X-Ray

DVD, Smallville S1 (X-Ray)

Once again a lovingly melded mix of humour, sadness, drama and action. They really knew how to do it back then, whether it be shocks (Lex walking into a bank and pulling a gun; Tina Greer's Mum falling down the stairs to her death; the scorpion-like turn of Lex on reporter Roger Nixon; 'Clark' attempting to mow down Martha on the street), humour (Clark knowing which pocket Jonathan keeps his penknife in), and the solidifying of bonds (Chloe and Lana, Lana and Clark). It has everything and is yet again a joy to behold. Tina is the freak-of-the-week this time, a girl whose bone condition was healed by the meteor shower (so it didn't only bring disaster), only for her to grow up into an ungrateful teen that doesn't realise what she has and is always looking at the greener grass of Lana Lang's 'perfect' life. Facades are really the theme this time, whether it be the personal secret Clark has which lets him empathise even with a misguided girl like Tina, Tina herself, with her powers of shapeshifting (though interestingly, only her body could change, which is why she manipulates Whitney into lending her his jacket when she wants to go and kill Lana), and of course Lana and her 'perfect' image of the Mother she never knew and that she's felt necessary to live up to. The series isn't forgetting its characters, it's getting under their skin, letting us learn about them as they learn about themselves, particularly the teenagers as they go through their struggle of understanding their place in the world.

Clark has more than the usual problems to deal with as another of his Kryptonian powers manifests in the form of x-ray vision, the perfect timing for when he needed to see through Tina's misdirections. Makes you wonder if his powers are activating on purpose when they're required, as she was filled with Kryptonite running around inside her (which makes me wonder why Tina herself wasn't deadly to Clark - she has to be wearing Lana's green necklace to be a danger to him), but perhaps not in enough quantity to affect him through her skin? It's a little shady to get around that point, but in general the episode, as has been the case so far, remains grounded in a reality. A bright, saturated in colour reality, true, but a reality you can believe in. Real things happen, like the first appearance of Sheriff Ethan checking up on Mrs. Greer's daughter, another of the recurring cast that would make the town feel like a genuine community. Sure, this is the first freak that went beyond just exhibiting a weird power and actually could be anyone, but it's more about her character, or at least as much as what she could do. The shapeshifting was done well for the time, but even more importantly, the actors that step into Tina's shoes do a great job of selling a teenage girl's version of them, whether that's Tina's Mum calling herself an airhead and shuffling around, or Lana manipulating Whitney, or even the evil Whitney, the form she chooses in which to kill Lana.

If we're talking evil, Lex Luthor needs a mention for more than one count: seeing him rob a bank and smash Clark through a window is all too easy to believe from the inherited persona we know from other incarnations of the character, and despite his protestations that he's not a criminal mastermind in the Kent kitchen, he later proves with the reporter fellow that he is indeed capable of just that kind of terrible power. Roger Nixon makes the mistake of threatening him and rather than cave in Lex plays all his cards and ends up taking the man onto his service, partly for PR reasons, but mainly so he can share his secret project - to find out just how it was he managed to survive the car crash of the first episode. And there we have the first indication of the Lex Luthor we expected, yet it's still fully understandable the way he reacts. He was blackmailed, forced to buckle under and pay up by a dodgy customer and he turns it around. In fact, considering how likeable he is, how moral he appears compared to his Father, we're practically cheering him on. That's the secret of great characterisation, being able to create sympathy for someone even though we know what they're doing is essentially wrong. We can also feel that at this stage, despite all the juvenile delinquency implied by Nixon's files, that Lex truly has turned over a new leaf and resolved to be a better man in Smallville. It could be that his talk was all bluff and he was playing with Roger's mind when the man couldn't use his phone, but we're unsure. It's great writing!

Another character that shows a different side is Chloe. She's been given short shrift so far, along with Pete, and while he isn't integral to the story this time, Chloe does get some meat. From the first episode you get the impression she doesn't think highly of the set Lana's part of, probably what you'd call the 'popular people,' the vacuous pretty people, while Chloe isn't in that place, she has journalistic instincts and you get a sense she's got a slight chip on her shoulder for being the one who does all the work, running around for the paper. She has preconceptions of Lana, only for Lana to break through and show that if you get to know her she really is as perfect as she seems. Okay, so the perfect thing isn't true, but unlike the outward appearance of being a porcelain doll, untouchable to mere mortals, Lana shows that she's equally as much a beauty inside. Chloe's good at reading people and instantly bonds with her, doing her a good turn by finding the graduation speech Lana's Mother made on tape (I'm surprised the archive editions of the paper, 'PC,' or pre-computer, as she puts it, survived the coach's fiery torching of the Torch offices last episode - maybe they're fireproof filing cabinets!). And then there's Tina. Lana is constantly kind to her, even when she's weird or turns nasty, and she's really not the kind of girl who spends all her time with the popular gang, hanging about and laughing at others. In fact, she's quite a solitary type, something which makes her more endearing because she's as happy in party mode as she is clearing out the garage.

Far from the perfect life Tina thinks she sees, Lana is just as confused and unsure as everybody else, and her bond with Clark is further cemented by sharing the same predicament with him about not being able to ask their biological parents things. It's a lovely connection, and another move towards hinting at the wider Superman universe this series is moving towards, with mentions of the Daily Planet or Clark saying his parents are millions of miles away from his life now. His Earth parents, rather than his birth parents, once again show their great value, and this time it's Martha with the wise words. It's just as hard for them to see their son struggle with these bizarre things that are happening to him, but they don't panic and instead advise Clark to practice, since his eyes work like muscles just like any other part of the body. And at the end, when Clark asks her what she'd do if she could see anything, she sagely tells him she'd learn to close her eyes in another beautiful moment. It's not all seriousness, though, as Clark first uses the power to look into the girls' changing room, this being a teen drama. He's not quite the boy scout yet, but it does make him more human, and at least it wasn't exactly intentional. Through the episode he learns to control the power so that he can use it, either to see just below the surface, as when he witnesses Pete's muscle structure, to looking through objects, and ultimately to x-ray vision so he can save Lana from the airtight tomb. (nice to return to the graveyard of the pilot, but I wonder if Lana will feel uncomfortable going there after these events - that's probably where the realistic, grounded logic of the series falls down a little).

You could say practice makes perfect, but although this series seems to portray a kind of perfection, it also reminds us that no one is that way, despite appearances. And that's a good message for a series like this. It might seem mildly hypocritical, except that these bright and happy people (except for the freaks, another one to kill their Mother, just like bug boy), have their secrets and no one pretends everything is perfect, it's all in the perception of others. It sets up some intriguing stuff to come with Nixon a thorn-to-be, and Tina Greer one of the few returnee freaks-of-the-week when she'd be back in Season 2. It continues to give us that community we want to come back to every week, with people like the Sheriff and Aunt Nell bolstering the level of familiarity we feel, and it's all going along very well, with not a dud to be found. It's almost like they can do no wrong at this stage - I even loved Clark's dopey response to Tina's questioning why he was staring at her when he just says, 'I dunno'!

***

Hothead

DVD, Smallville S1 (Hothead)

And they've done it for a third time in a row, another proper good episode for the fledgling series. You can see why it works so well, because not only do they have good effects work, drama, intrigue and sensitively handled plots, they also carve out those plots with well drawn characters and a sense of reality to proceedings that is a joy to see. Great writing has to be celebrated, and it can be seen in the interpersonal situations the characters find themselves in, then the juxtaposition of those same characters in different settings. Take Lex as an example. We see him trying to prove himself to his Father who has sent his son off to this 'remote outpost of the empire' to see how the world works. Lex refuses to bow to his old Dad's ways and instead of firing a chunk of the plant's workers, he wants to hire more, then when he's tricked into conceding to Dad's wishes via a fencing match at the Luthor Mansion, he finds a creative solution to have it both ways. You still don't know if he's goodhearted and wanting to assist the townsfolk, or whether it's all a game to show his Dad up, but the joy is in wondering about it and seeing this ultimate villain-to-be in the Superman mythos doing good and winning friends. For that's the other situation we see him in, the first appearance of the Smallville Beanery where Lana works as a waitress after quitting cheerleading on moral grounds - he easily fits into the student coterie of customers and clearly bounces off Clark and Lana comfortably.

