Kent

DVD, Smallville S10 (Kent)

Oh my, another good one, and what a relief! From the opening salvo of mirror box memories of the dark side, I thought this was going to be a stinker, but they pulled another success out of the bag despite the potentially dull idea of Clark and his alternate universe double, Clark Luthor (or Ultraman as he became known to the unhappy denizens of his benighted world), swapping universes. But instead of being about a race to save Clark or to send his doppelganger back to where he belongs, with the inevitable punching match, the story takes a different route to remind us who put the Kent in Clark Kent. Of course it was Jonathan, the biggest single influence on Clark's life, and with the sight of John Schneider's name as Special Guest Star billing my initial scepticism of bad Clark's inclusion in the story, while not evaporating, sent a flutter of joy and hope into the episode's potential. It's not like we haven't seen old Pa Kent since he died a few seasons ago, but his cameos have tended to be short, sweet and to the point, as befits a death that has so much meaning for the main character - if he could come back every week then it would retroactively show that his loss was no real loss at all. Instead, with sparing use of flashbacks, visions or memories, who knows what else, his presence hasn't been lost, but neither has it been strong enough to prevent Clark from moving on into his manhood as an individual (though they seemed to be setting up his nemesis' plan by mentioning Gold Kryptonite can strip his powers forever, something Lionel must know). Now he gets to do something of the same thing for another Jonathan Kent in the alternate world (I just had a thought: if they brought Lionel over to our world, would they dare do the same for Jonathan before the end or would that be a step too far?).

The symmetry is lovely, the themes presented and accomplished well, and there is threat from bad Clark that feels threatening, instead of a mad plan to rule the world or go round killing and stealing with abandon as he apparently did in the Ultraman world, his new tactic is to be more subtle and keep a low profile (except for talking in an archaic way with a sinister expression on his face - so much so that Tess notices and asks if he's been watching too much BBC! I don't know if BBC America's output is especially olde worlde, or whether Americans have a stereotyped view of it, but as much fun as it is to hear my country's main TV channel mentioned, it's also strange to hear it considered so as I don't remember much precise language and received pronunciation in recent years, if that's the idea!). He only had to cause the problems of an entire other world to come to this conclusion, but the fact that the entire human race of that planet are armed with pitchforks against his Frankenstein's monster (read: ready with sticks of Kryptonite to flare in his face at a moment's notice), must have given him at least a little pause for thought. He mistakenly believes Tess is as broken and weak as his version was, and will do what he says, but although the desire to remove his Lionel from our world is extremely tempting, she won't back Clark Luthor's murder play, even acting against him to protect her 'Father,' despite despising him and knowing he isn't her Lionel, so she had ample excuses to back up the action if she hadn't changed from the Tess we used to know. So much so that Dr. Emil, on the scene to reconstruct the mirror box from our world that Clark thought destroyed, is impressed with her choice, as he notes at the end.

I was thinking the point of sending Clark to the mirror world was purely to remove him from being able to take on his evil self, and who knows if he'd be trapped there for episodes while the double inveigled his way into the life he left behind until finally being discovered. But as it turned out that didn't take very long at all, just a bit of wanton, casual, if minor, lack of care for a telescope and Lois saw things weren't right. More importantly, Clark has something worthwhile to do in this parallel world which is colourless except, neatly, for the garishly glowing green meteor rock. Parallels abound, slightly altered or twisted: the Luthor Mansion, ravaged by fire in our world, is reflected in the hollow, all but abandoned shell of the Kent Farm. Jonathan is embittered and alone, trapped in a past in which he became a failure without Clark there to give him something to help him and keep him going, a son to raise with the right values. While in our world mirror son Clark hunts for mirror Dad Lionel in order to kill him. It's striking, as is Schneider's effortless ability to slip right back into the character he played for several years, yet not that man, another. Clark gets through to him and gives him a goal once more, and he changes, even in the space of this episode, from the raging man that disrupts Oliver Queen's funeral, to one that turns up at Martha's door to try and mend the past and create a future (Clark Luthor had killed Queen, who was the cause of Jonathan's misery, buying up all his land, so you'd think he'd automatically be on evil Clark's side thanks to this, but perhaps it was a case of him being unable to exact his own revenge, and he wasn't so different from our Jonathan who had a temper himself).

A way the episode could have been improved, and a sign of its limitations, was Martha's non-appearance. She'd already played a prominent role in a previous story this season, and Jonathan got to be the returning character, keeping up the season's excellent tradition of bringing back someone old for almost every new episode. Yet there was a hole there without her, for two reasons: I needed to see her welcome mirror Jonathan when he rings her bell, although it was fine as they left it, but the key thing was in the handling of the Kent Farm. As an early wedding present she sends it to Clark and Lois, the first evidence the episode presents that it's going to be a heartfelt and meaningful episode. For such a major turning point I felt it was necessary for Martha to be there and give her son the deed in person as it was a little detached without her. It was still a big deal, however, as the farm has been there through thick and thin, bad stories and good, and rarely has it been anything but a beautiful locale, a root, an anchor to return to, full of memories. That Clark would even consider selling it is a big step for both the series and character, because it is his identity (I'm sure I've seen the actress that played Marge Manners, the realtor, before). These things had special resonance for me: the attachment to the family home, his need to move on from it to accept a new life, the reminder that buildings aren't as important as the people in them. It's powerful stuff and strongly written. It seemed for most of the episode that it wouldn't really happen, that the permanently sun-drenched idyll would always be there, but it is perhaps a reminder that not only will that pass out of our sight, but the series itself is closing down and will no longer be there for much longer.

