Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Season 4, Episode 26
Original Air Date: June 17, 1996
 |
| via Memory Alpha |
Garak episode!
Odo collapses in Garak's shop, his solid form destabilizing. When rest in the infirmary doesn't help, Odo asserts that only the Founders will be able to cure him. Everyone realizes he's right so a plan is made to deliver him to their home world. Among several complications: they don't know where it is. Meanwhile, the Federation is tumbling towards inevitable war with the Klingons. The episode ends with one helluva cliffhanger.
We have much to discuss...
Let's start with the A-plot Odo story. What an interesting twist on the Pinocchio tale it is. For harming a fellow changeling, Odo is sentenced to losing his shape-changing abilities. He is turned human, not as reward but as punishment. Make no mistake, this is an important philosophical turning point for the Star Trek franchise. Consider all of the material devoted to wishing Spock, Data, Worf, B'Elanna Torres and many others were more human. When it happens to Odo, it's portrayed as a disaster. No joke, this is a monumental shift.
It also marks the beginning of the end for Deep Space Nine, the series. In the final act, Odo confesses to Captain Sisko how lost and abandoned he feels having lost his connection to The Great Link. A seed is planted. We know that, even with his enforced transformation, he will return one day, permanently. And when he does, our connection with Odo's story will be over. A point of finality is established for one of our principals. Fortunately, there's still some time.
The Gowron eyes...
Gowron gets a lot of screen time in "Broken Link," all of it in close up. My goodness, do the eyes ever get a chance to shine. First, let's give all due credit to the makeup department for enhancing Robert O'Reilly's physical gift. Michael Westmore was the lead man for Star Trek in this era and it's well worth noting he was nominated for an Emmy every year between 1984 and 2005, winning 9 times. Truly, he's a giant of the industry and a member of the Westmore family which has been working in film makeup for four generations and counting. The Gowron eyes alone are a towering achievement.
And boy, does O'Reilly sell them! Seriously, when does the man ever blink? Aha, he may be a changeling! Maybe that's how he does it...
Garak...
Wow, "Broken Link" is a great Garak episode, and that's saying something! He gets to play matchmaker between Odo and Chalan Aroya, owner of the Celestial Cafe, a new Bajoran restaurant on the promenade. He gets into fisticuffs with Worf - "you fight well, for a tailor." Best of all, he gets to keep Odo company during the journey to the Gamma Quadrant:
Question: why didn't they let Odo rest in his liquid state?
Thoughts on Season Four
General Impressions
Season 4 marks a new high for the series and for all of Star Trek. Neither the original series nor NextGen ever had a season as strong from beginning to end and it's not even close. How good is DS9 Season 4? This outstanding finale doesn't even crack my top 5 episodes for the season. The season's worst is still pretty damn good. The best is a masterpiece.
Favorite Episode: "The Visitor"
This is not an easy call. Both "The Visitor" and "Rejoined" rank very high on my all-time Star Trek list. "The Visitor" was the Hugo nominee. It is close to perfect - all the more amazing for the fact that alternate history is just the sort of narrative choice that typically drives me crazy. The dialogue sings. But once again, the acting seals the deal. Tony Todd's adult Jake Sisko is one of the greatest guest performances you'll ever find on television. He and Avery Books join forces for a revolutionary scene, portraying a tenderness between Black men you simply don't see in American media. Genuinely unforgettable.
"The Visitor" lost the Hugo to "The Coming of Shadows," a Babylon 5 episode. I guess I need to watch it sometime.
Least Favorite Episode: "Shattered Mirror"
This choice says it all. I will readily concede that "Shattered Mirror" is a good episode. The Garak-Worf scenes in particular are delicious. I'm reasonably certain I've never used that particular adjective to describe a NextGen scene - certainly not one in an episode I otherwise didn't like. This is simply a personal preference. I don't like the way DS9 uses the Mirror Universe. But that's just me.
Favorite Recurring Character: Garak
It's unlikely anyone will ever beat Garak for this spot. Even if it had been close beforehand, he distanced himself from the rest of the field in the season finale. But folks, the rest of the field keeps getting stronger. Dynamite recurring characters introduced in Season 4 include Kasidy Yates, Damar, Joseph Sisko and Ziyal.
Favorite Blast from the Past: Worf
While the quality of the product was only getting better, the ratings for all Star Trek series were in consistent decline from the end of NextGen onward. The producers made a bold move for Deep Space Nine's fourth season, adding Worf - one of the previous series's strongest and most popular characters - to the principal cast. As noted here, TNG ended with plenty of room left to explore Worf's story.
It was an outstanding choice for all involved.
Favorite Guest Actor, One-Shot: Tony Todd as adult Jake Sisko
 |
| via Memory Alpha |
I'll readily admit Todd makes for a bit of an awkward choice in the category as I have named it. "The Visitor" is certainly not his only Trek appearance, nor even his only appearance in the season. In fact, he will probably always be better remembered as Worf's brother Kurn. But it is his only appearance as adult Jake Sisko. See above - it's a grand slam.
As an honorable mention, Susanna Thompson deserves some confetti for her performance in "Rejoined" but honestly, the lion's share of the credit should go to Terry Farrell (Dax) for making that story work.
Onward
Thank goodness there are still three seasons left to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment