Overall Rating: 5.5
*yaaaaaawwwn* - enough said.
Plot Synopsis:
While discussing some rather draconian Cardassian literature, Bashir and Garak are interrupted by Quark and a Lethean associate seeking to purchase a dangerous substance known as bio-mimetic gel. Bashir informs the Lethean that bio-mimetic gel is a controlled substance in the Federation and he can't possible sell any of it at any price. In the wrong hands, the gel can be used to make biogenic weapons or conduct illegal cloning experiments. The Lethean seems angry, but he and Quark walk away. Later in the infirmary, however, Bashir is accosted by the Lethean (named Altovar) - he uses a neurostatic discharge (a form of telepathic attack) to incapacitate Bashir and flees the station with a sample of the gel.
When Bashir "awakens," the station appears to be in ruins. Lights flicker, computer terminals aren't functioning, and no one is around. Unsure of what is going on, he wanders out into the Promenade and finds Quark cowering in fear in his bar. Altovar surprises both of them and kills Quark as Bashir makes his escape. Eventually, he hears other voices and locates Kira, O'Brien, Dax, Odo and Sisko. They are arguing about what course of action they should take, and during their joint investigation, Bashir begins to realize that they're not acting normally. Miles is unusually suspicious, Kira is unusually cocky, Dax is too timid, etc. Then his attention is grabbed by the sound of voices in the static being emitted by a nearby communications terminal. The terminal is displaying Bashir's vital signs. He appears to be in a coma. He sees Sisko and Dax talking about his assault and his current condition on the monitor and decides that everything he's "seeing" is a representation of sensory information being provided by his brain in his comatose state. With that knowledge, he encourages the "crew," whom he believes represent different facets of his personality, to find a way to get to Ops (he believes this is the center of his brain's activity - it is, after all, the center of activity on the real station) while evading the Lethean (who he believes represents the damage done by the real Lethean to his brain).
Along the way, the Lethean picks off his crew mates one by one while he and Garak (who is conveniently never around when the Lethean is visible) spar about his predicament. Garak at first seems to be a source of vital support, but as time wears on, he begins badgering Bashir about his rapidly advancing apparent age (his hair grays, he starts losing motor skills, he even eventually breaks a hip) and about his failures in life - from coming in second in his class thanks to a really dumb mistake on his final exam to his aborted tennis career. When they get to Ops and Bashir finds nothing but tennis balls in the control panels, he realizes that the nerve center of HIS life is the infirmary. Garak tells him his struggle is hopeless and Bashir realizes he's the insistent voice of the Lethean. He drags himself to the infirmary, and "decontaminates" the Lethean in a biohazard forcefield, then activates the main computer, bringing himself back to consciousness in the real world.
Writing: 3.0
The recap is short because, to be frank, it's not worth my time to write up every little detail of this snooze-fest of a plot. The inner-world of Bashir's mind is seriously boring. The same problem occurred in the equally tangential and irrelevant "Extreme Measures" (7th season episode that also takes place entirely within someone's mind - this time...Section 31 operative "Sloan." Boring...boring...BORING. Bashir and Garak together for a whole episode should be a LOT more entertaining than this.
Acting: 7.5
None of the acting performances made me sit up and take notice, but I give a lot of credit to the regular cast (other than Alexander Siddig) for playing within the skin of their normal characters while presenting a very different emotional facade. Avery Brooks was particularly impressive in this way - he represented Bashir's professionalism and medical competence - which is a big departure from Sisko's usually bombastic and vibrant personality - and you got that point IMMEDIATELY upon seeing him in action. Colm Meaney did well with his facet as well. The downside, this week, was (sorry, Sid)...Alexander Siddig. He's been getting better and better as the show enters its maturity, but he makes about as unconvincing and old man as I've ever seen. And after he breaks his hip, he still manages to walk around - possibly a failure on the part of the director/script writer, but I suspect Sid didn't stay in character and forgot during some of the shooting that he needed to act like his hip was broken. Sometimes he hobbled correctly...sometimes he didn't.
Message: 6.0
Everyone is afraid of aging before they get the chance to accomplish their life's goals...and everyone has regrets that they constantly rehash in their minds, especially around the big "30" and "40" and "50" milestones. That the writers felt it was necessary to spend an episode pointing this out (perhaps as an excuse to explore Bashir's character), seems a bit much...maybe this should have been something discussed in a side plot? Nothing else to write home about...this episode was supposed to be character-driven, but I don't feel like I gained much insight into Bashir's character. Hence...boring...boring...boring. And rather light on the message front.
Nothing stands out as particularly highlight worthy...better luck next time.
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