the delphic expanse

NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!

I'm actually in the second season now, but I want to bring my reviews from Trekbbs here to share with the people I really love in the Trek fandom... especially if any of you are Niners.

First, some background so you'll understand what kind of reviewer I'm going to be:

I believe I ought to explain that I am not an uber-Trekkie. Write occasional fanfic? Make pretty avatars, banners & wallpapers? Participate in boards that discuss Trek? Yes, yes and yes. Nitpick every tiny detail of an episode? Understand any of the technical and scientific aspects of Trek? Believe that "canon" is the only way to gauge whether an episode or show is worth viewing? No, no and definitely no.

I will basing my reviews on whether or not I was either moved or entertained. Nothing more, nothing less. And I'm not super hard to entertain. I like good writing and good acting and as long as there is enough of both in an episode, I will most likely be content.

The "scoring" will on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being "That was one of the best episodes of all Trek that I've ever seen!" and 1 being "OMG I may quit all of Trek based on that episode alone."

I also want to note that I do not confuse opinion with fact, so if anyone ardently loves an episode that I don't much care for or vice versa, it's all good.

Okay... the reviews (and I apologize as to the number of them -- I should have done this sooner):

Emissary
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The good: Love seeing Picard. Just 'cause, he's my favorite captain. Also great to see O'Brien and I'm looking forward to seeing his story develop further. Kira is pretty cool. Bashir is interesting. I like Quark. The Bajoran religion fascinates me. The entire storyline in the wormhole, particularly Sisko explaining linear existence to non-corporeal beings was good. My favorite was when they helped him to see that he continues to exist in the moment when his wife died. Good writing there.

The bad: Sisko. I'm hoping that as the actor settles into the role, he'll be less stiff and forced. There was a lot of over-acting, in my opinion, and it drew me out of the experience. Potentially powerful moments in the episode were rendered meaningless by the acting. Jadzia Dax also feels... not genuine. I'm not necessarily holding it against either character as I realize it takes a while for both the writers and the actors to really get a feel for them sometimes. (Heck, TNG was pretty ugh-ish to start too.) I'm withholding judgment on these two... but they did make the episode less enjoyable.

The zany: Gul Dukat. Seriously. If I had not made a commitment to watch the entire series, I might have been tempted to give up after this first episode before this Cardassian showed up. (Not a lot of time these days and I don't want to waste it watching something that isn't the bee's-knees for me.) But Gul Dukat is worth every minute. Fantastic character. The actor is great, but then it's a great role to play as well. I seem to remember from my interactions with Niners that Gul Gukat is not a one or two episode wonder. If that is the case, then I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of this deliciously evil alien.

Summary: For the most part I was ambivalent about this episode. It had good moments but plenty of moments where I felt like both the writers and the actors were trying to force me to be moved by their work instead of letting it speak for itself. All in all, mildly entertaining--along the same lines as most Trek series beginnings.

Past Prologue
♥♥♥♥♥♥---- (6/10)

The good: Avery Brooks. Yep. There I said it. He did great in this episode. Much more understated and believable. And yes, as an ENT fan I totally hollered: "Wait! That cardassian is ADMIRAL FORREST!!" and had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. Better acting, decent writing.

The bad: Bashir. He was kind of annoying in this episode. Also the scene between Kira and Odo was too long and a little too forced. The acting was fine, it was the writing. It was overdone. I think it would have been more powerful if they had gone for a more understated approach.

The zany: You all know who I'm talking about: Garak. Is DS9 gonna make me fall in love with quirky cardassians or what? I liked him very much. Hope to see more of him in the series.

Summary: Overall a good episode. I was entertained, the acting was much better than the premiere. If this is the version of Sisko that I can expect through the series, then I'm on board. Much better, much more genuine.

A Man Alone
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The good: Sisko was still good. Keiko rocks... love seeing her put together a school. Bashir was more palatable (and I really liked him in the premiere... dunno what they've done to make him not as cool.)