The uplifting nature of the stories is another reason why they work so well. As I said, Lana has a moral issue with the football team that leads her to back away from it, but it's also about finding her place in the world, a huge theme of the series for many of the characters. Like Lex with business and Clark with American Football, she has a legacy to live up to in cheerleading but wants to find her own space and path in life. Seeing background characters like her Aunt Nell add colour to the already multicoloured environments of Smallville and help build a sense of community beyond our main cast. Principal Kwan is another recurring role and makes his debut here, standing firm against this week's villain in the outrageous football coach, and if not for Clark he'd have ended up as just another victim to be disposed of - indeed, if I hadn't known he'd be coming back I'ad have assumed he was a goner. Clark gets to do his thing on more than one occasion, though he's not entirely the one to do the saving as he needs help himself - those pesky meteor rocks cause him trouble again. It does seem surprising that after twenty-five years as coach at the school, and five years of owning a purpose-built sauna just for him, the coach only now gets these powers of fire. You can tell it's new by the way he reacts in surprise, though I'm not sure what's more surprising, the powers themselves or that the Principal just walks out on him when his TV set's gone up in flames! Maybe he thought it was a prank to try and rattle him, but you'd think the guy would be more concerned for his school rather than just walk away while a fire rages!

Okay, so the logic of the series isn't always top-notch, but for the most part everything proceeds organically, a beautiful thing to witness. I like the way the theme and title are so inherent in the sin of the villain - we've had electrical boy and bug boy, and now we get a real hothead: the coach is a massive bully that has built himself up from so much adoration being poured on him and the successes he's brought to the team, as well as the long-lived nature of his association. He's manipulative and angry, and his villainy isn't based on his newfound power, that is merely a fitting side effect. Simple, but effective. He provides a look at bullies, especially in the education environment, and shows how they can manipulate and spread fear like fire through vulnerable young people. It also shows how big a deal American Football is in that country, that a successful coach is so lauded and has lasted so long through multiple generations. Perhaps the only thing missing was for Jonathan Kent and he to have a confrontation, but you can tell he's on less sure footing than he is with the students, as adults will see through his bluster and arguments. The thing is, getting Clark to join the team wasn't that hard - despite young Kent's proclivity to do what his parents want, he really wants to play. It was a test for him, perhaps even of his own inner mettle, how well he can control his emotions and powers, and having shown that he could he doesn't need to keep playing any more, which I think was a bold decision for the series when they could easily have carried on down that road to quick success off the back of his powers, but he recognises, as his Dad tells him, that he's destined for more important things than winning games.

These are succinct lessons, and it's more for the parents than the child as Clark shows that he's growing up and starting to make decisions for himself, in the same way as Lana in the same episode, and Lex, to a lesser extent. It's a brilliant three-way parallel that appeals to the teen in all of us, but also allows us to see the concern and care of a parent's point of view, meaning all the characters are well used. Martha hasn't perhaps been as much at the forefront in these early episodes, but she's there to create peace on the farm and show support for both her Kent men that is both touching and realistic. She portrays a credible and likeable Mother, another reason why the series works as well as it does: there are no extraneous characters, everyone has their role and it's simply a delight to see them interact. Even Whitney continues his deescalation from an opponent to being just another guy when the coach asks for his opinion on Clark joining the team. There are any number of ways that could have gone, he might have come down hard on him, he might have been more generous, but he's fair without being friendly, and with Lana staring up over the coach's shoulder as Clark is asked to join, there wasn't much that would make him turn it down! Lex is also fascinating to watch in his handling of people, whether in his office or out and about in the Beanery, he's probably the most intriguing character of the series, which is an achievement when it's all about Clark Kent.

It's true that we don't really get consequences for the villain, he's simply swallowed up by his fuming rage, but it's still a lesson not to allow ambition to get in the way of morality - he'd gone so far that he actually 'helped' the underachievers on his team cheat in an exam, and there's definitely an air of this man playing God with the future's of the lads he's picked, something he relishes. Clark saw that it was actually he that needed help and offered it, because otherwise it would look like Clark was just beating an older guy around the changing room - I didn't quite see what happened to Jonathan, I think he got knocked out by the crazy coach's fire extinguisher (an irony that he'd wield such a thing as a weapon), so it was up to Clark. But the beauty of the series is in the little things as well as the big, something they've artfully played with: for example when one of the players throws a ball at Chloe's camera and Clark catches it right in front of her. It's a small thing, but it shows the kind of reflexes and speed he has. Then later he does it in a big way when he saves her from being consumed by a living fire that follows her around the room. It's not like he's saving people every five minutes, but it's enough to remind us of his special skills and that this isn't just some ordinary teen drama. If it were, it's well written enough that you could enjoy it just for that, and I only hope that if the much rumoured 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' series does ever come to be then it has this level of attention to detail, with sympathetic role models of both young and older ages, because this series hits the nail on the head in those departments!

***

When It Rains… (2)

DVD, DS9 S7 (When It Rains…) (2)

It pours. They chose their title carefully for this one as it's one of those rare examples of having not just an A-story and a B-story, but a C-story and a D-story, too! It can be argued that they're just parts of the arcs this whole nine-part saga is full of, but three out of the four plots are introduced here. There isn't resolution to any of them, at least not final resolution, but they're set up and carried through to a point, and that's good enough for me. It does make the episode return to the style of the first couple in the saga since it's more about plot than it is about character, far more interested in getting things to somewhere rather than exploring things within that. This has the effect of making it feel not just unresolved as it obviously is, but a touch messy perhaps, or not under control. I don't know, I can't quite pin it down, but it's entirely satisfying in any of the stories and I would have liked one at least of the four threads to fulfil that criteria. In some small way you do get that in the briefest plot of Kai Winn and Dukat's interactions, his desire to read the evil text of the Kosst Amojan before being punished with blindness and turned out by Winn into the streets. There is a certain sense of satisfaction that we can share with Winn, a scary thought considering how completely she's embraced evil in the service of her own ambitions, so the judgement on Dukat from, presumably the Pah-Wraiths (unless the book itself has the dark power to judge its readers), bolsters her own assurance that she's chosen the right path.

Winn appears much more like she used to before her giddy turns with 'Anjohl Tennan' and the books of evil, when she had the capacity to go either way and back out of history to save her own soul, or sacrifice it for the sake of power and pride, and she's a better character for it. Not better in moral terms, but more watchable, more stable, you could say, because she's back to her old self again, irritable, self-satisfied, gaining a great measure of esteem from Dukat's attempt to circumvent her. Whether that's true, or if Dukat genuinely just wanted to know as much as her, she certainly saw it that way, and it shows her old scheming mind is back to the forefront again when before it had been in turmoil, acting on instinct, if negative instinct, such as when she stabbed loyal Solbor to death. Now she feigns concern over his whereabouts in one scene, and smirks at Dukat's blindness in another. It is with the greatest irony that she casts Dukat out into the streets to survive on the charity of those he despised and mistreated for so many years as the Prefect of Bajor. This episode is indeed heavy with irony in all directions: Martok who has done so well in coordinating the Klingon attack fleets is rewarded with the greatest honours by none other than Gowron himself, in person, but is then told he will step back and Gowron himself, in person, will lead the fleet from now on. And what could be more ironic than the mirror image of Dukat's situation as Kira finds herself in the position of having to teach Damar's rebel forces how to fight a terrorist war against their Dominion oppressors.

The only story that doesn't droop with irony is Bashir and O'Brien's investigation into the disease afflicting the Founders', and now Odo. There's a touch of it in the Doctor's interactions with Ezri as more circuits are crossed and confusion reigns, but unless we count the fact that it's ironic Odo was used to infect the Founders in the first place, it's more about uncovering the dastardly scheming of the unconventional Section 31. Bashir comes up against a wall of unhelpfulness when requesting Odo's medical files from the time he went to Starfleet Medical on Earth back in the middle of Season 4 ('Homefront,' 'Paradise Lost'). It all starts when he requests a plain, simple cup of goo from the Constable to aid in the development of synthetic organ replacements that would be more effective if they could adapt to any organ required, only to find that Odo has the disease (wonder how much Odo can separate of himself?). He and O'Brien think it out and reason that only Section 31 would have the gall and resources to block Odo's files to help discover a cure, even more when Sisko's clearance gets him the necessary files, except that they're tweaked copies of Dr. Mora Pol's results from years ago. Major coverup alert! I like the way they work out it must be Section 31 and resolve to go up against this devious inner sanctum that has existed in secret since the dawn of the Federation. Except, thanks to later Trek productions mishandling of it we now know only too well it was known about in the 22nd and 23rd Centuries, much to the detriment of the cunning plotting the 'DS9' writers used to weave them into the backstory of utopia.

