Shadowplay

DVD, DS9 S2 (Shadowplay)

Both sedate and dense, this episode is a juxtaposition, with the only thematic connection being about appearances being deceptive. A story with three strands is rare, especially ones that don't feed into each other, as is the case here. I sometimes wonder if they try and fit in too much in episodes like these - the side plots concern Bareil and Kira's initially awkward, but eventually pleasant, interactions, brought together through the machinations of Quark (he's at his wily ways while Odo's off the station), and Jake's realisation that, contrary to expectation (both characters and audience, I suspect), Starfleet isn't for him; another example of the series putting ideas on their heads, after Wesley Crusher's more traditional career path (at first, anyway).

While we learn a bit about O'Brien (not the least that he can be a very understanding and sympathetic ear), and Sisko (who admirably supports his son's decision), as well as Bashir (Garak's taught him some surveillance techniques which he wants to try out - shades of where his character would end up, perhaps), the main event is Dax and Odo's mission in the Gamma Quadrant, which facilitates a reminder of the powerful Dominion, a discussion on holographic sentience, and Odo's quest to find his people. There must be a definite line crossed at some point, to make a hologram 'real', otherwise, every training program or make-believe setting would have the danger of creating a new lifeform, and Starfleet would have to be careful - switching off programs could be like stepping on ants. Intelligent ants.

Again Changelings are considered a myth, as Croden believed in 'Vortex', and we even have a nice scene which demonstrates how Dax has learned not to hold herself back, discussing very personal topics with Odo. At first she stayed very withdrawn in a wise way, but has got to the point where her pre-symbiont personality has merged comfortably with her great wisdom, so she can enjoy life and people without fear of seeming condescending. That's my take, anyway. Ironically the very episode Odo admits to Dax he considers Kira a close friend, is the one where the Major is becoming ever more friendly with everyone's favourite Vedek. The amusing touches of their meetings is lost a little, as Bareil makes great effort to show Kira she doesn't need to be deferent, and they both become much more comfortable with each other.

The downside of so much happening is that we don't get to see some things, such as the Springball game in the Holosuite, or Bashir spying on Quark, or even a Tellarite! That last one might not seem surprising, but there have been so many references to Andorians and things of the Original era, that it becomes almost like teasing, and we want to see these 'older' races. As it happened we had to wait for 'Enterprise' for most of that! Quark gets another failure of a relative, in the unseen cousin Kono, and Jake starts thinking about getting a job, like Nog.

There aren't many questions left (aside from the obvious - what's happening with the Bajoran situation, or the Cardassians, or the Dominion), but I noticed a couple of oddities: Odo proves to Colyus, the village's Protector, that he could leave at any time, beaming himself away and back again, and the man seems very surprised. Yet in the following conversation he reveals knowledge of transporters, and later, holograms, so what made him react that way?

Also, Taya's arm, in a nice visual effect, disappears as she gets too near the boundary. She's holding a bunch of berries which also vanish, but surely they would be real, and would simply drop to the ground when she's not holding them any more. Then again, the whole village was a fabrication, so this berry bush must have been fake also. But that brings up the question: why would a berry bush have been created so far from the village, since leaving it was discouraged. It would be asking for trouble to leave a big bush, full of bright, bulging berries, so near to the boundary, as the children would be attracted that way! And finally, Odo gets to show his shapeshifting skills again; as a gift to Taya he turns into a spinning top.

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