Strange Bedfellows (2)

DVD, DS9 S7 (Strange Bedfellows) (2)

The best in this opening trilogy within the nine-ology, or whatever it's called, probably because it brings some much needed actual resolution. I don't know if the first two parts could have been condensed down, or even gone unseen, but both gave me the impression of pacing back and forth, or round and round, taking their sweet time to go anywhere, to the extent that they were almost (but not), a drudgery to drag our characters ploddingly to the resolve we see by the end of this episode, which wouldn't have been as believable unless they'd gone through all the soul-searching and baring all first. The title couldn't be more apt, as this one is all about the oddments of bonds between a variety of characters that you could, in Martok's vein, call the battle of the bonds: he brings up Sisko's marriage to Kasidy as the beginning of a war, 'til death do us part, and this warring between two people is observed at different stages between Worf and Ezri (threat of execution finally makes them honest and realistic), Damar and Weyoun (the Cardassian sees that the only option for survival is divorce), and Dukat and Winn (she struggles with an unholy alliance before coming to an understanding of herself). Could we have done without Dukat's honeyed words and slow winning over of the Kai to the nefarious Pah-Wraiths? Could Ezri and Worf's soapy imprisonment have been cut short while still moving them into position on the game board? Did we need to see every putdown of Weyoun's that gradually pushed Damar off the deep end? I think the answer is yes, yes, and no.

That's my issue with complete serialisation: it doesn't cut to the heart of the matter, it juggles and fools around and, especially in modern drama, arranges itself to reach a plot twist, twisting itself into shapes to keep a coherent narrative running, and that isn't the best way for Trek to work. It can't be either plot or character, it needs to blend these things, while speculating about the future world we visit, the structure ideal for overarching stories as background to a structured message or examination of a subject or point of view. That said, this episode is the best of the ongoing story so far, and not just because it finally takes people to a position of understanding who they are and what they need to do. The story-lines are generally more enjoyable at this stage, perhaps barring Worf and Ezri's continued enforced pairing to examine their motivations and situation. The best is Damar and Weyoun's strand, as the Breen's preferential treatment by the Founders finally gets Damar's goat enough that he makes a traitorous bid against his allies. With good reason, too, as Weyoun has been stringing him along for far too long. I like that the characters are reverting back to how they used to be when things were more equal, and it makes me wonder what a fully cognisant Dukat would have done in Damar's place. Weyoun is once again trying to point out the good things, while Damar gets to laugh at him a little, Worf turning things around (as in Weyoun's head, while still attached to its neck), to execute the executor, something Damar runs with for the rest of the episode.

It's not enough to cover Damar's shame at his own weak behaviour - whenever he's shown dissatisfaction with the shabby way his Dominion allies have dealt with Cardassian forces, he's always faltered, well aware of the mass of deadly Jem'Hadar soldiers at his back just waiting for the order to snap his neck. He's become nothing more than a political figurehead for Weyoun to manipulate, and now even those manipulations aren't even directed his way as the Breen become the popular ones, the Dominion's new toy. But no longer. I don't know if Worf's neck-snapping antics were the final straw to help Damar realise which side he should be on, it gave him so much enjoyment to see his 'master' treated in such a way, or whether it's his own internal conscience rising to the conscious surface (good shot with the Kanar at the mirror, by the way!), but he switches allegiance and rescues Worf and Ezri - I do wonder how that was explained away. Maybe they don't have logs for things like who was on the detail to escort the prisoners, and maybe no one saw him, but he kills two Jem'Hadar guards (and I have to assume he killed them as otherwise they'd tattle tales), and they're not known for being easy to outmanoeuvre. Weyoun probably put it down to the resourcefulness of the Starfleet captives.

The story is directly mirrored in Kai Winn's own, but while Damar overcomes his secret fears and failures, she finally and irrevocably gives in to hers. I don't think Damar ever sought power, it was just thrust upon him as being in the 'right' place when the time came, so although he has other failings, a cruelty and harshness, he also, at heart is a patriot that cares deeply for his people and culture (just as caring so much for Dukat motivated him to murder Ziyal). Winn cares deeply for herself and her own self-image, and what the Prophets won't provide she'll take from any quarter, even the evil Pah-Wraiths. It's sad to see, but at the same time, like Damar and Weyoun, it's good to get back to the core of these characters and the familiar way they behave, and seeing Winn in the last couple of episodes, and perhaps even last season's role, it's clear she lost the bite that made her such an enjoyable character to watch. I want to see her sarcasm and nasty wit, it's just not the same when she's doubting herself, and the same for Dukat. He's still not going to be the full version he used to be, but leading someone astray and getting angry with her, flinging harsh words in her face, instead of pretending to be a simple, humble man, is right for him. These are back to being who we know and that's comforting, in a way.

