Classics: DS9 3:19 - Through the Looking Glass

Plot Synopsis:

Sisko is in the middle of cracking down on an illegal vole fighting operation when his boring shift is rudely interrupted by the arrival of Mirror!O'Brien, who kidnaps Sisko at phaser point and beams him into the Mirror Universe. Naturally, Sisko demands to be returned at once, but he changes his tune when M!O'Brien explains what's been going on in the this universe since the events of Crossover. Following Captain Sisko's lead, a ragtag group of Terrans has openly rebelled against the oppression of the Alliance, but their hidden bases in the Badlands will soon be discovered and destroyed unless the rebels can stop the completion of a new sensor array. And the news gets worse - Captain Sisko has just been killed by Alliance forces. Our Sisko doesn't see where he fits in to all of this at first, but then M!O'Brien tells him that the Terran scientist leading the array project is none other than M!Jennifer Sisko. Captain Sisko, it seems, had planned on using his tenuous connection to M!Jennifer to change M!Jennifer's mind. Stunned to see that Jennifer is alive in this universe, Sisko agrees to help the rebel Terrans.

As it turns out, Sisko adapts rather quickly to his new role; even the discovery that M!Dax is his mistress in this universe only briefly stops him cold. He earns the respect of the other rebels by punching out the cocky M!Bashir; then, using M!Rom (who pretends to be a turncoat), he sets himself up to be captured (with M!O'Brien) by the Alliance and taken to Terok Nor. After a tête-à-tête with the Intendant, Sisko manages to get some face time with M!Jennifer. M!Jennifer believes the rebellion is doing little good for the Terran slaves; it's also quite clear that the marriage between Jennifer and Ben in this universe was anything but happy. But after a long conversation, something about our Sisko evidently impresses M!Jennifer. In the end, she reconsiders her allegiances and agrees to join the rebels.

There's only one problem: M!Rom has been tortured, and Sisko's ruse has been discovered. His escape route blocked, Sisko leads M!Jennifer, M!O'Brien, and a group of Terran slaves (whom M!O'Brien freed) down to ore processing, where he uses his knowledge of Deep Space Nine to set Terok Nor's self-destruct sequence. The Intendant is forced to let Sisko and the others go free, but she vows to hunt Sisko down.

When the dust settles, M!Jennifer pointedly asks him who he is and what has happened to her real husband. Sisko admits that Captain Sisko is dead and advises M!Jennifer to ask M!O'Brien about the particulars. Before Sisko leaves, M!Jennifer thanks him for rescuing her.

Overall: 4.7

If the show runners wanted to go back to the Mirror Universe so badly, they should've brought back Peter Allan Fields.

Writing: 4.0

You know what I don't buy in this episode? The speed at which our Sisko adapts to his new circumstances. In order to persuade the others that he is Captain Sisko, it's plausible that our Sisko would be willing to punch out M!Bashir or plant a kiss on the Intendant -- but I find it hard to believe that he'd be equally willing to "lie back and think of England" on TWO separate occasions. Sure - I imagine that Sisko's noticed that both Dax and Kira are attractive women - but that's our Dax and Kira. M!Dax and the Intendant may be identical on the surface, but they're entirely different people, and I just can't accept that Sisko would be able to - er - come to attention for them.

Part of what made Crossover work was Kira's shocked reactions to what she was seeing (and Bashir's reactions, too, but Kira was pretty much the focal point). Here, that sense of horror is completely absent. Granted, Sisko does have the advantage of having read his officers' reports, but reading a report is very different from experiencing it in the flesh, and by all rights, Sisko should've shown a little more -- indignation is the word I'm looking for, I think.

On the whole, the writers here have taken what was a fairly good concept and reduced it to a mere plaything. The unexpected richness of our original foray into this universe has disappeared. In its place, we get uninspiring firefights, very little in the way of thoughtful characterization, and, in the case of the Intendant at least, random omnisexuality that really adds nothing to the plot.

Acting: 4.0

And what's more, the poor script encourages pretty much everyone to overdo it in a big way. The only three who manage not to chew the scenery are Colm Meaney (who is simply rather boring instead), the actress playing M!Jennifer, and, oddly enough, the king of scenery gnashing himself, Avery Brooks. You know the performances are way below the standard when Brooks' work looks subtle by comparison.

Message: 6.0

I will give the writers credit for one thing, though: they allow Sisko to voice the demonstrable truth that evil rarely lays down its arms when good plays nice.

Highlights:

INTENDANT: I think you'll find that random and unprovoked executions will keep your entire workforce alert and motivated.
MIRROR!GARAK: I bow to your brilliance... though I do hope your mood improves before we run out of workers.

INTENDANT: I really don't know what to do with you.
SISKO: I sympathize. It's a difficult decision. But I'm sure you'll come up with something.
INTENDANT: The only reason I can think of to keep you alive is to infuriate Garak.
SISKO: What better reason do you need?

M!JENNIFER: You know what I wish? I wish I'd never met you.
SISKO: And I wish things could've been better between us. But this isn't about us. Or is it? Why are you working for the Alliance? Is it because you believe in what they're doing -- or is it something else?
M!JENNIFER: I don't know what you're talking about.
SISKO: I think the two of us have been fighting each other for so long that you've gotten used to us being on opposite sides. But I'm not the enemy this time, Jennifer. The Alliance is.
M!JENNIFER: The Alliance is your enemy, not mine.
SISKO: That's where you're wrong. Don't you see? You're no different than the slaves working in the ore processing center. In fact, you may even be worse off. At least they know they're prisoners.
M!JENNIFER: What if I am a prisoner?
SISKO: You don't have to be. Fight back. Come with me.
M!JENNIFER: You want me to join the rebellion?
SISKO: The way I see it, freedom is a lot better than slavery.