It's a bittersweet sadness, and so is Clark's encounter with Jonathan where he's ripped away by the rescue attempt before he's fully finished saying his goodbyes. But then he couldn't stay there, he'd had the impact on Jonathan that was needed, and as he said, he didn't need things to remember the past as he stood on the porch of the farm wearing his Father's old coat. He has some wise words, both for Jonathan and for himself (both versions), examining the idea of holding onto the things that used to protect him; his home; his parents, afraid if he let them all go he'd lose himself. But as he told Jonathan, better to risk everything than hold onto nothing, as Jonathan himself admitted he'd become, "An obsessed man hanging onto a place as if memories could make up a lifetime." Reminded it's not the place, but the people in it. Even the apparently evil Clark, (maybe more lost and starved of options through his actions), indulged, and never having considered living in harmony with those that hate him, yes, even he has a chance at redemption thanks to the goodness of Clark Kent stemming from the upbringing his parents gave him. It seemed like the Fortress of Solitude was able to somehow send him back to his world where for the first time he approaches his real Father, Jor-El ready to teach him as he taught our Clark. He may not have been as good an influence as Jonathan, but he's a whole lot better than Lionel, as evidenced by the entire world turning against him! All it took was one man, his other self, to believe in him, for the first step to be taken: a complete failure it seemed like he had nowhere to go, but Clark told him you don't need to be defined by your past, you can choose a different future, ending the episode on a positive, cementing the hope and optimism the series can do so well when it embraces the legacy of Superman.

***

The Siege of AR-558

DVD, DS9 S7 (The Siege of AR-558) (2)

What is it good for? Setting Nog on the path to arguably his greatest episode of the series, allowing Quark to put forth his views on humans, Ezri to learn that having access to a well of past life experiences is a very handy tool to have in the armoury, and Sisko to be reminded once again that the people dying in this war are more than just names or little flags on maps. Turns out war is good for a lot of things. The lessons learned aren't the big song and dance theme, they're almost afterthoughts to the real message, that war is bleak, uncompromising and undignified in its reality. The stench of battle is something rarely visited by our Starfleet friends and family because those dark times are so often removed, the wall of security officers protects a ship and crew, but here we get down and dirty, right in the trenches with those who have been pushed to the end of their tether against an implacable enemy, and all for what? The importance of this communications array wasn't entirely clear from dialogue. It's enough that Starfleet considers it important and the orders are to hold the position. But I find there are a lot of things about the episode that remain loosely defined, which both works in its favour, but also means I don't enjoy it as much as other, more personal war stories from the front lines such as 'Nor The Battle To The Strong,' 'The Ship,' or 'Valiant.'

I'm not sure why the specific characters that are along for the mission are there, other than to make things more difficult. As much as I understand the rationale for not having the toughest characters down on the planet, the Worfs, the Kiras, and the experience of the O'Briens, I can't help but feel that that's the story I'd rather see, in some ways. I want a heroic story of victory at the sharp end where everything seems hopeless and our people beam down and bring the hope with them. But it's not an optimistic episode and there's certainly an argument for it having its place, being an importantly alternative, realistic story to tell on the horrors of war. But Trek, and even 'DS9,' is still about the optimism, the redemption, the hope and healing, so when it goes really bleak it has less of the Trek ring to it. Again, this doesn't mean I think badly of the episode, because I don't - there's a reason that 'DS9' won the Best Final Season poll on startrek.com recently (I voted for it, but that's beside the point), and by a good percentage: the writers really knew what they were doing, and by Season 7 they could reap all kinds of dramatic potential that had been seeded for years. We'd already seen an entire episode devoted to Sisko and his crew taking on Vulcans at a game of baseball! So there was more than enough room for a slot to be taken up by those who were going once more unto the breach, dear friends, taking the fight to the Jem'Hadar, and surviving to tell the tale.

Even the characters that come along for this odd amalgamation of an Away Team aren't necessarily in their usual roles. Nog is the biggie - normally he'd be the ideal guy to be working on the engineering problem, in this case being able to break through the sensor blocks that both sides are using to conceal their positions and numbers, but instead he's brought down to the practical position of using his enhanced hearing to listen out for any Jem'Hadar approaches (though it seemed to me that Lieutenant Larkin, by some honed sense, picked up their coming before he did). That could be another comment on war: that people aren't necessarily going to be used in the way they were trained or the way you'd expect would be to the best use of their skills when the necessary attitude of 'make do and mend' means that whatever needs to be done must be done by whoever's available. And it's nice that Nog's unique Ferengi nature is again called on in his service to Starfleet. One of the best things about the story is the chance for him to confront the differences between himself and humanity's nature through Quark's comments on how they can be more dangerous than a bloodthirsty Klingon when their comforts are removed, as opposed to the Ferengi way of cowering and hiding, something that is detestable to Nog. But Quark also believes that if the Ferengi had been the major power of the Alpha Quadrant they'd have hammered out a treaty with the Dominion and avoided war. I don't think the Dominion would ever have had anything they would accept over complete domination, but then again the resourcefulness and resolve of the Ferengi business mind is a powerful force, and everyone needs something. You only have to look at the true motivations of The Founders to realise they wanted control to keep themselves safe, and if the Ferengi had been able to accommodate them perhaps war genuinely would have been averted without the cost of giving up freedom?

