"A Time to Stand"
Absolutely amazing. The balls on this episode. Massive. Not only have three months passed, not only is the Federation losing, not only do we NOT get the station back in one episode, not only is the plot totally different, but when the episode ends and we're floating on a Jem'Hadar ship with no warp drive -- there's NO "to be continued..." screen. Massive. Balls.
You really feel that DS9 has reached full maturity. To use a common Trek phrase, it has evolved beyond its beginnings, it has surpassed the Star Trek formula and become something more. Each and every character, regular or not, gets a good moment, each scene is well written, everything that happens has proceeded naturally from what comes before. And it's all just a prelude to some of the greatest hours of television Trek ever produced.
"Rocks and Shoals"
This is a brilliant hour of television. It shows that DS9 could produce a serialized arc, keep it moving forward, but still tell effective one-hour stories within the arc. And the writing here couldn't be better. From the planetside plot with our crew and the Dominion, which is probably the greatest exploration of the Jem'Hadar yet (and a huge improvement on last year's "The Ship") to the absolutely gripping stationside storyline, where Kira realizes she has become a collaborator. The scene where the Vedek hangs herself is incredibly powerful to me. This episode also has great cinematic technique, above and beyond standard Trek episodes -- its use of slow motion is stunningly effective. Final shot of the show is fantastic.
"Sons and Daughters"
A quieter hour of the arc, it reintroduces Alexander and Ziyal into the mix. I'll comment on Ziyal first -- the way the writers use her to inject such tension and awkwardness into the Dukat/Kira relationship is like salt in the wound in a way. It's, for lack of a better word, brilliant. As for Alexander? This episode is to be highly, highly commended for its use of him. Alexander, on TNG, was a horribly annoying character and his arc on that show was botched to say the least. Worf was a terrible parent, and the whole single dad thing just did not work. Then he sent Alexander away to Earth and we were apparently supposed to think that was okay, and since then the whole franchise acted like it forgot he existed, except for an occasional mention, even as major events continued to happen to Worf and his family.
The best thing this episode does is acknowledge all of this, that Worf botched it with Alexander and was a terrible father, and have Alexander turn out as an angry, bitter teenager. It makes sense, it feels right. And then to work to improve his character like this show does? And by the end set him on the way to being a legitimate individual, a worthwhile character? Absolutely impressive. To do that kind of turnaround and have it all feel like it naturally flows from what came before? Amazing.
"Behind the Lines"
And what the writers do here? With Sisko? With Odo?
Before I talk about that, I want to mention that throughout the arc, two recurring characters who are fantastic. One is Weyoun. Weyoun 5 is an amazing character, fantastically well written and performed. The way he turns on a dime from eccentric to grovelling to threatening is just... bravo! The other is Damar, a guy who went from being a random Cardie on Dukat's ship into the multi-faceted guy we see here. And he's only gonna get better.
But, as for Sisko -- promoting him to a desk job was a great move, so that we could see the other side of war. See what it's like for the guys at the base who have to send men into battle and then sit through the hell of just WAITING. It's brilliant because too often in war movies and Trek in particular the guys with the desk jobs are demonized. Speaking of which, one person I haven't mentioned is the character of Admiral Ross -- aka Trek's first really legitimately great Admiral character; he just sells it all the way, he has all the qualities an Admiral should have and yet makes him likeable enough that you accept and LIKE him as Sisko's boss. The problem with Admirals like Necheyev before was they were such hard-asses that you didnt like them and didnt like the Captains taking orders from them. It wasn't good long term. Ross works long term. He's great.
What was I saying?
Ah yes, Odo. Pulled to the dark side in such an insidious, slippery way. And yet it works, perfectly, from everything we know and have seen about his character up to this point. It's totally believable where he ends up at the end of the hour -- not really caring that he's betrayed Kira and doomed Rom.
"Favor the Bold"
This is just an hour of brilliant build up, fantastic character touches, and pure adrenaline producing excitement. Too great!!
"Sacrifice of Angels"
This may just be the space battles talking, but this is possibly the greatest single episode of Star Trek produced up to this point. In fact, it probably is the space battles talking, because "Operation: Return" is the greatest on screen battle up to this point in Trek history, including the Battle of Sector 001 in FIRST CONTACT. Incredible effects work, exciting and dynamic and all around heart poundingly exciting! But what's truely fantastic about this episode is that its not all about the battle. It's balanced perfectly with the culmination of the character threads on the station, leading to Odo's minor redemption, Damar's murder of Ziyal, Dukat's insanity, etc etc.
And then -- the Prophets FINALLY enter the plot. After five years of build-up and some very interesting episodes about Sisko as the Emissary, the Prophets storyline finally coalesces with the "main" storyline. Some may call it a deus ex machina, and literally speaking it is, but it's so well done and well thought out and just plain about time and perfect and the foreshadowing of a penance on Sisko is a great harbinger that says "just because this arc is ending doesn't mean this show is!"
