Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Episode
Particulars: S2EP2, “The Circle”
I feel like I need to make a warning at this point. Now
that (at least some) of the episodes are going to be multi-parters, I’m going
to have to spoil elements that came up in previous parts if I’m going to talk
about each episode properly. I’ll still try to avoid spoilers where I can, but
be warned.
Standalone
Thoughts: Words cannot express how happy I am right now. Pretty much from
the word go, this episode is good, maybe even bordering on great. The pacing is
fast but easy to follow, the line deliveries are just right, there’s just the
right balance of setbacks and steps forward, intrigue and subterfuge flourishes
on both sides…I was not expecting this level of quality from the second episode
of Season Two. And I don’t think this is just a case of this being strong in
comparison to Season One but weak when matched up against later episodes; this
is the sort of thing I remember from the show’s peak. Like I said yesterday, I
don’t think the showrunners can sustain this throughout the whole season (they
need to build up their muscles), but it’s like getting a taste of something you
remember from your childhood, and it being just as good as you remembered.
I’m completely serious when I say the episode is good out
of the gate. Sisko and Jaro’s conversation in the teaser not only has Sisko
defending Kira in a way that shows how far the two of them have come since the
pilot, but ends with him offering a read-between-the-lines threat that proves
he knows what’s actually going on and doesn’t approve of it. It was so well
played that I thought I had Best Line locked in the first minute. But then we
come back from the credits to see Kira packing her things to leave, and the
scene that follows is a wonder to behold. It starts out very serious and almost
intense, with great acting, and then turns into a combination of the Abbott and
Costello “Who’s on First” routine and the Stateroom scene from the Marx
Brothers movie A Night at the Opera.
The timing is impeccable, all the actions make sense for each character, and
the whole thing clicks on multiple levels. That scene alone leaves enough goodwill
for me to like the rest of the episode, although it doesn’t need the boost.
There really isn’t much more I can say on the matter.
Great acting, good plot developments, world-building done quickly and
efficiently…about the only weak spot is that some of Vedek Bareil’s lines have
that spiritual new-age feel that can be a bit corny or preachy. On the whole,
though, this is the sort of thing I like to see. If you wanted to introduce the
show to people, showing them the pilot and then jumping straight to this arc
might actually be the way to go. Of course, my opinion may change depending on
the resolution of things…
How it Relates to
the Whole: It’s still too early to tell how all this is going to play out,
and what consequences it’ll have for Bajor and the station. We do, however, get
some seeds planted for a future romantic relationship (maybe even more than
one), and Sisko’s leadership style in a crisis is showcased to good effect
(though I suspect we’ll really get a taste of that tomorrow). We’ll just have
to wait and see what else this arc might be leading to.
Other: *The
entire way they handle Kira’s leaving is really well done. In addition to the
scene I described, her goodbye scene is Ops is touching. If this had been done
at the end of the season, or later on in the show, I might have assumed Nana
Visitor was leaving the show and they were giving her a sendoff.
*Despite all the good material, there is one rather
glaring plot hole this episode. Bareil lets Kira interact with “the third Orb.
The Orb of Prophecy and Change”, which is there to help move the plot forward
and provide some foreshadowing. The problem is that back in “Emissary”, Kai
Opaka showed Sisko what she called a “tear of the Prophet”, and later adds that
there are nine Orbs total. However, she then stresses that “the Cardassians
took the others”. The Orb in “Emissary” seemed to make people relive memorable
moments in their life, while this Orb is about cryptic future predictions. They
don’t even look similar—one is blue-green while the other is unquestionably
blue—so you can’t argue that they’re the same orb (unless you blame it on a
careless prop department). I suppose we can infer that the Cardassians gave
some of the Orbs back as a gesture of goodwill, but I have my doubts. A casual
viewer might not care, but it’s harder to ignore when you’re watching the
episodes in rapid succession. This is one place where a little retcon might be
required.
*I’m a little surprised that Kira lies when asked if one
character appeared in her prophecy. I’ll grant that she was probably shaken by
everything and might have suspected where things were heading and didn’t want
to talk about it, but she could have told the truth and not gone into details.
You can make a case either way, though, so I’m not too bothered by it.
*Odo makes Quark a deputy so they can figure out what’s
going on, and while the scene itself is good, what really struck me (probably
because of the constant use of the word “deputy”) is that I could finally start
to see this show as a Space Western. Both commenters to this blog and the DS9 Companion had suggested that that
was the inspiration behind the show, but only now have I really caught a
glimpse of that. We’ll have to see if that feeling continues.
*Thanks to the nature of this arc, Bashir hasn’t been
given a lot to do, so it’s too early to tell if they’re starting to get a
handle on him. His bit in Kira’s quarters suggests they’re still keeping him
endearingly awkward, but there is one scene where he proves he’s tougher than
he looks. During a rescue operation, he takes a blast to the shoulder from a
weapon that’s knocked over two security officers (although they were more
direct hits), but manages to get up and complete his job. When we next see him…he’s
treating someone else’s injuries, and
the fact that he was shot never comes up. Perhaps it wasn’t too bad and he
quickly treated himself before seeing to the more severe injuries, but there’s
enough ambiguity there that I choose to believe he either shrugged off an
energy blast, or is in pain himself but chooses to help the others first. Now that’s dedication to medicine.
*Trek fans
watching the show now will probably wind up doing a double-take when Sisko says
he’s going to contact “Admiral Chakotay”. Given that Chakotay is the name of
the Maquis leader and later first officer on Voyager, it makes you wonder what the connection is, or if this was
another bit of semi-foreshadowing for Voyager.
I checked Memory Alpha to see what was going on, and that’s when I found out
that the Admiral’s last name is actually spelled “Chekote” and was supposed to
be pronounced differently, but in practice, the two names sound identical,
hence the confusion. Hopefully this will prevent you from being as baffled as I
was.
Best
Line/Exchange: As I mentioned, the entire scene in Kira’s quarters is
stunning, but Kira and Odo’s interaction is absolutely the best part of the
whole thing;
Odo (walking in
to see Kira packing): You’re not.
Kira: Leaving?
I really don’t have much choice, do I?
Odo: You’re not
just leaving, Major, you’re surrendering!
Kira: You break
the rules, you pay.
Odo (dry
laugh): Wait a minute. I want to be sure I heard that correctly. Because it
doesn’t sound like the Kira Nerys who has made a career out of breaking the
rules.
Kira: Well, I
guess I broke one too many.
Odo: Major,
you’ve been breaking one too many for fourteen-and-a-half years. Cardassian
rules, Bajoran rules, Federation rules—they’re all meaningless to you because
you have a personal code that’s always mattered more, and I’m sorry to say,
you’re in slim company.
Kira (smiling
faintly): I’ll miss you too, Odo.
This says so much about both Kira and Odo. Their
personalities, their relationship, their beliefs…it’s all laid out for us in
fifty seconds. Auberjonois’ delivery of the rant is more angry and emotional
than anything we’ve seen up till now, and it makes the words have that much
more of an impact. This, ladies and
gentlemen, is what DS9 can be when
it’s firing on all cylinders. May we start getting more like this even sooner
than I’d been expecting.
After the Fact
Update: I’m on a roll with my movie allusions; the DS9 Companion confirms that the Marx Brothers stateroom scene was the
inspiration for the scene in Kira’s room. I knew
my nerdiness for old movies would come in handy someday!
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