7-18. 'Til Death Do Us Part.

Dukat, in disguise, manipulates Kai Winn.

THE PLOT

Kai Winn comes to the station to congratulate Sisko on his upcoming marriage... Even as Sisko struggles with the Prophets' message that marrying Kasidy will bring him "nothing but sorrow." Sisko admits to Winn that the Prophets have set a challenge in front of him, one he doesn't feel certain he is up to.

That's when the Kai experiences a vision of her own - A vision that seems to be from the Prophets, and that tells her exactly what she wants to hear: That Sisko has faltered, and that only she can save Bajor by following the instructions of a guide who will have "the wisdom of the land." That night, she receives a visitor - a man calling himself Anjohl Tennan, a self-described "man of the land." A visitor who is actually Gul Dukat, surgically altered to appear Bajoran.

Meanwhile, Worf and Ezri are now prisoners of the Breen, who are about to reveal themselves as major new players in the Dominion War...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: In earlier seasons, he would have just ignored the Prophets' warning and moved ahead with his marriage. But over the course of the series, he has become absolute in his belief in the Prophets. He also has to be very conscious that the last time he ignored their advice, it ended very badly. Even so, he's fighting with himself the entire length of the episode, his religious belief battling with every fiber of his personality.

Worf/Ezri: Now that he and Ezri have slept together, Worf assumes they will be a couple from this point on. But it's not that simple. Ezri's feelings for Worf are all bound up in carrying Jadzia's memories; but the look on her face when he announces that the two of them "will have many years together" announces loud and clear that she doesn't want a romantic relationship with him. When Worf discovers this truth, he reacts as if he's been betrayed - Which is not fair on his part, but is definitely in character.

Kasidy Yates: Though her role is small, Penny Johnson's performance remains outstanding. Look at the scene in which Sisko discusses his dilemma with her. As he moves back and forth between declaring how much he loves her and despairing that he cannot go against the Prophets, Kasidy's face shows the entire world disappearing out from under her. Her expression flashes from anger to nausea to despair, often without saying a word. It's a great performance, every bit as good as (maybe better than) Avery Brooks' also excellent work.

Gul Dukat: There's a terrific scene early in the episode, in which Dukat confronts Damar about his drinking and despair. "What happened to that brave officer I served with? The one who stood at my side while we fought the entire Klingon Empire with a single ship? ...Those days might be gone, but the man I served with isn't. He's still within you. Reach in and grab hold of him, Damar. Cardassia needs a leader!" There's no gain for Dukat in this, no angle that he's playing. He's simply responding to a friend and loyal former officer who is clearly in trouble, and instinctively finding the right words to reach him. Yet again, we see that the tragedy of Dukat is that while he may have ended up a villain, with just a few different choices at key moments, he might actually have been the great man he thirsts to be.

Kai Winn: None of which stops him from being a villain, and his manipulations of Winn are classic Dukat. With just a slight push from the pah-wraiths, he is able to play on her ego and her jealousy and resentment of Sisko. Becoming her confidante is effortless, because Winn is so eager to listen to his reflections of her own prejudices. To its credit, the episode does pause to remind us that she isn't a black-and-white villain either - One bit of her past Dukat uses is her own activities during the Occupation, when she bribed Cardassian guards to reroute Bajorans scheduled for execution to labor camps, where they would at least have a chance to survive.


THOUGHTS

'Til Death Do Us Part is largely a transitional episode, connecting Penumbra and the earlier parts of Season Seven to the big events yet to come. It's not at all bad on that basis: It's well-acted, with some excellent character material and fine individual scenes. But it's far from compelling, and feels a bit padded out.

There are three stands: Sisko's dilemma with Kasidy, Worf and Ezri's captivity by the Breen, and Dukat's manipulations of Winn. All three strands are more set up for future episodes than storylines in themselves, and all three feel like they take at least one more scene than is actually needed to reach the episode's end point... Which highlights this installment's biggest problem, that it feels like 30 minutes worth of material has been stretched to fill 45 minutes.