The Dominion retreats (I love Weyoun's line "Time to start packing!") -- we get the station back -- Dukat found, crazy, devastated, and gives Sisko his baseball back. The arc ends.
Wow. Just wow.
Six incredible hours of television. Pulse pounding. I dunno how people could've done it a week at a time. Every character, from Ben Sisko to Jake Sisko, gets something really great to do. In fact, as I recall, Jake never really gets anything else after this, except a very minor role in "It's Only a Paper Moon". Speaking of which, Nog gets a field promotion to Ensign, which again MAKES SENSE in this context. Everything that happens MAKES SENSE, nothing feels conjured. Garak? Looks awesome with that headset on btw. Those were great. And that last moment with him and Ziyal in the Infirmary, her already dead? Perfect.
Every damned scene is great.
Pitch perfect.
Ah! This is a fantastic show!
"You Are Cordially Invited"
I don't care if the plot is basically the same as all other TV wedding shows. This is still one of my favourite DS9 outings. I think it's because it gets the characters so right. It's just a fun, genuine, heartfelt hour. It reminds of the fact that of all the Trek crews, the DS9 bunch are the ones I'd most want to know socially, as friends. Also, while many feel the resolution between Odo and Kira is a cop-out, and in fact it is, I still like it. It's better than histrionics, and it's not all that unbelievable -- having spent many a party up all night talking in closets myself.
"Resurrection"
A decent, if predictable episode. It's undoing is mainly that, after all this time, I don't care about Bareil, mirror or otherwise. And I also don't really care about the mirror universe. "Shattered Mirror" sort've took it as far as it could go and now that DS9 has moved on to bigger and better (Dominion War) things, it just feels too unimportant and removed from the tapestry of the show. This entry and "Emperor's New Cloak" were just sort've unnessecary.
"Statistical Probabilities"
This episode, on the other hand, is great. From the subtle nods at the classic Foundation Trilogy, to really giving Bashir's genetic enhancements some depth, to the able juggling of a standalone plot that still advances the War storyline, it's just a fun, engrossing hour with some interesting characters. I really like it.
"The Magnificent Ferengi"
Gloriously hilarious -- almost everything works, with maybe my favourite gag being Quark and Rom accidentally ending up in Sisko's office. The only element that doesn't quite gel is it's never explained why the Dominion kidnapped Ishka in the first place. One could assume it's due to her connection to the Nagus, but why?
"Waltz"
A powerhouse of an episode, mostly devoted to the performances of Brooks and Alaimo. Probably the best Dukat episode, and maybe the high point of the character from a writing standpoint. While I love every minute of this episode I can see why the writers weren't sure what to do with the character now that he had been pushed, to use Simpsons terminology, from ordinary every day villainy to cartoonish supervillainy.
"Who Mourns for Morn?"
A delightfully clever hour. Both this and "Magnificent Ferengi" are among the good examples of how to do Quark comedy.
"Far Beyond the Stars"
I don't know if I have anything to say about this classic Star Trek episode that hasn't already been said. Anyone who says DS9 didn't understand the meaning of Trek and was inferior to VOY should shut up and watch this. Nothing VOY did ever got close to the power of this episode, or as close to the spirit of Trek as it does, for that matter. My only nit to pick would be that Brooks milks his final speech as Russell maybe a little too long.
"One Little Ship"
Absolutely ridiculous, and absolutely delightful. A very enjoyable episode, practically TOS-like, and even better than TAS' shrinking episode. In between all the shenanigans it even moves the war plot forward with the knowledge of the Dominion breeding Jem'Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant.
"Honor Among Thieves"
A brilliant O'Brien episode, that really plays to Meaney's strengths. It's funny because Meaney is basically playing the Billby character in LAYER CAKE. My only regret is that Ramos, the higher-up in the Syndicate that we meet, is some non-descript alien as opposed to actually being an Orion. It was a nice touch having the Vorta be the same in this episode as in the prior one though.
"Change of Heart"
Fantastic. Probably the best exploration of the Dax/Worf relationship, and a great change to standard Trek cliches that Worf sacrifices the mission for his wife, and is seriously reprimanded. It really shows the depth of his love for her. I found it touching, really.
"Wrongs Darker than Death or Night"
Revealing. It's a bizzarre, sick, nightmare scenario Kira finds herself in. It puts the relationship between her and Dukat in a whole new, insane, light. And I found it interesting that after six years it seemed almost as if Kira didn't really remember how hard things were during the Occupation, that she had gotten used to the luxury of always being able to make the right decision. Good show.
"Inquisition"
Ah, Section 31. There's a percentage of fans who hated the notion, and believed that it never should have been introduced. Not me -- Section 31, the premise, is great, this episode is great, Sloan is great, Bashir is great, DEEP SPACE NINE is great. Great episode.