After a few episodes of focus on other characters, or bigger things, such as the destruction of the Defiant, it's simply nice to see Bashir and O'Brien together. It's not like they don't have their individual roles to play, as we see the Chief advising on the Klingon ships' immunity to the Breen super-weapon, and of course Bashir is whittling away at Odo's goo for information. It really hit me when Quark came into the Infirmary to serve his customary drink of the week, the only thing he's done for episode after episode, how much I miss him being a proper part of the series. I hate it when the ensemble is broken up, especially when my favourite characters take a backseat, and Quark is my number one in all of Trek, so to see him (or more specifically not to see him), in this position, does take away from the final arc. At least he had one big episode to come with all the Ferengi extended family due for one more party. Worf is another character that had been underused, considering his warrior status during a war: he'd been reduced to worrying about personal issues with Ezri, sat in holding cells for ages, so it's good to have him back at the side of Martok, especially when Gowron comes and says the past is in the past, let bygones be bygones and all that. Quite a change of heart(s) from the man who claimed he did not 'forgiiiiive or forgeeeeet' back in 'The Way of The Warrior.' Turns out that Gowron's just put his nice hat on to make it all the easier to snatch control and personal glory from Martok. Talk about the changing face! Of evil I can say only this: of all the souls I have encountered on my travels, his was the most… political.

They also serve who only stand and wait, and at the moment it's more about Worf standing still and watching, seeing the troubles that are being created by the removal of an expert general, in Martok, the change of tactics that spells trouble, and the selfish desire of Gowron to be the saviour of the Alpha Quadrant when the Klingons are the only ones who can be relied upon against the Breen. It's a bit like the end of 'Return of The Jedi' where Luke is being crushed by the Emperor and Vader stands there looking back and forth for what seems an age before finally choosing to act. That's how I saw Worf, he sees, but so far what can he do? He'd be picking up 'Emperor' Gowron and chucking him down the bat'leth chute very soon, don't you worry. I do like how he and Martok discuss the Chancellor, talking of his political machinations and how he's not really a battlefront leader, since that's just how he came to power in the first place, way back in the 'TNG' years. That's the kind of continuity that impresses a Trekker, it shows care for the source material, it takes it somewhere new, and they've always kept Gowron to be used sparingly and at key moments. Amazingly he hadn't been seen since the middle of Season 5, almost two years previous ('By Inferno's Light'), and much has happened since then, such as Worf joining the House of Martok. It also makes a great deal of sense that this old politician is feeling the need to be a warrior again. What he really needed was for Picard to have a chat and give him a dose of common sense about his actions, but Picard's off on the E doing who knows what between 'Insurrection' and 'Nemesis' (perhaps we'll get flashbacks one day to see what the Enterprise did during the Dominion War - anything's possible now!).

One reason Worf seemed more subdued may have been that he had other things on his mind, for while Martok and Gowron had the strategies of war to take up their mental spaces, Worf had to think about much more important things. Well, Michael Dorn who played him did, anyway, as it was he who directed this episode. I'm undecided on Dorn as a Director because his name isn't one of the first Trek actor names I think of as Trek Directors, unlike Jonathan Frakes, or even someone like Avery Brooks (who would be the next, and final 'DS9' actor to direct for the series before the end). At the same time he did direct one of the best episodes of the series, 'In The Cards.' I think his next directing role on Trek would be the 'Enterprise' episode, 'Two Days and Two Nights,' which was again fine, but was also his last. I didn't feel this episode was directed with flair that made it stand out, it was perfectly functional, but then it could be down to the script - if you get a great one full of wonderful stuff then it's easier to make it work. Not that this was badly written, but it's unquestionably unfinished since it's all about setting up plots for resolution in the final four episodes to come, and Dorn can't be blamed for that. And there are good things about the episode. Not least seeing Gowron again, but also simple things such as the meeting with humans (Ross, Sisko), Klingons (Martok), and Romulans (Velal, who brilliantly was first mentioned by Senator Cretak in 'Inter Arm Enim Silent Leges' and now we get to meet!), as they discuss developments with Klingon ships being fitted out to withstand the Breen weapon.

It's such a rarity in Trek history, perhaps never to be seen again (though there were interesting explorations of joint cultures, such as 'Flesh and Blood' in 'Voyager' where they had Bajorans and Cardassians working side by side, although they were all holograms), these three major powers of the Alpha Quadrant forced to work together for survival. I do wish they'd had a constant Romulan character on the station, much like Cretak was supposed to be, but only appeared in three episodes, and played by two different actresses. It seemed the perfect time to explore the Romulans more, as the only one of the major races to remain largely a mystery (though perhaps we'll have a little more of that in 'Star Trek: Picard' - we can but hope). Velal would make another appearance, but it's not like we'd ever get to know him. There's the usual antagonistic nature he exudes towards archenemy the Klingons, and I love how you can see Martok in the background biting his tongue off in order not to fling the Romulan's words right back at him! But every resource must be held together and used in the fight against the Dominion. As we see again in both Garak and Kira, the other unique partnership of the episode. First though, was it a good idea for Odo to go off there? To some degree I sense he's going as a bodyguard, knowing how much bad blood there is between Kira and Damar personally, but also the two races generally.

Damar has definitely changed, he's become more humble, more accepting, the harsh conditions and the hard resolve he's had to choose, as well as the noble goals he works towards, have made him more thoughtful, more willing to bend. It's not just a soldier twisted by hatred for the enemy as is the sense I get from his men in Rusot and Seskal. He has a cooling unit ready for Kira and Odo, knowing that they won't appreciate the greater heat Cardassians prefer in this cave base (another great use of the cave set, adding struts and consoles to make it completely different again!), he speaks up for Kira, respecting her skills and knowledge in the art of resistance fighting, and is glad of her assistance. She in turn has to swallow the murder of Ziyal, practically a member of her family. In a funny way Damar is in the position he is because of that murder he committed. It was what turned his superior, Dukat's mind, leading to him staying on the station to be caught, escaping, getting involved with Bajoran mysticism, and leaving the leader's seat of Cardassia open for Damar to succeed as the only other Cardassian the Dominion knew well. Perhaps all his actions stem from a subconscious need to be absolved from Ziyal's murder by chasing redemption. I don't think that's true on a personal level, I think Damar felt he was justified in what he did and it's Cardassia itself he cares for, that's what he's working for, but it may have contributed to his conscience somewhere. As he says, hatred is a luxury he can no longer afford.

Garak, long absent from the season is at last adjoined to the recurring cast again, playing somewhat the role of peacekeeper between the Cardassians whose minds he understands, and Kira, the Bajoran he knows so well. He too would have great motive for revenge upon Damar, but they all know that this leader is what Cardassia needs, regardless of past deeds. In time of war, attitudes need to alter. It's the same argument O'Brien postulates about why Starfleet Medical refuse to be cooperative with Bashir's request: maybe the Dominion attack on Earth has changed people's attitudes, shaken them up. We see the old distrust of Odo rear its head again when Commander Hilliard (played by Scott Burkholder whom I believe was in one of the few war films I really like, 'Hell Is For Heroes,' and went on to play another role on 'Enterprise' in 'The Catwalk'), equates Odo with the enemy, the age-old attitude that turned the Changelings into the Founders of the Dominion in the first place. So maybe attitudes don't change after all? Dukat, of all people, claims the Pah-Wraiths changed him, but then he was insane already, and as Winn points out, they can't change what he did. Still, it's inspiring to see how much Damar has grown, now the head of the Cardassian Liberation Front. But even he has some ideals that won't allow him to win this war: Kira says they need to be open to killing their own people because they are collaborators with the enemy, much to the disgust of Rusot and Seskal (which must be the male variant of Seska - I wonder if he knew her?).

