Comment Stream

Re: DS9 S7: What You Leave Behind

Too many lame endings for what made DS9 great - the characters.
A shame it had to happen here.

Re: DS9 S7: Tacking into the Wind

Whoa, this one was incredible. I'm going to watch it again (partly to forget about Extreme Measures) before I finish the series. Awesome review, Jammer!
A few thoughts...
Ezri - her best scene, best episode. I love Worf, and I love Ezri,
and different as they are, they have been great together, and no better than here. I love when DS9 is realistic on the interpersonal level.
Kira - Pure balls. And Nana really shows her acting chops in this one. As Jammer observed: "Nana Visitor again shows her astounding ability to reveal her character's vulnerability and emotions without for one second sacrificing her strength." I couldn't have said it better, she's amazing.

Re: DS9 S7: Extreme Measures

I guess the highlight for me in this episode, and previous, is Sisko's willingness to make some very difficult decisions in wartime.
However, like in I, Borg, I think it's ridiculous and very unrealistic that they'd kill their chance to annihilate an extremely hostile enemy. Neither the Borg nor the Dominion are specifically genocidal, but I'd expect living under their rule to be worse than death. Both are amoral groups. War is about survival. And it is hell - preferably upon the enemy.
I thought the plot was fairly dull, but I never liked Bashir, and I hate that he's suddenly sooo in love with Ezri. It just seems very Hollywood. And senior staff really shouldn't date. I really don't know what to make about his excellent conversation with O'Brien (honestly I don't know how O'Brien puts up with him). To a certain extent I've always thought of Bashir as a repressed gay man, and I think it could be interpreted that he's breaking through that repression in his honesty with O'Brien. I don't mean that in any kind of malevolent or bigoted way; sometimes it's very hard, especially in a traditional family, to be comfortable with one's preferences.
Something else that's been bothering me for the last few episodes, is Miles ever going back to work? He just seems to be hanging out a lot.
Finally I can't say enough about Nana Visitor - I've seriously loved her acting in this final arc.

Re: DS9 S7: The Changing Face of Evil

One nitpick is the disconnect in storytelling between Strange Bedfellows and Changing Face of Evil.
At the end of Strange Bedfellows, we have this exchange:

Ezri: Why are you doing this?
Damar: I want you to give a message to the Federation. Tell them they have an ally on Cardassia.
Worf: Why should we trust you?
Damar: You can either trust me or stay here and be executed.
Ezri: I vote for option one.

Then at the beginning of Changing Face of Evil, we have this scene:

Sisko: Why do you think Damar decided to help you escape?
Ezri: I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing, he hates Weyoun.
Worf: The Cardassians are a proud people, but the Dominion treats them like second-class citizens.
Ezri: I think Damar is worried that this new alliance with the Breen is going to weaken Cardassia's status with the Dominion even more. But whatever his reasons, we owe him our lives.

They're not sure? I think Damar was pretty clear why.

Re: DS9 S7: The Changing Face of Evil

Amazing episode! And great review, Jammer.
Jeffrey Combs is intense...what an actor. Episodes like this remind me why I call DS9 my all-time favorite show - and why it's still being discussed nearly two decades after release.

Re: DS9 S7: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang

It felt wrong to post a review saying I didn't finish it - so I did.  I think what irritated me most about the episode was the waste of James Darren.  He, and everyone else, deserved a better script.  I wanted to enjoy this episode, but it never sat right with me. However, Nana Visitor was fantastic.  A true gem of an actress!

Among the problems:
1) Captain Sisko abandoning his deeply-held values to indulge his staff (and girlfriend).  I prefer to envision Ben and Jake having a gent's night in, good food, and a good conversation about black history.  "While they're down in that holosuite having fun, they're also living a revisionist history," Captain Sisko might say.  The episode shows that 400 years from now, people will still be afraid to have a frank discussion of racism. (And there's a LOT of it, most poignantly against Ferengi.) I would have preferred the casino story to be the B story and a discussion about racism to be the A story.  Or better yet, have the Siskos show up as janitors, and behave how any brown-skinned man would behave in that era - very suspicious of the whites treating them decently.  I like Sisko, and "get back to work" works just fine for me.

2) Issues of logic with the heist story - too many to list.  One, however, is getting into the safe.  Did Noggy Sue learn safecracking during his semester at Starfleet academy?  If so, he must be in a special class indeed.  The quickest way to crack that safe would be for Odo to simply ooze his way in through the micro fissures inherent in its build - it's not like it had a forcefield around it.  If the Founders can turn into a gas, I'm SURE there's a way to slip into the safe's mechanism and unlock it without much trouble.  Come on.