The bad: The writing. They tried to do too much with the episode and spread things too thin. In which case, the parts that needed depth (Odo getting ostrisized for the murder of a nasty Bajoran) were totally lacking. This is an episode that I rewrote in my mind after watching it.

The zany: Bugs that make people change colors. Where can I get those?

Summary: Meh. It barely earned 5 hearts for me. The acting was just fine... the writing was poor. And the teaser was pretty dull. Personally I would have started with the murder itself and left a bigger mystery there. Through the investigation, we discover that the man who was murdered was one that Odo put away. Also, as a viewer I needed to believe that people would mob like that over the death of a nasty ex-con. I had no sympathy for the victim, so it felt unreal that people would be coming out of the woodwork to lynch the prime suspect. I would have also had only one secondary plot instead of two. In this case, I would have saved the Keiko school plot for another episode and focused more on Sisko adjusting to Jadzia Dax.

(In order to make a single post not over-long... I'm only going to throw in 3-4 "catch up reviews" per post).

Moving on with "catch-up" reviews:

Babel
♥♥♥♥♥♥---- (6/10)

The Good: Acting was supberb. The crew is already growing on me, Kira in particular. Bashir was more like I want him to be.

The Bad: B.O.R.I.N.G. I felt none of the urgency that the writers wanted me to. It was a pretty dull episode, other than doing a bit more establishing of characters and the fact that they are trying to take over a cardassian station that was previously gutted.

The Zany: Aphasia. (Nope, Quark didn't make the zany list this time... I don't have a feel for the character just yet.)

Summary: Mildly entertaining, but mostly snooze-worthy. As much as I enjoy TNG, I'm not really liking seeing the same type of writing being recycled for DS9. From what I've heard, though, I guess I should expect this kind of stuff for a while yet in the series.

Captive Pursuit
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The Good: I really liked the interactions between O'Brien and Tosk. They did a good job of making Tosk very alien, but also sympathetic -- even with his suspicious behavior.

The Bad: The dabo girl sexual harrassment scene in the teaser. I have no problems dealing with social issues via Trek. I just felt like it was too serious an issue to only garner a throw away scene that wouldn't be followed up on.

The Zany: The hunter's red, flashing suits. Those looked like they stepped out of a 1950's sci-fi, horror B-movie. (Quark almost made the list this time, but the suits won out.)

Summary: Well written episode... just enough mystery to keep me guessing and by the end, I wanted O'Brien to help Tosk resume the hunt. I was moved. Well acted too.

Q-Less
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The Good: It was kinda nice to see Q again.... I'm too much of a TNG fan to not appreciate that eccentric being.

The Bad: Ugh. Bashir. I know that it's just follow up on the character they hinted at in the beginning: The dashing rogue medical officer... but too much rogue and not enough dashing. Also, I felt like the series was high-jacked to be the Q and Vash show. In TNG, Q's appearance was always to interact more with the crew, especially Picard. Honestly there was a special dynamic that made it entertaining to watch. Here it felt like it didn't matter if it was DS9 or some starship, the show was about Q following Vash around.

The Zany: Pretty much anything that comes out of Q's mouth. He's my favorite recurring character in all of Star Trek.

Summary: Meh. No matter how good Q was, it didn't make up for the rest of the episode. Not great in the least. And we never did really understand why Vash gave up partnering with Q. It felt unfinished -- but it also didn't feel like a DS9 episode really either. I'm not sure I'm interested in seeing the story finished. It did nothing for the further development of the primary characters (except Quark and Bashir -- but I could have done without the development from Bashir).

Dax
♥♥♥♥♥♥---- (6/10)

The Good: First, must get ENT fangasm moment over with: "Admiral Black!!!" and "V'Lar!!!" Okay, now back to DS9... A little more background on Trill culture. The establishment of the fact that Jadzia and Curzon are not the same people. Generally good acting. Best of all: KIRA! I love the line when she says, "And secondly, it really annoys us" BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

The Bad: Bashir. *sigh* I really want to like him, but dang -- how does that boy ever get laid? He's so freaking obvious, he lacks any skill in the seduction.