In provocative mood, they try and stir up trouble by asking Odo where his loyalties lay when he worked for the Cardassians, infuriating Kira so that we see an explosion of her old temper that used to be so strong in the early seasons but which she'd learned to harness and tamp down. It may have been Seskal that started it, but Rusot is the one that gets in her face and wants to take her on if there's to be a pummelling. Unwise, very unwise. Fortunately for him, Kira looses her rage on cargo containers in her and Odo's living quarters, because otherwise he'd have had the beating of his life! Odo remains calm, and you realise he's not so much there as a bodyguard after all, but a calming influence, with wise words. Pouring Odo on troubled waters, you could say! I so wanted the Constable to morph up a Starfleet uniform when he was changing out of the Bajoran one, but it wouldn't have made sense for him. I can imagine Admiral Ross giving him a Starfleet commission as he did for Kira (and it is so good to see her in Starfleet colours!), but it again brings up Starfleet's discomfort with Odo being one of the Changelings, as unfair as that is. Perhaps inducting him into the organisation would have changed the perception of him - would Hilliard's views change merely by different decoration? Probably not, and it seems bigotry is still alive in the Federation even a hundred years after Stiles's outburst on the Bridge of the Enterprise against Spock during 'Balance of Terror.' Sad fact. I still would have liked Odo to play around a little: 'how about this?' [wears Starfleet Admiral's uniform]. Still, it's nice they had him revert to the outfit he wore when working for the Cardassians, even if it's much 'brighter,' if that's the right word.

Garak's useful in nosing out Damar via the trusty 'contacts' he can pull out of the hat when need be (see 'The Way of The Warrior' for the best example of this), and he's also useful for advice: watch your back. As much as Damar wants Kira's expertise, his men's pride, already damaged by the Dominion's misuse of them, can't take much more. Both Vaughn Armstrong (Seskal), and John Vickery (Rusot), had had previous roles on Trek, and in Vaughn's case he'd go on having roles. In fact I'm surprised he hasn't shown up in either the Kelvin Timeline films or 'DSC' since he became so ubiquitous, still holding the record for the number of characters played on Trek by one man. It's great that he returns to the series having previously played another Cardassian way back in the first proper episode after the pilot in Season 1, and now he's here again in one of the last! Facts like that absurdly please me. Seskal's point about Odo is something I felt could have done with exploration. I suppose it already had been examined in some ways, such as the times when we saw Odo in the past ('Necessary Evil'), or when his conscience was bothering him about that time ('Things Past'), but the thing is, ultimately, apart from some mistakes, he served justice over Cardassia, or Bajoran interests, and he's at peace with that time. It just strikes me that due to the complete serialisation there are threads that in an 'ordinary' episode would have been unpicked and explored. But there's only so much they can cram into these final parts - I'd have been happy to lose much of the Ezri/Worf stuff in exchange for Romulan representation or furthering Quark, O'Brien and Bashir, Odo…

That's one reason I don't totally love the concluding saga. It is good, it has greats, and the finale is excellent, but there are a number of disappointments, the feeling of being on DS9 with the characters is fractured. Would I rather have had it be as 'TNG' or 'Voyager' ended, where they pretty much remained unchanged until the finale, using the last few penultimate episodes to wrap up some oddments of story? No, I think they made the right move as there was so much wrapping up to do they needed the time for it. But that's maybe one of the problems: they weren't doing enough wrapping up of characters or reminders of their place in this world, and if that was a precursor to the fragmentation of the characters at the very end of the series, I can see it, it's fair, but the implementation I feel could have benefited from more time, careful study and not the whirlwind wrap of a season that characterised the Trek of the day, especially as they weren't going direct into films as 'TNG' was. Still, the message of this episode is 'what have we come to?' as voiced by a Romulan working with Klingons as the best chance for their survival, and Cardassians being given advice from a Bajoran that fought against them in the past. That at least gives us a good, Trek message of cooperation, and Kira's words of wisdom, anyone not fighting with you is fighting against you, are hard truths that are nonetheless true. And the fight goes on, but not for much longer. It always stops raining eventually.

***

Metamorphosis

DVD, Smallville S1 (Metamorphosis)

If anything this is even better than the first part. It feels more complete, partly due to the addition of the opening titles with its well chosen song, but also because there's so much subtlety and craftsmanship in the writing. It's hard to see where the series went so wrong later when it began so strong, but a lot of the goodness must be credited to Miles Millar and Al Gough, the creators of the series who had previously written for my favourite English TV series, 'BUGS,' and were proven quality. Though this was designed to fit neatly back to back with the first part, continuing directly from the end of that episode when Lana goes into her house as Clark lovingly watches her, it works perfectly well as a contained episode in its own right, comfortably building on the characters and their interconnectedness set up in the pilot: Lex continues to be big brotherly, showing up to get the measure of Clark and those around him, partly because (as we'll find out), he's fascinated by the youth that saved his life, and partly he feels an obligation to repay a debt. So he starts to mingle, finding out the secrets and the events that he's already been partially involved in (he found Clark in the scarecrow field, after all), and flexing his influence: first by advising Clark, second by prodding Lana about Whitney. There's a slight sinister air about him, or is there? That's the great fine line the writers tread, not making him a villain, but yet throwing in little intimations or suggestions, like when he hints that Clark's problems with Lana wouldn't exist if he hadn't saved Whitney's life. Only joking!

Clark's reputation for saving people continues thanks to getting in the way of the blast of Whitney's truck blowing up after a crash instigated by the freak-of-the-week, Greg Arkin, or 'bug boy' as he becomes monickered. Arkin was certainly a memorable character, and I love the fact that in the final season, he was one of various people they brought back, only this time he's a reformed individual that thanks Clark for what he did for him. At the same time, seeing that fairly recently, then coming back to this first appearance is a little confusing because it's a little ambiguous as to what exactly happened to Greg - he fights Clark in some foundry warehouse place (getting the upper hand since although Clark is just about invulnerable, he is of course susceptible to fragments of meteor rock dotted around such places), and Clark manages to chuck him about until some heavy lifting equipment falls on him. I assumed he was crushed to death, but then you see all these little bugs rush away from the accident and they never mention in the episode exactly what did happen to him, unlike the guy in the first part whom we see awaken as if he's been in a coma for years. Maybe they'll mention Greg in the next episode, but it's an interesting question as to what that was all about. It wouldn't do for Clark to be killing fellow students, even ones mutated like Spider-Man into a bug creature, so it makes more sense he was still alive and locked away for study.

It's a much more effective demonstration of the series' mandate to have Clark up against dangerous villains: on one side it's more about him having to protect the innocent from such dangers as he does with Jonathan Kent in the barn when Greg pays a scary visit from the rafters (terrific slow-mo effects as Clark moves at normal speed while Jonathan plummets towards some blades slowly, but surely). More importantly, he has to go after the girl of his dreams to save her, and heartbreakingly he does just that only to arrive in time to see boyfriend Whitney take all the credit. That's another thing that works so well in this season, how Clark is constantly put into a position of selflessness without reward, the mark of a true hero. So there's both excitement from the danger Greg poses, which is set up so well - they're definitely heading much more into horror territory than part one, and a sense of loss and failure, sympathy we feel for the wronged Clark. Then there's the bright, glorious colour they insist on painting with that continues to make the series a glowing jewel to watch: the green of the fields Lana rides through, the yellow of the sun over Smallville, the blue of the sky. It's just beautiful to see and uplifting in a 'Star Trek' way - though that series tended to do its positivity through the moral actions of its characters, it also had a brightness in its technology, the lights and the glows that surrounded its starships both inside and out, like Christmas. 'Smallville' does that with natural light, and also follows the moral way of a character doing right, another reason this season is so feel-good.

There are so many references to Superman, whether it's the boy scout thing or another nice little fantasy sequence where we're duped into thinking Clark is flying over the land, eventually coming to rest in the air above Lana's bed, until he wakes up with a bump and realises it was a dream. Except he was defying gravity, if only a little way above his bed. It's a great scene, and you could be forgiven for thinking it was too soon if they weren't going to have him flying (which they didn't do until the last season or two), but you could also say it was good to get it out the way, have a little laugh over it and move on into the much more grounded version of the world the series chose to pursue (at first, anyway). So far there isn't really any ongoing plot as such, no story that is unfolding, which is strange when you compare it to the later seasons when they always had a story or several arcs across the season. That's not to say there are no arcs, because there are: clearly Lana and her necklace, her boyfriend, and her newfound connection with Clark are one such, and there's also the changes Clark's going through as his puberty is hitting home. Then there's the ongoing investigations of the Scooby Gang of Clark, Chloe and Pete that would come to the fore many times and were birthed in this episode. Chloe is much more recognisable now, with that huge, but slightly insecure grin, and we get the trio investigating Greg's house.

