This one went right over my head as a young teen. While there's nothing exciting or explosive on display here, this is a fascinating and fast moving journey full of intrigue and deception. Much like 'Duet', it's built on the fallout from the Occupation, but moves in a very different direction. It's absolutely wonderful, and it's no coincidence that it so prominently features Garak and Dukat. Surprisingly, this is the first appearance of Garak since we met him way back at the start of season 1. It's obvious why he's a fan favourite, and arguably the greatest character across the entire Trek franchise.
Racism and politics are brought to the forefront, and caught up in all of this is a young boy who is being taught to hate his own kind. It's evident that O'Brien's own racism hasn't completely disappeared, but he's able to work through it as he gets to know Rugal.
It turns out that this is a great showcase for Julian, too. He's finally moving far away from the arrogant blunder head we met him as, although his over-eagerness does get him in some trouble when he interrupts Sisko's talk with Gul Dukat - quite a funny scene as Sisko takes it all in stride while simultaneously expressing his annoyance. Kira's little reaction to it is also fun. But he's maturing considerably, and pretty much all his arguments in the episode end up being right on the money.
But it's Garak leads us on this journey and it's a real rollercoaster. His constant deceptions and "truths" are a joy, and half the fun is in figuring out what he's up to. It's also a telling scene when he encounters the Cardassians orphans and clearly feels the shame in the way his society abandons them as outcasts. We feel the beginnings of the long running conflict between him and Dukat, and find out for certain that Dukat is playing all sorts of games.
The odd part is the ending - it's not a happy one, but more than that is that it seems very arbitrary and not fully explained. Rugal's own feelings don't seem to be taken into account at all.
I did think Keiko was being a bit insensitive in serving Rugal some Cardassian food (made all the more odd after she admonishes Miles for his lack of tact). Also worth noting, this is first time we hear the name 'Terok Nor'. Which is an awesome name.
One of the things I enjoy about this episode is how it shows the main characters isolated and working together, each of them playing to their own strengths. Terry Farrel has been given very little to do as Dax throughout the first seasons, and I would say that this is the first episode where she's actually been given the chance to act. She does a great job, too, especially once her symbiont is removed and the calm, confident personality allowed to her by Dax disappears and we see how scared and young Jadzia is. We are given a great look into how the Trill work, too.
The guest cast are excellent, too. Tim Russ is barely recognisable as a Klingon. John Glover gets to change from a timid character into a different person. It's remarkable to see how different he plays it once he's joined, laughing with Sisko about their past adventures. The commander himself works against Verad and his crew brilliantly, playing on their emotions and never backing down. Meanwhile, Bashir shows that he isn't easily intimidated and O'Brien... well, O'Brien gets shot and rolls around in pain.
I like this as a display of friendship between the characters, they've reached a point where they trust each other. The problem I have, though, is Quark. He does something absolutely despicable and is told several times through the episode that he's finished. None of these people will ever trust him again. And yet, the episode ends with zero repercussions for him and all is forgotten. That doesn't ring true at all.
There's a moment in this episode where Sisko interrupts Kira "daydreaming", and I have to admit I also found myself daydreaming a lot through this one. It's a slow paced and drawn out episode that takes a very long time just to inform us of something very simple: the Circle are ready to begin their coup, and are unknowingly getting their weapons from the Cardassians.
It would be okay if the episode didn't let our characters fall by the wayside. Kira is lost, floating about (being "useless") while Sisko is just reacting to all the developments coming his way. Frank Langella and Louise Fletcher provide a fantastic supporting cast, but everyone else doesn't really get much of a look in. Vedek Bareil is actually kind of creepy and Bashir is beyond rubbish at his attempt to rescue Kira.
This is just setting things up for the final part, and if it wasn't for the WONDERFUL scene at the start with everybody coming into Kira's quarters (finally realising that these are her friends, a big step) and the pretty good cliffhanger, it would be a complete loss.
Side note: Winn gets one of my favourite condescending lines of dialogue - "Please, feel free to stay as many days as you'd like... even a week if that's necessary."
