Day 166: DS9, 'Til Death do Us Part

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S7EP18, “’Til Death do Us Part”

 Summary: Something big is clearly about to go down in the Alpha Quadrant. The Prophets, in particular Sisko’s mother, have told him that he shouldn’t go through with his marriage to Kasidy, which of course puts Sisko in a tough position. Gul Dukat, disguised as a simple Bajoran farmer, is gaining the trust of Kai Winn for unknown but no doubt nefarious purposes. Ezri and Worf have been captured by the Breen, though they have no idea why, and they have to deal with both interrogation and their feelings for each other. Admittedly, none of these things currently seem to be connected, but at least they’re all intriguing in their own ways.

Standalone Thoughts: This episode is an interesting mix. On the one hand, it manages to cram a lot of storylines and information into forty-five minutes, and manages to do it in a way that doesn’t feel rushed. It actually makes the episode feel longer than it actually is, but in a good way, if that makes any sense. On the other, there’s still not a lot that’s actually happening. Unlike “Penumbra” yesterday, it wouldn’t work as a standalone episode, but the war has been pushed to the background and the material we are focusing on is mostly about setup for future episodes. It doesn’t fall into the same trap as “Image in the Sand” did, because we do get a resolution for one of the plot threads, but while you can tell this is going somewhere, it makes you feel more curious than actively excited.

All that being said, there’s a lot of good material here. All of the actors involved in the major storylines do fine work, selling the emotions and conflicts very well. Marc Alaimo in particular gives an excellent performance, speaking of his false Bajoran life in a way that sounds completely genuine. If we didn’t know that was Dukat in disguise, we’d probably wouldn’t suspect a thing, much like Winn. I also like that a delirious Ezri babbles out dialogue from nearly every major appearance she’s had this season, with the exception of “Shadows and Symbols”, since it serves as a callback without being overly obvious about it. In the end, there’s enough positives about the episode that I’d say it’s in the upper middle of the season. Whether or not it gets supplanted by the rest of the episodes in this arc remains to be seen.

How it Relates to the Whole: The theme of this episode seems to be relationships. We get more about Sisko and Kasidy, Dukat’s gotten into Winn’s good graces, Worf and Ezri are figuring out where they stand while Ezri begins to subconsciously lean towards someone else entirely…all of these will wind up going somewhere, although only the middle one is extremely plot relevant. For all that, though, the most obvious plot development comes at the very end, since the episode itself positions it as something that can turn the tide of the war. But we’ll talk more about that tomorrow…

Other: *At one point, Weyoun pays a visit to Damar, who is unconscious after a night of heavy drinking. What I most noticed in the scene, though, is that the sound effects that were clearly meant to be snoring sounded more like someone sucking the last remnants of a drink through a straw. It’s kind of amusing, although since both sounds can be annoying, it’s not that out of place. It just feels like the Foley artists got a bit confused.

*Although they’ve popped up a few times before now, today is the first time we really hear the way the Breen sound, and it’s a weird electric/robotic sound. It’s a neat sound, although given that they’re supposed to be in suits to keep them cold, it doesn’t necessarily seem like a perfect match for their species. Something more crackly or hissy might have fit a little better. I like what we got, though, so this is more of an observation than a complaint.

Best Line/Exchange: Nothing really jumped out at me today. So after some thinking, I went with;

(Sisko is brooding over what to do about Kasidy, when Quark arrives)

Quark: Sorry to interrupt, but I have something for you. The, uh… (he holds out a box) the item that you ordered.

(Sisko sits up and takes the box, which contains a beautiful ring. He sighs)

Quark: Terellian diamonds aren’t that easy to come by, especially with this war on. Needless to say, it was non-refundable.

Sisko (quietly): Thank you, Quark.

(Quark starts to leave, then hesitates and turns back)

Quark: Um…it seems a shame to let something so beautiful go to waste.

(He leaves. Sisko sets the ring box on top of his model for his Bajoran house and looks at it)

What I like about this is that Quark, while still being in character, is actually trying to help. You can interpret his last line as hinting that he’ll buy the ring back so he can sell it, but it can also be read as him strongly suggesting Sisko use the ring for its intended purpose, or even that he’s talking about Kasidy/the relationship itself. All I know for sure is that the next time we see Sisko, he’s made up his mind about what to do, and there’s a good chance Quark might have been an influence. Who would have thought a bartender could make such an impact?