[DS9] Lynch's Spoiler Review: "The Maquis, Part II"
Timothy W. Lynch
Maquis, Part II". You probably don't want to read any further unless you've
seen the show.
In brief: were it not for Bernie Casey, this show would've been damn near
perfect. As it is, it's still quite good.
Even Casey got better as the show went on, though that might well be because
he had less and less screen time. :-)
Part one of "The Maquis" opened all sorts of questions with no easy answers;
part two made the characters, for the most part, take the answers at hand,
and they weren't easy. Firing on Federation citizens had to hurt (well, at
least hurt the four Starfleeters that were acting; I doubt Dukat minded that
much), and it's a major credit to the show that not only did we see it, but
that the situation led almost inevitably to it. Sisko had no choice, and he
knew it -- and it hurt to watch.
The one major problem I had with it was Bernie Casey. As in part one, the
lines made sense; and as in part one, a lot of his shorter statements struck
home; but when he had long passages of dialogue, something went wrong. His
delivery just didn't work for the role he was called upon to play -- it was
too sing-song, too rhythmic. (Avery Brooks does the same sort of thing, but
is a lot less obvious about it.) As such, scenes like the opening one in the
teaser, while still strong, were a good deal weaker than they *could* have
been with a different actor in the role. (Picture, say, Howard Rollins.
Brr.)
Despite that, I still felt a lot of the anguish we were seeing between Sisko
and Cal Hudson. Although many of the lines didn't quite work due to
delivery, both had excellent body language throughout, and Sisko held up his
end of every scene and more. (In particular, his "you don't want peace, Cal;
you want revenge" hit hard, despite the fact that it's an almost inevitable
line in something like this.) It was easy to see that Sisko really didn't
want to believe how far his friend had crossed over, and it was also visible
(though not as clearly) that Cal felt completely in the right and downright
betrayed by Sisko's refusal to cross over with him. Cal's "I hope not -- I
*truly* hope not" response to Sisko's insistence that the raid on the weapons
depot would be intercepted is a good example; he didn't want to hurt Sisko,
but he certainly wasn't going to let him get in the way.
Another nice bit of imagery in the situation the two of them faced was the
continued references to Cal's uniform (which he wore in every scene but the
final one last episode, and which he *never* wore this time). From Cal's
statement that it had gotten too tight, to Sisko's message that "I still have
his uniform", to Cal's final phasering of it as the battle lines were drawn,
it was a symbol of everything Cal used to be, and everything Sisko wanted him
to stay true to. Very nice work there.
Most of the other guest characters were quite good as well. Admiral Nechayev
seemed a bit less sympathetic than usual (which is saying a lot, given how
unsympathetic she usually is :-) ), but that was surely by design, so that it
would set up Sisko's speech -- and it was certainly recognizable as Nechayev.
Legate Parn, while only present for one scene, was absolutely marvelous to
watch as well, almost rivaling Dukat (though not managing it). His whole web
of deceit to Sisko cemented something I've been thinking for a while --
namely, that a good SF analogue to the Cardassians are _Dune_'s Harkonnens.
Plans within plans within plans, and deception at every turn typify both;
but always for a purpose, and always with the belief that it was necessary.
Very nice indeed. [Sisko's response right after he left wasn't bad, either.]
Even Sakonna was tolerable this time -- although she was still one of the
weak links of the show, her scene with Quark about "the price of peace" was
orders of magnitude better than any scene she was in last time around. She
seemed a Vulcan who was unsure of her loyalties, which is rare -- but not
unheard of.
Then, there's Dukat. I thought about it last week, but now I'm sure of it;
I'd definitely watch a show devoted solely to Sisko and Dukat. Either alone
is quite good, as Dukat's scene taunting his captors showed rather nicely --
but together, they're absolute magic. Sisko's nailing Dukat to the wall with
Parn's statements about him ["...that if the Maquis did not execute you, that
the Central Command would -- *after* a comforting trial, I'm sure"] had me
wincing in sympathy for Dukat, and it was one of the few times we've seen
Dukat react in any substantive way at all. It was magnificent, as was
Dukat's disappointment when Sisko wouldn't gun Hudson down. ("I thought you
were strong, Commander; you're not. You're a fool -- a sentimental fool."
Ouch.) There *is* a bond developing between these two in some ways, and it's
one I hope we get to see developed more as time goes on; I know I'd watch
every minute with absolutely undivided attention.
Before this turns into the "rave about Sisko and Dukat" festival, however, I
should talk about other aspects of the show. :-) As I said last week, "The
Maquis" had a sense of events overtaking the characters and running the show,
much as happened in the opening story arc this season. However, this time,
unlike "The Siege", the conclusion *kept it that way*. I felt events rushing
towards a conclusion as the show itself was concluding, but never did I feel
that there were convenient outs, or that an easy route was taken. There
*were* no easy routes here, and that was made quite clear all the way
through. That sort of show takes guts to write, and I'm very pleased to see
the creators of DS9 [who helped write the show] not decide to back down when
the situation with the characters gets rough.
It's tough to say much more about the show. Virtually everything worked.