While season 1 closed with a look at Bajor's religion, season 2 begins with a dive into its politics. Trek's first three-part tale is a slow burning and thoughtful episode with a lot of moving parts. As with much of early DS9, it's more about intrigue and character rather than explosive storytelling (although that will certainly become a big part of the show too later).
Kira and O'Brien's rescue mission is an enjoyable adventure, and they work surprisingly well together with their various attempts to deceive the Cardassians - O'Brien trying to sell her services is particularly well done and they both play it up perfectly. The POW they resuce, Li Nalas, is a fascinating reluctant hero played very nicely by Twin Peak's Richard Beymer.
What I most appreciate is that there is a sense of DS9 really finding its own identity here and forging ahead with confidence. The father/son moments between Sisko and Jake remain strong and always feel genuine. You could possibly accuse this episode of being a bit flat, but then Frank Langella turns up and is a great mix of charming, smarmy, arrogant and friendly.
The sedate pacing is a far cry from the usual action of TNG (especially when you consider they had just aired the frantic and messy 'Descent' two-parter alongside this), but it allows far more depth to the storytelling. Action junkies will get their fix later, but for now the show's world is being expanded and given life.
Nothing else in season 1 quite prepares you for this. An absolute tour-de-force of writing and acting produces not only the best episode of the season, not only one of the best episodes of DS9, but one of the best of the entire Star Trek franchise. Screw it, it's among the best hours of television ever made.
The atrocities of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor are brought into the light and we get our first real understanding of what went on. The fierce and judgemental nature of Kira makes a lot more sense after seeing this, and the first season of the show turns out to be very much about shaping her character going forward. She's full of hate, and as the season has progressed we've seen her discover more and more that it's something she needs to let go of. It also goes a long way towards finally humanising (for lack of a better word) Cardassians.
It plays to the strengths of the show at this point in time: it's a small scale story completely focused on character. The various dialogues between Major Kira and her Cardassian prisoner are the high points in that they overshadow everything else. Fortunately, there's no B-story here in the background to take away from it. Nana Visitor pulls out a very strong and nuanced performance, but it's really guest star Harris Yulin as Marritza/Dar'heel who grabs your attention. He manages to give us something that we just can't take our eyes away from, and his voice is mesmerising. There are lines here which have been stuck rattling around in my head for 20 years.
Surprisingly, this is the first appearance of Gul Dukat since the pilot episode. I'd forgotten how little he appears early on. But his part in this is great as ever, and his reminiscence of playing games with Odo is quite fun.
The ending might be a bit groan-inducing but that somehow doesn't take away from it's power at all, and I particularly like the surprise on Kira's own face when she says, "no, it's not." An essential piece of viewing and a clear indication of how powerful this show is going to become..
The ingredients are all here for a strong episode. It has a wonderful performance from guest star Brian Keith as Mullibok; it's an excellent dive into Kira's personality and what drives her; it creates lots of conflict, both for Kira herself and between her and a number of other characters; it gives us a good look at Bajoran life; and thematically it asks questions about the true value of what we've got.
And yet, I can't deny that I find the episode a bit plodding and edging on boring. No matter how much time Kira spends with Mullibok, it's like they just keep having the same conversation in different ways. Part of the problem is that I struggle to see Mullibok as anything but selfish.
I do think that the episode has a bold ending, though, and again feels like something that the characters on TNG would never have done (yes, I know that Data does essentially the same thing in 'The Ensigns of Command', but the motivations behind his decision are very different). Mostly, the reward here comes from seeing Major Kira's development - in many ways, this episode really defines her from this point forward.
The side plot with Jake and Nog is good fun, those two have become quite a delightful part of the show by this point. A shame they couldn't just Google an explanation for self-sealing stem bolts - but couldn't they have asked the computer?
An episode based around the theme of coming together, in some cases to work towards a goal or in some to just forge a friendship. This is the beginning of the fantastic O'Brien/Bashir pairing, and it's off to a rocky start. I love that O'Brien just doesn't like Julian, but I also love that Julian isn't oblivious to this. It seems the writers might have realised just how arrogant they were making the character and began the process of making the doctor more likeable.