On the plus side, writers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson have a firm grasp on the characters. Everyone is well-written, with the Dukat/Winn material particularly strong. We see the bits of genuine good in both of these villains: Dukat's genuine concern for Damar, Winn's devout faith. And we see very clearly how Dukat manipulates Winn, feeding her pride even as he preys on her faith. This is a strand that seems destined to go to very interesting places, and I only hope that the handful of episodes that remain will allow it to be done justice.

Overall, this is an episode that plays better as a piece of DS9's final arc than it does on its own. Judged as an episode in its own right, it's good enough - But it's stretched too thin, leaving it less effective than some of its counterparts.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Penumbra
Next Episode: Strange Bedfellows

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7-17. Penumbra.

Sisko plans for retirement on Bajor.

THE PLOT

Sisko finally proposes to Kasidy Yates. He's hoping for a quiet wedding - and then, after the war, a retirement to Bajor. He's even designing a house for them.

But the war isn't cooperating with his dreams of a simple life. Worf's ship, the Koraga, has been destroyed by the Dominion near the Badlands, a region of space marked by plasma storms. Several escape pods have been recovered, but none with Worf on board. With Dominion ships approaching the area, Sisko is forced to call off the search, effectively giving him up for dead.

Ezri cannot live with that decision. She steals a runabout and makes for the Badlands, determined to find him and bring him home. She does find Worf alive, but the trip home is cut short by Jem'Hadar fighters. Worf and Ezri barely manage to beam to the safety of a planet before the runabout is destroyed - leaving them alive, but marooned with no way of contacting the station for rescue...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is embarking on two big life changes. He has purchased some land on Bajor to build a home, and is actively thinking of retiring after the war. He also proposes to Kasidy. One gets the sense that as soon as the war ends, he's ready to be done with Starfleet, wormholes, and all of it - If only the Prophets and Dominion could stop interfering. This doesn't stop him from being a leader willing to make tough decisions, however.  When it becomes clear that Worf is unlikely to be recovered, he calls off the search - Though he doesn't stop Ezri from taking a runabout to conduct a search of her own.

Ezri: After Sisko calls off the search for survivors, she uses her override codes to enter the quarters Jadzia shared with Worf. As she walks from one part of the room to another, audio clips of highlights of the Jadzia/Worf relationship are played, making us aware of the specific memories Ezri is re-living while stoking our own memories at the same time. This is important, because it makes the emotion behind Ezri's decision to go after Worf real to us - And puts us back in the mindset of that relationship for the episode's second half.

Worf: We've seen throughout the season that Worf is conflicted about having another Dax around, from his warnings to Bashir and Quark about pursuing Ezri to his concerns for her safety. That conflict comes to its head here. Ever the stoic, he barely thanks Ezri for rescuing him and is soon gruffly avoiding all conversation with her. He tries to bar any mention of Jadzia, only to later respond to her barbs about hunting by saying, "Jadzia would have understood."

Kasidy Yates: Largely just a support for Sisko in this episode, but I'm struck once again by how convincing the relationship between these two is. There is an entirely unforced chemistry between Avery Brooks and Penny Johnson, and by this point in the series there is never a moment at which I fail to believe in them as a couple. The question is less why Ben proposes to her in this episode, and more why it took him so long to do it.

Damar: His loathing for Weyoun matched only by his disgust at himself for acting as the Vorta's lackey. He continues to drown his sorrows in women and alcohol, and is all too eager to assist Dukat when he shows up asking for a favor. His loyalty to Dukat remains strong, and he keeps his former superior's presence a secret from Weyoun and arranges the requested favor with no questions asked, even when his disapproval of Dukat's faith in the pah-wraiths is clear.


THOUGHTS

Deep Space 9 begins its march to the series finale. The script is by Rene Echevarria, arguably the series' strongest character writer, so it's appropriate that the story is heavily character-based. The main plot, about Ezri's rescue of Worf and their attempts to return to the station, is a thin clothesline, with the real focus on the relationships between Sisko and Kasidy and Worf and Ezri - which plays to Echevarria's strengths.

There's real authenticity to the scenes of Sisko mulling over the exact layout of his house, and I love the little moment where he and Kasidy debate over whether the kitchen should be separated from the dining room or open. Sisko, the son of a chef, protests Kasidy's preference for an open kitchen, arguing that he doesn't want visitors wandering in to sample the food before it's ready.