In the past we've heard Quark say things that suggest he has a sneaking admiration for the Federation, such as his famous conversation with Garak in 'The Way of The Warrior,' but in this episode he's talking specifically of humans. That's another specific choice they made in the makeup of the characters defending this post: they're all human, and apart from Ezri, Quark and Nog, so are the relief force. Why was this direction chosen? Perhaps because it's easier to identify with human characters? I'm not sure it is, but their inhuman attitudes, affected psychologically by their long and nasty tour on this rock, are more grisly to us because of their humanity. A great moment comes at the end when Reese, the hulking monster that is as far from Starfleet as you can get while still maintaining a professional attachment to the organisation, throws down the knife he's been carrying as a focus for the brutality, as if discarding the deeds and leaving both behind him. These important character moments aren't as strong as they would have been if we'd got to know the guest characters better, but we're left on the back foot by seeing a little of these unbalanced soldiers still wearing the rags of their uniforms, so again, it's to the story's advantage not to go the usual route of exploring and humanising them. It also adds to the uncertainty of war and death, anyone a potential casualty. It wasn't the battle that shocked, though, it was Larkin's sudden demise, shot in the back as she made her return to camp after a scouting expedition into Jem'Hadar territory. Sudden and shocking, without warning.

The Jem'Hadar don't even seem themselves, and I don't know if this was a symptom of the planned, but not really carried through idea that Alpha Quadrant created Jem'Hadar were stronger, more tactically keen and felt themselves superior to the common Gamma Quadrant variety. I first noticed it in the attack to discover the strength of Starfleet's numbers - at first I assumed these were soldiers ordered to walk into the barrage of defensive fire, sacrificing themselves for The Founders' plan as they've always been shown to do, their lives worthless to them. But it was actually holographic projections, which makes the Jem'Hadar seem more calculating. You can also see these Jem'Hadar have the ivory crest that I believe denotes them as Alpha Quadrants. In the battle they didn't appear to be quite as devastating a fighting force, although it was dark and difficult to keep track of what was happening in the skirmish so we don't get to see their hand to hand tactics or whether they actually use the cruelly bladed instruments of death they were drilling with. On the other hand, Sisko went into full rage mode like I don't think we've seen since he first took them on at the start of Season 3 ('The Search'), but even the wild, desperate fighter that he is was knocked unconscious by these guys - the season is definitely uncompromising when we've had two episodes in succession where each of the toughest warriors is knocked unconscious to the floor (last time it was Worf, this time Sisko).

Continuity plays its part in my enjoyment of this episode: Tricorders don't seem to get much play on this series so it seemed to me as if the slimline version we see here, and which I think came from the 'TNG' film series, may have been making its debut, I'm not sure. I thought it was 'First Contact' that created that look, but 'Insurrection' would have been in development around this time. It's just that I don't remember seeing such compact, sleek Tricorders in on 'DS9' before. One thing that makes a comeback for sure was the bladed Jem'Hadar weapon I mentioned, which we see them training with when Nog and his party scout out their base. As I say, I don't remember seeing it in action during the battle, but in the flurry of action I may have missed it. This particular weapon I don't think had been seen since Season 4's 'To The Death,' as the pulse rifles became their usual method of attack, something that may have done something to make them slightly less fearsome as an unstoppable fighting force. I also liked the link back to our earliest exposure to Dominion technology, the circular holding cell with short and stumpy vertical lighted rods making up the perimeter, something used again in the prison camp where Worf fights them repeatedly in 'In Purgatory's Shadow'/'By Inferno's Light' of Season 5. Here it acts as the base to the tall array this action is all about defending. I thought Vargas' black battle uniform with the division stripe around it was the same as we'd seen in 'Nor The Battle To The Strong,' probably the closest episode to this one in situation, though approached very differently.

Both stories are about Starfleet in a military setting, with soldiers and strategies for a ground war, quite removed from the usual 'safe' and impersonal starship battles that we're far more familiar with. This time it's not Jake in the firing line, as Quark highlights to Sisko when he's ordering Nog out on the scouting mission which loses the young Ferengi his leg. It's also very different from the last time those three characters were thrown together for an adventure: way, way back in the finale to Season 2, 'The Jem'Hadar,' where the Sisko boys, Quark and Nog, went out for a camping trip and ended up captured by the soldiers it was named for. A lot has changed since those simple days - Sisko's even tougher, Nog's a Starfleet officer, and Quark, though he's still complaining, is much more about the care he feels for his nephew than his own concerns. In a season in which the barkeep was largely sidelined (I think Nog had more drama than him, unthinkable in the early years), it's good to have him along, and he even gets his own hero moment when he's watching over Nog in the makeshift Infirmary and whirls to shoot an encroaching Jem'Hadar that reminds you that there's much more to him than running and screeching. Maybe if he hadn't had Nog to protect he would have hidden somewhere, but he didn't even think about defending them both, it was pure instinct and not particularly Ferengi instinct.