Amid the ongoing interpersonal developments, the spots of action, and the romantic intentions, there are deeper moments of truth that make the episode mean so much more. Jonathan trying to reassure his son of the things he's going through, even though neither knows what it'll mean, or reminding him that the meteor shower and the deaths of Lana's parents were not his fault, despite his feelings of responsibility. That responsibility is a large part of the core of the character so it was very intelligent of them to tie it directly to Lana as they did, giving Clark a motivation and guilt of deep meaning. Superficial this version of 'Smallville' is assuredly not! My favourite line of the episode, though, comes from Lana herself when she talks about life being about change: sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful, but most of the time it's both, a useful sentiment to remember that never loses its meaningfulness. Change is the obvious theme of the episode, and while some changes don't happen (Lana is still tied to Whitney in spite of everything), some are for the worse (Greg's), and some remain unknown (Clark's), there's also talk of friends changing (Clark and Greg; Chloe and Clark), and it's a strong theme, well explored. That's one of the series' strengths at this time, how they took an aspect of Clark's powers, or a freak-of-the-week, and worked that theme around it, while also weaving in Lex' interventions and growing interest in Clark, or Lana and Whitney's impact on his world.

Whitney shows he's not such a bad guy after all. Okay, so when he approaches Clark to try and make it up a little, it's only so he can get Lana's necklace back, but he's also honest with Lana over his jealousy when he saw her with Clark, and he and his 'rival' work together to save her (even if it wasn't closely). Whitney was even about to apologise when Clark disappeared, so he's not so bad, he's just an ordinary teenager who maybe has let a sense of superiority go to his head. When Greg chucks him around in the stables he feels less sure of himself, perhaps, but it's more about him being in a more vulnerable position than he's used to by the 'accident' of his truck's crash earlier. And he still goes after Lana as any good guy would. He's supposed to be something of an antagonist for Clark, blocking the affections Kent has for Fordman's girlfriend, but in the light of real enemies like bug boy, he's seen as just a regular sort of guy and the writers write him as a dimensional character. Lana, too, is shown to be more complex than a mere 'Homecoming Queen' or whatever accolade she was awarded. We know from her bawling childhood face that there's a lot of pain in there, but despite that she's blossomed into a good, kind and gentle human being that doesn't brush off Greg when he at first seems to want genuine help with some homework. She doesn't hang on Whitney, we see her as a solitary person, too, riding her horse, looking after it, and Clark even gets his wish of having her visit his 'Fortress of Solitude' as his Dad calls the upper room in the barn, something he imagined last time.

There's progression, good character moments and some real discomfort to counterpoint the general bright tone: when Greg sprays his Mother, and the camera, with a ghastly black webby mass, it's disgusting, or when he moults in the shower, rubbing his skin off, it's really quite horrible, but they also do the transitions really well, such as the spotty teen that turns into the spotless, suave figure (a bit like Peter Parker in Spider-Man in that first film of 2002). The CGI is also used well, whether it's the little bugs or butterflies that flitter around so colourfully (don't know why he didn't just brake his car or open the window when the bugs were flapping round his head before the crash!). Sure, you can see where they removed the wires when he leaps around because it doesn't look quite natural enough, but it's far from shoddy and only adds even more discomfort to what we see. Speaking of which, we get further confirmation of Clark's weakness as he encounters the deadly green rocks, yet despite all that, he still leaves Lana's necklace on her porch for her to find in another act of generosity of spirit that is impressive to see. He's a good guy, Clark, and it's a pleasure to see him do good, save people and remain true. I especially like when they do scenes with little or no dialogue as that emphasises things even more. Inspirational, organically written, there really is nothing to dislike.

***

(Smallville) Pilot

DVD, Smallville S1 (Pilot)

That brings back memories… I first heard about this series being good from a relative, but to me it sounded like exactly the kind of teen soap drama to steer clear of. It was only when said relative recorded the episodes (on VHS tape!), and sent them to me that I realised how wrong I was. I was ultimately proved right in my preconceptions when Season 3 lost me, and even Season 2 was closer to teen romance than this first season's expert mix of angst and family drama. But Season 1 was so good and such compelling use of well established mythology, that off the back of it (and Season 2, which I also like), I did eventually go through the series on DVD, years after it had first been shown on TV, and over the last ten years watched all of it and provided reviews and ratings for this blog. Except I'd never written down my thoughts on the two best seasons, and since I finished Season 10 (yes, it lasted that long!), I had a hankering to go back and fill in the gaps. It wasn't a hard decision as it's a very nostalgic series, both in terms of the age groups (teens and the middle-aged), it explores and the Superman mythos. It began very restrained in that way, something that seemed to be a commonality between this and 'Enterprise,' the other US series that debuted in 2001 that I had interest in: both would use a contemporary song for their opening sequence, both would use CGI and be action-packed, and both were going back before an established mythology to show how it all began.

When I say restrained, I don't mean in content, 'Smallville' certainly skirted the bounds of what was acceptable on TV in the early noughties, but that was part of what made it exciting: you didn't know what it would do. TV had become widescreen as the norm, and CGI was beginning to become common, but the restraint I talk of is in the Superman details themselves. We didn't immediately get a guy flying around, he wasn't fully formed, another part of the interest. We wanted to see him discover his powers and see how he used them. The core of the series, as shown in this pilot episode was the moral centre, the Kent family unit. Jonathan Kent may seem to be an old-fashioned country Dad, not allowing his son to have fun by joining the (American) Football team, or keep the gift of a brand new truck sent by Lex Luthor for Clark to drive, but he has strong values which his son has learned to adopt. Sure, Clark does have fun by getting a measure of revenge on Whitney and his football pals by stacking their vehicles up on top of each other, but everything about him smacks of decency and goodness, which is exactly what Superman is all about, even if in recent years that image has been tarnished by what the modern audience (or the beliefs of the writers for what a modern audience), wants from the character.

Tom Welling was excellent, providing someone that looks young enough (sort of - I don't think I really understood exactly what age they were supposed to be when I first watched it), and close to Christopher Reeve, who had remained as the benchmark for classic Superman looks. It's funny to think he and the other 'teen' actors were actually in their mid-twenties, but they all sell it. Perhaps Chloe and Pete come off a little out of kilter compared to how they'd be, but that's normal in pilots when actors haven't necessarily worked out all the kinks for how they're going to play their characters. There was nothing to flaw the episode, and the casting all around is terrific: I thought very highly of John Glover from just one guest appearance on my favourite TV series ('DS9'), a one-off role that had long stood out in my mind as that of a top-notch performer. He's good in this episode, but only has a little to do. I believe he was an invented character for the series, not someone taken from the mythology. What can I say about Martha and Jonathan, both played by amazing actors - it was made even harder for them as they had to portray these people twelve years younger when we first see them, before going into the contemporary setting.

That's something else that appealed to me: the series began back in my era, the eighties, and I was still a teenager when the series began in 2001, so Clark wasn't far off my own age! Michael Rosenbaum is another standout feature of the series, and even in this pilot when you're wondering how they're going to do what they seem to be doing, he's both mysterious and frank. He's so full of potential it's just one more thing they got so right with this series. Everyone knows who Lex Luthor is, he's the villain of the piece, but now there's this bond between him and Clark. The episode begins emotively and ends that way, and has plenty of it grabbing your heart throughout. It's impressive how well these people are written as if we've just walked in on friendships and connections that have existed for years. The place itself, Smallville, has a character, it's full of colour and vivacity, yet this only contrasts more strongly with the creepy moments. But there are serious moments, too, such as Clark being told of his extraterrestrial origins, running off to be by himself in the dark woods, and Lana coming across him. Wow, again so well set up with the Kryptonite necklace that pushes Clark away from someone he's so strongly drawn towards, then finding common ground and setting in motion so many things for the season.

If I was a big comic book person, or followed Superman's details carefully, I might be disappointed with the direction they took with the series. At first it does seem to be fairly close to the established facts of Clark's early life, even with such crazy things as Lex wanting to be his mate, even an older brother. But as the series went on it travelled further and further away from something you could believe was 'The Superman Story,' and lost its way a lot. That's because it became much more serialised and felt the need to do specific things that didn't always help the story or character. But I've written extensively about the infuriating circular nature of the character arcs in later seasons. Now I get to bask in the expertly crafted friendships they created here. And it's not just the friends and family that work, it's the whole place, the lovely Kent Farm (I'm sure Mr. Kent wasn't too thrilled with Clark proving a point by breaking his log-crunching machinery by shoving his hand in!), the Luthor Mansion, the school… There's a real sense of place and community that would be lost later on. They even crammed in the action with the meteor strike and the 'villain' Clark has to defeat.