The Zany: Odo's blackmail of Quark. The dynamic between the two of them still feels a bit over the top and forced, but it's growing on me. I like that Odo knows how to speak Quark's language.

Summary: Though it has some good points, the episode is still lackluster. I don't mind deeper, introspective pieces as well as character background pieces... but this lacked the necessary depth for me. It was okay. Just not great.

More...

The Passenger
♥♥♥♥♥♥---- (6/10)

The Good: Decent acting (despite Bashir's stilted speech as he was posessed by Vantika). The pacing was pretty good in the episode. Odo taking a stand.

The Bad: Predictable. I figured out it was Bashir pretty much as soon as there was a question of Vantika still being alive, so the big "reveal" wasn't so big.

The Zany: Quark scrounging for spare change.

Summary: The episode was predictable and that made it a little boring. I am liking Sisko more and more, however and find myself hoping that in the future we'll have some Sisko-centric episodes. All the characters are growing on me for the most part. I think if you had to make me pick one favorite, it'd be Kira.

Move Along Home
♥♥♥------- (3/10)

The Good: Jake and Sisko's chat about girls in the teaser.

The Bad: The rest of the episode.

The Zany: The forehead tatoos of that new species.

Summary: Holy craptastic, Batman. "Allamarine...." *scrubs brain*

The Nagus
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The Good: The dynamic between Jake and Benjamin. Very nice Father/Son thing going on there.

The Bad: Mostly it was just dullish, despite the Ferengi.

The Zany: The Ferengi... and all I could think whenever the old Grand Nagus talked was "Inconceivable!" :p

Summary: Not great, not bad... just so-so. Quark isn't my favorite character, so I wasn't as interested in an episode that centered around him. *shrug*

Vortex
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The Good: A little smile from Odo. And, of course: "DEGRA!!"

The Bad: Basically it's a TNG episode with Odo flair.

The Zany: Shoulder pads. Seriously. Apparently you can't live in the 24th century without them... not even aliens. It's a Gamma Quandrant style too.

Summary: I know this is an establishing episode for Odo and while it's okay... it really doesn't do a whole lot for me. It had great potential, but it missed the mark, IMO.

Battle Lines
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

The good: I don't even know where to start with this one. Fantastic line: "When you cease to fear death, the rules of war change." I loved the parallels between the battle between the people on the moon and Kira's own struggles.

The bad: There were a couple of clunky moments in the acting... Bashir lapsed into Passenger-esque halted speech a couple of times when they are taken by the Ennis. Both Sisko and Kira had some emotional outbursts that lacked authenticity for me. But those moments were few and far between.

The zany: Technobabble. Seriously. I want to claw the inside of my skull for overuse of technobabble. (TNG was guilty this too). But I did get a laugh when Dax asks how a differential magnetomer works and O'Brien replies: "I'll let you know as soon as I've finished making one."

Summary: Thus far the BEST episode of the season. While the story itself probably could have easily gone southward into cheesy-land, whoever wrote this episode was skilled enough to keep much of the conflict subtle and more emotionally moving. I was drawn near to tears more than once during this episode. The internal battle of the Ennis between wishing to finally be able to die and desiring vengeance against the Nol was believable. Kira's struggle to find her place in peace time was very real to me. Beautifully done... just beautiful. Even Bashir's desire at the end to give these people the ability to die was well done.

And of course this episode gets my "What the hell??" award for when Opaka comes walking into the cave. After so many years watching Trek, I'm rarely shocked... but my eyeballs were popping out of my head. (Probably helped that I actually grieved Opaka's death right along with Kira).

Whew! More of THIS, please!!

The Storyteller
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The good: Somewhat interesting premise (both the A and B storylines).

The bad: The execution! Not well done.

The zany: Bashir's and O'Brien's conversation in the shuttlepod.