Rom isn't on the mission, understandably, but he does get a memorable moment in the teaser singing 'the lady is a 'scamp'' to a bemused Vic Fontaine (I'd never really thought about it, but it's said that the songs he sings are four hundred years old, though I tend to think of them in terms of real time of being forty years between them and the production of the series, so it was good to be reminded of Trek's actual era rather than getting mixed up with its production in the 1990s or 1960s, etc). On the surface the teaser has no bearing on the rest of the episode, seemingly an excuse to include some brightness in a depressing story, but apart from the fact that any opportunity to include Rom and Vic should be taken, it's a useful callback to civilisation when the haunting music of Vic singing is played out over the base as they await an inevitable Jem'Hadar attack. But even more important, it provides a route for Nog to take after this episode with the story of how he had to deal with losing his leg and retreats into Vic's world. Anyone who moans that Trek's background music was merely aural wallpaper, should give this episode a listen. Aside from Vic's song, the beautifully melancholy score that plays over the battle was judged to perfection, adding so much to the action sequence, though I always remember it as being in slow motion (probably thinking of 'Rocks and Shoals' where they experience a similar Jem'Hadar attack).

It's strange hearing Bill Mumy as Kellin (not to be confused with the 'Unforgettable' Kellin from 'Voyager,' who was she again?), as this is the first time I've seen the episode since watching a good proportion of 'Babylon 5,' the 'sister' series to 'DS9,' a rival that began at the same time, but which also shared a few actors between them (such as Tracy Scoggins coming to 'DS9' to play a Cardassian, and Majel Barrett appearing on 'B5'). A series that wasn't anywhere near as good, but the character Mumy played, the Minbari Lennier, was one of the best of that series. Like the other characters we could have got to know Kellin a lot better which would have made his death more tragic. As it is, in the confusion of battle I didn't entirely get the gist of who was definitely dead or not, and it feels more like you're there, all up close and personal, and in the dark, not something easy to follow, suiting the style of the episode. The moral issue of using the Dominion houdini anti-personnel mines that can float in and out of subspace didn't really seem to be an issue, merely another weapon in Starfleet's arsenal to lighten the ranks of attackers, practical concerns overriding the distaste of such vicious weapons, though again it's thanks to the engineers who are able to take control of them. Worse than IEDs, these things are so nasty because not only do they appear out of nowhere, but the place you thought was safe and clear earlier is in reality no safer than anywhere else, playing into the mental trauma of this battlefield. You'd have thought Ezri's counselling skills would have been a key skill, but she ends up helping Kellin with engineering problems, just as Nog and Bashir are being soldiers, the characters' roles adding yet more unsettling approaches to an unbalanced situation.

If Quark didn't know it already, there appears to be major downsides to being a favourite of the Grand Nagus (probably mentioned partly as the rationale for Quark's presence on the mission, but also to jog viewers' memories, readying them for his appearance in the near future). He starts out his usual grumbling self, and it should be no wonder: the last time he was on the Defiant he ended up having to work with James Cromwell to defuse a torpedo (Season 4's 'Starship Down'), so he's not likely to have very happy memories of the ship! Though Worf's role is small in this one, I did like that he supported Quark when the Ferengi was in his world. I mean literally supported him: when the ship is under fire from a Jem'Hadar vessel Quark starts reeling, but the burly Klingon is there to stop him toppling over. I think it's the professionalism that Worf displayed that stood out, since we know how little he can stand the guy, and what better way to close out this review than in pointing out another unsettled and antithetical moment in an episode that is full of them. It isn't traditional Trek, but neither is it traditional 'DS9,' and this leaves you feeling slightly rattled in the way a good war story should, whether it be from the various devices they used, or the constant grim blackness. I've always thought the indoor cave set being the setting took away from the action, but the enclosed nature of it adds claustrophobia, and while the oncoming Jem'Hadar horde isn't nearly as awe-inspiring as it would have been in an outdoor location shoot, I doubt they had the budget to film an entire episode at night.

****

Paul Merton in China (Episode 3)

DVD, Paul Merton in China (Episode 3)

Another eclectic mix of journeying and exploring the far reaches of Chinese culture for the Englishman abroad. It begins in less than happy fashion with Paul experiencing the discomfort of illness and indignity of having to describe it to a white-coated medicine dispenser on camera, but it's clear the impression of being such an acute outsider in a country that hasn't traditionally welcomed them, is deserved and becoming increasingly unwelcome in his strained condition. Handler Emma stitching him up with Chinese opera didn't help the situation, provoking the closest we've seen to an outburst, digging in on the spitting behind his back and the constant staring, but then every travel series has its moment of extreme culture clash when homesickness rears its head in the face of the impenetrable foreign culture all around. A group massage of multiple masseurs operating at once seems to calm the waters a little in time for more waters to be explored, by boat, and the balm of the incredible views of the natural sights of the Chinese countryside proves a welcome tonic, as much for the viewer as for Paul. But even deep in the natural world the growing attraction of tourism, with many Chinese visiting the sights for themselves, is a reminder of the crowded nature of this massive country.