Other good character bits abound. When Ezri rescues Worf from the escape pod, she prods him to find out which Klingon opera he was singing inside the pod. He readily admits to having done exactly that, adding that the acoustics were good. The Ezri/Worf interactions continue to ring true as Ezri keeps trying to draw him into conversation while he tries to avoid it. I'm not sure I fully buy into them sleeping together near the end of the episode - Though that's more because Nicole de Boer just doesn't fit with Michael Dorn the way Terry Farrell did, as story-wise it makes sense as a development building through their interactions and non-interactions throughout the season.

For all that this is a character-based episode, the script also is busy planting lots of plot seeds. The disease plaguing the Founders gets some more attention, and Weyoun's visit to the female changeling reveals that she is deteriorating rapidly. Meanwhile, the Breen are re-introduced, with their presence an oddity Worf and Ezri comment on; and Dukat continues to be a wild card, with a plan of his own that has yet to be defined but is certain to be very dangerous to all parties.

Penumbra moves at a brisk pace throughout, and manages the tricky job of being a good episode in its own right while also effectively kick-starting the series' final arc. A promising "beginning of the end," and a thoroughly enjoyable 45 minutes.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
Next Episode: 'Til Death Do Us Part

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7-16. Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

Sloan (William Sadler) wants Bashir to spy on the Romulans...

THE PLOT

The alliance with the Romulans has led to an invited Starfleet presence at a medical conference on Romulus, with Dr. Bashir scheduled to chair a discussion about ketracel-white and to give a lecture about the Dominion biological weapon known as The Quickening. For Bashir, the conference is an important step in turning the alliance into a genuine friendship between the two powers. For others, it is an opportunity of an altogether different kind.

The night before Bashir leaves the station, he is visited by Sloan (William Sadler), the agent from Section 31 who attempted to recruit him once before. Sloan wants him to observe Koval (John Fleck), chairman of the Tal Shiar, the Romulan intelligence gathering service. Koval opposed the alliance with the Federation, and his rise in influence is seen as a threat to the war effort. There is a rumor that he has Tuvan Syndrome, a neurological disease - And with Bashir's genetically-enhanced senses, Sloan believes he can diagnose Koval through observation.

Sisko and Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner) encourage Bashir to play along, in hopes of exposing Section 31. But as the plan progresses, it becomes clear that Sloan has another agenda: Once Bashir confirms the diagnosis, Sloan will use that information to arrange an entirely "accidental" assassination!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is unsurprised that Sloan made contact with Bashir, and even less surprised that he was able to evade station security. Though he's inclined to be cautious about sharing information with Sloan, he agrees with Admiral Ross that this is an opportunity to get inside the shadow organization.

Dr. Bashir: Instantly troubled when Koval expresses interest in the Quickening - not in curing it, but in replicating it. In that moment, he is briefly persuaded to Sloan's point of view, that Koval must not come to power. When the agent's plans turn toward assassination, however, he simply will not stand by for that.  This first prompts paranoia, as he fears he has no one he can trust.  which in turn pushes him to an action that has every potential to backfire spectacularly .

Garak: Only in one scene, but it's a good one. When he notes the opportunity the conference provides to gather intelligence about the Romulans, Bashir protests that they're allies. Garak all but laughs at his naivete. "I'm disappointed hearing you mouthing the usual platitudes of peace and friendship regarding an implacable foe like the Romulans. But, I live in hope that one day you'll come to see this universe for what it truly is, rather than what you'd wish it to be."

Sloan: His first appearance comes immediately after the scene with Garak, almost as if the cynical tailor/spy had summoned him into being. Sloan does share many traits with the Cardassian: He can't pass up an opportunity to gather intelligence; he sees the worst in everyone around him; and he wholeheartedly embraces assassination as a useful tool, as long as the end result is to Starfleet's benefit. So why is Garak a friend and Sloan a foe? Maybe because Garak's worst deeds are behind him (though he remains remorseless about them). Maybe it's because Garak is a lot more charming and fun to be around.  Either way, Sloan seems a reflection of Bashir's friend - The deeds he does now, Garak is fairly open about having done every bit as bad and worse in the past.