3) Ezri is certainly objectified - as any cocktail waitress or playboy bunny was then (and now).  I actually don't have a problem with women dressing to augment their visual attractiveness, but back then they didn't have many other options if they wanted to work - and if it had been more realistic, I'm sure Ezri's role would have been significantly more degrading, with the 'extra service' expected by scumbags like the Mafia. They've erased racism, but aren't PC enough to give Ezri a role that isn't primarily sexual objectification?  (Yes, I know it's TV, and it's all about sex and ratings.  But most Trek fans do hold Trek to a higher standard, and we aren't just turning our brains off when we turn on a Trek show.) I'll give DS9 credit for taking risks, even when they are total failures; it's not the standard morality play of earlier Treks.  But the episode just feels like a lot of good ideas that weren't thought through sufficiently.

4) I love Vic/Darren, and I love the Rat Pack, and I adore jazz and have been listening to jazz singers for decades, but I really thought the song at the end sucked.  It was meant to be sweet (?), but in light of a failure of an episode, it wasn't, it just came off as soppy pandering.  I love Brooks, but he was straining so badly that I'm surprised they didn't scrap the idea. And for Captain Sisko to go from 100% against, to playing the ONE role blacks got some condescending acknowledgement for is just a slap in the face.

5)  Holodeck safeties, etc.  I mentioned this earlier and so did others, but yeah, if those safeties can be disabled by...pretty much anything, it seems, I doubt Starfleet would risk having trained personnel trapped or dying in one.

Re: DS9 S7: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang

I remembered this as a fun episode, when it aired, but now I was bored enough to turn it off when it was almost over. The racial issue could and should have been the major theme of the episode. I would respect Sisko more if he'd stood his ground & had a long conversation with Jake about race instead. The Scorsese-style direction was over the top derivative, and did little to make the plot interesting. And what about Ezri completely objectified in her scanty uniform? They can erase some distasteful denigration but not others? I also think Worf was sorely missing from this one - he could have reprised his role as a card shark. And he looks awesome in a tux.
And the whole contrivance of the computer not accepting commands from people in the holodeck isn't believable - Starfleet wouldn't tolerate that imo.

Re: DS9 S7: Chimera

Pretty predictable episode - I definitely am not of the popular opinion on this one. I found Laas (lost) to be an arrogant narcissist, and I would have been happy if the Klingons had blasted him with disruptors. Scripts like this, where a wise and self-aware character such as Odo suddenly behaves like he hasn't made all the progress that he's made, and is wondering in a fog, are a huge injustice to the character and the viewers' intelligence. There's a hint of a script here, but no real progress.
I'm still waiting for a romantic episode with Kira and Odo.

Re: DS9 S7: The Emperor's New Cloak

As much as I love and appreciate Jammer's site, there are quite a few times when we have very different opinions. This is one of those times. This is the first DS9 Ferengi episode that I've actually really liked a lot. I liked the heist episode on TNG, and I thought this was just a blast. I didn't take it seriously and just sat back and enjoyed it. It's so far-fetched as to not even be thought of in terms of the actual story arc. There are a few episodes equally as far-fetched - and I've enjoyed them immensely for the element of humor. I expect that episodes like this were being filmed while the final episodes of the series were being filmed elsewhere with Sisko, Odo, et al. So possibly it's just a budget issue. I would like nothing more than a three-part episode about Odo and Kira's blossoming love, or many more Sisko episodes (I feel like he got the most screen time when the writing was the worst, in the early seasons). I just don't think the time or money was there.

Re: DS9 S7: Prodigal Daughter

I turned it off about halfway through. The control-freak, wicked witch mother has been done to death. And yeah, most therapists are trying to fix themselves - as much as others - and very typically come from dysfunctional homes.
The whole Trill gimmick lasts for a few episodes, but the writing shows that they didn't think very deeply about a Trill personality. It's just a convenient plot fix on occasion. I kind of feel bad for Nicole, she stepped in to take over a dull Mary Sue character, but doesn't have much time for character development.

Re: DS9 S7: It's Only a Paper Moon

Amazing! James Darren is awesome.

