Ferengi Love Songs

DVD, DS9 S5 (Ferengi Love Songs)

Dax inadvertently criticises Rom, though with the best intentions of a compliment, not realising at first that she'd put her big, speckled foot in it. But at the same time, she was right; Rom is the most un-Ferengi-like Ferengi she's ever met. Losing the trappings of his failing Ferenginess began much earlier in the series, and he probably first officially turned his back on his people's way of life when he created a union and went on strike, something no true Ferengi would ever even contemplate. You can point to earlier in the series, too, when he relented and allowed Nog to petition to be in Starfleet - maybe even going back to the first season where he let Nog attend the human school run by Keiko O'Brien. Back then he had a relapse and was still in the midst of many failed schemes to get the bar off his brother, but over the years more of his hidden depths have been allowed to surface the further he moved from Ferengi values, and in this episode he makes the most definitive un-Ferengi act a Ferengi could make: giving away his entire fortune (such as it was), for the sake of… love? It doesn't seem possible, but on DS9 anything is possible!

The irony is that if it weren't for O'Brien, Rom might not be quite the man he is, because it was Miles who inspired him to strike in 'Bar Association' and once again, it's Miles that first puts the thought in his head that Leeta should be following Ferengi practices as much as he's following Bajoran ones. While O'Brien was only making a lighthearted comment (being a man who knows all about married life - let her have her way is probably his ultimate view, I suspect), it did spark up the last vestiges of Rom's proud Ferengi male heart: if Leeta doesn't do what he wants he can't marry her. But in coming up against the brick wall of Federation or Bajoran culture and values that make the Ferengi look cruel and backward in comparison, he eventually casts aside all that he believed in, thus setting a path into the future that links up with the A-plot of the episode, though in the tiniest of ways: Ferengi female emancipation.

Moogie (or Ishka, to give her her proper name), has always challenged Ferengi laws and ways, and though she couldn't earn profit and wear clothes openly, she successfully carried out these illegal acts surreptitiously, and her statement at the end when she says she's not going to give up on her feminist views, and hopes 'Zekky' will come around to them too, is the other end of the string that would change their society at the end of the series. Because Rom would eventually become Grand Nagus and his liberal and shocking alterations to how both sexes would live was being birthed here. Quark admits that even he has been affected and infected by Starfleet values, his conscience has been awakened, and while he struggles against his DNA and the nature of his abnormal family, he is probably as much like Rom, Nog and Ishka as they are, he's just got a more stubborn streak that refuses to give up and accept new ways when he can grope around in the dark pit of petty crime, winning token victories, bringing tiny schemes to fruition - only a couple of episodes back, in 'Business As Usual' he realises there are limits even for Latinum, and for a Ferengi that's a hard lesson to learn.

I don't think they ever did the structure of this story before or since, where the two brothers are each made the focus of the A- and B-plots, though both are in separate parts of the galaxy. Even without Nog, this is all about the Quark family. Though it is a Ferengi episode, the next in a line of what could be called farces, it's not actually a laugh-out-loud kind of episode. There are smiles to be had (often resulting from the absurdity of the figures appearing in Quark's wardrobe!), but it's not about jokes so much as it is about serious Ferengi politics: Moogie's become the power behind the throne, as Quark so dramatically puts it; Grand Nagus Zek (returning for the first time since Season 3), is getting old and forgetful; Brunt's machinations are all designed to make him the next Nagus; and Quark and his business licence are tied up with it all. You do forget the bulbous heads and flappy ears, the odd food and funny voices, and it becomes about devious politics, both world and family.

It was a bit of a messy way for Quark to get his licence back - first he's promised it will be reinstated if he breaks up the newly coupled Zek and Moogie, then that falls through and it looks like it will be taken away again, and then Brunt doesn't take it away in the end because he won't challenge Zek? I think I got that right. It doesn't really matter, it wasn't something like Odo getting his powers back or Kira bringing the baby to term; life just carried on pretty much as normal for Quark, except there weren't any Ferengi visitors during his blacklisting. It means the world to Quark, of course, it's his life, part of the shallow threads he's still clinging to, even while his nephew finds new purpose as part of Starfleet, and Rom in becoming engaged to Leeta. Quark remains disgusted by such things, he can't see beyond his greed (though he says he does think of others, he just thinks about himself first!).

