6x16 Change of Heart

[7.2/10] Deep Space Nine needed an episode like “Change of Heart”. One of the core problems of the Worf/Dax wedding episode is that it was largely about Dax acquiescing and accommodating to be with Worf. That's been true with much of their relationship, right down to her helping him play Cyrano for Quark. Time and again, Dax has been the one to go the extra mile, to suffer Worf’s stick-up-his-own-ass behavior like siding with the Puritanical extremist on Risa, to have to understand and sacrifice for him, not the other way around. There hasn’t been nearly enough of Worf doing anything close for Dax.

“Change of Heart” is a tonic for that problem in two big ways. One is smaller, but significant. We get to see the two of them together, playful and fun as a married couple, in a way we never really have on an extended basis before. It’s striking that, outside of the wretched Risa episode, the show has mostly featured the two of them together in subplots, or even individual scenes, rather than episodes where we get to see the couple growing closer as a main focus.

Giving over the episode to them makes room for those smaller moments, the kind that good relationships are made of, but which often aren't dramatic enough to make it to television. Seeing them banter about work and about fun, seeing them canoodle and then have to get up and go to work in the morning, seeing them chuckle and accommodate one another over how Trills hate heat and Klingons hate cold is downright sweet.

Outside of a scant few kisses and friendly scenes, the audience hasn’t had many opportunities to observe Dax and Worf simply being a couple. And what do you know? It’s easier to like them and root for them when we see them being sweet and playful with one another.

But it also gives us an opportunity to see Worf bending toward Dax, not the other way around. In truth, it’s told more than it’s shown, but Dax acknowledging Worf’s attempt to fulfill his duties as a husband by being a little more easy-going to suit his wife is heartening after the bullshit lead-up to their wedding. The simple fact that he’s happy to go on a pampered honeymoon, rather than a grueling one, because he knows it’s what Dax wants, is a nice sign of him being willing to accommodate her, rather than always insisting that she accommodate him.

Again, these are little things, and little moments, but they’re also the things that matter in relationships, even if they don’t overwhelm you with drama, so it’s great to see Deep Space Nine giving these interactions the time and space to breathe.

Which is why it’s somewhat strange that Ronald D. Moore takes time out of the best rendition of Worf and Dax yet for a forgettable, middling-at-best subplot about Chief O’Brien and Dr. Bashir trying to beat Quark at tongo.

Candidly, I don’t know what the point of it is. Charitably, it’s just a bit of a lighter change of pace with an A-story that gets pretty serious. I like the notion of Miles needing a “challenge” to focus his mind on to take his mind off missing his wife. I like the idea of Dr. Bashir being willing to help his friend under the circumstances. And I like the fact that Quark is good at tongo, and by extension business, not just because he’s good at numbers and strategy, but because he’s good at reading people, able to understand how to push their buttons. You’d expect nothing less from a stalwart bartender.

What I don’t like is returning to the idea that Julian is still hopelessly smitten with Jadzia, and maybe Quark too. (Though I figure the Ferengi is purely mercenary here.) Dr. Bashir mooning over (and frankly creeping on) Dax was never my favorite part of the show, and I thought we’d moved past it. Resurrecting that nonsense now, even to throw Julian off during a game of tongo, feels misplaced.

But the best you can say for the return of that ignoble idea is that for all Julian and Quark’s complaints about “Commander Boring” and assumptions that Worf and Dax’s relationship wouldn’t last longer than a month or two, “Change of Heart” does a superb job of showing why their connection has been so much more venerable than that.

In truth, I don’t really care about the plot of the A-plot. The show wants to make a big deal about a Carddassian operative who’s jumpy about his extraction. And through convenient logistical hurdles, Dax and Worf have to hike through the jungle without comms or transporters to get to him. In practice, it’s an excuse for them to wander around a theoretically dangerous but largely unremarkable wooded setting for the back half of the episode. Director David Livingston does his best with the material, but a few inventive shots and large lizards can’t make up for this sense that a lot of this feels like kids playacting in their backyard.

Despite that, I like their little quest because it gives us more time with Worf and Dax ribbing and relying on one another. You can see Worf come out of his shell a little when he’s alone with his wife. You can see Dax being playful and her husband responding well to it. You can see Worf caring for Jadzia when she’s injured, worrying that it’s his new more relaxed attitude that caused the injury, and most heartwarmingly, promising to smile every day if Jadzia promises to make it.

I don’t know, they feel like human beings here, like a loving couple who have their differences, but deep down care about one another with passion and conviction in a way we’ve never really seen before. This is a couple I can get behind, in interactions big and small, and I’m glad that Deep Space Nine finally gave it to us.

Therein lies the other big part of the tonic that “Change of Heart” provides -- because at the end of the day, Worf is willing to sacrifice his mission, his duty, maybe even his career, to ensure the safety and well-being of the woman he loves. It’s the most romantic thing we’ve seen him do arguably ever (and is weirdly in line with him throwing off his combadge to go slay Duras after Duras killed K’Ehleyr).

So much of this relationship, particularly the wedding episode, has been about Dax needing to give things up to be more in line with Worf. It’s been high time for an equal and opposite gesture, and this more than fits the bill.

Despite Worf occasionally bailing to join the Klingon fleet, if there’s one thing we know about him, it’s his devotion to his duty, his insistence on following orders, his pride in his place within Starfleet. Beyond that, as Sisko notes, the well-being of millions, maybe billions is on the line with the intel the Cardassian agent has to offer. In the end, none of it matters more to Worf than saving the woman he loves. He’d disobey orders, give up his chance at command, maybe even damn the whole quadrant if it means protecting Dax. It is, frankly, the kind of sacrifice I’ve been waiting for, one that shows Worf is as willing to bend, as willing to compromise, as his partner is, if not more so.

The closing lines are touching. Sisko gives his subordinate the obligatory dressing down, but admits he’d do the same thing in Worf’s position. Dax comes to and thanks Worf, in her own cheeky way, for his gallantry. The two exchange “I love you”s and kiss, the sign of two people who are equals, lovers, and friends.

Where the hell has it been? Why did it take until now to get it? I don’t know. Different writers have different takes on different characters. You can’t expect total consistency. But this is the Worf and Dax I’ve been waiting for, the ones who feel like human beings (more or less) in a real relationship. The wait was long, but I’m still glad they’re finally here.

(Spoilers for later in the series: Worf’s reaction to Dax’s near death only makes what happens down the line seem more tragic somehow. Candidly, I don't remember Worf’s reaction to that event, but I hope it’s informed by how he acts here.)