The Jake/Nog friendship has also grown to the point where the two of them are becoming inseparable, and to where they now comfortably argue a lot. They behave as believable teenagers, far better than Wesley ever did over on TNG. I have to admit, when I watched this episode as kid I also had a massive crush on Varis Sul, and it's interesting that I had forgotten about her completely but the episode brought it all the memories back!
It's a notoriously cheesy moment within the first season of the show, though. The whole storyteller plot line in the village is really hard to take, mostly because of how stupid the villagers come across. Our first real visit down to Bajor presents a people who seem moronic among the galaxy's occupants, shouting at a cloud in the sky. We've been told repeatedly what an advanced and cultured civilisation they are. I always laugh at O'Brien's attempt to tell the story, though ("once upon a time...").
I'd confidently rate this as the strongest episode since the pilot. Encountering a planet of people who can't die while being embroiled in a constant war is a classic sci-fi concept, delivering a strong message on the pointlessness of war. The only thing that lets it down is how small-scale and cheap it all feels, as well as how non-violent the fight scenes are. Look past that and there's a fine story here. The addition of Jonathon Banks to the guest cast really elevates things (while he's mostly known these days for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, he had a long career prior to those).
It's also notable to me for the decision to write Kai Opaka out of the show. True, she'd only been in one episode before this, but she felt like an important character (and I'd grant a lot of that to Camille Saviola's performance), enough that her "death" here makes an impact. I do wonder why the writers made the decision not to keep her around any longer but it's also going to be established on this show that even supporting characters can have a lot of depth and can meet their fate at any time.
It's also an important episode for Kira. She's still in full-on angry mode all the time, which can begin to feel over the top, so the Kai helping her realise that she needs to let go of it all is quite a touching moment. I did find her reaction to Gul Dukat's report on her at the start of the episode quite entertaining, though (side note: the Terok Nor novels suggest that Dukat purposely diminished her criminal records to make her look unimportant in an effort to protect her, given that he was in love with her mother).
Ugh. Where to start? I'm embarrassed to admit that, as a teenager, this was one of my favourite episodes when it first aired. I though the concept of being trapped inside a board game was really cool. And yes, the idea still is pretty great, but when it's executed like this it just makes you want to turn away in shame.
The concept of the episode isn't the problem, it's the poor writing and absolutely horrendous acting involved, from both guest stars and the main cast. Alexander Siddig again comes off the worst here, I can only assume that it's a mixture of him following direction and having very little experience. Falow is way too over the top, and the Wadi in general are a stupid design in all aspects. The less said about the hopscotch scene the better, you can almost feel the embarrassment the cast members were experiencing.
The only ones who come off well here are Quark and Odo. Odo gets a fantastic scene with Lt. Primmin (we won't be seeing him again), mocking him about Starfleet procedures. Quark has a funny grovelling scene in which Armin Shimmerman doesn't hold back chewing up the scenery. And the writing of the episode itself isn't a total loss, the opening scene with Sisko and Jake is just a beautiful father/son piece.
To make matters worse, the episode drags. The final sections in the cave just seem to go on endlessly. This is a really weak moment for the show, but for all that I think I still prefer it to the terrible previous episode ('The Passenger'). There's at least an element of silly fun to be found, but for God's sake don't show this to anyone you want to introduce to the show or sci-fi TV in general.
I'm always a sucker for a good courtroom drama, and while this isn't a stellar example of one the episode does however manage to represent a classic Trek philosophical conundrum: can a being who lives multiple lives be held responsible for the crimes of one of their past ones?
Someone disappointingly, it doesn't actually answer that question. Additionally, even though Kira is assigned to find out what the Trill law is in regards to that (they must have sorted this out many centuries in their past), we never hear about what she discovers. It weakens it somewhat that we are never really allowed to get into it or have our opinions swayed. Never mind, though, because the episode manages to succeed due to it's focus on the characters rather than the plot (something DS9 is going to consistently prove as one of its strengths).
It's great to finally find out about Jadzia Dax (even though the character herself does so little here) and get a better understanding of how the lives of Trills work. The friendship between her and Sisko works from the very beginning and Anne Haney is wonderful as the no-nonsense arbiter. Kira gets a superb scene as she tells Tandro that his actions "annoy us". But again, Dr. Bashir doesn't get presented in the best light as he goes all creepy and even a bit self-pitying over Jadzia. There's an annoying contrivance that the only suitable place on the station to hold the hearing is in Quark's bar (the station is huge and has all sorts of large rooms and areas, not to mention that they could have just used a holosuite).