Summary: Not really a bad episode. It kept me entertained enough to want to keep watching. However, this is where I think it failed: I believe from the title that the A storyline was O'Brien's moment as the "Sirah"... it was fairly predictable. The bigger fail was in the B-storyline. The premise had a great deal of potential, and in my mind should have been the main plot. However, instead of "telling" that plot from a more active perspective (allowing us as the viewers to watch the negotiations, to understand deeper why Varis is willing to send her people to war over land that they only obtained because of the Cardassian occupation -- I mean a bigger "why" than what was presented, a deeper conflict within herself over how to fill her father's shoes, etc.) It was a very passive way to tell the story and perhaps since the writers obviously wanted O'Brien and Bashir to be the main plot, they fell into that trap. The Sirah storyline was too campy to be worthy of being the main story. There was too much potential with Varis for it to be the secondary plot.

It was a miss.

And Bashir? Hello, Mr. Enigma. I'm not sure if the writers have figured out exactly what he's meant to be. Sometimes he seems over-eager, openly anxious to be liked, and then he can be extremely self-confident and arrogant. It flip flops between episodes, so I'm guessing it really depends on whoever is writing him for that particular hour of entertainment. I recognize that he could actually be both, but honestly, with my plentiful experience with people like that (either arrogant or openly desiring the friendship of others), one personality trait is obviously more dominant over the other, even if that person feels both ways. I think they are doing him a grave disservice but it happens in Trek, sadly. (Archer from ENT comes to mind). I am hoping that they will find a foothold for that character soon... I'm frustrated because I want to like him -- even if only because I actually know him and what motivates him, despite possibly not liking his choices -- but the inconsistencies in the writing of Bashir are starting to grate on my nerves.

I realize that my reviews are getting more verbose... but more than halfway through the season, I am getting a good feel for the characters and the show. At this point, I think I am better able to say whether or not I feel an episode is fitting both the characters and the premise of DS9 well enough.

Progress
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--- (7/10)

The good: Mullibok. Fascinating character. Well acted too. This episode gets two of those hearts from the conversation between Sisko and Kira in Mullibok's yard. Fantastic stuff: Sisko says, "You're on the other side now. Pretty uncomfortable, isn't it?" To which Kira replies: "It's awful." Wow, wow, wow!

The bad: It was kinda boring. Look, I like character pieces well enough... I don't mind when there isn't a space battle or external conflict going on. I'm okay with episodes that don't have action. It's not the premise that is the problem, I think it's more the pacing. It was off and I can't quite put my finger on it.

The zany: I want to say that the Jake/Nog antics were what win the zany award this time, but they don't. I think that this b-plot would be better when paired with a different A-plot. Mullibok wins the zany award for his tale on how he plowed the fields with his bare hands. Love it.

Summary: The A-plot was pretty good (despite pacing issues)... but in retrospect, I think maybe it was the the B-plot that really interfered with good story telling here. The two storylines were too dichotomous and shouldn't have been joined together. Just when I start to really feel something with Mullibok and Kira, suddenly I'm switched to "Hey look what these nutty boys are up to now!" It's jarring and took me out of really experiencing the more serious A-story.

If Wishes Were Horses
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The good: The teaser. My favorite Quark/Odo exchange yet. Something tells me that when Odo says: "Waste of time. Too many people dream of places they'll never go, wish for things they'll never have, instead of paying adequate attention to their real lives." That maybe it was a tiny wake-up call for us trekkies. LOL I also enjoyed all the exchanges just before the the imaginary beings showed up (Bashir/Dax and Obrien & family).

The bad: Totally absurd. Seriously. And there seems to be at least one episode of "Imagination Gone Wild!" in some form or another in each series. Kinda overdone.

The zany: The argument between Dax and Fake!Dax. I couldn't help but laugh.

