Originally posted on the MI6 Forums from Nov 18 2010 to Jan 27 2011
"The Search, Part I"
Enter the Defiant. 170m of warp 9.982 phaser cannon, torpedo blasting awesome. Also enter Eddington, who will be a great recurring character, and T'Rul, who will never appear again after Part II. Also new combadges, Odo gets a collar, and the show gets Ron Moore. Odo finds his people. Battle scenes with the Jem'Hadar. The show is taking chances and getting messy. I like it.
"The Search, Part II"
Am I the only one who thinks the "it was all a simulation" ending WASN'T a cop-out? I mean, come on, it was the only possible answer. No way things would move that fast in reality. And Necheyev isn't THAT big a *****. I love that they made Odo's people the Founders. That's drama. That's good writing. This show is great.
"The House of Quark"
I like how Quark's Ferengi values mix with the Klingon honour schtick. It ends up being a really great parody of the kind of Klingon episodes Ron Moore used to write on TNG. Great fun. The subplot with the O'Briens is fantastic, I really respect how DS9 wrote those two as a REALISTIC married couple, instead of the way that most writers seem to think the only way to make marriages dramatic or interesting is constant fighting or lying. Another fine episode. Can DS9 do no wrong?
Equilibrium
This is a great Jadzia episode that builds on what we learned in "Invasive Procedures", and works best because of the emphasis on character. IIt not only explores more of Dax and what it means to have all these past lives, but we also explore more of the characters who mean a lot to Jadzia, namely Ben and Julian. And I'm always a fan of stories that reveal some big hidden truth that threatens to destroy a society. A great example of a Sisko/Picard difference is that Sisko has no desire to reveal the truth and thereby destroy Trill society -- it's not even an issue for him. He just wants Jadzia to be safe. Its a much more human reaction to the situation.
"Second Skin"
Now THIS is just a fantastic episode. A kind of insane nightmare for Kira, and a great action/adventure story for Odo/Sisko/Garak. I love that the "reset button" at the end is actually logical and enhances the story rather than undermines it. This episode truly shows the frightening extremes the Obsidian Order will go to. And I love Ghemor's line about Garak -- reminding our cast that even if he's helping you, to never fully trust him. This is just a superb episode.
"The Abandoned"
A great episode not only to learn more about the Jem'Hadar, but also about Odo and many of our other characters. I liked that the writers finally followed up on Jake's dabo girl romance and the dinner scene is a hoot. The actor playing the young Jem'Hadar boy was very engaging -- does this character ever show up again? All in all a superb effort.
"Civil Defense"
I'm not sure if I've ever had this much fun watching Star Trek! It seems like its been a while anyway. It's a great play on the disaster movie, as each thing that solves a problem simply opens another. Bringing Garak and Gul Dukat into play was inspired as well, you can never really go wrong with them. A stand-out episode.
"Meridian"
A steaming pile of crap. The drama on the planet with Jadzia was totally hollow and meaningless and impossible to get involved with, and the b-plot on the station said nothing we didn't already know (Quark's a slimeball.) Meanwhile -- first appearance of Jeffrey Combs on Star Trek as Random Alien Guy Who Faps to Kira Porn. I prefer Weyoun. Or Shran.
"Defiant"
Too cool. I love that they brought Tom Riker back. That was just brilliant. And throwing him with the Maquis? Brillianter. And putting Sisko and Dukat in Fail-Safe? Brilliantest. Every moment of this episode is better than the last. Just too well done. And the Obsidian Order military build-up? Long term storytelling FTW. Could not be more pleased with this episode.
"Fascination"
Again -- I love that DS9 is not afraid of doing all out comedic romps, like TOS did. This is a fun episode that allows everyone to just go nuts. And the b-plot with the O'Briens was another example of great, heartfelt and realistic writing that is all too rare with depictions of marriages in media.
"Past Tense, Parts I & II"
Now THAT'S Star Trek! A great episode, with great action and themes and allegory and a spectacular showcase for Sisko and Bashir. Bashir really grows here, and wow is Sisko capable of some intense stuff when not bound by Starfleet regs. As someone who works in a homeless shelter/detox centre, this episode really speaks to me. Full marks, stand-out episode, true Trekkian brilliance all the way.
"Life Support"
A mismatched A and B plot if ever there was one. Both are great, but don't necessarily belong together -- the peace treaty between Bajor and Cardassia marred by the death of major supporting character Bareil; and Nog and Jake on a double date.
Mismatched plots aside, this was a ballsy move for the DS9 writers. There's a real sense of "wait, what just happened?" when the episode ends and Bareil is dead and not only did the technobabble fail to save him by the end of the hour but in fact was most of the reason he died. It's a strong statement, and while it's clearly supposed to be a Kira/Bareil storyline, the strongest characters coming out of it were Winn and Bashir: Winn, who shows that she's growing into the responsibility of being Kai, and Bashir -- who, contrary to the greenhorn he was in Season 1, has evolved into a man with the balls to tell the Kai of Bajor to get out of his Infirmary or he'll throw her out; and mean it.
A superb episode.
"Heart of Stone"
Another mismatched A and B plot, but somehow a lot better this time. The return of the Female Founder marks another tragic point in Odo's life -- he finally admits his love for Kira at the same time as he realizes the fact that she will never love him. Meanwhile, Nog applies for Starfleet Academy. And in another great move for DS9 writers, this is another thread that is not magically undone by the end of the episode.