He manages to find some eloquent native guides, even in the furthest rural town (as well as meeting 'Basil Fawlty' of Fawlty Towers Hotel!), that speak good English and have thriving businesses and hobbies, and there's also the usual Westerners he manages to root out for a chat to discover the outsider's insider point of view on things. Sometimes this is great, with the English lawyer giving plenty of useful information on the growing export of branded products (some of which provide entertainment, with market stalls selling everything from Chairman Mao memorabilia and paraphernalia, as well as t-shirts of the world's dictators and a watch featuring a waving Queen Elizabeth II, which Paul promptly snaps up for its kitsch value!), but there's also a rather distasteful sequence, ironically featuring ex-pats from various countries going through some juvenile antics as part of a running group designed to find partners. It's easy to point fingers at alien cultures as unpleasant and bizarre, but such things can be found just as easily in Western culture it seems.

To counterbalance this there's a little exploration of the fastest growing religion of the country: Christianity. It's encouraging to hear about it when it was oppressed for so long, although as Paul says, the main churches were still under strict observance from the government and he had to find the underground churches to see how much it's really growing. There's one that gives new meaning to the term 'house church' with every room full to the brim with the congregation, hidden down a backstreet, the preaching beamed into every room via monitor for those that can't be in the main one! Free from the constraints of government propaganda they can preach the true Gospel and are unafraid in the face of the potential danger they could face were they to be discovered, and there's a slight frisson of danger to Paul's undercover work, even though he admits to being wary of the faith, much like the Chinese government, so it's good to see the programme allowing time for it, answering such important questions as what the purpose of life is (watch it to find out!).

As ever, there's a mixture of the vast and impressive cityscapes and the counterbalance of the vast and impressive natural wonders China can boast of, and there's something pleasing and comforting about seeing a stereotypical Englishman cycling through the beautiful rural landscape that could almost be Medieval England with its stone bridges and carts. There's also the astounding age-old practice of the Chinese fishermen that use cormorants to catch their fish. The role of tourism is an important theme of the episode, with Paul musing that it could diminish the reality of these old practices and ways of life at the same time as keeping them going as attractions to be seen, the old fisherman interviewed, admitting he makes a lot more money than he used to from turning it into a whole event for the tourists to come and see rather than just catching the fish to sell. Finally, there's the thorny issue of more Western influence: rich Americans paying up to $25,000 to basically come and 'buy' a cute little Chinese baby. It looks a little bit indulgent and suspect, but when you realise these were abandoned babies because they were female, a less desirable offspring, it's a sad state of affairs, and you come to see the parents that have the means to do this as angels of mercy rather than rich showoffs that come across the world to get an exotic baby to add to their collection of stuff back home. As usual, a thoughtful episode, but as with the others, you wish he could linger on a subject for longer, an hour's running time would have been beneficial.

***

Once More Unto The Breach

DVD, DS9 S7 (Once More Unto The Breach) (2)

Kor, that John Colicos sure knew how to act, and no mistake! It's still amazing to me that an actor who originated a character in the first ever season of Trek returned to the same role for three more episodes in an entirely new spinoff series, his final appearance over thirty years after he first played him. It shouldn't be such a surprise, I suppose, when you know he played the first notable example of the most popular race in Trek history. It would have been criminal if they hadn't brought him back, but he shares the honour of being one of the last actors to be in both 'TOS' and the latter part of modern Trek, indeed, aside from Leonard Nimoy, who was a special case (appearing in the first two Kelvin Timeline films), I can only think of two other actors that had been in 'TOS' and played roles on Trek after this point, both of which were on 'Enterprise' (Joseph Ruskin as a Suliban in the pilot, 'Broken Bow,' and Jack Donner in a couple of episodes of the final season). That the writers wanted to use up one of their precious final season episodes on the character ably demonstrates in what high regard and esteem both Colicos and Kor were held. As I hear, the name still has the ring of legend about it since the House of Kor is a part of 'Discovery,' so he's even bridging the furthest parts of the Trek Empire chronologically. Kor isn't the only thing to do that as this episode itself bridges the gap between both 'TOS,' thanks to his reprisal, and our current decade, with 2013 film 'Star Trek Into Darkness' partly taking place in Ketha Province, first mentioned here.

It's terrific that so late in the day we still learn new things about these characters we love, whether it be that Kor is son of Rynar, or details about General Martok's past and his self-made scramble up to the position he now holds, a sign that it is not the quality of one's birth that matters, but the quality of one's persistence and character. It was Martok that came from the Ketha lowlands on Qo'noS, and Kor that was the reason he had to work so hard to get into the military. It speaks to his irrepressible hard work and determined attitude that he made it so far, and not just that, but equally to JG Hertzler's ability to hold an audience, that he's given another starring role when he was but a recurring character - you would assume he and Kor were the main cast while Worf, and especially the others, were merely supporting if you stumbled upon this episode in ignorance. Add this one to 'Soldiers of The Empire,' 'Shadows and Symbols,' and perhaps the B-stories of a few others and you have your own 'Captain Martok' TV show running through the series. I wonder if anyone's ever attempted such a thing? It shows that a Klingon series would work, although having Worf along, with his Federation ethics and understanding adds something (so you would have one or two observers from other cultures, perhaps a human and a Vulcan - sold!).