Some dissonance in regards to the supposed harmonious future gender equality here too, as Bashir stops fighting when he suddenly realises his opponent is a woman, and Sisko laments that he can't punch Dax because she's not a man anymore.
If the internet had been as prevalent in 1993 as it is now, I feel sure that the phrase "I am Tosk" would have become a meme. This is a strong episode when taken within the context of DS9's first season, and an excellent exploration of O'Brien's character. This may be the first episode in the entire franchise that's been fully focused on him as a person and really lets us into his personality (I'd argue that various TNG episodes only ever gave us hints).
Turns out he's quite willing to throw away the Prime Directive and even his career for what he believes in, and he seemingly does it with a smile on his face. Maybe it's a bit too much to believe that the Chief has no hesitation or internal debate whatsoever to breaking the rules like this, but it makes for a decent episode. He gets annoyed pretty easily, as the scene with Quark demonstrates (as well as the previous 'Babel'); I think this is the first utterance of "hew-mon". We also get the first indication that he doesn't like Julian that much! But it also shows how kind and open he is quite beautifully.
Special mention does need to be given to the pretty amazing design job for Tosk. He looks amazing even to this day.
The first regular episode following the pilot is underwhelming, but still solid. I assume they blew most of their budget on the premiere, so had to stick to smaller stories for a while, but DS9 was always a show about the characters and it's not at all out of place that we dive into what makes these people tick.
The introduction of Garak, the Cardassian tailor/spy, is the big draw here. His first appearance isn't anything special, but Andrew Robinson brings charm to role and distinguishes himself clearly from other Cardassians. He's polite, happy and thoughtful - which in some ways makes him even more menacing. His description of himself as "plain, simple Garak" tells us that he's anything but. Right now we don't really understand why he's on DS9 or what his background is, and the show will continue to play with our expectations of him. It's also hard to believe that Dr. Bashir is so dense as to not understand what Garak is trying to tell him.
The episode is a good showcase for Major Kira as she has to fight against the person she's been all her life. The problem is, at this point we don't know who Kira was before, and her dilemma doesn't strike any chord.. It's easier to get a grip on things after knowing her character through watching the show previously, but for a new viewer I can imagine it's hard to care. For all that, Nana Visitor puts in a heartfelt performance and it's very clear that she cares. I like her conversation with Odo and the fact that he just makes a decision based on it. A lot of the details about her history with Tahna Los and the Kohn-Ma terrorist cell are provided in the Terok Nor novels, but of course they're not canon (however well they manage to fit in).
The Duras sisters were a fun addition, keeping the links to the TNG universe alive. It's also impressive that even this early, the writing is so much more mature than on that show.
Creepy and mysterious, building up to a thrilling and fun conclusion. Seeing Wesley back is divisive for many as it does seem that people generally hate his character, but I find him to be a welcome return. Wil Wheaton was definitely better in the role from season 3 onward, and the older he got the better he seemed to fit.
The story is pure silly entertainment, but it's seeing the characters I know acting so differently to usual which creates a sort of fascination as I watch. And it's a really subtle thing, as they just carry on as if nothing is wrong... although of course it's always going to be uncomfortable when the actors are essentially pretending to have orgasms throughout the episode. It's also unforgivable that the game itself looks so laughably bad, even for 1991 standards.
Ashley Judd is rather charming, a shame she never comes back again, and I like the fact that the geeks work together to save the day. The Lefler Laws are pretty dumb, though. It would have been interesting to see what effect the game would have had on Guinan who is usually wise to things, but she's conveniently absent for this one.
I don't believe I've ever been so captivated by such a deeply flawed movie as I am with Arrival. What others have written about it—with far more insight than I could—is all too true, namely that the acting is hollow at best and the plot is nothing so much as a severely frayed thread in danger of completely unraveling. It's an utter waste of one of the most creative iterations of extra-terrestrial contact in cinematic history. And yet, despite all of these reasons to dismiss this lamentable execution of the cinematic arts, I can't help but admit…I love it.