Of all the kids in modern Trek: Wesley, Alexander, Jake, Nog, Icheb, I think Nog is the most interesting one to send to the Academy. While some great stories were done with Cadet Crusher, I agree with Ron Moore that Wesley was mainly going to satisfy people's expectations. It was a statement when Jake told his father he wasn't interested, making him a writer was a great move and provided Trek a great opportunity to have a real Federation civillian character on a show as a regular and show what that's like. Icheb was interested in Starfleet because VOY was written by a bunch of hacks who couldn't think of anything more interesting for him to be. But Nog? By sending Nog you're really exploring things about Ferengi, about Starfleet, about people working to improve themselves -- which is really what Star Trek is all about.
"Destiny"
And then we continue the thread of the Bajor/Cardassian treaty through its third episode (OMG! Serial storytelling??) with a great story about faith vs reason, and Sisko's coming to terms with his role as the Emissary. Another superb show, really coming back to the themes of DS9: politics, religion, and people.
"Prophet Motive"
A pretty ho-hum episode. There are some foreshadowings with Rom and Zek here of what is to come, but for the most part the A plot hits the reset button. The B plot goes nowhere and does nothing as well. The best part is re-introducing the Prophets to the show for the first time since the pilot.
"Visionary"
I like the follow-up to the Romulan involvement with the Defiant stuff that was brought up in the season opener, and O'Brien episodes are always fun, but the time travel isn't very consistent in its rules and is occasionally confusing. It's like a TNG episode, but it feels a lot better than a TNG episode because ultimately it's not about the tech mystery, but about using the tech/time travel stuff to solve the real problem, ie the Romulans.
Also -- dart board. Excellent.
"Distant Voices"
Another crazy Joe Menosky story, this one is best for the examination of Bashir's character right at the very end. It builds entirely on information already established, but asks the question "why, with all his talent, does Bashir constantly hold himself back?" We won't get the answer until Season 5!
"Through the Looking Glass"
We return to the mirror universe for some fun and games, and Sisko's character is all the better for it. I always love it when they take Sisko out of his responsibilities to Starfleet -- I love it when he's able to let loose (see "Past Tense"). And here he gets to make it with mirror universe Jadzia (somehow way hotter than ours, I think its the short hair) and mirror universe Kira. Pretty sure its the first time he's gotten any since his wife died, and its with alternate universe versions of his crew. Awesome. These episodes are always fun.
"Improbable Cause"
And then **** got officially real.
"The Die is Cast"
Absolutely glorious.
So... Michael Piller left to concentrate on VOY, Ira Behr took over, and things got instantaneously awesome??
"Explorers"
A fun, light, character based episode to follow up the plot heavy two-parter. I really like the relationship between Jake and his dad -- it feels real. What also feels real? Drunken singing with Miles and Julian. An everlasting friendship is born. Also -- Sisko begins rockin' the beard.
"Family Business"
Not the most substantial of episodes, but I like the added depth it gives to Quark and Rom.
"Shakaar"
This episode's greatest strength is Shakaar, and his realtionship with Kira. For letting us see these people we've heard about for three years, now in action. It's biggest mistake is that it finally crosses the line with Kai Winn. There was always a subtlety before that maybe she wasn't strictly evil and self-serving, but actually, in her own way, believed herself a selfless servant of Bajor. This episode is unable to balance that subtlety and for the first time she comes across as rather one-dimensionally power hungry. The episode's biggest failure is the GNDN subplot about O'Brien's winning streak at Quark's. It's a great set-up and idea for a subplot, but it ends up being a non-starter. I thought they were gonna say that O'Brien faked his injury (its so obviously overacted!) in order to throw the game so Quark would stop bugging him, but then they never brought it up. I suppose you could still read it that way, but then you're reading WAY between the lines. But still, Shakaar himself, good.
"Facets"
This is another successful DS9 character study, this time of the series (up to this point) least developed character - Dax. By this point I think Jadzia has fully become the Jadzia we all know and love, but the series hasn't had enough opportunities to show it. Season 4 will come with plenty. I enjoyed every element, especially Joran/Sisko and Curzon/Odo, and the subplot with Nog studying for the entrance exams to the Academy (prep program) was much appreciated follow-up to his story arc. A fine episode all around.
"The Adversary"
So, compared to "In the Hands of the Prophets" and "The Jem'Hadar", this is kinda weak. Except for the last line, nothing about it screams SEASON FINALE. That being said, on its own terms its a pretty good episode. Its at its best when its doing THE THING, the paranoia on the Defiant with no one knowing who to trust. And Sisko being promoted to Captain is also rad. That being said, there's not much else to say -- the importance of this episode is less in itself and more in how it sets up season 4 and seasons beyond that.
Season 3 Thoughts?
The most improved character of DS9 Season 3 was definitely Sisko. Little by little, episode by episode, Sisko became a far more dynamic, involved, and complex character than he had been in the first two seasons (and he was already pretty great). Also, while it happened quietly in the background, Dax has finally stepped out of her shell as well.
That being said, its possible Season 3 blew its load early with the "Improbable Cause"/"Die is Cast" two-parter.
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