THOUGHTS

Sloan and Section 31 were introduced in last season's Inquisition, a very good episode that effectively tapped into a paranoid thriller vibe. That episode ended in a way that clearly demanded a follow-up, which we finally receive with Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.

The idea of using the alliance with the Romulans to gather intelligence makes sense at this stage of the larger arc. Garak, Sloan, and Ross all clearly believe that this alliance will not long outlive the Dominion War - And they are almost certainly right, while optimistic and idealistic Bashir is almost certainly very wrong. I particularly enjoyed a scene that points out how the post-war balance of power will shift. With the Klingons and Cardassians devastated by two back-to-back conflicts, the Federation and the Romulans will be the dominant powers moving forward. Just as was true of the U. S. and Soviet Union in the waning days of World War II, we see the two superpowers angling for every post-war advantage they can get.

Ronald D. Moore's script moves quickly, with a couple of nicely unexpected turns along the way. The paranoid vibe of Inquisition returns as Bashir realizes that Sloan must have allies; cut off from the station, he has no one to trust and there's a distinct sense that he himself may be in danger.

There is just a little too much plot here for 45 minutes, leading to a rushed climax.  Still, the way the situation is resolved is effective - It reflects the messiness of the situation, as "big picture" thinking leads to decisions that are morally questionable and that may lead to worse outcomes down the road... Not exactly unprecedented in the history of modern intelligence.

The ending also leaves the door open for a return appearance by Section 31 - Something I hope will happen, although with only ten episodes to go that may be asking too much.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
Next Episode: Penumbra

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7-15. Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang.

The Ops crew plan a Vegas casino heist...

THE PLOT

Vic Fontaine's nightclub has been taken over.

Back when Vic's holosuite program was created, a "jack-in-the-box" subroutine was buried deep in the code, intended to keep things from becoming stale. Gangster Frankie Eyes (Robert Miano), financed by a mafia godfather, has purchased the hotel and casino. His first act? Firing Vic and replacing him with scantily-clad dancers. Frankie also has Vic roughed up to try to force him to leave town.

The only way to return the club to normal is to defeat Frankie within the program, using means and methods that would have been available in 1962. And so the DS9 command crew decides to use Frankie's mafia connections against him. Mobster Carl Zeemo (Marc Lawrence) will be coming to pick up his monthly payment from Frankie. So all they have to do is steal that money from the safe in the casino's count room. A classic heist.

But planning a robbery is one thing - Actually pulling it off is something else entirely...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Alone of the Ops crew, he has resisted going to Vic's. Kasidy gets him to reveal why: The real 1962 was not a good time for black people, who wouldn't even have been allowed in a place like Vic's unless they were janitors or performers. This idealized version of the past, one that ignores the very real struggles endured, offends him. With a push from Kasidy, he does end up joining in the plan to help Vic, and even enjoys a moment on stage at the end... But his best and most interesting scenes come in the first half, when he resists any contact with the holosuite.

Col. Kira: Gets close to Frankie by pretending to be the stereotypical gangster's moll, flirting constantly while pretending to be impressed by his money. Showing off, Frankie lets her visit the count room - allowing her to report back on the room's layout, its security, and the location of the safe. During the actual robbery, her role is to keep Frankie distracted so that he doesn't notice what the others are doing.

Kasidy Yates: When Sisko talks about the reason Vic's holosuite offends him, she does hear him out and doesn't belittle his reasons. But she does argue against him, framing helping Vic as helping a friend in need. She also insists that the colorblind nature of the holosuite program doesn't insult the harsh realities of history. "Going to Vic's isn't going to make us forget who we are or where we came from. What it does is it reminds us that we're no longer bound by any limitations, except the ones we impose on ourselves."

Vic Fontaine: The most obvious solution to this problem would be to simply reset the program. But doing so would be unthinkable, because it would wipe Vic's memory and all of his experiences. Previous episodes have established Vic as fully self-aware, and It's Only a Paper Moon ended with his program being allowed to run 24 hours a day, giving him the semblance of a "real life." Within the confines of his holosuite, he's as real as any of them; a solution has to be found that maintains his individuality. James Darren remains terrific in the role, retaining Vic's dignity even when the character is thrust into the role of victim.


