This quite delightful episode is finely crafted and serves as a moment of calm before the heavy stuff that is about to happen. Jake and Nog get centre stage for once and handle things very well, bringing some very nice comedy that doesn't spill over into being silly - although the whole episode teeters on the edge of doing just that. The episode is essentially about trying to cheer people up, and it does have that effect on the viewer too.
And yet, there is something a bit unsubstantial about it that prevents me from totally loving it. The concept is quite a ridiculous one, and it's a testament to the characters and the writing that it gets the mileage it does from the plot. The character of Dr. Giger is maybe a little too out-there, and I can't help but feel that the whole episode revolved around trying to make the "lions, Gigers, bears, oh my" joke work.
I do enjoy seeing Jake and Nog together, though, the actors have a good chemistry that allows things to feel very natural by now. In particular, the scene with the Klingon opera is pretty great. My favourite moment of the episode may have been the great interaction between Kai Winn and Weyoun, though ("no, we are nothing alike").
And it is always quite lovely to see the bond between Jake and his father.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2018-03-01T15:24:04Z
This quite delightful episode is finely crafted and serves as a moment of calm before the heavy stuff that is about to happen. Jake and Nog get centre stage for once and handle things very well, bringing some very nice comedy that doesn't spill over into being silly - although the whole episode teeters on the edge of doing just that. The episode is essentially about trying to cheer people up, and it does have that effect on the viewer too.
And yet, there is something a bit unsubstantial about it that prevents me from totally loving it. The concept is quite a ridiculous one, and it's a testament to the characters and the writing that it gets the mileage it does from the plot. The character of Dr. Giger is maybe a little too out-there, and I can't help but feel that the whole episode revolved around trying to make the "lions, Gigers, bears, oh my" joke work.
I do enjoy seeing Jake and Nog together, though, the actors have a good chemistry that allows things to feel very natural by now. In particular, the scene with the Klingon opera is pretty great. My favourite moment of the episode may have been the great interaction between Kai Winn and Weyoun, though ("no, we are nothing alike").
And it is always quite lovely to see the bond between Jake and his father.