Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Episode
Particulars: S4EP21, “For the Cause”
Standalone
Thoughts: This is another one of those episodes that has good content, but
I wind up feeling indifferent to. I appreciate the way the story develops some
of the side characters and that the plot doesn’t end in the way you’d expect,
but somehow the execution feels lacking. It’s probably because the episode
lacks tension, for the most part; even with the threat of espionage and
betrayal, things are dealt with almost matter-of-factly. Even Sisko’s concerns
about Kasidy working for the Maquis feel somewhat underplayed, and while that
might be a deliberate choice because Sisko’s trying not to let his feelings
show, it doesn’t always make for compelling viewing. In fact, none of the
actors are overly energetic, which suggests this might have been a directorial
choice. No matter what the cause, though, it doesn’t change the fact that it
hampers the episode.
There’s also the matter of plots coming out of nowhere. Since
we haven’t seen Kasidy since she was first considering taking the job on Bajor
back in “Indiscretion”, bringing her back and then immediately accusing her of
being Maquis feels like they’re rushing things. I don’t know if they needed to
go so far as scattering hints throughout a series of episodes, but maybe having
Kasidy make an actual appearance before this episode might have helped
(mentioning her in yesterday’s episode doesn’t count). Similarly, while I can
understand Garak being interested in Zyial, she’s been on the station for seven
episodes. Why is Garak only now starting to approach her (or vice-versa, in
some cases)? The show’s done a decent job in the past of suggesting that things
happen even when we’re not watching; now would have been a perfect time for
that. Instead, you’re left feeling like something has gone wrong somewhere down
the line, and no matter how much you know there are rational behind-the-scenes
reasons for it, it does linger in the back of your mind.
I don’t know if I’d go so far as to classify this episode
as mediocre, but it’s definitely not quite as good as other episodes this
season. As I said, though, it has some good ideas and fits DS9’s patterns of grey morality and doing something different, so I
can’t complain too much about it. I just hope things pick up a little tomorrow.
How it Relates to
the Whole: While I’m not sure how much follow-up to this there will be in
the next few episodes, there will definitely
be some long term effects, including a whole episode that’s a sequel of
sorts to this one. Plus, one supporting character will be taken out of the
picture for awhile, and Garak and Zyial’s interactions here will lead to bigger
things down the line. None of it may directly tie in to the largest of DS9’s plots, but they’ll help to flesh
out the world and the characters, which is pretty much just as good, at least
as far as I’m concerned.
Other: *During
the opening scene, when Kasidy has to leave the bed she shares with Sisko to
check on her ship, she manages to change from a nightgown to a jumpsuit in the
space of about ten seconds. I’d initially assumed it was because they were both
dresses, but a later shot revealed it was in fact a jumpsuit with pants. I
guess you learn to dress quickly when you’re on a ship, but even so…
*After Kasidy leaves in the scene mentioned above, Sisko
sniffs her pillow, tosses his aside, and then uses hers instead. I can’t decide
if that’s cute, weird, or slightly creepy.
*There appears to have been an issue with Cardassian
makeup this episode. Normally, I tend to think of the Cardassians as being
greyish-white, as previous screenshots will confirm;
Today, however;
I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but there are a lot of
shots where both Garak and Zyial seem to have mostly human flesh tones. Zyial
you can try to justify because she’s half-Bajoran, but Garak is a little harder
to explain. If he looks the same in his next appearance, I’ll just put it up to
a change in makeup. If he looks different…well, I’ll be more confused, but I
least I’ll be reassured it’s not just me.
*While the stories have been interesting, the last three
episodes have been sending out some mixed signals in regards to Sisko’s
personal life. First there was “Shattered Mirror”, which neglected to mention
Kasidy even once. Then she got mentioned in “The Muse”, but as I said, it
seemed weird to bring her up given what happened in the previous episode. Now
in this episode, Sisko suggests he and Kasidy drop everything and run off for
some private time on Risa…when he’d just said in the prior episode that he
doesn’t get leave very often, and he (presumably) used that leave up during the
events of “The Muse”. It’s not a serious issue, but it’s something that
probably really annoys people who have even more of an interest in continuity
than I do.
*We see someone bring a weapon into a holosuite near the
end of the episode. So much for station security not allowing weapons on the Promenade,
or those little forcefields and scanners that popped up in “Captive Pursuit”. As
with many of my minor quibbles with this episode, there are ways to try to
square the circle, but it’s still jarring in the heat of the moment. Well, at
least if you’re somewhat pedantic like I am.
*WARNING: HUGE
SPOILERS FOR THE EPISODE INCOMING. While I could save this little tidbit
for the sequel I mentioned, it’s more appropriate to talk about here. Having
that warning was the best compromise I could come up with. Anyway…way back in
“The Search”, when Eddington first showed up, one of my family members took one
look at him and immediately decided he was a traitor who would do something bad
in the two-parter. When that didn’t happen, said family member was surprised.
Then this episode happened, and the cry of “I knew it!” rang out from the family room. It’s become a bit of a
joke with us now, and adds a little something extra to the episode for me when
I rewatch it. It also makes me wonder how many other people had the same
reaction, given that I was completely fooled. Some people are clearly more savvy
about these things than others.
Best
Line/Exchange: It was hard to choose today. There’s another “Lets prove
that DS9 is a darker Star Trek” speech, but it also spoils
elements of the episode, and I like to avoid that where possible. So instead, I
guess I’ll go with something that’s probably mostly funny only to me;
(Garak is working
on a new suit for Quark)
Quark: Can’t
you do something about these lapels?
Garak: Such as?
Quark: I don’t
know, I’m not a tailor! Just…make them look good.
Garak: Oh, make
them look good! And all this time I thought you wanted me to try to make them
look bad. I wish you’d said that before; it’s much simpler when the customer
explains what he wants.
Remember, my headcanon is that Garak deliberately makes
ugly outfits, so Garak’s declaration was bound to get me smirking. Besides,
given Quark’s outfits, making them look good or bad is very much in the eye of
the beholder, so there’s an extra bit of humor to be had from that as well.
Sure, it’s not quite as dramatic or interesting as the other speech, but it’s
appropriate for me, and I think that counts just as well.
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