Summary: Mostly just meh. As I watched there were moments where I thought, "Ooo... that gets a heart" only to be followed by "Argh, taking off a heart". It fluctuated wildly for me. Comedy is okay in Trek, but it's a subtle art (one that they have a hard time getting right in any of the trek series). I think the writers didn't quite manage it this time either.

The one good that came from this: Bashir. I think that's the most 3-dimensional that he's ever been written. I think I like him better as a more arrogant womanizer than Mr. Eager-to-please-every-one-just-has-to-like-me. He was far more authentic, his attempt at Dax in the beginning was overt but yet not overly so. Much, much better. I only hope they don't swing the pendulum in the other direction again for his character in the next episode.

Here is the last of the first season reviews:

The Forsaken
♥♥-------- (2/10)

The good: Luwaxana and Odo's visit in the elevator when she takes off her wig. It was kind of nice. It was the only moment in the show worth watching.

The bad: The rest of the ambassadors. Seriously. Why is it necessary to portray Federation ambassadors as whiny, pompous, pampered poodles? I could agree that one might be that way but all of them? Including the Vulcan. Unimpressive.

The zany: Metaphors. Why are they always this way: "... like a [insert made-up alien race] [insert animal or insect]" ? It's getting old and cliched. Do the writers really pat themselves on the back each time they make up an utterly inane and obscure reference to an alien race previously never mentioned in Trek and will not be mentioned again?

Summary: All I could think when O'Brien realizes that a life form had infiltrated the computer was: "Hello, Dave." :p I suppose that the lesson that could be taken from this episode is perhaps we should ALWAYS have manual overrides for emergencies for EVERYTHING... just in case the computer develops sentience and decides it doesn't much care for biological beings. Just sayin'. (I realize that all of 24th century Trek suffers from this over-dependence on the main computer. *sigh*)

Dramatis Personae
♥♥♥♥------ (4/10)

The good: A telepathic bug that brings the MU to the RU. (I have a soft spot in my heart for the Mirror Universe. Huh. Is that an oxymoron? )

The bad: TNG!! This episode could have been done on TNG or VOY. I don't like it when you could basically switch the characters and keep the episode pretty much intact. Doesn't make DS9 special.

The zany: Quark getting his butt kicked by Kira. About time he learned a little forced humility. :p

Summary: Meh. Just a so-so episode that does nothing for the characters or the progression of the series. I didn't come away from it knowing the crew any better (other than maybe Odo being immune to the telepathic thingamajig). Kinda boring to be honest.

Duet
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

The good: [Reserving my answer for the summary]

The bad: There was only one awkward moment in the episode and that was when O'Brien was talking about rerouting a sensor something-or-other to a subordinate. It was only a couple lines, but seemed completely out of place in the episode.

The zany: Quark's line, "Gallitep. Imagine living through that hellhole. The pain, the sorrow. Do you think they like to gamble?" And amazingly, it still fit in perfectly with the rest of the episode.

Summary: One of the best Star Trek episodes ever. Not just for DS9 but for every Trek series. This episode was magic for DS9. This is what DS9 should be about. I actually wept when Marritza broke down. I still have tears in my eyes. For a moment I actually thought of the Nazi guards at the concentration camps and wondered if there was a Marritza among any of them--someone whose humanity could not be entirely squashed by blind hatred. Someone who had just as many nightmares over the brutality committed as the victims of those atrocities did. In that moment I realized that maybe they weren't all monsters.

The ending was mildly disappointing in that Marritza is killed. But it was believable. And it was a powerful character moment for Kira.... understanding that in order for the conflict between Bajor and Cardassia to finally end, she can longer judge a species solely on their crimes, like the man who killed Marritza did.

Just. Wow. Still fighting tears here. Powerful, powerful stuff. I'm nervous to watch the finale after that... just in case it's not up to this kind of standard.

In the Hands of Prophets
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The good: Good premise, pacing was decent, if a little slow at times. Well acted.

