Overall: 6.7
The DS9 writers stir up controversy here, but I walk away pretty underwhelmed.
Plot Synopsis:
Memory Alpha has the run-down here.
The Skinny:
For all of the cast and crew's insistence that Rejoined is simply "a story about love," the hard truth of the matter is this: if this episode really were just about two star-crossed lovers who meet again after many, many years of separation, there would've been no reason not to put Kahn in a male host. Let's make no mistake: we are supposed to interpret the Trill taboo in regards to "reassociation" as a metaphor for our own society's reaction to homosexuality. Affecting total innocence when the inevitable outcry is kicked up is, shall we say, a tad disingenuous.
I do appreciate, though, how hard the production team works here to avoid outright sensationalism. The backstory we are given with regards to the all-too-short marriage of Torias Dax and Nilani Kahn is plausible and sympathetic; the writers do deserve credit for helping us to understand why Dax and Kahn should wish to risk everything to rejoin. Unfortunately, while this is certainly not the worst "message episode" DS9 ever produced (that dishonor goes to Far Beyond the Stars in season six), it still suffers a bit from an excess of earnestness. I find the front half of the episode somewhat graceless in its execution, and the dialogue in general is not quite witty enough to merit a highlights reel.
I also believe, when you get right down to it, that the message of this episode is slightly off-base; as a matter of fact, I think Rejoined stands as a good illustration of what has gone wrong with our notions of love and marriage. When Dax visits Kahn at the end of the episode and attempts to convince her former wife to stay aboard DS9, she declares that "in the end, all that matters is how we feel and what we do about it" - and the writers appear to agree. In reality, though, ignoring your duties to your extended family and your community in the pursuit of sentimental love - however passionate such sentiment may be - is not the foundation upon which good, lasting relationships are built.
Writing: 7.0
The script is decent, but - as noted above - the opening scenes are clunky and the dialogue lacks cleverness.
Acting: 8.0
Despite this episode's flaws, there's no question that Susanna Thompson and Terry Farrell do nice work in their scenes.
Message: 5.0
The emphasis on "feeling" rather than consciously - and willfully - deciding is off-putting. The writers also don't completely skirt the temptation to preach.
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