I noticed there appeared to be a Bajoran Security Officer just visible at the edge of the doorway into what must be a corridor outside Winn's Quarters, which would make sense as her Eminence is so important as to require a personal guard, but it makes me wonder how tight-lipped Bajorans are, especially regarding such delicate matters, as this Bajoran must have heard the shouting coming from inside, and especially when Dukat stands on the threshold with the door wide open, snarling about Winn crawling back to the Prophets to beg forgiveness, forever living in Sisko's shadow (that's what it's really all about, an outsider taking pride of place, something that was true for Dukat, too, since Sisko took over his posting on DS9, his office, even his chair!). They must be accustomed to delicacy as a people, there wasn't even any backlash for Sisko's quick and non-religious wedding, they just want Kasidy to take her rightful place next to her husband. There may have been some elements on the planet that thought badly of the Emissary for his actions, but it probably helped that the Kai was staying on the station at the time as this might have meant that she was assumed to have been involved. Ordinarily she'd have been the voice of reproach, visiting the Emissary to tell him off for his rash decision to marry in the way he did, but she's far too wrapped up in her own affairs (or Dukat's arms - so strange to see the ex-leader of the Cardassians gagging the Bajoran Kai's mouth with his hand, not the sort of thing you could ever have foreseen happening!).

Winn is at her most honest in this episode, truthful, in agony over her complete loss of direction and it's shocking to see this once proud matriarch reduced to indecision and despair in front of Kira, whom she requested to come to her because she knows Kira understands the ways of the Prophets better than her, the Colonel's simple faith devoid of the clutches of power and ambition. But she was too far gone to be rescued: for most of the episode we see her wearing white because she truly believes she's been selected by the Prophets to bring Bajor's regeneration and it fits with her own story of being someone important in their plans. But the truth is she's just religious, she doesn't have a real connection to the Prophets she claims to serve, and it's more about her reaction to the face of the 'gods' being revealed as devils. She's obviously been taught to fear the Pah-Wraiths, but what she really fears is not having the control she's been given by the people, manipulated as they were to put her in this position. She doesn't seem to grasp the simplicities of faith, and when reaching out to Kira she appears willing to do anything to get right with the Prophets. All but stand down as Kai, and lose all that she's gained. She pleads in front of the impassive Ark of the Orb of Prophecy, but the Prophets remain silent. She equates feelings with beliefs, and because she didn't feel what she expected to feel, both in the past and now, takes this as a sign of abandonment. She hardens herself against Kira's wise advice, but it was inevitable from her mindset as shown by the fact that when Kira visits she's back in her fully lavish robes again.

She's been deconstructed by her horror, experiences remorse, then when even more personal horror strikes (the suggestion she should step down), she finds resolve, but for evil. She can't see that she's the blind leading the blind, she doesn't even know how someone who's left the path of the Prophets can be redeemed, something you'd expect the leader of the spiritual wellbeing of the people to know all about. But what she really knows all about is the manipulation of politics, even openly acknowledging that that is what motivated her, but she still feels she's got the chance to make right again - we've seen on occasion how she can work for Bajor's good and cooperate with Sisko and Kira at various junctures along the way (the farm machinery in Season 3, the Emissary's guidance about not joining the Federation in Season 5), so she does have a kind of patriotism, but it's secondary to her own ambition and position, and Dukat promises that power and the adoration of the people she so craves will be given to her by the Pah-Wraiths. After deconstruction she's reconstructed as a servant of evil, her path set for destruction, and a chilling end to the episode as her hatred of the Federation and its Vedek 'puppets,' and the false Prophets and their Sisko are to be swept away like dead leaves according to her bitter speech. Both Damar and Winn confront their destiny, both have a strong patriotism, but while the former can overcome his inner self, perhaps from the discipline of being a soldier, Winn cannot overcome herself and is doomed.

