Reviews

This double-length season opener does many things well, combining some of the best elements of old-school Trek with more contemporary action sci-fi. It seems to me like a resurrection of the series, a celebration, and in some ways a reconciliation with the loyal fans who were becoming disappointed in the franchise, but who decided to give DS9 another chance.

After a slew of boringly "skippable" episodes packing the end of the previous season, the rapid fire plot developments that fans get in this episode are refreshingly welcome. Of course, some "slow" Trek episodes are excellent too (a great example being the episode that follows this one), but fast, well-done *and* meaningful is worth embracing.

Firstly, so many things happen in this episode that it could be overwhelming; however, it's not, thanks to the writers' compression of the dialogues into pithy character-exposing vignettes and pithy exchanges. Garak (Andrew Robinson) and Gowron (Robert O'Reilly), in particular, elevate their zingers nearly to the point of camp, but they're darned entertaining. Political discussions are kept to relevant points, and they're over before they get dreary.

As for the action, there is more overall ass-kicking in this episode than perhaps in the previous three seasons combined. We can even foresee the re-thinking of action's role during the opening credits, in which the usually soporific score picks up a driving beat; the CGI artists add all sorts of things flying around, with little folks in space suits on the hull doing sparky things. As for the space battles in the episode, it seems like the CGI folks used up half a season's budget to make them happen. The station, for once, shows its teeth, and pretty much everyone gets to show off their hand-to-hand combat skills.

And this is why I mentioned old-school Trek: Klingons, phasers, and fisticuffs. Didn't Roddenberry envision Trek as sort of a space western? Well, there's a good, old showdown in this episode which many Trek fans have been waiting for since the 60s. And speaking of Klingons, there are mobs of them, and as part of an apparent re-invigoration of the series, (no spoilers) a fan favorite rejoins the franchise. As for lovable villains (it's not a spoiler to mention this guy), Gowron makes a spectacularly bug-eyed, "glorious" appearance.

The only minus that I could find in this episode, if I tried hard, would be that because of the pacing the characters come off as two-dimensional. In defense, however, for one, this is a season opener: for the sake of new viewers, a writer is often pressured to reintroduce every character in a quickly digestible manner. Secondly, this is Trek having fun, and the "speculative fiction," head-scratching aspect of Trek is traditionally all about the situations, not the characters.

A very satisfying episode for fans, and a totally decent watch for SF enthusiasts.

Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) is, as always, deliciously detestable as a villain, and that's worth 3 stars. Nana Visitor and Avery Brooks earn another 1 star for this episode, just for doing their best with the lines given them. And that's where the positives end.

This is another one of those DS9 episodes that would be embarrassing to show to a non-Trekkie, let alone someone who isn't into science fiction. Ninety-five percent of the main plot of this episode is explained through long, tedious dialogues about Bajoran politics, which, in and of themselves, are really hard to care about. Likewise, the sub-plot is about a game of darts, which is something that very few people can get into unless a) they are themselves playing darts, and b) there are pints of ale involved. The fact that this game of darts is "on a space station," and that there's wagering involved, does nothing to make it interesting.

Whatever (abortive) action there is takes place in the those boring southern California hills that I instantly associate with cheap production, and this "action" basically involves a bunch of walking and talking, culminating with some limply un-suspenseful, highly unlikely conflict resolution. On that note, plenty of things in this episode are unlikely.

Avoiding spoilers, the charismatic rogues in this episode who we're supposed to root for are far from charismatic, but, regardless, they end up wielding great political influence; of course, everything important happens behind the scenes. This is one of two political shifts which occur abruptly, and their feasibility is explained only through dialogue. The sub-plot also resolves itself in an unrealistic and abrupt way, and unlike most other DS9 sub-plots involving Quark, it's boringly unfunny to boot.

I guess this episode is OK to play as part of a series marathon if you're a hard-core Trekkie "completionist" like me who has it on in the background while cleaning his room. Otherwise, skip it.

This episode is handed a whole arc-full of silly premises, but cooks up one of the finest 46 minutes of Farscape out there. It epitomizes science fiction: delighting fans with creative resolutions, dazzling casual watchers with beautiful visuals, and tickling us genre veterans' appreciation of heroic banter.

The tight writing is a key highlight, and it's directed toward actors who actually embrace their roles. In contrast to the woodenness exhibited in the last few episodes, this episode is refreshingly well-acted all around. The writers seem like they're letting the story breathe, and the actors seem like someone promised them ice cream if they acted like they gave a flying one.

The humor also feels more natural, sort of like in some better classic sci-fi movies -- this episode hosts great lines and moments which are iconic Farscape.

As for the visuals, this episode is excellent. The settings and camera direction are stunning. Down to the colors, the layout, many somebodies cared about this one.

My favorite Farscape to watch on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

It's insulting when a TV show episode tells me how I should think about its characters by using weak, expository dialog. It's even worse when a plot isn't really a plot, rather a "vehicle" that makes some sponsored points but few impressions.

This episode starts with an excellent setting/premise: a Victorian steam-punk mystery starring Vastra et al. and a new Doctor, plus throws a Tyrannosaur into the heart of London! You've got a smashing episode, right?

Nah, sorry. Basically, all this episode does is repeatedly stuff certain concepts down one's brain through limp dialog, while failing to deliver on the plot side. The best I could describe it is "fun, I guess."

Vastra/Jenny, with their proved character potential, are all but wasted in this episode. Moffat, instead of writing Vastra some of the cool investigative intricacies of Sherlock, just throws her a "game is afoot" line (duh, got it), some moralistic posturing at Clara, with tons of tweenishly awkward interpretations of an interspecies lesbian relationship which verge on adolescent slashfic. Look, we get it already.

Straxx? As always, a great job at comic relief. It's just that in this episode, there's nothing really heavy to get comically "relieved" from.

Clara, with her whole "OMG, the Doctor's old!" thing, is one of the most slighted characters in this episode. Do we really think that Clara loved the 11th Doctor because he was "young and hot?" All of the sudden a faithful Who companion is turned into a person who thinks mainly with her hormones (her subconscious full of young men having sex, per Straxx's exam), and requires a knock on the head from 3+ characters to "finally" hug an "old" man. If he were, say, made of rotting green bacon, then this whole subplot would've made sense. But no, the new doctor's just an older-looking guy. It's not like he's asking her on a date, after all. What're the writers so insecure about?

The villain in this episode could have been so much cooler. I mean, multiply steam-punk by millions of years... a sci-fi writer's dream! At least, he could have been relevant and/or made logical sense. But no, robots who only know you're not a robot if you breathe, and will hack at you with swords until you decide to hold your breath. And if they can make a blimp out of skins, how come El Honcho's missing half his face?

Capaldi? Yeah, he's good. I appreciated the occasional tributes he did to previous doctors, but most importantly, by taking the crappy script he got this time and making it OK, he's gonna carry the role well.

In all, an entertaining episode, though with insulting writing aimed at the LCD. I hope they don't saddle Capaldi with having to save every episode.