For instance:
-- Sisko's speech after talking to Nechayev. Although the second half of it
was a bit overstated, the initial point about "the trouble is EARTH" with all
its attendant explanation was remarkably well done. It suggests that the
Federation is no longer in touch with what's *really* going on along the
borders; are we going to see a shakeup high up at some point?
-- The rescue of Dukat -- great action sequence, and Sisko's message to
Hudson through Amaros blew me through the back wall.
-- The staff meeting, also great. Kira and Dukat had a very ... interesting
way of playing off each other, particularly with her comment about what
Bajorans could do with all the weapons Sakonna obtained.
-- The Xepolite intercept. Dukat may be a snake, but he has one *hell* of a
command presence. Yow.
-- Sisko on Volan Three, delivering the Federation ultimatum. The bluster
was revealing, but the phasering of the uniform was the capper here.
Then, there's the final interception of the Maquis. The one bit of it I
wasn't thrilled with was having the runabouts entirely run by major
characters; hell, even the Maquis had more sense than that, and they're more
desperate. However, I can live with it, given that both sides were trying
relatively hard *not* to kill each other. And the action sequence was, to be
blunt, phenomenal on all counts.
I was a little surprised they left Hudson alive, but not at all surprised
that the Maquis is still around. *That* might have been an easy out; as it
is, there's still trouble in the demilitarized zone, and the problem is with
the putative good guys. This is something Sisko might be stuck working with
for a while.
Lastly, while the final scene was good, I think it could have ended half a
line sooner than it did. Sisko's reaction to Kira's "you prevented a war"
was nice, but I'd have ended it with "did I?", myself, rather than continuing
on. Still, that's getting seriously picky.
"The Maquis" is one of the best two-part stories to come out of any Trek,
past or present. There was no letting up, no lessening of tension, and no
fake ways out; this was the only resolution to a bad situation, with no
guarantee the situation won't get bad again. Frustrating as hell, but
extremely true to life. I like it; I like it a LOT.
So, wrapping up:
Plot: Nicely tight. I'm not fond of having an entirely regular-crewed
attack, but other than that it's terrific.
Plot Handling: I'm still shaking four days later; let's leave it at that.
Characterization: Sakonna was still a bit weak, and Bernie Casey never quite
got Cal Hudson right, but everyone else was stellar, *especially*
Dukat.
OVERALL: 9.5. Bravo, people; bravo.
NEXT WEEK:
Garak runs into some trouble with his brain...
Tim Lynch (Harvard-Westlake School, Science Dept.)
BITNET: tlynch@citjulie
INTERNET: tly...@juliet.caltech.edu
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.ca...@hamlet.caltech.edu
"The trouble is EARTH. On Earth, there is no poverty, no crime, no war. You
look out the window of Starfleet Headquarters and you see Paradise -- well,
it's easy to be a *saint* in Paradise."
-- Sisko
--
Copyright 1994, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...
Doug Nelson
>is a lot less obvious about it.) As such, scenes like the opening one in the
>teaser, while still strong, were a good deal weaker than they *could* have
>been with a different actor in the role. (Picture, say, Howard Rollins.
>Brr.)
EXCELLENT call!! get paramount! if they haven't thought of it yet, we need
to get them a video or two. heck, the savings in makeup alone should
sell him <G>
>Another nice bit of imagery in the situation the two of them faced was the
>continued references to Cal's uniform (which he wore in every scene but the
>final one last episode, and which he *never* wore this time). From Cal's
>statement that it had gotten too tight, to Sisko's message that "I still have
>his uniform", to Cal's final phasering of it as the battle lines were drawn,
ex-squeeze me, but didn't we see that uniform get dropped on the ground before
the big showdown? i know someone could have picked it up off-camera, but
i think they had other things on their minds. and we had a pretty good
view of the whole party (and who else would bother but sisko anyway)
during the whole scene.
>Even Sakonna was tolerable this time -- although she was still one of the
>weak links of the show, her scene with Quark about "the price of peace" was
>orders of magnitude better than any scene she was in last time around. She
>seemed a Vulcan who was unsure of her loyalties, which is rare -- but not
>unheard of.
this was the jewel of the episode in my view. on top of delivering a speech
that should be memorized in all polysci classes, it ups quark's validity
(possibly even the whole ferengi race), and shows that, just as quarks's
brother <sorry, bad with names, especially extra terrestrial names>
proves thas all ferengi's are not born profit machines, not all vulcans
are innate diplomats and spack wannabe's.
>-- Sisko's speech after talking to Nechayev. Although the second half of it
>was a bit overstated, the initial point about "the trouble is EARTH" with all
>its attendant explanation was remarkably well done. It suggests that the
>Federation is no longer in touch with what's *really* going on along the
>borders; are we going to see a shakeup high up at some point?
soft, decadent society...where have we heard that before <G>
>-- The rescue of Dukat -- great action sequence, and Sisko's message to
>Hudson through Amaros blew me through the back wall.
