DS9 Episode Review: IMHO - "The Siege"
TED BRENGLE
***A Special Encore Presentation Of The Best Of IMHO***
(or a lousy, stinking re-run)
DS9: Season 2: "The Siege"
Okay, it wasn't perfect. But it was *damn* good.
Yes, the ending was a victim of the infamous thirty second
wrap-up, and yes, Li Nalas' death was painfully contrived and seemed
rammed into the story at the last minute, like the writers suddenly
remembered that they had to kill him off, but since everything else
was so sturdy, I seriously wonder if I should carp at all.
All in all it wasn't as good as "The Circle", but it was better
than "The Homecoming", and as this was a cliffhanger resolution, we
can only surmise that Nouveau Trek has finally gotten over its
resolution trauma problem that it has evidenced since "Redemption
II". In addition, this episode herald the return of the Michael
Piller who revitalized TNG's script shop in the third season, and I,
for one, was glad to see him back. This was his best script in ages.
And there was a lot going on here, and everything held together
pretty well until the ending which was rushed and simplistic in its
belief that all of this chaos on Bajor could be wiped away with one
datapad thumb print, suddenly making everything hunky-dory again. I
have to say, though, that Trek has always been better at creating
byzantine situations than in logically resolving them. One nice
thing about the ending, though, was that it did leave the door open
for the return of Jarro and Winn, who have developed into two very
healthy, sinister adversaries for our heros (adversaries whom, I
might add, are flesh and blood and don't have the crutch of
omnipotence, unlike some other running troublemakers I could
mention.) I look forward to their future evil masterplans, and it's
to this episode's credit that it leaves me with confidence that the
loose ends that "The Siege" did leave hanging will someday be
addressed instead of just forgotten. Heck, Kira's prophesy seemed
pretty much on the ball so far, and we haven't seen that...
interesting bit yet. I'm sure she's looking forward to it just as
much as we are.
From a technical aspect, the show was far above average. The
direction was crisp, although not as clever as last week's, and the
effects superb (especially during the classy battle sequence that
finally puts to rest whether or not there is a place in the Trek
universe for star fighters). Dialogue was, as is becoming
increasingly common, almost painfully good. The interaction of all
these characters has never been better, and appears to improve every
week. Berman, Piller and the rest of the production crew have really
found this show's character rhythm and have linked it (finally) to a
steady, sure storytelling sense. And although their otherwise strong
story occasionally faltered in this final installment, it provided
character opportunities that allowed for even more color and
complexity.
Now, to illustrate this, I could do my customary peon to Kira or
Odo or Quark or Bashir (all excellent, as usual), but this time I'm
going to focus on a character whom I never dreamed I would: Dax. I
was stunned here, boys and girls. When the hell did she become an
engaging character? For that matter, when the hell did Farrell become
a charismatic actress? To be sure, the character was the best
written it has ever been, but Farrell dazzled by being up to the
challenge. Indeed, watching her and Kira play Han Solo and Chewbacca
was, in many ways, the episode's most enjoyable part. Farrell evinced
grace and good humor in a performance that made me actually *like*
Dax, instead of making me want to pound her head into the control
council she always sits in front of. Her off-the-cuff, casual
reference to Tobin Dax struck me as one of those little details that
make something outlandish seem real, and gave me a reveling glimpse
at the potential of the Trill, which so many others have talked
about, and which I have balked at. I pray this wasn't just a fluke,
and we get this level of writing and performance from now on. By
showing that Dax can work, they don't have any excuses anymore. With
Farrell joining the fold, this was the first DS9 where all the
acting, by every single significant player, ran at 100% or better.
Performances sparkled all around.
There were several disappointments during the hour, though. Most
of them having to do with sloppiness in the story department.
Although the sense of immediacy and uncertainty from "The Circle"
was kept for the majority of the episode, it seems a shame to waste
it by making sure that everything reverted back to the way it was
before the coup, with no significant changes. A few shocking
turn-arounds in loyalties or a rougher, meaner Bajorian government
that had a firm hand in control, but which bordered on dictatorship,
and had even more of a love/hate affair with the Feds might have
been nice. Also, while I liked the guerilla adventures of the DS9
resistance force, their holodeck plan seemed dopey and so
transparent a trick that the Bajorian rebels defied common sense by
charging into it. I'm still uncertain why the good guys let The
Hotheaded Lieutenant go, much less why he made up that bit about
giving the Feds amnesty, but then, I thought The Hotheaded
Lieutenant a waste anyway, who seemed to be wearing a sign
throughout the episode that read, "Script Convention". A convention
that of course led to the cop-out death of Li Nalas. His death
should have had a lot more meaning than it did and seemed arbitrary
and tacked on, although his last words were quite good. And I think
that last comment is telling. For ever disappointment, there was
something good, usually quite a few somethings. I have a seriously
good feeling about this season.
To the Big Board:
The Grade: A- (They pulled it off. A fine
conclusion, and when coupled with
its antecedents, it is nothing
less than the best Trek
multi-parter since "Best of Both
Worlds". Yeah!)
Next Week: We play musical slug! Dax was good this week. God!
I'm actually optimistic!
-Ted Brengle
(Cynic who is starting wonder
why he's one)
(c) Copyright 1994, Ted Brengle (IMHO Inc.)
* OLX 2.1 TD * My non-cynical tagline for times of special celebration.
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