dominion War... Which doesn't make him any less frightening. Just like Sisko, he would do all of this again; unlike Sisko, he isn't particularly bothered by what he had to do to make this victory possible.


THOUGHTS

"I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all? I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would."
-Benjamin Sisko, allowing the ends to justify the means.

Back in the Season Four finale, Broken Link, Garak was stopped and arrested while attempting to destroy the changelings' home world. Even then, it was more than clear to everyone that the war was inevitable, and potentially unwinnable. If one could step into the series now, not quite two years later, and ask the characters (even those who would have died on the planet) if they wished Garak had succeeded, I suspect most of them would say "Yes."

One of the reasons In the Pale Moonlight works so splendidly is that Sisko's desperation here has been building all season. Even after he won back the station and convinced the Prophets to keep Dominion reinforcements from coming through the wormhole, the outlook has remained bleak. In Statistical Probabilities, Bashir and his group of augments flat-out told anyone who would listen that it was a mathematical impossibility for Starfleet to win the war. In Far Beyond the Stars, the stream of bad news and casualty reports had Sisko on the brink of resigning. Starfleet has been losing the war ever since it began - So there's a ring of inevitability to the news that the Dominion has started taking control of key Federation planets.

This is what pushes Sisko to accept Garak's advice, and what keeps pushing him as he falls ever deeper into the rabbit hole of deceptions, crimes, and cover-ups. It's revealing to watch Sisko and Garak in this story. Sisko starts feeling the strain of lies almost immediately, and that strain grows throughout the episode. Garak simply takes it all in stride, moving from lie to pleasantly-worded threat to caustic observation with ease... And why not? For Sisko, this is all strange and terrible - something that has made the world of his station into a treacherous foreign land. For Garak, this is his natural habitat.

Sisko's ending speech, a bit of which is quoted above, is of course a stunner. But the entire episode is peppered with great scenes and wonderful lines, from Quark's enjoyment at Sisko's compromised integrity to the scene in which Sisko and Garak take turns threatening Grathon - Sisko hot, Garak cold, and both of them absolutely lethal.

The script is credited to Michael Taylor, who previously penned the excellent fourth season episode The Visitor. The broadcast version was heavily rewritten by Ronald D. Moore, who has penned more excellent Trek episodes than would be reasonable to list. And it's from a (radically different) story premise by Peter Allen Fields, who wrote such early gems as Duet, Necessary Evil, and Crossover. Given the pedigree, it was probably inevitable that this would be good. But it's more than just good - This is a serious candidate for the series' best episode, and an absolute cinch for any DS9 Top Five.

Indispensible viewing, by any measure.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Inquisition
Next Episode: His Way

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6-18. Inquisition.

Starfleet Intelligence Officer Sloan (William Sadler)
suspects Dr. Bashir of being a Dominion spy!

THE PLOT

The station receives a very unwelcome visitor: Deputy Director Sloan (William Sadler) of the Department of Internal Affairs. Sloan is there to investigate reports of a traitor among the senior staff, someone who has spent months passing sensitive information to the Dominion. The entire command staff is relieved of duty and confined to quarters for the term of the investigation.

It soon becomes clear that Sloan has fixated on a single suspect: Dr. Bashir. His actual evidence is thin, based on a minor inconsistency in reports of Bashir's time in a Dominon prison camp. But as he twists every aspect of the doctor's record to fit the narrative of him as a spy, even his closest friends begin to have doubts. As Sloan voices the theory that he was programmed to be a spy without knowing it, Bashir begins to doubt himself.

That's when he is suddenly beamed aboard a Dominon warship, where Weyoun greets him with the warmth of an old, dear friend...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: As long as I remain in command, I will see Doctor Bashir whenever I please. Furthermore, from now on I will sit in on all interrogation sessions to make sure his rights are observed. Do I make myself clear? Sisko cooperates with Sloan's investigation - Right up to the point at which Sloan makes Bashir the subject of a witch hunt. He then insists on being part of every interrogation, acting as an advocate for his officer. Even so, Sloan's words start to make him doubt - Particularly when he reminds Sisko about Bashir's recommendation to surrender to the Dominion. Sisko doesn't think the doctor is lying... But he does find Sloan's theory, that he has been programmed to act as an unwitting spy, a plausible one.

Dr. Bashir: As Sloan's implications and insinuations persist, and even Sisko begins to voice doubts, Bashir begins to doubt himself a little. His protestations of innocence sound a little less definitive, a little more like denial of the possibility that the Dominion "broke" him when he was their prisoner. It is only when he sees Weyoun, who practically repeats Sloan's statements verbatim, that he begins to realize the truth. Alexander Siddig gives another excellent performance, and his scenes opposite William Sadler crackle with tension as these two very strong personalities don't so much verbally fence as box, each circling around the other at vulnerable points, each doing his utmost to draw blood.