Re: DS9 S7: The Siege of AR-558

I found the episode extremely boring. It just seemed like an excuse to get in some action scenes. Once again, Quark is here for no reason at all. And he shouldn't be there per Starfleet regulations. And once again Nog, who's had what, a semester at the academy? And is now being assigned to deep space battle missions? Makes no sense. I don't despise Nog, but it's one of those completely illogical things that grates on me. I really just can't see someone with that limited of experience being assigned to some of these missions. It's not like Wesley fighting the Borg - they didn't have much time to prepare for the Borg, but they're in a war, a long war, with the Dominion. Certainly someone with more experience should be a bridge officer. If they want to keep sticking Nog in these incredibly difficult situations, perhaps they should transfer the Mary Sue worm to his belly.

Re: DS9 S7: Treachery, Faith, and the Great River

I didn't find most of this plausible. As others pointed out, there were some gaps in logic.
Nog has been too obnoxious for far too long to redeem himself for me. I know he has a big episode coming up but I don't recall any emotional resonance. I agree that portraying the Ferengi in a better light would have been nice; in TNG they began and stayed synonymous with thieves - I find it a crass racism that, I guess, is more real than your average show.

Re: DS9 S7: Take Me Out to the Holosuite

O'Brien's scotch comment was epic.
But, unfortunately, this episode did nothing for me. I'd watched it before, long ago, and I hoped that there was at least some comedy, but I ended up turning it off about halfway through. I think you have to either like baseball, or at least not detest it to enjoy this episode. I really didn't get the rivalry with Sisko and the Vulcan captain - it seemed very childish and out of character for both captains.
But I think it's a good commentary on the effect of sports on people's rationality, and how just the word "sports" can be used as an excuse for zealous and feral behavior.
Overall I found it obnoxious. So far my least favorite episode.
Funny, I kept wanting Jadzia to show up and tell Benjamin to get over it. Hard to believe they have weeks to practice for something trivial with a war on.

Re: DS9 S7: Shadows and Symbols

Okay, so there wasn't much to like in this episode. I kept waiting for the old man to die, it just seemed so likely. It's really a wonder anyone like Ben Sisko can stay in Starfleet. I didn't go for the Horndogs of Jadzia group on a Klingon ship - I really would've expected Julian and Quark to be killed, at least. It's as distasteful as them drinking it up over her being pregnant. She's a married woman, she was married in Quark's bar, Bashir was part of the wedding party. Normal men just don't act that way unless they're really starved for sex. I thought it was a raunchy and sour tribute to Jadzia Dax. I really don't recall any interactions between her and O'Brien being notable; and Bashir went after her like a randy little academy boy and embarrassed everyone. I'm sure Quark respected her, but it just doesn't make sense, it's just too much of a gimmick to feel real or respectable. It would have been more meaningful if it was just Klingons. Also, the birth mother of Benjamin going back and contriving his birth seemed, well, very contrived, plus shamefully stupid. Not knowing your mother is no joke, and could have easily been an episode on its own.
The Benny Russell scene was truly brilliant writing.
My other highlight would be Nicole DeBoer, the camera loves her delicate beauty. I really find her much more approachable as a character than Jadzia, who seemed a bit of a Mary Sue. Ezri seems like a better fit for the Dax worm.

Re: DS9 S6: Time's Orphan

Heavy episode, I nearly skipped it because I didn't want to watch something really emotionally intensive. But I loved every second of it! I loved that for once the chief was not made to look like a horse's behind. Although Odo did have a point! I also really like Keiko's acting, a very underused actress. I found the episode to be moving on so many levels. Emotionally exhausting, but one of many gems that make DS9 amazing.

Re: DS9 S6: Change of Heart

I adored this episode, I felt like both characters were much more interesting then before. I found it romantic as hell. I almost skipped it entirely, but I was bored and thought I'd give it a shot... I was moved to tears by the ending.

Re: TNG S5: Imaginary Friend

Worst TNG episode by far, perhaps among the worst of all Trek (I love Spock's Brain because it's hilarious). (Voyager, especially the last 6 seasons, is as low as I've ever gone in sitting through an episode.)
At my only ever Trek convention, one of the boneheads from Paramount did some market research and asked us to clap for certain characters. I was shocked when this episode's little girl was put up on the screen to be voted. Not too much clapping, but definitely some booing - including mine

Re: DS9 S6: Valiant

I found the plot increasingly implausible. About halfway through I simply turn down the volume because it was so predictable.
On a positive note, this is the first episode where I really appreciated the character of Nog. I could see the similarity between him and Worf - both the only species to wear the uniform, and both taking an extremely serious approach to their duty, because they know that it's already hard to be taken seriously, and they have to push it to the limit where there's never a question of their dedication.