With the strike it was very nice to see because it's such an iconic part of the series, seen in every opening credits sequence (something absent from this episode), and of Clark's psychology, feeling that he's responsible for the problems and deaths it brought on this small community. The obliteration of young Lana's parents right before her eyes is intense, and it is things like this that grip us and pull us in towards characters so strongly: it's really well written in a way that I get the impression TV isn't any more. I don't see much recent TV, but things like 'Star Trek: Discovery' are so poorly conceived and written, characters badly developed, all about the next twist or whatever to get people to come back. It's like TV forgot how to tell a good story and how to bring sympathy to their characters. No such problems with 'Smallville' - it crafts a lovely introduction, which may only have been improved by being longer, such as the traditional hour and a half pilot you expect, and which technically was done by adding the next episode onto it. But this is definitely a self-contained story and they pack a lot in. It almost seems a little rushed to reveal his alien origin to him when so much else is going on. The monster-of-the-week was to be the series' staple to begin with, enabling them to have a specific, episodic story upon which to hang their ongoing arcs, much like 'DS9' did, and it works very well. They could build up this community while providing the kind of threats that could challenge Clark and hone his use of powers.

His first test isn't very memorable and could almost not be there at all except that it sets out the series' stall. It's good that he was able to resist the guy, and this brings the enemy back to himself, rather than having to fight to the death or do anything dangerous that might affect others. It does just enough to demonstrate what Clark's capable of without shoving everything in our face, and in fact there's a good mix of humour at our knowledge of Superman's conventions, and subverting them. But above all, we're quick to sympathise with this Clark - he's gawky, but it's because he's not one of the in-crowd (and specifically due to the necklace). He comes up against a fellow outsider, but won't let him hurt those he wants to, although he understands. He's an outsider himself, but it's because he has to keep his secrets, and so we're instantly with him. And we love his parents for their closeness and honesty, old home attitudes that our world could do with even more now. Perhaps things feel a little unfinished, perhaps the CGI isn't always terrific, but the performances of the actors push through any imperfections. The writers had the rule of 'no flights, no tights,' but they didn't forget to include plenty of heart.

***

The Changing Face of Evil (2)

DVD, DS9 S7 (The Changing Face of Evil) (2)

It's good to be back. I don't just mean for Ezri and Worf, returning to the station at last, but everyone's back in their rightful places and it feels like we're returned to normality. As normal as life can be during a struggle for the liberation of the Alpha Quadrant from the tyrannical invaders of the Dominion, but at least it feels like 'DS9' again after the ups and downs, and impermanence of the various shenanigans drawn out over the past three episodes. Worf and Ezri are back, but we're not immediately thrown into a soapy plot around Bashir (although I would have preferred Worf to have more time away from Ezri - after spending so long together you'd think they'd be happy to go off and be with their friends, or in Worf's case, complete solitude, but then again they've both been through an ordeal that created a bond of friendship); Winn and Dukat are back on Bajor; Damar begins to put into action his plot to lead the fight for the freedom of his people; and Sisko and Kasidy… have a minor disagreement. The important thing is, everyone's where they should be. And also things are awakened, the hornet's nest is stirred up, setting in motion things which cannot be undone. The episode begins with the terrible news of a Breen attack directly on Earth. It's great that we actually get footage of the rebuilding efforts on a screen instead of leaving it all to the imagination: the Golden Gate bridge twisted and rent, Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco a ruin.

Earth, being the place we still live to this day, is obviously the most important planet in Trek. Mars being attacked wouldn't have nearly as much impact, and it if had been Pluto, well, perhaps it would be better for that to be destroyed entirely so we can stop being confused about whether it's even a planet or not! Attacks on Earth would come to define the greatest threat in Trek, to the extent that it's actually been overused. I think this was the first such attempt that succeeded (obviously the Borg in 'The Best of Both Worlds' didn't quite get to do any damage to the planet), barring 'First Contact' (the Borg again!), since it was all undone by time travel. I can't think of any other serious damage done on Earth prior to this episode, unless you count the Xindi attack of the 22nd Century (or V'Ger in 'TMP,' or the Probe in 'The Voyage Home'), which certainly occurred earlier in the timeline, but was not even a glint in Rick Berman's eye at the time 'DS9' was wrapping up. But there you go, Earth was attacked in 'Enterprise,' and again in the first two Kelvin Timeline films, and then 'Discovery' almost got in on the act by having a (tiny, unthreatening), fleet of Klingon vessels approach, only to be turned back because… well, it doesn't do much good to go into the illogical plotting and bizarre twists of 'DSC.' My point is that a threat to Earth, though not exactly personal in some ways (no Trek series is based upon it, even though Berman wanted the entire first season of 'Enterprise' to be set there), it still has relevance to us human viewers.

I think also that Earth of the 24th Century is the very heart and symbol of Roddenberry's ideal: a paradise free from all evils of our contemporary world, full of harmony, plenty and everything positive. So to strike at this core of Federation principles, perhaps the only place that gets it all 'right,' is to say that even those things which were striven for and won, can't be neglected or taken for granted. To change Sam Gamgee's words, there's some good in this galaxy and it's worth fightin' for! If the attack on Earth, as shocking and terrible as it is for our characters (and not just the human ones - it is the centre of both the Federation and Starfleet, and thus holds the distinction of being at least the second most dear place to anyone in Starfleet's hearts, after their own home worlds, of course), was a somewhat impersonal one in regards to the distance away from the hub of this series, DS9, than a far closer target of this episode, one which has great resonance to our characters, and to us, is a victim that rams home just how dangerous the Breen have become. I say become, because if they were really this deadly would they have remained such a small power in the Quadrant? Or do they so prefer their anonymous, mystery nature (added to this episode when Weyoun talks of how everyone assumes they wear refrigeration suits because of the frozen wasteland they come from, but actually it's quite comfortable there, so why do they insist on hiding their appearance?), that even domination wasn't on their agenda. (At least we learnt something about them: Thot must be equivalent to General as that's what Weyoun calls one, presumably Gor).

It's also quite possible that the Breen have been a small people in numbers and only joining the Dominion has brought them out onto the galactic stage. Maybe they preferred to go about their secretive business for as long as this because they were building themselves up for war and it was mere chance that the Founders threw out an invitation to join them. Or maybe they'd got to a point in their plans and technology that meant they were the ones who initiated contact with the Dominion themselves as part of their stepping stone to whatever their goals are. That's the point about them, they're completely unreadable so any motive ascribed could potentially be true. It could be that they saw the way things were going and didn't like the alliances of the Federation, Klingons and Romulans, scaring them into being on the opposite side fearing they might be the next target if the Dominion fell. Or it could even be that, though the Founders believe they're using the Breen, just as they used the Cardassians (something Damar warns Thot Gor about - I'm surprised he/she/it didn't immediately go and grass the Cardassian up to Weyoun!), perhaps the Breen believe they can use the Dominion. So little is known of them that anything is possible because we don't even know their 'racial character,' the simplified profiling of species that is one of Trek's great facets - you know how most Klingons will react. Or Romulans, Vulcans, Ferengi, etc, and knowing that adds reassurance and solidity, dependability to the fictional world, while also giving the writers an easy means to surprise us if they so wish, circumventing the expectations that have been built for decades on alien behaviour. But we can't understand the Breen because we don't know how they behave!

We learned in the Dominion prison camp during Season 5 that there's a saying: never turn your back on a Breen. Damar has a similar saying, and this time its aimed at the Breen themselves. It boils down to the Breen shouldn't turn their backs on Weyoun, because he's not to be trusted. Damar's displeasure with the man he's been forced to work with, and whom he's developed some insight into, doesn't know what's coming for him, and one of the joys of the episode is how confident Weyoun is, not just in the Dominion, but in his own ability to read people. Though we know he fails to understand some things (art for example, the Founders seeing fit not to give him much of an 'irrelevant' aesthetic taste, as we can see by the clothing he wears!), he thinks he's got Damar pegged pretty well, and it's his own unfailing loyalty to the idea that the Founders are gods that leads him to the wrong conclusions because the basis of his confidence is flawed. He sees everything through the eyes of victory or defeat for the Founders, so when he notices that Damar has stopped drinking, has regained his composure, has had a restful night's sleep, he interprets that as a newfound confidence in the Dominion's ability to win this war. Because, as Damar snorts, 'we're all one big, happy family, aren't we,' and even though he says it with the usual slightly sneering manner, Weyoun is so taken with his own ideas about Damar's returned confidence he doesn't even hear it this time! He could never fathom that Damar has decided on a course of action that is selfless for the good of Cardassia, he assumes he's just made peace with the Breen's inclusion, now having seen what they're capable of.