THOUGHTS

A refreshing holodeck episode, in that it doesn't revolve around any kind of malfunction. The program is doing exactly what it was designed to do; it's the nature of the "jack in the box" that prompts the plot, rather than something external going wrong. This allows the episode to have fun with the period caper plot, rather than getting sidetracked with Technobabble to justify that plot.

This is, effectively, Deep Space 9 meets Ocean's Eleven, and the episode embraces that. Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler's script has great fun with the structure of a caper story, and plays fair with the audience throughout. The always-reliable Mike Vejar is in the director's chair, providing a visual flair that enhances the fun (including a slow-motion walk by the command crew to the holosuite when they prepare to put their plan into effect).

The episode is often funny, but it isn't a parody. This is largely a straight-up casino heist story, with both humor and drama arising naturally from the situation. Only a handful of scenes take place outside the holosuite - The brief but necessary explanation as to where "Frankie" came from, and the genuinely very good character moment when Sisko explains why he's so hostile toward this particular program. Outside of that, the episode sticks to the period setting, and both actors and show seem to have a great time taking a break from space opera to do a heist caper.

A thoroughly enjoyable bit of fluff, this probably represents Deep Space 9's last chance to relax and have fun before the heavy lifting of wrapping up the many ongoing plot threads. A success on that basis - And in my opinion, a good episode by any reasonable measure.

Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Chimera
Next Episode: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges


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7-14. Chimera.

Odo meets another changeling exile.

THE PLOT

Odo and O'Brien are returning to the station from a conference when a changeling appears on their ship. This changeling, Laas (Garman Hertzler), is not a Founder - He is instead one of the 100 sent by the Founders to learn about the galaxy.

That does not make him a friend. Laas has lived for centuries among "mono-forms," a label he sneeringly applies to all the species on Deep Space 9. Experience has taught him that humanoids cannot trust a changeling, and that their mistrust can turn quickly to anger and violence.

When a public display of shapeshifting inspires violence from a pair of Klingons, Laas feels the incident proves his point. And when he uses lethal force to fend off that attack, the Klingon homeworld demands Laas be given over to their custody - a request Odo is horrified to see Sisko seriously considering!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: If the viewer steps back and looks at the situation objectively, Sisko isn't nearly as unsympathetic as Odo views him. He's right that Laas was never in any danger from the Klingon, and that his use of deadly force was almost certainly unnecessary. He also isn't advocating turning Laas over to the Klingons - He simply believes that this should be up to the magistrate. Given the full situation, it's hard to argue that he should have behaved differently.

Col. Kira: Is uncomfortable when Odo reveals he linked with Laas. Given what happened the last time Odo linked with another changeling, I don't particularly blame her - But this episode doesn't reference that, not even by inference. Instead, Kira just says something about wishing she was able to link with him. For the most part, this episode reduces her to being the "supportive love interest," though she is at least proactive in jump-starting the final Act.

Odo: Overlooks Laas' role in the Klingon's death a little too easily. If he acknowledged that Laas had escalated the situation while still insisting that he acted in self-defense, it would feel truer to the Odo who has always valued justice above all. That aside, his delight in finding a fellow changeling who isn't a Founder is entirely convincing, as is his rage at seeing Laas treated more harshly than any solid would be in the same situation.

Quark: Acts as the bearer of harsh truths, reminding Odo that the changelings are very different than the humanoid species on the station and that this, in conjunction with the war against the Founders, guides reactions: "Don't you get it, Odo? We humanoids are a product of millions of years of evolution. Our ancestors learned the hard way that what you don't know might kill you. They wouldn't have survived if they hadn't have jumped back when they encountered a snake coiled in the muck. And now millions of years later, that instinct is still there... Watch your step, Odo. We're at war with your people." Quark's view is one that looks entirely at the worst aspects of human nature while ignoring the best (exemplified by Kira's final speech to Odo) - But that doesn't make it wrong, merely incomplete.

