A really strong performance from Colm Meaney helps elevate an already strong story. Interestingly, I'd always thought of O'Brien as a man who was always on the edge of losing his temper, so the scenes of him getting angry at Quark and then Molly is both in keeping with his character and also horrifically disturbing. Very well done. I also like that he addresses the notion that humans are supposed to now be an "evolved" species who put petty thoughts of hatred and anger behind them, and this demonstrates that it's pretty much nonsense.
The other part of the story which works well is Ee'char who is played wonderfully and creates a very sympathetic foil for Miles to play against. But once again, it's the Miles/Julian bromance which really pays dividends. The show has earned the moment in which Julian is able to save his friend from suicide through everything we've seen them go through up to this point.
The big problem that I have with this, though, is the lack of repercussions for O'Brien. DS9 is an episodic show more often than not, but it allowed it's characters to grow and feel the effects of the events they go through. Not so here, as Miles never refers to any of this again and doesn't seem to have any recurring emotional issues. I guess maybe mental health has been really sorted out in the 24th century? One can hope.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2017-11-20T14:11:35Z
A really strong performance from Colm Meaney helps elevate an already strong story. Interestingly, I'd always thought of O'Brien as a man who was always on the edge of losing his temper, so the scenes of him getting angry at Quark and then Molly is both in keeping with his character and also horrifically disturbing. Very well done. I also like that he addresses the notion that humans are supposed to now be an "evolved" species who put petty thoughts of hatred and anger behind them, and this demonstrates that it's pretty much nonsense.
The other part of the story which works well is Ee'char who is played wonderfully and creates a very sympathetic foil for Miles to play against. But once again, it's the Miles/Julian bromance which really pays dividends. The show has earned the moment in which Julian is able to save his friend from suicide through everything we've seen them go through up to this point.
The big problem that I have with this, though, is the lack of repercussions for O'Brien. DS9 is an episodic show more often than not, but it allowed it's characters to grow and feel the effects of the events they go through. Not so here, as Miles never refers to any of this again and doesn't seem to have any recurring emotional issues. I guess maybe mental health has been really sorted out in the 24th century? One can hope.