Weyoun: Appears only briefly, beaming Bashir onto his ship and trying to convince him of the same thing Sloan believes - That he is a Dominion agent, repressing memories of being an agent. Weyoun pleasantly tells Bashir of their many meetings, all of which follow the same pattern: "These little conversations of ours always follow the same pattern. You start out confused, then you get angry, then you deny everything until finally the walls inside your mind start to break down and you accept the truth." Then he offers refreshments - specifically, the very meal Bashir had earlier requested from Sloan. All of this leads Bashir to realize that Sloan must be the one working with Weyoun. It's uncharacteristic, in that Weyoun clearly overplays his hand... Until we learn that there's actually an entirely different game being played beneath the surface of this one.


THOUGHTS

Inquisition is the second Trek episode directed by Michael Dorn, after last season's outstanding In the Cards. This episode could not be more different than that one, but Dorn proves as adept at paranoid thriller as he was at comedy, and at this point is another Trek actor whose directorial outings are worth looking forward to.

The script, by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, makes excellent use of continuity. Sloan appears to zero in on Bashir as a suspect in large part because of his genetic engineering, repeatedly noting that Bashir is only in Starfleet because he lied, and that he only confided in Sisko after he had already been found out. Some of the "evidence" Sloan provides include Bashir's recommendation to surrender to the Dominion, and (from early Season Four!) Bashir's efforts to help the Jem'Hadar unit that was trying to free itself of addiction to ketracil white. All of these past threads are brought together here, and they serve to strengthen the story by making it believable that Bashir's past behavior could be seen as suspect.

Another aspect of Deep Space 9 that is furthered by this episode is the series' willingness to hold up Gene Roddenberry's idealized Federation to the harsh light of human nature. In Season Two, we saw that the Maquis became rebels due to Starfleet's refusal to respond to Cardassian treaty violations. In Season Four, Sisko's mentor attempted a coup that would have turned the Federation into a police state in the name of security. Now we learn that Starfleet has its own secret police, in the mysterious Section 31, with Sloan fully authorized to detain Bashir until the end of the war without any real evidence against him. Sloan and his Section work as judge, jury, and executioner - and Bashir is quick to point out how rife such a system is for abuse.

As befits a series as regularly intelligence as this one, Section 31 are not presented as simple villains. In the final scene, as the station command staff discuss what has happened, not everyone is condemning their existence. Odo points out that every civilization has such an organization. Sisko admits that he has no answers as to whether such organiations are evil, or simply a necessary evil.

In the end, this is another excellent episode in an excellent season, and I look forward to seeing the questions raised here explored in future installments.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Next Episode: In the Pale Moonlight

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6-16. Change of Heart.

Dax is critically injured.

THE PLOT

Starfleet has received an emergency transmission from Lasaran (Todd Waring), a Cardassian double-agent who has been passing intelligence about the Dominion. Lasaran believes he is being watched and demands extraction. He offers an enticing prize for his rescue: Intelligence about every changeling remaining in the Alpha Quadrant!

Worf and Dax plan to meet Lasaran at a rendezvous point in a jungle near a Dominion base on the planet Soukara. Evading detection will mean landing their runabout, hiking roughly twenty kilometers to Lasaran's position, and then getting him back to the ship. All is on track - Until they are spotted by a Jem'Hadar patrol. They manage to kill their attackers, but Dax is critically injured, leaving Worf with a horrible choice: Save Jadzia, and lose Lasara and all of his intelligence; or complete his mission, and leave his wife to die!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Tells Worf that the mission has to be more important than any one life, and bluntly spells out the consequences of failure to both the war and Worf's career. He declares that Worf and Dax will never be allowed to go on a mission alone again. But as a friend, and as a man who lost his own wife, he acknowledges that he understands why Worf would put Dax's welfare above the good of the mission.

Worf: Attempts to be more easygoing for Dax's benefit - a change that Dax finds somewhat disconcerting. When she is injured by the Jem'Hadar, Worf blames himself. He declares that he should have been more vigilant, instead of attempting to be someone he's not. He knows his duty as a Starfleet officer, and both he and Dax are fully prepared for him to leave her to complete the mission - but as soon as he leaves her side, he feels overwhelmed by the choice his duty demands.

Dax: Though it's more subtle, she is also making some adjustments for Worf's benefit. At the episode's start, they are chatting as they prepare for bed. When she notices that Worf is meditating, she stops talking and is respectfully silent until he finishes. She makes a brave effort to carry on once injured - and though the injury eventually becomes too much for her, she makes it farther than she really had any right to do (though one wonders why she didn't just go back to the shuttle - which was actually closer than the rendezvous point - once she was injured and wait there for Worf to complete the mission alone...).

Dr. Bashir/Quark: The episode's "B" plot sees Dr. Bashir pitted against Quark in a game of Tongo. When Bashir proves formidable enough to make Quark nervous, the Ferengi rattles him by bringing up Dax. He reminds the doctor about his once-dogged pursuit of her, empathizing with Bashir by revealing his own similar feelings: "You know what's really sad, what really keeps me awake at night? She's out of reach because we let her go... Deep down in our heart of hearts, we both know she's something unique, something we may never see again - a chance at true happiness- and we let her slip through our fingers. What if fifty years from now, we each look back and say, what a fool I was!" After Quark wins the game, he refuses to tell Bashir whether his words were true, or merely a tactic. It's a fantastic scene, one which takes an expendable and downright unwelcome subplot and pulls from it a genuinely great character moment.