I was surprised to find this wasn't the final 'DS9' episode to be directed by one of the actors, as both Michael Dorn and Avery Brooks have one more in them. But it was Rene Auberjonois' last as Director, and it fit quite well for him as he only appeared in the episode as one of the Pah-Wraiths in Winn's vision (although he hadn't been given much to do at all in either of the first two episodes). I thought it was a well-directed instalment, not flashy or daring, but dealing with everything smoothly with occasional touches of brilliance. I particularly appreciated the intelligent use of mirrors: there was the obvious one with Damar chucking the contents of his glass at it in disgust, but the really subtle moment was when we see Winn and Dukat reflected in theirs, their earrings hanging off the opposite ear in the mirror image, denoting followers of the Pah-Wraiths. There's another nice visual hint at the direction Winn's heading when in the Pah-Wraith vision the lighting makes her eyes look as if they're glowing red, just like the denizens of the Fire Caves themselves. Another shot I was drawn to was the beautiful sunset over Cardassia - sure, it's just the same old matte painting we know and love, but it made me want to go there. Though stories are supposed to show, not tell, sometimes just hinting at things is enough for the imagination to fill in the blanks, and though we don't see much of Cardassia, it's enough to make it a real place in the mind. And while they couldn't show the massive battle of half a million Cardassian soldiers being routed by Klingon forces on Septimus III, hearing about such large scale operations puts the war into context (unlike the useless portrayal of it in 'Discovery'), not to mention tantalising hints of other places like the Unroth System or Thot Gor

The Breen are finally brought into the story properly with the first named character introduced. They can't really be told apart as far as I can see, so Thot Gor may have been just as visible in the previous two episodes, but because the actor playing him was just considered a non-speaking role and is never seen under the suit, he's not credited at any time and it's only thanks to Weyoun we find out his name at all. The Breen Confederacy are given the full run of Cardassian facilities, access to their classified strategic information and Damar ordered to sign off on territorial concessions as part of the deal to welcome these new additions into the Dominion, much to his disgust. He still has pride in Cardassia, saying no planet is minor in the Cardassian Union, where Dukat might have been more willing to let a few unimportant locations be cast off to the Breen if it served (for what purpose, why do they want these planets? - it all adds to their mystery, and sadly one that would never be revealed). One point that was minor, but no less fascinating was the issue with the Universal Translators: Damar can't understand what Thot Gor says at first, Weyoun offhandedly repeating the Breen had said he should have his UT adjusted. He replies that he would have if he'd known they'd be meeting the Breen. Another layer of intrigue surrounding the race, as the point of the UT is that it instantly decodes and translates any alien language, so what is it about theirs that requires some sort of recalibration? It's also noteworthy that the Female Changeling can understand him, so do her race have a UT embedded in themselves somewhere, or a natural ability to comprehend?

If the first two episodes felt too much like the same story rehashed over and over, at least they get somewhere with this one: Worf not holding any malice toward Ezri and Bashir (even though that came out of nowhere, Bashir expressing dreamy sadness at Ezri's loss during Quark's only scene where, yes, he serves another drink - this time he's being uncharacteristically sentimental, setting out Ezri's favourite drink every day, though I suspect he pours it back in the bottle at the end and pours out the same again each time!), and the reassuring prospect that we won't have any more scenes where they babble about their feelings in cells; and changes in relations all round, with Damar going from working with Weyoun 7 (the replacement for the 'defective' 6 who tried to gain asylum from Odo, who was the replacement of 5, who was the replacement of 4, the first version we saw killed back in Season 4! Good to keep track of these things), to becoming an undercover operative against Weyoun 8 and joking about Weyoun 9 being a very real possibility if the Female Changeling doesn't like the news of Worf and Ezri's prison break (which reminded me of Lorca and Tyler's similar actions in 'DSC,' only it's so much better with the cool Cardassian hand Phasers and Rifles blasting beams), and even Kasidy taking 'first blood' by Martok's analogy, in the battle of marriage, refusing to act as the Emissary's wife (I do wish the deleted scenes mention in the 'DS9 Companion' could have been included on the DVD), and noticing how her Bajoran crew-mates are reacting differently to her now.

There's a ton of detail woven into the story, too, and this may be because Ron Moore was writing it, but I loved all the stuff about Martok's pet Targ and how his wife left the door open so it ran off into the forest (they lived next to a forest!), even though it appears that that most Klingon part of the episode wasn't even written by Moore, which is strange! Weyoun's flippant comment about finding watching interspecies mating rituals fascinating reminded me of Dr. Phlox. And Damar warning Worf and Ezri about their coming Cardassian tribunal was a nice recall of us having been shown one, way back in Season 2's 'Tribunal,' unsurprisingly. And one other point: the Command Centre on Cardassia is pretty poky for the brains of such a big war, isn't it? No matter, the characters are getting back into gear, the story's picking up, and the battle lines have been drawn, even if there are plenty of people that don't know about it yet (Kasidy for Sisko; Weyoun for Damar; Sisko for Winn).

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