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Favor The Bold (Part One of Two) Airdate: Week of
October 27th, 1997
Written by: Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler
Directed by: Winrich Kolbe
In short: What was there was quite good. The only problem was not enough was there.
Brief Summary: Sisko plans an assault on DS9 only to learn the minefield is going down before he is ready. Despite this, the Federation sends an undermanned fleet to attack the station immediately. Meanwhile, Kira and Quark try to free Rom, and the rift between Dukat and Ziyal grows.
Review: "Favor the Bold" had nothing wrong with it exactly. In fact, the dialogue was quite good, and most of the plot holes were rather minor technicalities. But "Favor" lacked punch. It needed a plot twist or a new revelation, not just the next logical steps in events previously established. It felt as if the show was on cruise control, coasting on plotlines and character developments from the last five shows. And while it is a credit to the writers that they can build something so rich and so complicated and still be able to let it cruise on its own momentum like this, one cannot help but think the show needed more of a plot twist as a buildup to the final fight to the finish.
Not that I'm mad at the show for setting the table for next week. One of the problems with recent "Babylon 5" has been how it squeezes so much into one hour. In just two episodes several major plotlines were tied up, including the end to a major war, and not all had the explanations that they deserved as to why each ended the way that they did. That proved quite distracting and took away from not only the individual episodes themselves but also from the greater story arc that they were a part of. So, DS9 being methodical in the madness of war is probably a good thing in the long run, if not completely satisfying right now.
And, like I said, what we had there was quite good. It is somewhat of a relief that, in this major war, we can still find time to explore Weyoun's sense of aesthetics and Damar's view of Ferengi. The war on DS9 has not had mass evacuations, terrible disasers, and lots of body bags. We can see that anywhere. What it does have is real people dealing with the real issues that arise from living during a war. That to me is what the war "arc" is about - character stories, not stories about how the war is progressing. The fact that these character stories will meet next week with plenty of explosions makes it all the better.
At the starbase, we had some interesting developments. Sisko's plan to retake the station made sense, and the twist about it needing to be set in motion before it was ready gave a nice sense of urgency leading into next week. There was the usual good interplay between O'Brien and Bashir, and Terry Farrell maybe ruined two lines at most. (If she doesn't re-sign for next season, so much the better. Gvie Worf a chance to cry over her death.) But what was particularly nice was Sisko's announcement that he would be living the rest of his days on Bajor. Brook's acting was not perfect, but I thought it was nice to learn that he considered being near Bajor even more important than being with his late in life father. It also... oops! Mouth is closed!
The primary concern back on the station was what to do with Rom, and I thought it went well. Let's put it this way: I didn't mind Leeta. It was good to see Quark in a new role, one with a little responsibility that didn't involve him losing that self-serving edge. Speculation over Rom at Quark's also led into to an absolutely wonderful scene with Morn. Poor guy, being towered over by Kira and Quark. Maybe he'll get a line before it's over with.
Rom's situation led Kira to persuade Ziyal to ask her father. Perhaps the most chilling part of the show was Dukat asking if Ziyal was somehow involved, then Ziyal turning that around to ask how truthful he has been toward Bajor. Her father, not the war, has turned her from a naive student into someone willing to question her family. Dukat, too, has developed into such a complex character recently, and that's saying a lot since he was already complex to begin with. We've really come to know this tinpot dictator over the course over just a handful of shows. Right on the eve of battle, he is not only congratulating himself, he's also fawning over Kira and trying to get Ziyal to talk with him. Add to that the way he treats Damar, and we have a petty, manipulative jerk who you can't help but feel sorry for. This to me is the realistic portrayal of a dictator - a person, with priorities and needs. Not someone on another show who will remain nameless.
I have ambiguous feelings about what happened with Odo. One on hand, I like the zombie Odo of last week, and for most for the show that Odo seemed to be here. But when he did confront Kira, I think we needed more than the Female Shifter's promise to "break" the solids to motivate him. Yet, what happened there wasn't unrealistic, and quite possibly could have been the natural progression of what was happening to him, with the end of last week's show some kind of addiction euphoria and not a permament state of being. He's moved to no priorities to asking if he should have priorities, and I think that's a good thing. The first scene between Odo and the Female Shifter, strange as the subject matter may have been, helped clarify this for me, especially the discussion about time. Let's hold the verdict for now on this issue until next week at least, and hope that if Odo does pull a Vader he'll have a lot more work to do before he is forgiven.
The Odo sideplot also provided a lot of opportunity to see more about how the Founders view solids. Fascinating, of course, is the revelation that they would give the quadrant to have Odo. More interesting, though, was the discussion about perspectives. Each solid is forced into one perspective, but they as Founders can have as many as they want. Weyoun, for example, can't help but see Odo as something that needs to be neutralized. That idea fascinated me for some reason, and it helped me a great deal in understanding how the Founders truly view those "below" them. Good work.
That's about it. If anticipation had a vote in it, this episode would be a perfect ten. I'm already counting the days until "Sacrifice" and the mass carnage it will surely bring. Alas, the show needs something to help it stand on its own as well,and it really didn't have it. Considering previous Trek first parters, where so much was done in the first hour only to have the second hour cruise to a finish, this may not be a bad thing. We'll wait and see.
Some short takes:
- Odo seemed to imply he's been around the block more than once, wink wink. I thought "A Simple Investigation" was the first and only time.
-Interesting. The Vorta are genetically engineered. Eris in "The Jem'Hadar" said she was from Karil Prime. Considering she was lying about everything else, she could be lying about this here.
-Don't you love Martok? When a friend and an enemy tells you the same thing, it is wise to consider it. The guy's a quote machine.
-Nog's promotion actually makes sense, especially when compared to the last twerp to get a field commission.
-They named a ship after Cortes?!? Friendly explorer there. Stick with his gal Malinche, from last year's "For the Uniform."
-Anybody catch what language Morn sent the message in?
- I thought the monitor display of how to attack DS9 was a nice touch.
Writing:Four acts of material fit into five. Good what was there though.
Acting: Well, since Leeta was suppose to be annoying, I suppose everyone was allright.
Directing: Kolbe's getting to be an old pro at this. Good work.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10.0
Quote: "Weak eyes. Good ears."
-Clever Weyoun, snooping on Dukat and Damar.
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