THOUGHTS

Change of Heart is a solid episode that had the potential to be a great one. It has fine performances. Michael Dorn and Terry Farrell are terrific, both in their individual performances and in their interplay. Alexander Siddig and Armin Shimerman take what, up until Quark's big speech, is a typical Trek comedy subplot and make it into something fresh and interesting. And while Avery Brooks only shows up for one scene, his performance and Ronald D. Moore's script combine to make that scene feel important.

Once the rendezvous has been arranged, the main plot doesn't feature a character other than Worf and Dax until the final scene with Sisko. This allows Ronald D. Moore's script to focus on the relationship between the two characters, which has never felt truer or more believable than it does here. When Worf prepares to leave his wife, very probably to die, we can read the agony on both characters' faces, and we believe it when he turns back for her.

However, this focus comes at a price. With no other guest characters to shift the dynamics, we're left only with Worf and Dax and their journey across the Star Trek jungle set. Had the attack occurred, say, after they met with Lasaran, and had the rest of the episode featured all three of them, then there would have been some fresh interactions in the second half. Also, by making Lasaran a fuller character, this might have made Worf's trade of him for Dax something the audience felt more invested in. As it stands, we see Lasaran for exactly one scene, in which he comes across as two-dimensional and unlikable.

Still, the episode does its job. The Worf/Dax interactions are convincing and well-acted, and Worf's final choice and the promise of consequences for it make this feel like more than just a but a bit of expendable mid-season filler. It could have been more than it is... But it's still a solid episode.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Honor Among Thieves
Next Episode: Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night

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6-15. Honor Among Thieves.

O'Brien befriends a member of the Orion Syndicate.

THE PLOT

Starfleet Intelligence has called on Chief O'Brien to go undercover on Farius Prime, a neutral planet with a heavy Orion Syndicate presence. The Syndicate has an informant in Starfleet, which has resulted in the deaths of several intelligence agents. The hope is that O'Brien, who isn't directly affiliated with Intelligence, will be able to make contact with the Syndicate and uncover the identity of the mole.

O'Brien is surprisingly successful. Posing as a "fix-it man down on his luck," O'Brien is able to gain the trust of Liam Bilby (Nick Tate), the leader of a minor group of hoods who is in turn working under Syndicate boss Raimus (Joseph Culp). With his friendly and honest manner, he quickly befriends Bilby, learning enough information to pass along to his contact (Michael Harney) to figure out the identity of the mole.

Then the situation becomes complicated. Raimus makes a personal appearance, introducing his new business partners: Agents of the Dominion!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Deflects questions about where O'Brien has gone. When Dr. Bashir prods him about the need for repairs, Sisko recognizes that what the doctor is really asking is about the welfare of his good friend. He is compassionate toward Bashir's concern, but tells him that he cannot reveal any information.

O'Brien: From the moment he arrives on Farius Prime, his greatest desire is simply to finish the job and get back to his wife and children. When Bilby talks about his own family, O'Brien feels guilt for putting the petty criminal into an impossible situation. His Intelligence contact promises that they will try to arrest Bilby before the Syndicate can get to him, but it's a fragile hope at best - one that becomes impossible once the Dominion presence is revealed, changing the stakes dramatically.

Bilby: Like O'Brien, he places a high value on family. When he believes O'Brien to be single, he urges him to start a family because "it's the most important thing." He responds to O'Brien's basic honesty, which makes him take him into his confidence far more quickly than he otherwise would - Because he's lonely on this world of petty criminals, and wants a friend who's actually worth spending time with. None of which makes Bilby a good man, as we're reminded when he viciously murders a weapons dealer who tried to cheat him. But the weary likability lent by actor Nick Tate sells the unlikely friendship at the core of this episode.


THOUGHTS

Honor Among Thieves has the skeleton of your basic midseason filler episode - Which, at heart, is what it is. Even with the Dominion ties, I tend to doubt that the events of this story will have any real impact on future episodes.

What distinguishes it is how very well-made it is. Director Allan Eastman infuses the piece with a dark, film noir atmosphere that fits the material perfectly. The alley in which O'Brien meets his contact is drenched in shadow, and the bar that is Bilby's base of operations has dim lighting. Even Bilby's apartment, his refuge from the life he has chosen, has a run-down look, with lighting that is brighter than the bar but still not fully bright. Everything here is worn and rumpled, everything a little bit dark - And that boosts the drama's effectiveness significantly.

Rene Echevarria's script is also well-turned. Ever the strong character writer, Echevarria largely focused on the O'Brien/Bilby relationship and leaves the well-worn plot to take care of itself. This is a good choice, as the time devoted to Bilby sharing some of his wife's cake or musing about buying a birthday present for his daughter underline the things these two men have in common. The friendship feels genuine, and that makes the episode work, even when the overall plot runs along predictable lines.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: One Little Ship
Next Episode: Change of Heart 

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