<good stuff deleted>
>-- Sisko on Volan Three, delivering the Federation ultimatum. The bluster
>was revealing, but the phasering of the uniform was the capper here.
slight (but not too far) tangent here. maybe someone can whip out a tech
manual (or just sigh and tell me some obvious thing i should have known):
i've always wondered about phasers, and this episode has several of the main
things i am curious about. sisko was standing behind the uniform (or maybe he
wasn't, it doesn't really matter). how does a phaser beam know where to stop?
a bag of clothing would take a lot less energy than a body or a machine or a
rock (all of which have been 'vaporized' or whatever they do to things). why
doesn't the beam just keep on going (a problem with bullets today)? also, we
see a phaser beam 'dodged'. these things might not use electro-magnetic
waves, but it would seem they use some sort of 'phased' energy beam that would
still travel at, or virtually at, the speed of light. you're really gonna be
able to dodge one of these things?
lastly, and a total non-sequiter, i'm using a new reader. someone PLEASE tell
me it is wrapping my posts correctly (JEEMINY that would be embarrassing)
stop me before i post again
******************************************************
Doug Nelson c60...@showme.missouri.edu
R. Dan Henry
>From: c60...@showme.missouri.edu (Doug Nelson)
>Subject: Re: [DS9] Lynch's Spoiler Review: "The Maquis, Part II"
>Date: Sun, 8 May 1994 14:51:10 +1000
>Keywords: DS9 Sisko Dukat
>slight (but not too far) tangent here. maybe someone can whip out a tech
>manual (or just sigh and tell me some obvious thing i should have known):
*sigh*
>i've always wondered about phasers, and this episode has several of the main
>things i am curious about. sisko was standing behind the uniform (or maybe he
>wasn't, it doesn't really matter). how does a phaser beam know where to stop?
Phasers do whatever suits the purposes of the plot. Their effects are wildly
inconsistent and can only be explained by postulating that phasers are
highly intelligent tools, clever enough to identify what its target is and
carefully limit its destructive force to that target.
* R. Dan Henry, Dept. of Philosophy, UC Riverside *
* rdh...@ucrac1.ucr.edu * "Strange Dan" the Wereduck*
* "Can I still get an A if I only answered half the *
* questions?" - student, at end of final *
Jim Thomas
1. Although I like a lot of Bernie Casey's work, this wasn't one of
them. In particular, during the "dogfight" when he was calling out
a new heading, I thought that he was speaking way too slow for an
actual combat situation: New heading, 1...1...4...mark...3...4...7
or whatever. Way too slow.
2. The larger of the two: I don't about the rest of you, but I
honestly believe that the proper thing for Sisko to have done was
to blow Cal out of space. Friendship aside, Cal has not only broken
his vows to Starfleet and the Federation, but his continued presence
threatens the shaky peace with the Cardassians. I find a number of
similarities here between Sisko's situation and that of Picard in
"I, Borg," and, perhaps, also with Data in "The Most Toys" [I hope I
got that title right]. Picard was faced with the opportunity to destroy
the Borg, and backed down. Data, faced with the choice between killing
whatshisname and permitting other murders in the future, chose the
former; only the Enterprise's timely arrival prevented the death,
but Data made his choice nonetheless, and it was that choice that
expanded that character, not the death itself.
Sisko's comment at the end of the episode, wondering if he has really
prevented anything, raises the point, but not very effectively. Of
course, would killing Cal have changed Sisko's character? Absolutely;
but then, the point of drama is to see characters develop. It seems
that a major force withing the episode as a whole was the desire to
establish a distinction between Sisko and Gul Dukat. That desire, I
think, hurt the final outcome of the episode.
I think a better resolution would have been for Sisko to blast Cal;
this would certainly have drawn praise from Dukat. This would allow
Sisko to assert "One difference remains between my act and yours;
I did NOT enjoy it." Well, phrased a bit differently, but something
along those lines.
Apart from that ending, a good episode. And I agree entirely with
those applauding the scenes with Quark; some of the best writing the
show has done in a while.
Jim Thomas
Penn State
just another theatre geek
>2. The larger of the two: I don't about the rest of you, but I
>honestly believe that the proper thing for Sisko to have done was
>to blow Cal out of space.
Ahhhh....but that's the point, isn't? Characters are allowed to
make bad decisions, aren't they?
Personal relationships and principls evidently mean quite a bit
to Benjamin Sisko (dating back to EMISARRY and up through PARADISE). I'm
not surprised he made this decision, bad as it is....
>Sisko's comment at the end of the episode, wondering if he has really
>prevented anything, raises the point, but not very effectively. Of
>course, would killing Cal have changed Sisko's character? Absolutely;
>but then, the point of drama is to see characters develop. It seems
>that a major force withing the episode as a whole was the desire to
>establish a distinction between Sisko and Gul Dukat. That desire, I
>think, hurt the final outcome of the episode.
I don't think so. Drama is where a character has to make a
choice; growth comes from that choice. And Sisko DID make a
choice....it's just not the one you would have made....
--
Roger Tang, gwan...@u.washington.edu, Artistic Director PC Theatre
The most unAmerican thing you can say is "He/she makes too much money."