[DS9] Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Move Along Home"
Timothy W. Lynch
Home", the latest offering from DS9. Those who don't wish to gamble on being
spoiled should choose the safer path, and avoid this article.
Just *what* was that?
Not overly good, for one thing. "Move Along Home" had some nice elements
here and there, and some nicely surreal moments, but all packed into what
was, if not truly bad, at least an extremely *shaky* piece of celluloid.
[My time is exceedingly short this week, so I'll keep this brief.]
The key plot ideas, namely Quark's cheating getting him into trouble and the
station bigwigs getting caught up in an alien game, certainly had their
strengths. Hardly original, perhaps, but the key to "alien-game" stories is
usually how interesting the game itself is and how well it's set up.
This one had serious problems in motivation from the get-go, though. Quark's
cheating was certainly in character and reasonably done, but the "punishment"
of the game does not ring true. The Wadi, for one, had no way of knowing if
Quark would even find *out* that he was playing with Sisko et al. -- and even
if they did, most of the contact they'd had with both Quark and Sisko
suggested they weren't that fond of each other. If the intent was to make
Quark somehow regret his actions or squirm for his cheating, it didn't work
for me. The threat seemed contrived -- both within the show as outlined
above, and from without, since we knew no one would *really* die.
The elements of the game itself were also mixed. Some of the establishing
shots, such as the ceiling-shot when Sisko first arrives, were impressive,
and some of the challenges (such as the Chandra) were smartly done (and very
"Doctor Who"-like, as others have no doubt noticed). However, once again
there were problems.
Some of the problems revolve around the fact that the regular "players" of
the game on the Wadi homeworld undoubtedly must get a different version
without Falow's annoying comments (and I refuse to believe they custom-made
the game solely for this encounter). However, far more crucial a flaw here
was in something I rarely object to on DS9. Namely, the acting was in many
cases, *atrocious*.
The number of scenes or moments that made me cringe with embarrassment on DS9
as a whole may have just doubled with "Move Along Home", and while some is
surely due to the scripting, I think much more of it suggested an off-week on
the part of the actors this time. For instance:
-- Falow's extremely unpleasant laughter and commentary. I've seen Joel
Brooks before, and he's been loads better. Who suggested that?
-- Bashir yelling to wake himself up. No, *thank* you.
-- Kira's attitude virtually all throughout. "I am a Bajoran administrator;
this is not what I signed up for!", indeed. There have been times when Nana
Visitor has managed to make Kira strident without making her a (pardon the
phrase) "screaming bitch" -- this wasn't one of them, and I'm worried that
it's more likely to be the norm. Her frustration was fine, and her
non-verbal reactions (such as the eye-rolling with the Chandra and having to
do the rhymes) were good, but the verbal outbursts (every last one of them)
were rotten. Blah.
Moving on to acting problems outside the game, we have...
-- Both exchanges between Odo and Primmin. Yee-ARGH. James Lashly wasn't
fantastic in "The Passenger", but his weak spots were mainly in the
Primmin/Odo scenes -- and here, that's all we got. The whole pair of
exchanges, with lines like "Don't call me Constable -- I'm chief of
security!" and "Is it against Starfleet policy to push a few *buttons*?", was
quite simply embarrassing to watch, particularly given that similar exchanges
have come off without a hitch (especially over the "Constable" issue;
remember that conversation he had with Sisko about it?). Again, scripting
bears *some* of the blame, but it felt to me a lot more like the fault of the
actors this time. A slap on the wrist to both Lashly and Auberjonois for
them.
-- Then, of course, there's Quark's groveling, easily the least watchable
minute DS9 has had to date. I don't know *who* to blame for that one, so
I'll just let out a loud groan and hope never to see it again.
Finally for bad points, there are places where the characters seem either too
swift or too slow. Odo and Quark, in my opinion, made a truly bizarre leap
of logic in concluding that the four pieces were the four missing officers,
especially Odo. (What, he just got in there and could immediately tell what
was going on?) And on the other hand, I think Sisko and company were way too
*slow* on the uptake to realize they were probably trapped in a game, given
the fact that they *knew* it was the Wadi, they *knew* the Wadi loved games,
and that the whole atmosphere seemed game-like. The latter's a minor point,
but the former's a big one.
On the good side, there were some things to like about "Move Along Home".
Most of them were in little details here and there or the execution of those
scenes that went right.