It's marvellously written stuff that makes you appreciate the complexities of the characters, while still bowing somewhat to the Trek 'simplicity' of each alien race having its own common ways and group character: the Vorta are always supremely confident thanks to the unerring dedication to their gods (explained by the genetic tinkering of the Founders that turned them into who they are today, so in a way, a godlike intervention, yet the Changelings remain fallible despite the Vorta's beliefs), while the Cardassians are arrogant - it is that arrogance that led Damar to think he could control the dragon, hanging onto its tail until it had roared flaming destruction down upon the enemies of Cardassia. Really, it was never his decision to make, he was just living with his former boss' results, and it was never working out to be ideal. But since Cardassia openly became second-class citizens, the strange bedfellows are parted forever by Damar's treachery to his 'masters,' and loyalty to his own. Again, it's Cardassian arrogance, but a good form: he had to be humbled before he could see plainly and know what must be done. In this case it was to turn on the occupying invaders that have conquered Cardassia, and it took a big man to wrestle with the truth of all that had happened, and instead of continuing along the path of least resistance, Damar stands up and is counted. That he's counted number one on the Dominion's Most Wanted list doesn't faze him in the least because, as he tells Gul Rusot, they'll be stronger because they're fighting for their families and their way of life. The tables have turned.

He won't be alone, either, because Cardassians value loyalty and family: ties are very important to them, which is why they introduced Damar's lieutenant, Rusot (who always makes me think of risotto), in this episode. It was important to show Damar isolated and alone previously, seeking solace in the bottle and the passing fancies of women when he should have been holding his own. He tried, but he knew he couldn't stand up to the Jem'Hadar, and if he had, he'd have been at best locked up, and at worst, killed without a thought. This way, surprising his enemies, he can do the most damage, and with the loyal soldiers under him, he can do even more damage, something that changes things immediately. I love the personal message he sends to Weyoun, indirectly, just like Sisko left his baseball on the desk in his office in Ops for Dukat to find when he was forced to abandon the station to Dominion/Cardassian forces at the end of Season 5 - Damar picks his first target, Rondac III, specifically because it contained the Vorta cloning facility, and Weyoun knows it was meant that way because, with no access to the Gamma Quadrant, it means he's the last of the Weyouns. It's a strong message, both pointed and effective, and is a triumphant sign of intent that Damar is determined to rid the Empire of the Dominion, with both a general and personal prejudice! Go Damar! This was where he went from being a conflicted villain to a hero of his people (how I'd love to see what state Cardassia is in now we know a time period twenty-odd years later will be shown on 'Picard'!).

With all these large scale politics coming out into the open like a glorious fireworks display, it would be easy to let the quieter, more personal side of things slide. After all, we'd had nothing but personal stuff for the first few episodes of the serial. But Sisko is very low-key in this episode, and I think it's more than just his shock at Earth being attacked. He's not usually one to be cowed by anything, and I'm not saying he's cowed here, but marriage has changed him, just as Quark observed to Odo in a very short scene that I just wished we could have had more of - Odo and Quark discussing anything is pure gold, so if there's a disappointment it's that Quark remains an outlier in the grand scheme (once again he's serving drinks, this time to O'Brien and Bashir as they cluster around the scale model of the Alamo they use to unwind, probably wanting something unsophisticated and hands-on, something I'm surprised Quark allowed in his bar since it takes up so much space, but it looked like it was in the area where they usually play darts so maybe that spot is unofficially theirs to do with as they will since they've been such regular customers?). But back to Sisko: he finds that trying to protect new bride Kasidy is impossible when he gets the Bajorans she works for to give her a month's paid leave (paid? So humans still take payment for their services, it's not enough that Kasidy is in a position of importance and is 'paid' in doing what she loves doing? Or maybe payment is in benefits, like visiting places on Bajor, being given special fruit, or whatever else is unique to the people?). It could be this that preoccupies him, or it could be that now he's stepped away from the guidance of the Prophets, he's walking on eggshells.

Great sorrow was promised, and he has no way of knowing what that will mean. Could it be the attack on Earth? Something worse? His conscience must be working overtime, and unlike Damar, I doubt he's having restful sleep, even though, like Damar, he decided on his course of action and has followed it. He's a stage along on the journey of choosing a path, Damar still has the losses to experience, and while Sisko is the only one actually married, he's experiencing something that both Damar and Kai Winn are, too. Damar is married to Cardassia, ready to sacrifice all for his bride, even at the expense of himself, a selfless love, while Winn has made a deal with the devil, has entered into communion with the evil ones' emissary, nothing dissuading her from her path. All three have been set on their courses, all three will end the same way (sort of), so there's a real poetry coming into play now, that elevates the rest of the arc when you know what's coming. But it's not the end exclusively where they'll be called to make sacrifices. In this very episode they all make such sacrifices, either for evil or for good. Winn's sacrifice is the last little bit of goodness in her rotten soul, represented by Solbor, her aged servant. I noted that however irritated she got with him, she still has a respect for his service, and perhaps his age, saying he doesn't make those kinds of mistakes when Dukat suggests he brought the wrong book. I'd love to know more about this man, how long he'd been serving her, whether it's a recent thing as it seems (since we've never met him before these episodes), or a year's service, or maybe he's been with her for many years and we just never saw him before?

I can't believe it can be that long because if he'd been there when Minister Jaro was doing exactly what Dukat did here, he'd probably have been spitting sarcasm even then (although I'd forgotten she wasn't actually Kai at that point), his caustic servility one of the things that makes him a real person beyond the robes. I would surmise it's most likely the Kai's servants are selected every so often from different Ranjens of the most important temple for a stint in service. Solbor is clearly devoted to the service of the Kai, even though he's exasperated by her actions and choice of company, and as things progress (or descend, to be more accurate), he tries to stop her from getting further into the mire. Of course, he doesn't realise what's actually happening, so I suspect he probably is a recent attachment to her retinue because although he has great loyalty to the office of the Kai, as soon as he sees her evil ways he threatens, no not even threatens, but warns he's off to tell the Vedeks what she's done. Not his wisest move, but then even he couldn't have foreseen the depravity she would stoop to: murder. Again, this is all so superbly plotted and written, it happens organically. It's not like Winn (Adami - notice how Dukat always refers to her first name rather than her religious office, like he's deemphasising her allegiance to the Prophets and focusing on her sense of self), would have killed someone in cold blood, but in her shock at Solbor revealing 'Anjohl' is actually their enemy, Dukat, she grabs a knife for defence against this intruder in her personal space.

This was the last chance she had for redemption. She could no longer avoid punishment. I imagine more than being stripped of her office, she'd probably have been personally exiled from Bajor forever, but she could have salvaged her soul, perhaps found a Bajoran monastery on another planet somewhere and spent the rest of her days in prayer and abstinence, whatever their equivalence to sackcloth and ashes would be. But even with the horror of realising such a vile enemy of Bajor had been allowed so intimately close to her, she still can't give up her dreams of avarice, whether for adoration or control. Even with a Cardassian war criminal, the big bad himself, his lies transparent, she won't give up. She is shown to be far less intelligent than we ever thought by her sharp wit and biting tongue, she's really a small, scared individual that craves power, perhaps coming from her experiences during the Occupation, maybe she's been turned by circumstance and experience into this twisted creature. But when Solbor resolves to tell all, she has to make a quick decision. If she'd had time to ponder and question her position, if Dukat had been taken away from her, if, if, if… but even then we can guess she'd probably always take the path of evil if it seemed to suit her. She'd rather listen to the twisting of the prophecies that Dukat spouts, than her entire life's faith, showing she never really had it. Again, it's all so natural and real the way these people behave - Trek could do realistic characters and drama at one time!