In the vein of the season continuing to show us things we'd never seen before, it must be a rarity to see Worf knocked unconscious on the deck. Certainly in 'TNG' he was often being knocked over as the proof of alien beings' power, but not in 'DS9.' Similarly, I can't remember him being in Starfleet uniform and taking off his baldric in the past. Small notes in the grand scheme, but they stuck out to me. He was still composed enough to catch a knife in midair as Martok tried to take out the demented Kor by flinging his d'k tahg - just when you think Worf couldn't be any cooler (and just another reason I'd happily watch a 'Captain Worf' TV show), he acts like some kind of Klingon Mr. Miyagi. It's a tough position for him, throughout this story, he's caught between two strong-willed friends and comrades that he respects more than any others of his race. It's not Kor's fault, he really comes off looking good, even his lapse of sanity is forgivable after the humiliation he endures from Martok and the crew. It is Martok's bitterness that causes all the trouble, a raw nerve Worf has never seen prodded before, and doesn't diplomatically back down from, but plunges in in full Klingon style, respectfully not taking Martok's refusal to talk about it for an answer. Even early in the episode I was pleased to see the time taken to show the sensitivity of the situation: when Worf is summarily dismissed from the General's Quarters, we see him pause in the corridor outside, a look of shock on his face that such a reaction would explode at him. That could easily have been cut, but it adds so much.

The sensitivity extends to the portrayal of the aged Klingons, Kor and Darok, the world-weary aide to Martok who plays an important part in the episode's ability to pull everything together for a species of victory, a show of courage and resourcefulness that is the theme of the episode. We're shown and told a little more about the class struggles within Klingon society, both in the way Martok speaks of being treated, and how Darok is discussed. The attitudes are so endemic within Klingon culture that even Worf displays it when he demands to know if he is to be treated as a 'ShuVak' (servant), like Darok, when Martok won't speak of Kor. Whether it was meant to be ironic by the writers or whether it wasn't considered, I don't know, but certainly there is great irony in such a 'lowly' man being the one to set things on the path to speed out the episode well, giving Kor his honourable death and Worf his honourable young life in consequence. For someone who is looked down on, Darok shows such great wisdom and forethought that it makes you wonder how he came to be in that position, a tale that would no doubt be grand in the telling. It also shows that, as we've occasionally seen, there are more than just warriors in Klingon culture, and society needs people to be servants as much as anything else. He has just the right level of respect and dryness in his manner so as not to irritate Martok too much, but gets his feelings across.

There's a great weight of nostalgia hanging on both he and Kor as these two men of great age who were alive back in simpler times, almost speaking directly of 'TOS' and the time in which it was made as opposed to the 'children' now in their vim and vigour, who are running the 'Empire' of Trek as writers and producers. It's something that I could especially aim at the Kelvin films when he says about them not knowing what they missed (not literally, since some were Trekkers, but I mean in terms of tone and attitude), while also accepting that things change and each new generation of youth takes its place for a time. The greatest comeback ever made, and the best line of the episode, however, goes to Kor. When Martok deliberately digs into him for his loss of place and time on the Bridge, where he confusedly thought he was back working with Kang and taking out a Federation settlement, he doesn't hit back, explain himself or show emotion. He knows he's past his best and endures the cutting remarks of these youngsters with dignity as befits his noble House. It's only when one of the women mentions the dead Kang in her mockery that he's had enough, but even then he doesn't do the Klingon thing of getting out of an awkward moment by making a challenge or knocking her to the floor, his warrior heart has cooled, but his poet's heart is strong. Instead, he warns them, and it's worth recording: "Savour the fruit of life, my young friends. It has a sweet taste when it's fresh from the vine. But don't live too long... The taste turns bitter... after a time."

The bitterness is rife within the Klingons, particularly Martok, who feels his class was to blame for Kor's blocking of him from the career path he wanted, while Kor can't even remember. The chip on Martok's shoulder towards the aristocracy is heavy, yet he thinks nothing of treating Darok without the respect due to age, getting angry with him and frustrated, but never equating their two positions as the same. Whether it's the quality of Kor's birth or his own in-built character, he puts Martok to shame, and although he can never get past the injury done to him, he does at least join in with the crew's toast to the brave last act of Kor. It doesn't matter that we don't see that final, important battle, the last shot of Kor being him transporting away in the familiar red slashes of a Klingon beam, to take his place as Captain one last time. Had the series continued they might have eventually found a way to bring him back, though they knew it wouldn't be continuing. The question was academic anyway because John Colicos died not long after, this his final triumph on the Trek stage, wearing that same toothy grin that had first been seen in 'Errand of Mercy' as a villain, but was now hero of the highest calibre. They might have brought him back in some way had the actor lived, but I'm glad it never happened because sometimes an ending should be the ending: for every Spock or Tasha Yar that rises from the ashes to become a more interesting character in greater stories than before, there's a Jason Bourne who becomes generic and uninteresting. So let Kor rest. We've seen his treachery, faith and the great river of courage within him and that was the perfect conclusion to his saga.

