Overall Rating: 8.3
A surprisingly strong episode given a premise that could easily make fans of the Bajoran aspect of DS9 cringe.
Plot Synopsis:
A good retelling of this story may be found at the DS9 Encyclopedia (beward the pop-ups!).
The Skinny:
Y'know...although I have never been comfortable with the show's creative team noodling around with the idea of Kira and Dukat as an item (and neither was Nana Visitor...she did threaten to quit if they tried it), I think this episode is a heck of a lot more interesting for Dukat's character development than, say, Waltz (the moment when he went from plain old slimy Dukat to Eeeeeevil!Dukat), specifically because he stays entirely in character (he's a Cardassian patriot and a true believer in what made his civilization work in the past) while growing to understand why Kira made the choices she did during the occupation of Bajor. He even humbled himself enough to realize that he needed Kira's help if he wanted to achieve a real resistance.
I also think this was a very necessary development for Kira. She gets to the very moment in her life when she realizes that although she does not regret fighting as a terrorist against the Cardassians, she would never recommend that kind of fight for anyone else...not herself now and certainly not the half-Cardassian version of her that she sees in Ziyal. I have to appreciate Kira's decision to offer to take Ziyal back to DS9 - she may be the daughter of Kira's sworn enemy, but Kira is mature enough now to see the good in her and offer her a better life than what she once had as a resistance fighter. As well, she gets to formally reject Dukat's not-so-subtle advances even as she comes to see him as perhaps more complicated than a simple symbol of Cardassian oppression and evil.
Writing: 7.5
The episode certainly is interesting to watch...I don't think the dialogue resonates with lines I'll remember long after viewing it, but it's functionally solid and the characters ring very true.
Acting: 9.0
On the other hand, what the script lacks in power-packed language, the actors make up for with well above-average performances - particularly Nana Visitor and Mark Alaimo, though Cyia Batten (Ziyal) shouldn't be overlooked here either. Her role is actually pretty important for Kira and she does well for a science fiction newbie.
Message: 8.5
There is a crucial difference between doing what you have to do when you have no other options (Kira during the occupation of Bajor) and willfully choosing that life (Ziyal now, Kira at Dukat's begging request) when other options are available. The fact that Kira now clearly sees that difference and avoids a painful repeat of her past life while saving a child from living like that as well...that's important.
There were a few bits of dialogue that I particularly liked. For example:
ReplyDeleteDUKAT: Major, I'm confident you'll have that disruptor running so smoothly it wouldn't wake a sleeping child.
KIRA: Why is it when you smile, I want to leave the room? (Heh.)
And:
DUKAT: You judge me too harshly, Major. Maybe I am seeking to regain my former position - one which I earned through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. But redemption is not my sole motivation. I care about my people, and I don't intend to allow the Klingons to get away with murdering them. I'm a much more complicated man than you give me credit for.
KIRA: If that's true, I suppose I prefer simpler men.
DUKAT: Like Shakaar? It amazes me that a woman as intelligent and sophisticated as you could be attracted to such a lumbering, simplistic field hand. I mean, what could the two of you possibly talk about?
KIRA: That lumbering field hand is the First Minister of Bajor. And he knows more about how to talk to me than you ever will.
DUKAT: How can you be so sure? After all, you don't know me well enough to make a comparison.
KIRA: I don't want to know you well enough. (Zing!)
And:
ZIYAL: You don't like my father much, do you?
KIRA: No. I don't.
ZIYAL: I understand. He did some very bad things during the Occupation.
KIRA: Yes, he did.
ZIYAL: It bothers him, you know.
KIRA: (sarcastic) Does it?
ZIYAL: Very much. He talks about it sometimes. He'd never admit it to anyone else, but he thinks the Occupation was a mistake.
KIRA: Somehow I don't think he'd say that if the Cardassians had won.
ZIYAL: Maybe not. But maybe losing made him a better person.
KIRA: Then a lot of innocent people died for his education.
ZIYAL: I know. I think about that a lot. But when I look at my father, I have a hard time seeing a murderer.
KIRA: And when I look at him, I have a hard time seeing anything else. (Ouch. Harsh, but entirely justified.)
Also, I love how this episode sets the stage for Dukat's eventual alliance with the Dominion. For that alone, I probably would've been much more generous with the writing score.