Since I love the Ferengi characters I'm always thrilled to go back to their lives, and this time we even get a repeat visit to Ferenginar, which hadn't been seen since Season 3's 'Family Business,' coincidentally the same episode which introduced Moogie and which was also directed by Rene Auberjonois. I don't think this one was as surprising or fascinating as the former, but then we'd done most of this before and this one was more about the fun of going back to that world one last time. Even so, the details are enjoyable as a completely different style and culture to the usual, is milked, whether it's the timing of Moogie slurping down a gree worm, the double takes of Quark, or the smooth acting of the great Jeffrey Combs. Moogie wasn't hurt by being played by a different actress this time, as the impression was so close to Andrea Martin's original role, as well as the makeup being such a fantastic re-creation, that it all made the performance. I do feel that Zek has lost the crankiness and repulsiveness that he used to have, but then again he is older and in a different situation so he would be changed. His long-suffering Hupyrian servant Maihar'du, is also with him, getting lots of background humour from his facial expressions or the way he has to bend literally double to get around inside the squat Ferengi buildings!

I would have liked to see more of the Tower of Commerce (and more of Leck, the grovelling Ferengi who makes an incredibly short appearance, but whom would later play an important role in 'The Magnificent Ferengi'), it's one of those budgetary issues that a TV series has to deal with. One thing I did notice was the wall of Ferengi graphics, their writing descending and ascending in a piece of elaborate animated production design. The whole production is flawless in its costuming, background details and lighting, as much as the acting is so much fun. As I'm always on the lookout for them, I saw a 'fish-man' sitting at the table behind Dax and O'Brien, and enjoyed the way the episode starts with a crack team of Starfleet officers eradicating Cardassian voles that have once again infested Quark's. Quark and Dax even throw in a reference to Tribbles - seeing as she's had recent firsthand experience she can say that!

There were also various mentions of races such as the Bolians, or Vulcans (Zek's advised that they have techniques for dealing with memory loss - I'd have loved to have seen that scene - I can just see a disapproving Vulcan priest summoning up all his powers of logic and emotional repression when confronted by this aged, wrinkled Ferengi with such a piercing voice for daily sessions with him!), and that the Ferengi are entering into trade negotiations with the Breen (wonder how long that lasted - until Season 7?). And who could forget the scene written for all those action figure collectors out there, with Moogie scolding Quark for taking them out of their packaging, thus decreasing their value (although in terms of real 'Star Trek' figures I must say that value hasn't much increased for most in the range, and many can be bought even cheaper than their original cost!). Even the backhanded handshake gesture was included between Quark and Brunt (last seen when he did the same with Gaila - both times with untrustworthy Ferengi Quark ended up trumping).

Ferengi episode or not, the funniest scene for me, perhaps because I'd forgotten it, and it was just a simple, well-written moment, was two Bajoran women walking above the Promenade, Leeta making all these statements and Kira listening, but contradicting every one. It's those kinds of moments you don't tend to get in any of the other Trek series' and isn't strictly necessary, but adds so much. Leeta is seen selling Jumja sticks on the Promenade, another golden oldie from the early seasons - what with voles as well, this is another episode in a string of them that have dipped into the past of the series in pleasing ways, (including Morn buying one of the glops and opening his mouth as wide as we've ever seen before). Leeta's new job is likely a result of needing work while Quark's bar was closed during the extermination of the voles (should have got Worf involved and then they could sing songs about The Great Vole Hunt!).

Sisko's stoic order to "carry on" to Rom as if he's doing some great service to the station, was also a nice bit between them. It was quite something, Rom's Bajoran earring, but then his ears are quite something, too. I imagine it had to be specially commissioned as I've never seen a Bajoran with ears the size of a Ferengi before! Martok isn't forgotten, and in preparation for his starring role in the following episode we hear how he 'disciplined' one of his men by throwing him off the Promenade railings (just in case we'd forgotten he was on the station). Considering how disapproving Gowron appeared to think of Martok when he was first assigned to DS9, the warning made by Sisko of having Gowron assign someone else probably would have been very real to Martok and a good incentive to follow the rules! On the whole, this episode's insight into Ferengi behaviour and their ways, while not really showing us much new, did continue to impress. They got a really good group of actors together to play the extended family so it was always a pleasure to see them in action (except maybe 'Profit and Lace,' but that 'joy' was still to come), and considering there weren't that many in the course of the series, every one is one to treasure.

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