One thing in particular I liked was the trio of scenes with Jake Sisko. This
and "A Man Alone" way back are doing a lot to convince me that we're going to
see a very realistic kid for once (and I'm seeing a few hundred of them every
day nowadays, so I think I have a clue about what realistic behavior is
:-) ). The Sisko/Jake talk sounded just shy of perfect on *both* sides, and
Jake's shyer manner around Odo combined with the blush when Odo called him on
"watching the girls" rang true as well. Someone on the writing staff is
doing a far better job on kids' dialogue, and I'm all for it. (Hmm. I know
Rick Berman's got a son not much younger than Jake's supposed to be -- anyone
know if Piller's got family?)
There were also a lot of little touches that were enjoyable. Bashir's
mistake with his dress uniform was about right for such an academic ("now
where *did* I leave that jacket?" ;-) ), and Sisko's comment to Bashir about
his screaming worked nicely. Sisko getting drunk and frustrated in the bar
also felt right, and his argument with Jake sounded like many parents I've
known. Also, while the execution of *getting* Odo to the Wadi ship was, as
I've said, rotten, the results of his expedition were superbly managed.
Lastly, when Joel Brooks wasn't being overbearing as Falow, he did a nice job
of being menacing in an understated way.
Another highlight would be the discussion between Sisko and Dax when Dax was
wounded. While the "I'm done for, leave me behind" bit is old, this
particular pair was ripe for such a scene, given their pasts. Her "seven
lives is enough" and his "yes, I've heard that somewhere" struck a chord that
ran through the whole scene.
That takes care of all the key points. Now for the shorter ones:
-- While there was some cute teasing about *which* of the final three would
be "killed" in the game, I find it a little disturbing that Sisko always
seemed unlikely to die. That in itself is no big deal, but it seems to me
that *every time* someone on a mixed-gender away team is wounded seriously
enough to cause a problem, it's always a woman. Isn't this a stereotype we
could do without?
-- I'm certain I've seen Clara Bryant (the young girl who played the Chandra)
somewhere, but I can't recall where. Anyone who recognizes her care to
suggest places?
-- "What *IS* a Shappe?" Well, given that I lived with Mike "Uncle Mikey,
now-Moderator of r.a.s.reviews, Keeper of the Holy Reviews Mailing List, and
Official Co-R.a.s.Reviewer of My Wedding" Shappe for two years, I must admit
that my first comment was "It's a small furry creature from Rockaway, New
Jersey, why do you ask?" :-) :-)
-- To those reading on r.a.s.current on Usenet: this is the final time
you'll see my review posted directly here by me. In the future, all my
reviews will first go through r.a.s.reviews and be crossposted -- but that
may mean a delay or two. So don't blame me if you don't get your weekend fix
until the following Monday. :-)
That takes care of it, I think. Nice idea, but flawed -- deeply flawed.
So, numbers please...
Plot: 4. Ugh.
Plot Handling: 6. Some nice direction here and there went a long way
towards atoning for a lousy setup.
Characterization: 4. Good random bits, but shoddy, *shoddy* acting on the
principals' part. Give 'em a rest.
TOTAL: 5, rounding up. Highly mediocre.
NEXT WEEK:
And we thought Quark was full of himself *before*...
Tim Lynch (Harvard-Westlake School, Science Dept.)
BITNET: tlynch@citjulie
INTERNET: tly...@juliet.caltech.edu
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.ca...@hamlet.caltech.edu
"Oh, that's right ... you were there for the groveling."
-- Quark
--
Copyright 1993, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...
Cindy Tittle Moore
>WARNING: The following post contains heavy spoiler comments on "Move Along
>Home", the latest offering from DS9. Those who don't wish to gamble on being
>spoiled should choose the safer path, and avoid this article.
Hm, I'm surprised you didn't pick up on the one thing that I really
liked about this show: I'm almost certain that the game is the
*Wadi's* First Contact procedure. That explains the discrepancies
with whether or not they were really trying to punish Quark or not --
it was convenient, and I got the impression they didn't mind that it
did shake him. For some reason his grovelling scene didn't bother
me -- did you see how opportunistically he peeked up when Falow
relented? I'm sure he played it more for effect.
My biggest problems were the characterizations of Bashir and Kira.