The bad: Not really a crit, but I always cringe whenever I see something that has to do with religious fanatics. More because I am a deeply religious person and I suffer from getting prejudged by people who have been hurt by nut cases that use religion as their vehicle for narcism. It's difficult for me to watch something like this and not want to scream that everyone is NOT that nuts when it comes to faith. I think that I probably struggled with that in this episode the most. I realize that my personal experience perhaps colored my view but hey... I never said my reviews are anything but opinions.

The zany: Quark. He's finally starting to win me over. LOL

Summary: A good finale. I appreciate that there wasn't a cliff-hanger (even if I won't have to wait a year for it to be resolved). I'm actually grateful that the motives of orthodox Vedek were anything but altruistic, even if she won't be convicted. This did not have the same kind of impact that Duet had, but it was still well-written and well executed. I also like that it was very DS9 specific (not a recycled TNG episode). Lots of character development too.

So, for the first season: Mostly so-so sprinkled with a couple poopy episodes and a few superb ones. I think the show does best when it focuses on DS9 specific interests and conflicts... and when either the A & B plots are so intertwined it's hard to tell which is which or there really isn't a B plot at all.

And now catching up on my second season reviews:

The Homecoming/The Circle
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

(I was going to do all the premiere at once, but when I saw that the story wasn't finished with these two, I figured I'd better start reviewing. LOL)

The good: Excellent at showing how unstable the Bajoran government is. Excellent villians and I like the reluctant "legend" as well.

The bad: The only part that sort of grated on me was that scene in the first ep in Kira's quarters when everyone came to say goodbye -- it was great with just Odo, but when the others show up... meh. It was a little over the top (and really, why doesn't Bashir know what the heck is happening?)

The zany: Deputizing Quark. ROFL!

]i]Summary:[/i] Intrigue, religion, xenophobia... oh and serious sexual tension between that Vedek dude (his name escapes me at the moment) and Kira. Yowza! LOL Excellent.

The Seige
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The good: The General. I really liked him. Very smart guy.

The bad: Quark selling seats. I know that it's a Ferengi taking an opportunity... but I could have lived without most of the scenes regarding it. Basically, I would have been fine if the first I learned of it was when he was brought to Sisko over it.

The zany:
QUARK: I can't leave it. It's all that I am. My personal mementos, my family album.
BASHIR: It's filled with gold-pressed latinum and you know it.
QUARK: Who told you?
BASHIR: Your mother did. The day you were born.
QUARK: Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother! Rule of Acquisition number thirty-one.



(Don't ask me why this scene works and the seat-selling doesn't... *shrug*)

Summary: A little bit anti-climatic -- but only enough to lose one heart from the previous episodes. Wasn't suprised that Li dies. I did like when the general says, "Well played sir" to Li and Li has this expression like, "Huh? What'd I have to do with any of this?" Winn surprised me. Wasn't expecting her to support Kira -- especially considering the deal she made.

Now this is where you are going to tell me that they completely drop the Bareil/Kira tension thingy, huh? Not that I'm necessarily "shipping" but after all that lead up, at least a freaking kiss woulda been nice, you know? *grumbles*

All in all, probably one of the better Star Trek season openers I've seen. Great insight into what's going on with the Bajorans. I was glad for the little Gul Dukat cameo in the first episode. I really, really like him. He suits my affinity for evil yet alluring stuff in Trek.

Invasive Procedures
♥♥♥♥♥----- (5/10)

The good: I don't know that anything really stood out as "the good" in this episode for me. Everything was so "middle of the line" for me.

The bad: I am trying to understand the relationship between a trill and a symbiot. I get that a new person is born when the two are joined, but it seemed like Dax had all its memories and yet none of the horror for what the murder that Verad was trying to commit here. I mean, Jadzia Dax felt incredible guilt over the affair in Dax (was it?). So it bothered me that there was no remorse whatsoever. Is the symbiot without compassion or feeling? Is it the Trill who brings those cards to the table?

The zany: Quark's fake ear pain.

