Day 138: DS9, Change of Heart

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S6EP16, “Change of Heart”

 Summary: While O’Brien and Bashir conspire to beat Quark at Tongo, Dax and Worf have been given a very important assignment; a Cardassian defector (Todd Waring) is fleeing the Dominion and wants to rendezvous on a planet containing a Dominion base and a lot of jungles. Despite the danger, Worf and Dax initially are kind of enjoying themselves, since there’s a lot of opportunity to spend time with each other. But when a surprise encounter with some Jem’Hadar leaves Dax wounded, they have to start concentrating more on the mission and Dax’s failing health. Dax, of course, is willing to fight the good fight, but determination will only get you so far…

Standalone Thoughts: While this episode is colored slightly by future events (something that I will discuss more once we get to said events), it’s still fairly good. Both the main plot and the subplot are entertaining, and both of them have some unexpected darkness or depth to them by the end, which allows the episode to be more than just a piece of fluff. The main plot initially works because of the cozy domestic feeling between Dax and Worf; their banter, arguments, and discussion of work while preparing for bed all feels true to life and is sweet as well as funny. And since I’m no fan of Dax, you know I’m serious when I say that. The banter continues once they get down to the planet, but then it takes on the air of an old adventure movie, with a montage of hacking through foliage and a scattering of wild animal noises. And then things take a turn for the serious, to the point where the entire show could have wound up going in a very different direction had they continued down that path. Even as it stands, it’s another example of actions having consequences and grey morality, with an ending most people probably won’t expect. All this, and the shift in tone isn’t obvious or jarring. Not bad, writers, not bad at all.

As for the subplot, it’s mostly just entertaining, but while I like it, I wonder if this was really the right episode for it. Most subplots are scattered throughout the episode, coming to a conclusion around the same time as the main plot, or connecting into the main plot when the writers are really on top of their game. This one, however, ends at the halfway mark, and is never brought up again, not even as a throwaway line at the end of the episode. I understand why they did it on one level—the Worf and Dax material is getting increasingly serious, so it would ruin the tone if you cut back to the more humorous subplot—but it does lead to the subplot feeling abrupt, and therefore unfinished (even though it has a perfectly fine conclusion). I wonder if the problem was that they didn’t have enough material in the main plot to fill out the entire episode, so came up with the Tongo plot to add some time. If that was the case, then I think they should have saved the Tongo plot for another episode that was meant to be more humorous and found a slightly more serious subplot that would have fit better in the long run. That way, both stories could have been given the proper amount of attention.

Much like yesterday’s episode, I’d say this one was worth watching even if it’s not essential. Which has made me realize that, while this season has had a pretty high quality of episodes so far, and is constantly reminding us of the Dominion threat instead of ignoring it for long stretches, there haven’t actually been all that many episodes that advance the plot. Once you strip out the Occupation arc at the start of the season, only “Waltz” has fit that bill, with “Statistical Probabilities” contributing a little as well. I’m not entirely sure what to make of that. I guess I’ll just fall back on my old standby of complimenting the writers for making everything feel engaging and connected, even though they actually aren’t. That’s a pretty neat trick that more TV writers could stand to learn.

How it Relates to the Whole: While there may be some consequences for this involving Worf or Starfleet’s information about the Dominion, my memory says that this episode doesn’t really have any long-term impact. It’s mostly about deepening the relationship between Dax and Worf, with a reminder that Bashir and Quark also have feelings for her. But at least it’s not letting the Dominion War fall by the wayside, so it’s tangentially related to the main story. That counts for something.

Other: *Way back when I wrote the review for “Meridian” (S3EP8), I said “Small beat one is Dax challenging Bashir to a game of Tongo in two weeks, where she promises to beat both Bashir and Quark. Since I’m pretty sure such a game does in fact happen at some point, this might have been either foreshadowing or an idea the writers liked and decided to actually show. If they have that game two episodes from now, I’ll know my answer.” This was the episode I was thinking of, but as you can see, it took three whole seasons before it happened, and it was only between Bashir and Quark. So I don’t think this was a followup, just a coincidence. Though maybe the DS9 Companion will surprise me on that score.

*I was pleasantly surprised by the oblique mention of the “Bond” holoprogram, because I thought it was basically forgotten about after “A Simple Investigation”. Then again, I think I was mostly happy to see it mentioned because it involved putting Alexander Siddig in a tux…

*There sure are a lot of native Earth animals on this alien planet in Dominion territory. We see two large lizards and a snake of some description over the course of Worf and Dax’s trek. It was probably too difficult to make them look more alien, especially since they were only on the screen for a few seconds, but it does pull you out of the plot a little.

Best Line/Exchange: Given that I liked the domestic discussions between Worf and Dax, it seems only fair that I pick one of them;

(Dax has presented Worf with her idea of a honeymoon, which is all about pleasure and self-indulgence)

Worf: You have been planning this all along.

Dax: Well, it seemed fair. You did plan the wedding.

Worf (sets down the padd): Very well. Room service.

Dax (surprised): Really?

Worf: Really.

Dax (smiles): Well, that was easy.

Worf (smiles slightly): Did you want to fight over it?

Dax: No! It’s just…I didn’t expect you to surrender so quickly.

Worf (sharply): Surrender?

Dax: Bad word.

Worf: Very bad.

Dax: Okay. But you have to admit you’ve been unusually…accommodating lately.

Worf: What is wrong with that?
Dax: Nothing. It’s just…unusual. Are you feeling all right?
Worf: I am a married man. I have to make certain…adjustments in my lifestyle.

Dax: Adjustments? Worf, you’re practically easy-going. What’s next, a sense of humor?

Worf: I have a sense of humor! On the Enterprise, I was considered to be quite amusing.

Dax: Well, that must have been one dull ship.

Worf (pauses for a second, then points at her): That is a joke! I get it! It is not funny, but I get it.

This then descends into an argument that is equally amusing, but I like this bit for several reasons. Worf knowing his wife well, Dax making a reasonable argument for why she should get to choose the honeymoon, the quick pacing and perfect line deliveries for the “Surrender/bad word/very bad/okay” exchange, the fact that Worf’s making an effort in the marriage…it’s a great combination of sweet and funny. Then you have the vague dig at TNG, which is the icing on the cake for me. DS9 might not have been great at romance, but when it comes to banter, they definitely knew what they were doing.

After the Fact Update: As I suspected, the subplot was quickly tied up to prevent a jarring transition between the two stories. Furthermore, the original subplot featured entirely different characters, and even the plot we got didn’t play out the way the writers had originally envisioned it. It’s always nice to be reassured that I’m not completely off base in my opinions.