When you strip away all of the trappings and examine this movie solely for the essential story being told, you are privy to something very profound, and genuinely uplifting: how humanity's manifold foibles, when put together, might just be redeeming after all. Through the protagonist, Louise, we see the unfolding of a series of personal tragedies and yet her response to them is tempered with unflinching dedication to the accomplishment of something worthwhile, and therein she finds her purpose. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, I found in this story elements of the best of Disney's heroes, Shakespeare's tragic rulers, and religious texts' unwavering commitment to the belief that there is no such thing as a meaningless sacrifice. While they all could've been done greater justice, I believe their coexistence here is cause to sit up, take note, and eschew any demands for a greater polish and fidelity to realism.
I came away with a greater knowledge of myself and a more forgiving opinion of our species as a whole, and for both of those I am grateful beyond measure. Perhaps in time I'll come to see that the imperfections in its presentation actually work to clarify some or all of these laudable aspects of the narrative,...or perhaps the magic will fade under the weight of familiarity and I'll be unable to defend it again as I have here now. Either way, the two hours I devoted to watching this movie for the first time are ones that I won't ever regret, and perhaps that's the best praise any artistic work can receive, especially in light of this particular story.
Denis Villenueve. A solid lineup. A different take on first contact. I loved Sicario but went in expecting a cerebral epic sci-fi.
That was a mistake.
Good things:
- Some really nice visual scenes
- Interesting aliens Calligraphy aliens!
- Clear theme of communication is omnipresent
- A neat score that might be awesome in a different movie
Bad things:
- The acting
- The lack of emotional reaction to ALIENS! The students asking to turn on the TV, all of the main characters
- Lack of useful characters Only the aliens and Louise actually did anything the entire movie.
- Supporting characters are very stupid in an attempt to foil the main character slightly
- Very clumsy exposition. Genre-typical news reports, voice-overs, dumb characters asking stupid questions.
- Very slow pacing. This worked in parts of Sicario, but didn't work in this movie because there was no tension. The main characters never seemed remotely threatened.
- Lousie showing up at school thinking everyone will be there after aliens arrive and there's a state of emergency
- Why can't you translate alien language like you can translate Farsi. This is a paraphrase but in the spirit of what Colonel Weber was saying.
- Useless love interest when the costars have no chemistry.
- Ultrasecure military base lets someone steal a ton of explosives and put it in an ALIEN SPACECRAFT without anyone noticing.
- Many unbelievable plot points
- Poor dialogue Let's make a baby - real quote
- Poor handling of the major plot points Looking through time seems to undermine the fact that the aliens need help. Why did one have to die if they could see the future? Why did only one die when they were right next to each other?
- Very heavy handed moral messaging that didn't align with the rest of the movie.
- Why couldn't Ian also see into the future as he studied the language, or any of the others?
Overall extremely disappointing. I'm honestly surprised critics or general moviegoers like this. The premise was very good. It's a real shame the execution failed so miserably.
Another welcome surprise from an unexpected classic. However, it comes just short of being a great film.
First off, there is a vast cast of characters, yet somehow they are pretty well balanced for a film with a running time of just over an hour. While taking more time to flesh out some characters a la Seven Samurai would have made this more complete, it would have diminished the point of the film. Like most great westerns, this is less about the characters, and more about why they've been put in front of us (a welcome change from hiring who's hot in hollywood nowadays). While the plot itself wasn't all that original (should we take the law into our own hands), the places it takes us are unexpected, thrilling, and sometimes frightening.
The pacing is great, and for a short movie, it takes you to extremely different places for each act. Wellman makes a lot good decisions as director, and a handful of great ones. However, the greatness comes too far into the movie for me to classify this as an example of amazing directing. It's almost like he directed the first two acts to appeal to a broader audience, then directed the third act for aficionados who appreciate everything about a film that makes it great.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
1 / 2 story
1 / 1 acting
1 / 1 pacing
1 / 1 dialogue
1 / 1 living up to its genre
0 / 1 originality
1 / 1 lasting ability to make you think
.5 / 0 miscellaneous +/- point
7.5 out of 10