Laas: One suspects he'd actually get along well with the Founders, as he shares the view that shapeshifters are inherently superior to solids. His encounter with the Klingons is certainly started by them, but he does everything in his power to make sure the exchange ends in violence - And his reaction to killing the Klingon is so apathetic that it seems that in his mind, he's just swatted a particularly bothersome fly. It's to the episode's credit that while Laas isn't written as a villain, and his motives in trying to tempt Odo from the station are genuine, he is never made to be likable. The victim of bigotry has responded by himself becoming a bigot - and his attitude is every bit as ugly as the ill-fated Klingon's.


THOUGHTS

Chimera is a well-regarded episode. Rene Echevarria's script is intelligent, with a handful of outstanding scenes and exchanges. The character of Laas is entirely convincing, and all the performances are excellent. Despite some quibbles with Kira being reduced to the role of simple love interest for this episode, by any reasonable objective measure, it has to be regarded as a worthy piece.

Unfortunately, I found it to be a bit dull and distancing. If pushed, I would have to admit that I did not enjoy watching it.

That's one reason why this review took a while to appear. I've mentioned in the past how much easier it is to write about a very good or very bad episode. It's easy to rave about something that excites you, intrigues you, or makes you think; it's even easier to make fun of or rant about something you hate. Trying to express thoughts about something that doesn't evoke much response in you? Very difficult.

Chimera is objectively good, but it just didn't much hold my interest. The reactions of Sisko and Laas and, for the most part, Odo are convincingly scripted, and I hugely applaud Rene Echevarria's decision to make Laas unsympathetic. It's a well-turned script, and the few objective faults I can find aren't enough to explain my apathy toward it. This just is not an episode I enjoyed.

With such a sharp divide between objective quality and my own enjoyment (or lack thereof), a final rating is difficult. But these are my reviews, and I'm scoring according to my reactions... So I think I'll parse this one straight down the middle:


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Field of Fire
Next Episode: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang

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7-13. Field of Fire.

Ezri is tempted by her past host, Joran (Leigh J. McCloskey).

THE PLOT

The crew is shocked when Lt. Hector Ilario (Art Chudabala) is murdered immediately after a late night celebration of his combat conduct. Ezri is hit particularly hard; after walking the inebriated young lieutenant to his quarters, she was apparently the last person to see him alive. There is no significant physical evidence, despite the murder having been committed at close range with a projectile weapon. It's a sad, random act of violence, one Odo is not optimistic about solving.

Then another victim turns up: a woman with no apparent ties to Ilario, but who was killed in the exact same way - potentially the work of someone killing at random. Sisko assigns Ezri to assist Odo, hoping that her psychology training will help narrow the suspect pool. But to catch this type of killer, innocent young Ezri will have to somehow be able to think like him. Impossible... If not for the fact that one of Dax's past hosts was Joran (Leigh J. McCloskey), himself a cold-blooded murderer.

Faced with the prospect of more murders, Ezri takes desperate action. She performs the right of Emergence, separating Joran's personality from her other predecessors. Now she can interact with him, letting him guide her to see through a killer's eyes. But Joran's perspective is more than a little seductive, and the further Ezri goes with this line of investigation, the more she finds herself drawn into Joran's darkness...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is quick to assign Ezri to assist Odo, on logical grounds: Her background makes her more suited to anticipating a psychologically-motivated killer than anyone else among the command crew. But when it becomes clear that Ezri is being affected by the investigation, he offers (threatens?) to take her off the case, and she has to argue to keep the assignment.

Ezri: When she first thinks about Joran, her impulse is to do what her predecessors did: Bury him as deep in her consciousness as possible and do all she can to forget he even exists. But her sense of duty is too strong to allow these murders continue without doing all she can. When a second victim turns up, she calls on Joran to try to understand the kind of killer who is incomprehensible to most of us. Ezri's interactions with him are like those of a pupil with a teacher, and she finds herself easily tempted by the darkness he represents. A key scene comes as he urges her to look through a duplicate of the murder weapon. As she uses the sight on the rifle to peer through the station corridors, then into private quarters, she grows excited. She drops the gun like a biting snake when Joran urges her to pull the trigger - But it's indicated that his urging excites her almost as much as it appalls her. Nicole de Boer is very good here, and Ezri feels more fully realized in this episode than she has since Afterimage.