If Winn loses her conscience-in-Solbor (and even the foreshadowing of his demise is well exhibited by Dukat's beating of the old man when he finds him removing some of the evil books Winn has gathered around her), Damar loses his place at the top table of the Dominion. Unlike Winn he gives up what was a hollow position, a false power, in exchange for the ability to make real change: to appeal to the hearts and minds of his fellow countrymen in a fight against their Dominion overlords. He realised that a warm bed and a bottle of Kanar were nothing more than pacifiers, and he's a soldier, he doesn't need comfort, he thrives on hardship - being in a control room giving out orders, especially empty ones, wouldn't have been fulfilling. It's Sisko who makes the biggest loss this episode, however. As important as Winn's soul is, it's not something viewers are going to care about as much as the USS Defiant NX-74205. It was hard to lose her, though there have been times when we came close, from the beating it sustained at the Borg's sharp-edged Cube, to the only other time I can remember them actually abandoning ship ('The Search,' also the first time we met her). That time it was a boarding of unstoppable Jem'Hadar soldiers, this time it's the Breen Energy Dissipator, a hideously effective weapon that takes out everything, from shields to all systems aboard ship, rendering it useless. It's a terrible weapon that comes out of nowhere and it's only a small comfort that no one aboard Defiant was killed.

It was enough to take out the ship itself, because for most of the ships on Trek they are as much a main cast member as the characters: taking our people on missions, attacking enemies, defending the station, she was a fine ship, a credit to her name, even if the Constitution-class NCC-1764 is probably now better known, for appearing (in some form), in three different Trek series', while our NX-74205 only made one leap outside the confines of the series ('First Contact'), unless you count a Defiant-class vessel being seen in the welcoming committee for Voyager's homecoming, though that was still a couple of years off and couldn't be our Defiant. Apparently a Defiant ship was glimpsed in 'Relativity,' the time-jumping Seven of Nine episode, so maybe that counts, too. The point is, she was a unique addition to the mythos, a ship with the nacelles hunkered down within the body of the ship to create a sleeker, more streamlined beauty that also packed a punch with its pow-pow-powing blasts of Quantum Torpedoes. Usually I complain when Trek productions (usually the most recent ones), show ships to be like 'Star Wars,' thumping their way through battles, tearing into the enemy with blasts of energy rather than lancing them in the high-pitched screams of Phaser beams, but Defiant was the first to ever do such things, or to show such agility in combat, so it was exciting because it was the exception that proved the rule of starships being slow, stately, but nonetheless powerful creations. Defiant was unsubtle, but it worked because it went against the grain. Now the grain is all the same, so there's no novelty, no gracefulness to show the violence and bulldog tenacity of a great bruiser like Defiant.

But there it stands, no matter what additions are made to Trek canon, even the best can influence bad choices and decisions in future productions. The opposite can be said, too, and it's about how well the writers write, how well they grasp both general drama and specific Trek nuances, and the 'DS9' writers were simply the best at that, hands down. I'm sure Sisko didn't see it that way as he took a last moment to glance at the burning Bridge he'd commanded through five years of conflict and exploration, his Captain's Chair ripped out. They allow us a moment of personal remorse and grief and it's also rare to see a starship whose fire suppression systems are down, something which is actually stated. Perhaps it could be said that we were denied another great battle as it seemed we were geared up for one, but instead there's a different kind of drama from being so nonplussed at this weapon that can knock out a starship in one swoop. Even the justification of why the escape pods weren't picked off by Dominion forces was expertly included: the Founder wishes the scared and beaten Starfleet officers to return home and spread their fears and failures, dropping morale to a new low. Everything was thought of!

It's not been a good time for Sisko. I'm not sure what was worse for him, losing his long-captained ship to the Breen, or his long-grown peppers to Kasidy's mob-handed attempt at cookery! See, it's good that they can pull off the big things and the small, because it all affects the characters and creates a scale and reality to the world they inhabit. So of course Sisko would be upset that his new wife burned the peppers he'd painstakingly grown (did he have airponics or hydroponics bays installed on the station like Kes used to tend on Voyager, or did he have a little kit in his Quarters that enabled a small crop to thrive?), but it also suggests the idea that most people aren't naturally attuned to the natural preparation of food, and when they have access to Replicators, no wonder. Kasidy seems more like a TV dinner type of woman anyway, though she does value her independence, as demonstrated by the dissatisfaction of Sisko's plan to keep her safe from having to make her freighter deliveries. Like Keiko and her botanical leanings, Kasidy's role is very important to her, and to suggest it's not would be to condescend to the character. Only Sisko didn't think about such things, only keeping what was precious to him safe. It reminded me of the scene in 'For The Cause' when he knew she was working for the Maquis and suggested they both drop everything and head off on holiday. Back then she was too professional to shirk the responsibilities she'd taken on, and she hasn't changed. He knew he hadn't married the kind of woman that wanted to be kept, otherwise he'd never have been drawn to her, I suppose, and it's a fascinatingly believable little wrinkle they explore.

Kasidy doesn't have it all her own way, either, because just as Sisko would prefer her not to be out in the space lanes in wartime, she would wish for him not to be sent off on any more dangerous missions, only Admiral Ross has other ideas when the Breen break through in the Chin'toka system and Sisko has to make ready with his crew. It's lovely to see them all back together and going off on a mission, and while it's not quite at the level of great dialogue as we heard in the six-part war arc at the beginning of Season 6, it's still comforting and beautiful to hear them going about their business like any other Trek series, while also fitting in banter between the technical preparations. I suppose I could have done with more of a feeling that this was the last time they ever assembled on the Defiant's Bridge (even though a very similar thing would happen later, it's not the same ship), but the viewers don't know any more than the characters do that this will be the last time. That's the point, they always go into battle not knowing what will happen, and even having watched the episode several times, knowing that the Defiant was lost at some point, I'd completely forgotten about that, so it was a shock to me on this viewing. As Riker once said (and I can't believe we're going to see him again on Trek in the near future!), 'tough little ship,' but even she wasn't tough enough to go against technological advancements which could change the balance of power in the Dominion's favour.

The other thing that would change the balance was Winn's actions learning how to release the evil Pah-Wraiths from the Fire Caves. Bajorans must be expert bookkeepers, and I don't mean in the financial sense! It's said the book of the Kosst Amojan hadn't been removed from the archives for seven hundred years, and yet there is sits, never once falling apart. I imagine this great archive was kept hidden from the Cardassians during their Occupation, as while they'd be unlikely to show interest, they would most likely have burned the lot to the ground (and in this case, good job, too!). I still felt the Kai should have been wearing gloves when handling the crinkly old pages, but perhaps Bajorans were experts in making long-lasting material for paper, as well as being able to store it for centuries in perfect conditions? I noticed the devilish horns on the artefact behind Winn whenever she's sat at her desk with the book, a none-too-subtle reference to her position, Dukat on one shoulder, the Pah-Wraiths on the other. But these 'true gods' of Bajor aren't up to much as they need to be set free from their imprisonment, hardly a sign of powerful beings. Winn isn't thinking along those lines, however, she's drawn inexorably onward to her doom. I must say it's lovely to see her back on Bajor with the sun streaming in on those open-plan buildings they have, even if it does bring to mind her dalliance with Jaro in Season 2. She hasn't changed.

Nor has Dax, still as foolhardy and loyal as she ever was, going against all Starfleet regulations to go off and rescue a fellow officer. I'm glad they addressed this breach in protocol, Ezri herself admitting to Sisko that she left the station without permission and lost a Runabout, but this is another (the first), scene that shows Sisko is lower key form than usual, as he glosses over her infractions, more interested in the intelligence on the Breen. I do rather wish we could have had a representative of Starfleet Intelligence, or even Ross, to debrief her and Worf on camera as their insights and impressions were invaluable, not just in getting Ezri back in Sisko's good graces after her recklessness, but for the war effort. It's good that their rescue by Damar was the beginning of showing his change of heart in action, and the radical choice he made, which Sisko acknowledges could be the key to winning the war. Gul Rusot says he rejoiced at the news that Cardassia had joined the Dominion, initially, but then they became a conquered people. This isn't something Cardassians can live with, they aren't a race of cowards. Nasty sometimes, brutal, yes, but vigorous warriors with a code of ethics that can be brought out by their better examples when the occasion arises (like Tekeny Ghemor, or the times Garak has risen to the aid of his allies on the station). It struck me that this happiness in unification the Cardassians felt could be akin to the reunification of Paramount and CBS - we rejoice now because it seems good that the film and TV rights should no longer be split across two companies, but will we be regretting it one day? I don't know, it certainly seems ideal, but I await what new productions come into being because I miss Trek and I haven't seen any fully true, decent stuff since 2005. I'll always have 'DS9,' though, my desert island series, nothing else needed beyond it.

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