Summary: I have really mixed feelings about this episode. Trills are fascinating and dealing with a Trill that was denied the right to join was an interesting concept. But it fell somewhat flat for me. It was kind of a slow episode and then I really was trying to wrap my head around how Verad Dax acts. Kinda disturbing and made me really wonder if Dax itself is a worthwhile entity.

I wholeheartedly agree with you re: "Duet." What an amazing, fantastic episode it was...

Here are the last of the "catch up" reviews:

Cardassians
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The good: Very deep social issue dealt with here. No matter how the verdict came out, the kid gets the short end of the stick.

The bad: They took away Garak's flamboyance. He's still cunning and mysterious, but I'm not sure that this dialed-down version is as fun and interesting as he was when he appeared in the first season.

The zany: Bashir eager to do Garak's bidding when he doesn't have all the facts. What's up with that?

Summary: As a mother, this was a tough episode to watch. What was the right answer for this kid? Send him back to Bajor where while he is loved, his very species is hated? Send him with his bio-dad to where everything he was raised with is thrown out? Nothing is right. It was fantastic to see Gul Dukat. He is such a self-serving villian and I love it. I think, hands down, he is my favorite recurring character.

Melora
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--- (7/10)

The good: BASHIR!!! This is how I see his character. Sure, he gets the chick, but in a wonderfully understated way. I really, really, really like him in this episode. Please, please tell me that this is what this character is generally like for the rest of the series (barring a few zany or groan-worthy moments here or there)?

The bad: Overall, if it weren't for Bashir, I'd probably give this episode a 5/10. It's pretty so-so otherwise.

The zany: When Fallit first shows up in Quark's bar... tell me, how does that man drink out of a regular glass? How?

Summary: Mostly a meh episode. I know it's dealing with disabilities and also the question of whether a disability ought to be "cured"... but it's kinda boring. Bashir, on the other hand was interesting, rather than annoying. I love how he calls out Melora on her crap, but he's also sensitive. Also the backstory as to what inspired him to become a doctor was great. Pretty good Bashir episode.

Rules of Acquisition
♥♥♥------- (3/10)

The good: I suppose a Ferengi female trying to break out of the box.

The bad: The rest.

The zany: I can't decide between the Dosei (sp?) face painting or the grand Nagis patting his lap and telling Kira to have a seat.

Summary: I suppose you can officially put me in the camp that don't particularly care for Ferengi episodes. It was meh and too over the top. I actually like Quark now, but the episode felt too... I don't know. Just didn't work for me.

Necessary Evil
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--- (7/10)

The good: GUL DUKAT. Aside from Q on TNG (and only TNG)... Gul Dukat is the BEST recurring character. The dude is awesome. Seriously awesome sauce. The episode got a heart just for having him in it.

The bad: Some of the pacing of the episode. My little brain rewrote parts and edited more once we finally got to the real meat of the episode.

The zany: Quark's grin when he overhears his brother realize that saving his life meant losing hope for owning the bar.

Summary: It was a so-so episode until we get to the first flashback. Once that happened, I was saying "Whoa! Now that's pretty cool." I liked the background on Kira and Odo. And I will say it over and over again, I loved seeing Gul Dukat in action. Seeing the station as it was under Cardassian rule was neat too. Great backstory. The rest was kinda okay... not annoying, just not as nifty as the middle. And I have mixed feelings about the ending. On one hand it makes sense that Kira committed the murder (especially under the circumstances).. but on the other hand I didn't really want it to be her. So I'm not sure if I like how it ended. But at least the middle rocked. Oh and did I mention that I LOVE Gul Dukat? I did, didn't I? :p

Alright a few more days until the next disks come in the mail from Netflix. (Monday's a holiday here in the states too, so it will prolong my wait. *sigh*)

THE Rigil Kent wrote:I wholeheartedly agree with you re: "Duet." What an amazing, fantastic episode it was...

Yes, it was. I'm hoping there will be more awesome eps like that in the future!

Can't wait to see what you think of Seasons 3 & 4