O'Brien: He and Bashir both feel guilty for not allowing Ilario to join them in their holosuite program, perhaps feeling that if they'd only said yes the young lieutenant might not have died. O'Brien puts his guilt to particularly good use. When the bullet is matched to a TR-116 rifle, O'Brien replicates the weapon, then modifies it so that after firing, the bullet is transported directly in front of its victim - Thus explaining both the close range and the lack of powder burns or other physical evidence. It proves a major breakthrough for Ezri in learning to see through the killer's eyes, while also putting established Trek technology cleverly in service to the mystery plot.

Worf: Startles Ezri when, late at night, she senses someone is following her. That someone turns out to be Worf. He admits he was trying to protect her, though he insists this isn't any special worry over her - "You are a fellow officer. I would have the same concern for Chief O'Brien or Dr. Bashir." Ezri isn't any more fooled than we are, and is genuinely touched at his concern. He also unintentionally pushes her into utilizing Joran when he states his confidence that she will do whatever is necessary to catch the killer: "You are Dax. It is your way."

Joran: I think the great success of this episode's Joran is that he isn't just a killer. He's genuinely wounded at being suppressed by the various Dax hosts, and basks in Ezri's acknowledgement of him. He's effectively Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty combined, interpreting the clues while tempting Ezri with darkness. In the end, she only identifies the killer thanks to his guidance, but he's no benign influence: When she intercepts a fleeing suspect midway through the episode, he urges her to kill the man - and she almost does it! Guest star Leigh J. McCloskey doesn't hesitate to push the line between "spirited performance" and "ham," but it works well for this kind of part, and his charisma makes it believable that Ezri would find his darkness so enticing.


THOUGHTS

Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was one of DS9's stalwarts during the series' first five years, writing or co-writing episodes such as The Wire, The Collaborator, and Call to Arms. His return is a welcome one, and it is no surprise at all that Field of Fire is a good episode, boasting strong character work and some excellent dialogue.

Story structure and pacing are strengths. The teaser introduces us to Ilario, giving us just enough of the young lieutenant to make him likable to both Ezri and us, then cutting to the next morning to reveal his death. Enough is done before the murder to make it convincing that Ezri is emotionally invested, but it's so economically achieved that there is no chance to become bored. Then, as Ezri wrestled with the possibility of using Joran, the murder plot is kept on track with O'Brien's unveiling of the murderer's weapon and method - Which puts all the pieces on the board by the time Ezri summons Joran to assist her.

The Ezri/Joran interactions are extremely well-done, and their dark mentor/innocent pupil relationship is what fuels the episode. Nicole De Boer is particularly good here, and it's to the credit of both script and actress that she never feels like a stand-in for Terry Farrell (which hasn't been true in certain other episodes). It's also to the episode's credit that even though this is the second Ezri-centric murder mystery in three episodes, I was never bothered by that. If I thought about it at all, it was only to reflect on how much better this was than Prodigal Daughter.

Uncovering the killer's identity does come a little too quickly and easily, which is one thing that keeps this from being a truly first class episode. But it's still a good one, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Emperor's New Cloak
Next Episode: Chimera

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7-12. The Emperor's New Cloak.

Ezri, from the Mirror Universe.

THE PLOT

Quark receives an unexpected visitor to his quarters: Ezri. But it's not the Ezri he knows, but instead one from the mirror universe. She's come with a ransom: Grand Nagus Zek has been taken prisoner by the Cardassian-Klingon Alliance. The price of his freedom is a cloaking device. If it's not delivered soon, Regent Worf will execute the Ferengi leader.

Quark and Rom are able to steal the cloaking device from a Klingon Bird of Prey with little difficulty. But once in the Mirror Universe, they are immediately captured by the Terran rebels, who are almost as bloodthirsty as the Regent. Even if they manage to escape with the cloak, they have yet another problem: The near-certainty that the Regent will simply take the cloak and then kill them all!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Only in the episode for a throwaway appearance, but even that shows how strong a working relationship he and Martok have developed.