They seemed to get switched around. I would have expected Bashir,
not Kira, former guerrillist, to be more upset with the circumstances,
I would have expected Kira to have the head to figure out the drink
was the key (and Bashir to start pounding on the doors).
As for the complaint about Sisko not being at risk for being picked
out, I should point out the Bashir *was* sacrificed. So...that didn't
bug me.
I liked the lines between Dax and Sisko a lot. I especially
appreciated how Dax deliberately said -- and you could tell from a
momentary expression that it wasn't true -- "If you were injured, I'd
leave you." I'm very curious about the effects of 7 lives, and like
to see this.
Finally, back to my original point, I think the game makes a very
interesting First Contact procedure. Perhaps we should haul out
our chess games when meeting new people ;-).
Flawed execution, sloppy characterizations, but some very intriguing
ideas and individual scenes. In short, I agree ;-).
--Cindy
--
Cindy Tittle Moore
Internet: tit...@ics.uci.edu | BITNET: clti...@uci.bitnet
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucivax!tittle | Usnail: PO Box 4188, Irvine CA, 92716
Mark Halfen
>In <1oe11g...@gap.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>
>>WARNING: The following post contains heavy spoiler comments on "Move Along
>>Home", the latest offering from DS9. Those who don't wish to gamble on being
>>spoiled should choose the safer path, and avoid this article.
>
>
>I liked the lines between Dax and Sisko a lot. I especially
>appreciated how Dax deliberately said -- and you could tell from a
>momentary expression that it wasn't true -- "If you were injured, I'd
>leave you." I'm very curious about the effects of 7 lives, and like
episode, I was getting pretty annoyed at the whole thing, and since
this occurred shortly after Quark's annoying groveling scene, my
initial opinion was probably biased.
I guess I was really disappointed by the episode. I felt that it got
off to a good beginning, particularly since I've been waiting to see
Avery Brooks get some new and interesting material to do. I also liked
the way they handled Jake Sisko in this episode--much more believable
than any of the stuff I remember Wesley doing in STTNG(not to mention--
less annoying than Wesley).
And, when the main Wadi guy(I can never remember names) asked Quark
to "choose their path" or whatever, and make his first wager, I
chuckled and said "2000 quatloos". (-:
>to see this.
>
>Finally, back to my original point, I think the game makes a very
>interesting First Contact procedure. Perhaps we should haul out
>our chess games when meeting new people ;-).
>
>Flawed execution, sloppy characterizations, but some very intriguing
>ideas and individual scenes. In short, I agree ;-).
>
>--Cindy
>--
>Cindy Tittle Moore
>
>Internet: tit...@ics.uci.edu | BITNET: clti...@uci.bitnet
>UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucivax!tittle | Usnail: PO Box 4188, Irvine CA, 92716
Mark Halfen
Doc
In reference to Tim's question about the actress who played the Chandra,
didn't she play the engineering officer's daughter in "Imaginary Friend"?
(And yes,like most people on the Net, i
hated the episode in question, so I didn't pull out that tape to check the
credits--so this is just a guess!)
the grey ghost
James Gordon Currie
I *think* it meant level... Either that, or they where using it to mean
that they had passed through one barrier and into anouther.
Ciao
I am an android..
]--Shappe--
]
] I *think* it meant level... Either that, or they where using it to mean
]that they had passed through one barrier and into anouther.
Which is why it struck me as a bit similar to Live-Action Roleplaying.
Enough that I remembered a quote from the Dream Park novel, _The California
Voodoo Game_:
Mild spoiler for that book :)
"Something in the next shadow is waiting to bite your face off."
--
/----------------------------------------------------------------------\
|Patrick Chester (aka: claypigeon) wol...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu|
|If the Earth is our Cradle, then why are we still here? |
|Everything your side says is Truth. All else is Propaganda.... |
|I only speak for myself. If I *did* speak for UT, would anyone listen?|
\----------------------------------------------------------------------/
Vidiot
No need to pull out the tape. Pull out the ST:TNG guide instead.
Sorry, but Clara Bryant has had no part in ST:TNG.
--
harvard\ spool.cs.wisc.edu!astroatc!vidiot!brown
Vidiot ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!vidiot!brown
rutgers/ INTERNET:vidiot!brown%astroa...@spool.cs.wisc.edu
br...@wi.extrel.com
Joe Fleming
missed Lynch's review of "Move Along Home". Would someone please forward a
copy to me?
Thanks,
Joe Fleming