"In the Pale Moonlight"
What can I say? Greatest episode of DEEP SPACE NINE by far, equalled maybe only by a couple of TNG episodes and a couple of TOS episodes. Glorious -- well played DS9 writing staff. Well played.
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Also, Sisko and Garak are the greatest ever.
"His Way"
I have never understood the apparent hatred an apparently large portion of the fanbase has against Vic Fontaine. I doubt I ever will. I have never seen it satisfactorily explained, people on the Internet just dislike him. The closest I ever heard to rational argument was that he took up too much screentime in such a late and crucial phase of the series and wasn't important enough to the main story for the time spent on him.
Frak that. Vic is a great character, for the primary reason that he is FUN. Which is part of the point of this episode. Sometimes I feel like Trek fans are a little too much like Odo in this installment, closed off and agitated, allergic to fun and emotion, unwilling to even try to talk to girls (ba-dum-ch!).
Anyways, this episode is fantastic and fun, and immensely satisfying after the four seasons of frustration between Odo and Kira. That scene on the Promenade leading up to the kiss is fantastic.
And the music! Man, what a time.
"The Reckoning"
This is a good episode that apparently a lot of people don't like. What they don't realize is that it's the necessary middle step between "Rapture" and basically the whole of Season 7. Which makes it good, but is also part of the problem. Because while Sisko's relationship with the Prophets had been developing gradually and well throughout the show, the Pagh-wraiths had gotten one Season 5 episode and 1 dialogue reference in Season 1. So we have this episode to bring us all back to speed and where we need to be, and while it's good and effective (especially the sfx work) and has some interesting stuff to say about faith, the parts on Sisko and Winn and the Prophets all feel like recap, the stuff about the Pagh-wraiths and the Reckoning feel underdeveloped, and you get a very major sense that this episode is MAINLY about setting things up and putting them off for later, basically serving as a reminder about all this shit.
That criticism aside, it IS a good episode, I just wish there had been a bit more to the final Ben/Jake Sisko scene in the Infirmary on the subject of Jake sabotaging Kosst Amojan's efforts from within to save his father, which is basically Jake finally accepting his father's place in the Bajoran mythos.
"Valiant"
Aka "Star Trek XI: The Episode". Seriously, this should be mandatory viewing for anyone who liked the new movie -- the new movie being the complete fantasy that this episode serves as a wake-up call to. You can't put a bunch of cadets in charge of an ultra-powerful new starship. Even if they mean well, even if they are heroes, even if they have all those good qualities, the fact that they literally have no clue what they are doing will get them killed. The actor playing Watters here even reminds me of Chris Pine's Kirk -- hell, he actually has more dimensions than Pine's Kirk. Anyways, I'm getting off track -- this is a great episode that really utilizes Nog and Jake and their differences very well and tells a really good War story as well. People frak up, people die.
"Profit and Lace"
180 into terrible. It's not aggressively bad -- I don't hate it like after watching like a Lars Von Trier film -- but it's also not so bad its fun. It's just bad. Fall on its face, makes you wonder what they were thinking, bad. Far worse than any other bad DS9 episode -- it's definitely I think the one DS9 episode most Niners would pay to forget. The whole thing really just crashes the instant they put Quark in drag. Man it's awful. Man.
"Time's Orphan"
This year's "Let's Torture O'Brien" and also the first straight-up sci-fi story that DS9 has done in a while. I don't have a lot of comments, other than that the ending is a little pat, but I agree that keeping Molly 18 would've been one more thread than the series needed going into the final season. The coolest thing is that I swear to Zod the time portal in this episode is the same tech as the Guardian from "City on the Edge".
"The Sound of Her Voice"
A quiet character piece before we rush headlong into the season finale. I honestly enjoyed the Quark/Odo/Jake B-plot more than the sci-fi A-plot, but it must be said that the best scene in the episode is the Irish Wake at the end. O'Brien's line about how someone in this circle of friends may be gone before we know it, well, it hits you hard when you know what's coming.
Both of these episodes feel like filler, but good filler.
"Tears of the Prophets"
I think this episode would have been better served with a 90-minute run-time like "Way of the Warrior". Way too much happens for any of the legitimate drama to ring true, or for the melodramatic epic tone they are wanting to shine through. It all comes across as mechanical and exposition heavy -- We invade Chin'toka, Dukat is possessed by a Pagh-wraith, Dukat kills Jadzia, the Orbs go dark and the wormhole closes, Sisko leaves for Earth -- all huge events, but none get the sturm and drang they deserve.
I'm still not sure exactly what happened with Dukat's plan -- I thought his plan was to use the Wraiths to kill the Prophets, thus ensuring the wormhole stays open, but instead what happens is the Wraith flies from him into the Orb, the Orbs go dark, and the wormhole closes. And I'm not really sure why.
I can't fault anything in this episode exactly, I just wish it could've been expanded a little more. It feels like the writers knew where all the pieces needed to be on the end of the board, but waited until the last 45 minutes of the season to get them there.
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