Kira, The Intendant: Sadly, this episode continues in line with the character's previous appearance, confirming that the once compelling Intendant has become little more than a tight costume and a set of mannerisms. This reaches a low ebb when she is allowed to escape with not only her life, but also her freedom. Why? "Because I owe her that much." Or because the writers have become too fond of their pet monster to bring her story to the firm close she deserves.

Quark: Though he still wants to believe that Ezri is or will become interested in him, he is too good an observer of human nature to deny that she's responding when Bashir flirts with her. We see once again that he is very devoted to Ferengi traditions, from his praying/bribing of the Ferengi deities to his determination to rescue Zek. He admits to Mirror Ezri that he doesn't actually believe there will be any reward or even appreciation for his actions - He puts himself in harm's way for the Nagus simply because Zek is the Nagus.

Ezri: Mirror Ezri is a mercenary,guided by no cause other than her next payment. She is puzzled when Quark explains his loyalty to Zek... Right up until the Intendant kills a friend of hers, at which point she discovers that she also feels a sense of loyalty to those she's connected with. The friendship that develops between this Ezri and Quark is one of the episode's more enjoyable aspects, and I wish more time was spent with the two of them and less time spent with the Intendant, the Regent, and Garak.

Garak: Speaking of whom... It's a sad day when Garak is the worst thing in an episode. The Mirror Garak of Crossover was vicious but still smart - Probably pretty close to what "our" Garak was, back in his Obsidian Order days. Here, Mirror Garak is just a bloodthirsty idiot. When Quark uses the real Garak as a model to mock him with, he's not just playing for time - He's right! The real Garak would run circles around this episode's Mirror Garak without even exerting any mental energy (Regent Worf is just as bad, and too uninteresting to waste a paragraph on - Suffice to say, Mirror Worf is an imbecile. Period.)

Zek: I'm guessing/hoping this is Zek's final appearance, and the character remains largely grating. It's a shame - Wallace Shawn was well-cast in the role, and in his early appearances Zek was reasonably engaging. But the Zek of episodes like Rules of Acquisition and Prophet Motive was genuinely shrewd, using Quark as an expendable tool. Ever since Ferengi Love Songs, he has been reduced to a lecherous/senile old man parody. Here, we see him escaping to the Mirror Universe to enjoy illicit oo-mox, which he begs Quark and Rom not to reveal to their mother because it would "break her heart." Which we're apparently supposed to find funny. Maybe this is the Mirror Zek, and the real Zek disappeared around Season Three?


THOUGHTS

Too much of the above reads like I hated The Emperor's New Cloak, which really isn't true. I do find it a little disconcerting that the DS9 Mirror Universe arc, so compelling in Crossover, Through the Looking Glass, and Shattered Mirror, ends up being wrapped up in a Ferengi comedy. But against my expectations, I mostly enjoyed this despite its shortcomings.

I was entertained by Mirror Ezri, particularly by the scenes between her and Quark. I also found myself laughing, often against my better judgment, at several of the gags. The Regent trying on a new gauntlet, then calling over an underling to test it by punching him in the face, was particularly funny. Other choice bits include: Mirror Brunt being genuinely honest, honorable, and kind; Rom's satisfaction at announcing his successful sabotage; and (for all my irritation at the portrayal of Garak) Quark's jibes at Garak about how much more formidable his Prime Universe counterpart is.

It's just a shame that all of the villains are portrayed as idiots. The Regent is a gullible moron, who never even considers the possibility of treachery from the Ferengi. The Intendant has flattened into a two-dimensional set of mannerisms, purring seductively at everyone and killing a supporting character at one point just to remind us that she's evil. And Garak is so pathetically-characterized, the other two almost look good by comparison. These villains, once genuinely strong foils for Sisko and Kira, no longer even seem worthy of Quark and Rom!

But I have to admit that I still had fun watching. The episode is a guilty pleasure, but I wasn't bored by it. And I have to admit, the silliness makes a contrast from the Dominion plot, which with the end of the series now so close should be kicking into high gear again soon.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Prodigal Daughter
Next Episode: Field of Fire

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