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You Are Cordially Invited Airdate: Week of
November 10th, 1997
Written by: Ronald D. Moore
Directed by: David Livingston
In short: Funny, which means it can't be taken entirely seriously, but a few plot problems bugged me nonetheless.
Brief Summary: Worf and Dax's wedding is in danger when Sirella, Martok's wife, says Dax is not worthy to be in the House of Martok. Meanwhile, Bashir, O'Brien, Sisko, and Alexander undergo a grueling "bachelor party."
Review:If this was going to be this year's "Let He Who Is Without Sin," I'll certainly take it. This episode was quite a bit funny in places, like "Sin" was last year, but it had the added advantage of having good drama without making Worf look like a complete and utter stodgie. The problem with shows like this is while they are certainly funny, you want a little more, and the plot doesn't always provide that. This one did, with a good personal drama between Worf and Dax that I hope sets the stage for future stories involving Dax and the House of Martok.
But first of all, this show was a riot. Let's just do a quick run-through. Alexander the buffoon. Quark telling Jake to be a writer and use his imagination. Julian and O'Brien having "visions" about what they will do to Worf. Julian and O'Brien about to eat, before being denied by order of Sisko. Morn and the Bolian belly thumping. Morn and the Samoan waking up behind the sofa. Nog doing some funky dance. Martok talking about his sex life. You get the idea. Every scene had something to laugh about, but it wasn't so silly as to take away from what was happening in the show itself, and I like that. The humor was people being people, a very good thing.
With just that, you have the makings of a funny but not memorable show. And this is where "Cordially" surprised me. Beneath the humor, we had some very interesting personal dramas. The characters seemed particularly rich in this show. Martok, for instance, was a little pigheaded, a little tender, and a little gruff. Bashir was a little dopey, a little snotty, and a little wry. I love these well-balanced portrayals. They give us such great dialogue. Sisko's scene with Dax and Martok's last one with Worf were both simply wonderful, even if we knew both Worf and Dax would be persuaded to marry, because you felt like the characters were involved. Excellent work.
Worf and Dax obviously took center stage. The old theme in their relationship - Worf acting like the worry wart women, Dax acting like the reckless man - was here again in prominence. It was most evident the above mentioned persuading scenes, where Worf and Martok talk about love and companionship, while Dax and Sisko get into almost shouting match. But there was more to their differences than just different personalities. Culture and species are the ultimate roots of defining how each sees the world. Dax is the very carefree Trill, open to exploring life since she has ten or more chances at it. Worf is the Klingon who is not, very sensitive about his heritage and getting right it the first time, since he has only the first time to do it. I like their matchup very much actually, even if it has been terribly written in the past. They contrast each other well and from a dramatic standpoint should give us plenty to work with over the next season and hopefully more. To those who argue that Dax has weakened Worf, I would argue that Worf is still clearly a big hulking warrior - but now he has a personality and a set of beliefs. To those who would argue that Dax has been made into an airhead, I would ask you to look at Leeta and then get back to me.
We also had legitimate questions about one's own culture and if it should be compromised. I found Martok's statement about conquering cultures, not embracing them, to be most telling, but what really interested me was Worf, the by-the-book Klingon, arguing that it was okay to just embrace. A very interesting character insight. We also had some interesting insight into Klingon culture. I found the wedding scene to be absolutely fascianting, especially the theology of deicide (is that even a term?) present in it. The ceremony was intricate without being over the top, and I liked how Sirella's apology was worked into it. I also found Sirella's obsession with her bloodline to be most intriguing, particularly how it led to that side discussion concerning Klingon democracy. Moore continues to find intriguing ways to approach the Klingons without making them seem like bad caricatures.
Sirella will likely not return, but I sure would like to see her again as a character. Pretentious, strong-willed, and dedicated to her own position and beliefs, she had me grating my teeth every time she entered the room. "If you do not know what you mean then say nothing at all." Yikes. Yes, she shouted plot complication, but every bit of dialogue from her just crackled. Dax - strong Dax, no airhead - went well with Sirella I thought, and I can even see them becoming friends. Good work here as well.
Of course, when there are problems. The episode was predictable. We all knew to have a plot the wedding would have to be cancelled. To the show's defense, if anyone was going to have a pre-wedding spat, it would be Worf and Dax. In fact, we'd all be crying out unless there was some disagreement between these very different people. But, c'mon, it's been done before. We needed a little something to differentiate this from, say... O'Brien and Keiko! I wish their had been some sort of other complication instead, like Dax getting caught up in a Klingon blood feud, that wouldn't seem quite so done before.
The episode also could have used another 15 minutes to flesh out the plot. Yes, I can understand Dax begging for forgiveness before the snooty Sirella (actually, I would have felt that if Dax rejected Sirella, it would have been more "Klingon," thus persuading Sirella to accept her.). What I cannot understand is how happy Sirella was at the end of the show. We needed a scene to clarify that. I wouldn't be surprised if it was filmed but cut. With so much going on, things like that will get the axe. Still, compared to things like Quark talking with Jake, this seemed like a priority, and it should have been there.
The other issue not given enough air time was Kira and Odo. I appreciate the fact that the Kira/Odo situation was mentioned, but for all practical purposes it may as well not been there. Indeed, the most interesting thing about it was the fact that others, including Jake, didn't seem to know of Odo's treachery. Sisko I suspect does. But why go to the trouble of having Kira and Odo talk without actually showing it? This to me was a major blown opportunity, a good shot at seeing the two hash it out, and I have no idea why it was passed over. I hope this isn't all conveniently disregarded in time for Kira sleeping with Bareil next week in "Resurrection." And even if Kira forgives Odo, I hope the rest of the station will take some time - especially Captain Sisko.
A very nice ensemble piece, I thought, especially when it was supposed to be just a Worf/Dax episode. I'm sort of like the Soviet judge at the Olympics though - where he deducts points from the imperialist Western pigs, I deduct points from the lovey-dovey Worf/Dax shows. Still, this could have been "par'Mach" or "Sin," so we should consider ourselves pretty darn lucky. After all the intensity of the Dominion arc, it was good to have a light show. Even if this wasn't the end-all be-all DS9 comedy, it was certainly a nice change of pace and worth a few good laughs. Season continues to roll right along from my point of view.
Some short takes:
-I think this show has the best costuming Emmy in the bag. The wedding outfits were great, but Sirella's outfit and the bachelor "party" suits were nice as well.
- Whoa, that was some nice fire dancing. Now where'd they get the Polynesian band from?
-Morn and the Bolian. They need a spinoff show I think.
- Captain Shelby? Actually, I think Dax said Shelby was a he.
- Did anyone catch that Klingon ship flying over the station in the first transition shot? Have we seen that design before?
- I found the war situation ot be acceptable, given that the fighting is now likely all concentrated on the Cardassian border. But did it seem to anyone else that all these officers had too much time off? I mean, a four night bachelor party?
Writing: Certainly witty where it needed to be, but the plot needed tweaking.
Acting: Farrell made me wince once, so call it a good day. Hertzler and Shannon Cochran as Sirella were both pretty good, and Dorn impressed me to with a surpising range of emotions.
Directing: Solid as usual.
Rating: 8.3 out of 10.0
Quote: Worf: "Blood. Pain. Sacrifice. Anguish. Death."
Bashir: "Sounds like marriage, all right."
O'Brien: "How would you know?"
Next week: Vedek Bareil's return provokes shock and horror - not over his apparent resurrection, but over the fact he needs a good shave
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