Going against conventional wisdom, it was more powerful not to show that epic battle of one Bird of Prey commanded by an ancient warrior, against ten Jem'Hadar ships. No longer a safe bet due to a new weapon, the tachyon scanner that can penetrate cloaks, a disturbing Dominion development that could have proved a turning point in battle. One ship peeling off from the headlong dash to safety to buy the others time against the odds was a true Klingon course of action. It wasn't even a risky suicide mission, it was a question of how long they could survive! Now, audiences would be disappointed not to see the scuffle, either of that rearguard action or the inevitable welcoming party of the Defiant and other starships awaiting the surviving Klingons, but that would be to miss the point because right from the very first conversation O'Brien and Bashir are having about how Davy Crockett died at the Alamo, the episode is telling us the details aren't important, it's the legend that matters. You would expect to see Kor go out in blazing glory, his Bridge full of smoke and flame, the dead lying all around at his feet, a wild expression of greedy delight in the honour and glory of battle alight in his wide eyes. The episode was kind enough to give us that in his erroneous joy at slipping back into a battle of the past, and it was a pitiable sight, an old man reliving memories that took him back to his vitality, the lost past a short, but bitterly intangible reminder. So we know what it would have looked like and it's better to leave the actual details to the imagination where they can equal a thousand glories. His heartfelt plea to get in on the action and die on his feet as a warrior was answered.

It's not like we weren't treated to any starship skirmishes, though I would have to admit that for 'DS9' and for a Klingon-centred episode in particular, it was light on the action. But what we did see was beautifully accomplished, with Birds of Prey swooping down through the clouds to attack an enemy base in what Sisko called a cavalry charge, Phasers and Photon Torpedoes rending the bright daylight, a Cardassian warship in pursuit of others… It was well done, though the ships did look a little lightweight, whether from CGI, or perhaps down to the agile, twisting nature of these dart-like vessels that could speed in and out so quickly and nimbly. That Captain Sisko describes such warfare in historical terms shows how even in the 24th Century there is a romanticism towards the daring and courage of such acts of the past. You would have expected him to call such a Klingon plan a waste of resources unlikely to achieve any real value, but as ever, the series liked to do the unexpected, so he clearly approves of Martok's plan. The nimble tactics within a bright atmosphere also sit well in contrast with the gloomy internals of a dark Klingon ship where most of the episode is situated - watching as I was in a central heated room in a fleece and a sleeping bag, the volcanic steam and glowing lava of the lighting made that Klingon set come alive as never before and I felt I was there!

The B-story back on the station, Quark's misunderstanding of Ezri's intentions towards Worf was comical, but I'm not sure really fit with the atmosphere. Sometimes, if it's too light, the secondary plot can undermine the main one, and though I wouldn't say it did that here, being slim as it was, and as good as it is to see Quark doing something other than serve drinks (more of which next episode), perhaps the parallel with the Alamo holoprogram that Bashir and O'Brien discussed should have been the focus and might have chimed better. But it is nice to see Ezri and Kira enjoying each other's company, and it was very true to both Dax and Kor that they would meet up to discuss old times, he once again having to get used to another version of the old man, Curzon, that he once knew. It's another little moment that didn't need to be there for the sake of the story, but adds to the richness of their friendship, while also reminding us of the chill between Ezri and Worf, who finds them together. And it makes me happy to know that Kor got to meet Dax one last time, especially after such an important event as Jadzia's death. She'd better watch out though, if Ezri keeps going round kissing people she'll get a name for it after doing the same to both Kor and Quark!

I don't remember it ever being stated why Martok doesn't take the Rotarran on this mission, instead commanding the Ch'Tang and a different crew. It could be because they didn't want to bring back the crew we'd seen before, though it was different in 'Shadows and Symbols,' or maybe this was a smaller ship, more agile, or perhaps it was a case of the Rotarran being called to do something else, unless I missed the reference within the episode. Details were far from stifled in this Klingon banquet, with everything from the name of Kor's Father to Martok's past (including fascinating minutiae: he worked as a civilian labourer on a ship and then got a battlefield commission - now more than ever I want to read Hertzler's Martok duology, 'The Left Hand of Destiny'!). I didn't know that the House of Mogh was noble, just as the House of Kor comes from Imperial blood, and I liked hearing that there was no blood feud between the Houses of Martok and Kor (wonder if they have the House of Martok in 'DSC'? Probably not, since he was of a low birth). Even the way Kor dresses had been carefully thought out - rather than wear the traditional soldier's uniform of most Klingons, he sports the animal skins or leather that we see Klingons in 'Enterprise' favouring, it befitting a Dahar Master to stand out from the commoners. We never did find out what a Dahar Master actually was, beyond its title of reverence, but that too is ripe for exploration now that Trek is in production again…

Neil Vipond, who made such an impact as Darok, the best aide in Trek that I can think of, went on to another role in 'Voyager' ('Natural Law'), and Nancy Youngblut, rather than being a similar female Klingon we saw in 'Soldiers of The Empire,' had previously played another alien in that same series, 'Displaced,' but under the heavy Klingon makeup and thick Klingon teeth, who was to know? They made good Klingons, which is essential for the atmosphere of an episode focused on the warrior race. Ronald D. Moore has his name to this, which must be the final Klingon-centric episode of the series in the most Klingon-centric series (leaving 'DSC' aside as I have yet to see it), so I'm glad he had one last chance to put his stamp on it as 'the Klingon guy.' Those Klingon lifespans have a disadvantage, it seems, as old grudges are never forgotten, but without their extended length we'd never have had the chance to see the great Dahar Master Kor of the Klingon Empire interact with our 'DS9' characters, and that would have been a huge loss to the series and to Trek in general. As 'DSC' appears (from what I understand), to be going back towards the era of 'TOS' as fast as it can, I can only hope they don't sully the great legacy left by people such as John Colicos. The Shakespearean title was doubly fitting for being host to what Colicos himself considered a Falstaffian figure in Kor. The Klingon race was always larger than life and theatrical, too, so it's delightful to spend another segment in their company, doing what they do best. Then again, I could say that about the actors, writers and directors of Trek, too. And I do!