Re: DS9 S6: His Way

I loved it and thought it was hilarious throughout. It would be too tempting to have such an ensemble of actors and not do varied and experimental episodes. I grew up with jazz and have an intense appreciation for it and its role in our culture. The scene with Sisko snapping his fingers was wonderful, surprising and very realistic. I might have considered they were implying a black stereotype if I didn't know the Captain was from New Orleans. I'm sure he knew all those songs by heart. I can definitely see where the charms of the episode may have faded; it might seem dated at best to many - the Rat Pack has been gone for quite a while.

Re: DS9 S6: The Magnificent Ferengi

Waste of time for me, and I like the Ferengi. I just don't think they are funny; I find the depictions of them smacks of racism - especially the kind of racism from the 60s and 70s entertainment media. Manuel from Fawlty Towers would be a good comparison. They're largely financial wizards but bumbling fools?
Eh...I like Quark, but a little Ferengi goes a long way.
Racist stereotypes annoy me; I do give credit to ds9 for having the guts to annoy, offend and challenge.

Re: Pondering Patrick Stewart's return to the franchise

I was kidding about Stewart dying. Jeez, he's probably the last actor I'd have ill wishes for. He's a true hero, and great inspiration to many.

Re: Pondering Patrick Stewart's return to the franchise

I've seen great characters come back and ruin their good reputations many times. CBS really does not care, if it's a likely financial gain, even short-term, they'll do it. Creativity and integrity are not on the balance sheet. I'd be a little surprised if Stewart signed a contract, unless he's been assured massive creative control.
I've given the later Treks a chance, but found them an assault on my spare time. I loved most of DS9, and adore TOS & especially TNG, but dear God, I wish I hadn't wasted a second of my life on VOY or most of the other rubbish. I did like the later ENT episodes, but I think it was mostly garbage. It reminds me of Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad - they run out of story but keep milking it for the cash. I'll be optimistic and hope Sir Patrick passes away before filming starts.

Re: DS9 S6: You Are Cordially Invited

"Let rivers flow from our veins!" -Martok

One of the funniest episodes of ANY show, imo. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. I felt like Martok was channeling Michael Palin in some scenes. And Bashir's "I'm going to kill Worf" is too good.
Anyone taking this episode seriously is missing out. As Captain Sisko alludes to in the beginning, this is the break everyone needs.
For once I really didn't mind Dax, and I thought Worf showed more personality than in virtually any other episode. I really felt like the plot was irrelevant; episodes like this are a little gift to fans. I'll never forget "The Trial of Anguish" - I'm glad Klingons properly - and honestly - prepare for marriage!
Martok as usual was incredible, he's such a dramatic Klingon. His speech "Honor gives little comfort to a man alone in his home and in his heart," managed to somehow be hilariously over the top, and really touching.
My only nitpick was the ceremony, which abruptly ends with Sirella saying "this man and woman are married." The appropriately stylized and passionate Klingon ceremony seemed to grind to a halt and she's like, okay, it's over. (I imagine Ron Moore getting a call as he was writing it and being told "we need the script in an hour," because that part didn't seem to be fully written.)
As for the nitpicking about Worf's friends, TNG, etc., the tradition is for Worf to spend that time with his "closest male friends." If all Klingons are anywhere near as literal as Worf, then it is obvious that his male friends on the station are physically closest.
A final note, I agree with whoever said that Odo and Kira having a conversation off-screen lends more depth and realism to the show; American television is often very obvious; and I thought it was a nice touch that they had a very personal and intense conversation off screen. I would even go as far as to say it was none of our business.

Re: DS9 S6: Sacrifice of Angels

Spoiler alert! This review may contain spoilers, proceed at your own risk!

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During my rewatch I've been trying to avoid the religious aspects of the show, not because I disapprove of them - as a matter of fact, I think it adds realism. (I'm just very bored by it, to be honest.)
During my first few watches, I never skipped an episode, but at my age I have to be choosy with my media consumption.
Okay, that said, I really did not buy the ending at all. Total cop-out. The scene with the prophets was extraordinary well done, and I have no complaints for how it was executed. However, the show is pitched at science fiction fans, and "God done it" is not a reasonable plot resolution.
But yes, hooray for Jeffrey Combs, easily one of the best actors on Star Trek.