How delightful it is to come across an episode of your favourite TV show that you had almost forgotten. As it went on, more of it came back to me, but at the start I really couldn't recall where it was all going.
Gul Dukat has been a presence on the show since the beginning, but he's slowly received more and more development over time. Despite previous episodes spent with him ('The Maquis', 'Defiant') which gave us titbits, this is probably one of the first truly deep dives into what makes him tick. A large reason for it feeling so much more satisfying here is because he's paired up with Kira, and the two of them together really bring out a more truthful side to both of them. For Dukat, family does really seem to be the most important thing (and family will heavily influence his actions later in the series), but you can't help but wonder how much he's really in it for himself.
The show has also gotten me invested in the relationship of these two due to how much we've learned about their backgrounds. By all rights, Kira and Dukat should more or less despise each other but they've both learned that things are never quite as clear cut as that. Kira certainly has more right to feel hatred but she knows that all Cardassians are not the same. The scene in which Dukat sits on a thorn (?) and they both end up laughing is genuinely great and beautifully natural. It occurred to me here that I really want these two characters to get along.
Things get much more serious towards the end as we learn that Dukat has a half-Bajoran daughter, Ziyal. This is one of my favourite plot points of the series, but it also had the added issue (as it went on) of making Dukat very sympathetic. Whether that's a good or bad thing is different for every viewer, but for me I think it's always amazing if you end up feeling something for the "bad" guy and is only a sign of good writing. For all that, it still feels like a mistake to trust him and you always get the feeling that he has something else going on, and that something is probably not good. His charm can make you forget that he's a mass murderer, and it's easy to be disarmed because he believes that what he did was right. Just one of the best characters in the entire franchise.
Apart from that, meeting the Breen for the first time is a bit underwhelming. The Sisko/Kassidy relationship is a pleasant background story, with the best scene being the informal chat with Jadzia and Julian. Sisko's admission to Kassidy about his fears is excellent, and it seems like their relationship is about to proceed to a deeper level.
How do I begin to sum up 'The Visitor'? It's not only one of the finest episodes in all of Star Trek, it's one of the best pieces of television ever made. Every time I see it, I end up in tears. But it's not an overly sentimental tearjerker, it's subtle and honest in its storytelling. It's delightfully simple and self-contained, making it something that you can watch even if you've never seen any of DS9 before.
I think what clicks for me always is the performances. Everything that makes Avery Brooks my favourite Star Trek captain is displayed here, not only because of his performance but because of what he allowed Captain Sisko to be. He's a family man and a father before he is a Starfleet officer, and he's never afraid to show his vulnerable and caring side. Duty is important to him, but it's with the simple things in life that his heart really lies.
To complement that, Cirroc Lofton as Jake is probably the best he's ever been so far. The moment where his father first comes back and asks how he's doing, and instead of being able to reply he just starts to cry sums up so much of their close father/son relationship. Jake really needs his dad, even relies on him and there's a really deep love between them, undoubtedly solidified more since he lost his mother. We can see that without his dad, Jake turns completely away from the life he could have and shuts the doors to so many other people and paths. My favourite moment is actually the last time Sisko appears and he just watches old Jake sleeping with such a lovely expression on his face.
Then there's Tony Todd playing the older Jake who also is magnificent. While the old-age makeup effects still look kind of terrible (always a problem, they looked terrible back in the 1990s too), the performances are fortunately able to come through. He also has a great chemistry with the young lady playing Melanie.
Maybe there's a bit too much technobabble at moments, butI love this episode and it will make you want to go and see your dad.
A cosy episode that is a fantastic exploration of Jadzia and allows the cast to have fun by taking on different roles. We learn about all of the Dax hosts, and this works out quite nicely for me as I recently read the 'Lives of Dax' short story collection, so there was a lot of familiar stuff here.
But I do find this to be a bit of a missed opportunity. I really want to spend more time with each of the host personalities and am disappointed that we only get tiny glimpse of Lela, Tobin, etc. Cramming them all together in what is little more than a montage is a bit of a disservice and also spoils the pacing a bit. It's also weird the way the Leeta is shoehorned in as one of Dax's closest friends simply because they needed an extra person.
But Curzon/Odo is quite interesting to see and Rene Auberjoinois certainly puts in a great performance. He's almost upstaged by Joran/Sisko who goes super creepy. It's maybe a bit pantomime but Avery Brooks' quirky acting is nicely off kilter.
The background story also deserved more time. I really wanted to see the tests that Nog had to take (and his Starfleet desires haven't really been mentioned for a long while). I particularly loved how assertive Rom became when he figured out what his brother was doing.
There does seem to be a massive plot hole here for me, which has always bugged me: why doesn't Jadzia already know why Curzon denied her application, or that he was in love with her? She has ALL of his memories! That seems to be a big oversight in the writing department and ultimately ruins the entire central concept of the episode.
Side note: I have memories of this episode being advertised. When we first got Sky TV in the family home, DS9 season 3 was nearing the end of it's UK premiere run and this episodes had adverts all over Sky One, along with 'The Adversary' the next week.
Best episode of the season so far. Might even be one of my favorites of the show.
One of my absolute fave episodes of the series. Just had so many clever, crazy bits that reminded me of how I first fell in love with the show in those early, less exposed days.
See, this is what Star Trek is supposed to be !
What should be a fascinating and enjoyable episode around the concept of first contact with an alien species ends up not working at all. This is because the alien species themselves are written and portrayed so poorly, they become insanely annoying. They managed to cast actors who are able to play characters you hate with perfection (no disrespect to them, they are great at doing it).
The scene with Bebe Neuwirth telling Riker he has to make love to her before she will help him is played for laughs but imagine if the roles were reversed. Not a good inclusion.
omg, it was such a nice episode - right up until the end when the writers decided that we needed a 2 minute lecture about climate change.
I was actually impressed by the subtile beauty of the message until Yaz had to yell "CLIMATE CHANGE" continued by a lecture about being responsible to the people actually least able to do anything about it, since they aren't actually on earth but travelling with her...
I like subtile messaging about issues - I HATE being preached to when trying to be entertained, so thats a 4/10 from me...
The episode that turns our lovely Enterprise crew into little more than murderers, and seems to want us to be on their side. A ridiculous concept for an episode that shows the Prime Directive for the nonsense it is, and feels like it's completely against the spirit of what these characters have always stood for.
Redeemed a little by having Paul Sorvino as Worf's brother Nikolai and for a creative use of the holodeck (later recycled in Star Trek: Insurrection), but even that is contrived as it conveniently stops working for plot purposes. Plus, if they needed a way to fix it then why not just sedate all of the Boraalans while they're sleeping and carry out the reboot?
I like this show, but it is getting very PC. Do you actually believe legal, law abiding gun owners are the problem? That criminals will give up their guns? Should we out law knives and vans. People who wart to harm will find a way.
Ugh... I support American gun reform but that episode was so clumsy and heavy-handed. I can't imagine it changing any minds.
I was angry at the start about this political bullshit. At the end I was just laughing about stupidity of this show. 2 more episodes and I am done with arrowverse. I will finish this season, but I don't think I will handle any more of this crap.
This is an attempt to parody a very significant issue in the United States but it just isn't funny. I'm not an American so this issue doesn't effect me as much. It seems like this episode is trying to take a stand rather than make its audience laugh.
Man, this show is so on point it's making me angry. Also, that might've been the most horrific sex scene I've ever seen on a TV show lol