****

Scion

DVD, Smallville S10 (Scion)

Unruly teenagers aren't a big draw for an episode, and the saving grace in this story in which Clark becomes a surrogate Father figure to Alexander, or Conner as he becomes known, and comes to appreciate his parents for their hard work in bringing him up even more, is that the boy wonder is enrolled in Smallville High and so hopefully won't be a recurring character. The clone Lex storyline has never grabbed me as a good idea, especially as it hasn't been used as a springboard to reunite the series with Michael Rosenbaum, but right from the off I was less than impressed with the idea Tess forces on Clark of him becoming the lad's mentor and teaching him how to use his newfound superpowers - he has Clark's DNA in him, as well as Lex', hence the super strength, speed and hearing - shame Clark forgot about that, I suppose he doesn't have super intelligence to augment his physical powers! It was an even worse idea to keep secrets from this clone, especially as he was behaving in typical teen type that we've seen on the series too many times before, and was never going to understand that you can't make someone love you, especially not with force, the worst way to win anyone round to anything. It was the Red Kryptonite ring that Lionel so foresightedly had ready for him that made him do it, but kidnapping is never going to enamour someone to you. I was waiting for Lois to ask to try on the ring so that it would come off his finger, but she didn't come up with that simple blind.

Lionel is a much less interesting character than 'our' version, although even he became a lot less interesting well before he vacated the series. This one only wants world domination, which I suppose is why Darkseid appears to him at the end, presumably to form an alliance. The story itself had been done too many times and even with the added dimension of Clark playing Dad to a young lad, it wasn't firing on all cylinders. That isn't a new thing, even, stretching right back to Season One's Ryan, and others besides, with Clark always getting on well with children because of his open, almost childlike attitudes himself. If he didn't have the power to stop Conner, however, he wouldn't have made much of a parent, because physical power is only one small weapon in the parental arsenal, and Clark didn't have the authority necessary to keep a tearaway from… tearing away. There are a couple of nice dialogue scenes between Lois and Clark discussing his upbringing of being different, and his parents and such things, which put things into perspective, and it's good that effects are stripped back to allow for these more important moments - the only action sequence was the fight in the burnt out ruins of the Luthor Mansion. I say fight, but it was just the standard throwing match in which I had the feeling Clark was holding back so as not to hurt his young, but errant protege, rather than Conner being in any way superior.

The device of Red Kryptonite has been done to death, there was nothing really new happening, no character to be seen from previous seasons (excluding Lionel who'd already made his mark), and with no Chloe or Oliver, away in Star City, it was lacklustre. The scene where Conner saves Lois from the bullets of Lionel's gun showed the lack of budget, as at one time it would have been a showcase for the special effects of slow-motion, but it all happens from the perspective of realtime so it's not impressive. It's nice that Conner was dealt with and brought back around by the end of the episode instead of dragging on over the course of the final episodes, though he may yet play a part (I hope not). He learnt his lesson and Clark learnt a bit more what it was like for his parents, but there were a number of niggling logic moments that, while common for the series, still stand out. The first being when Clark zooms in to find Tess in his kitchen and she eventually tells him Lex/Conner is in the car, but why wouldn't he have noticed a car outside with him in it? Also, Clark calling the original Lex his best friend is a little much. They had some kind of friendship at points, but best? Conner should have realised Clark was like him by the fact they were both hauling bales around, but is surprised when Clark zips in front of him. And Lionel should have known there were multiple clones of Lex and not been fobbed off with the so-called remains of his son, which he's later informed was another clone. Just a diversion to give them more time before Lionel made a move? Maybe. Even the undoing of alternate Lionel's identity was a little hard to believe - he'd altered all the documents except the one sending Tess to the orphanage and real Lionel's fingerprints are on the document, while his are reversed (does that mean his signature was backwards, too?!).

I'm just slightly nettled that we've had a couple of pretty average episodes in a row, after a patch of good ones, which makes them stand out even more because they've shown they can make it work: there have been a surprisingly high number of hits compared to misses on the season average, and with the remaining episodes to watch dwindling in number you only want good ones from now on, no wasted opportunities, though TV production is a conveyor belt factory, I'd hope the ending of the series would have made them redouble their efforts to go out on a high. It was often the case that a season would have one or two good arcs for around a third each of that season, but then the last would be the weakest. And I was so hoping that improvements would have held to the end, with the quality of the writing compared to previous years and the desire to bring in so many guest faces this year. Lionel just doesn't work as a good villain, I'm not convinced on Darkseid, and Conner is little more than an annoyance. Forget the world, will Clark save the series before it ends on a whimper?

**