 "Chimera" |
|
by David E. Sluss |
21 February 1999 |
|
Home >> DS9 Season 7 >> >> Episode Review
Episode Guide:
Other Opinions:
|
THE BOTTOM LINE: Surprisingly strong, with good performances and an interesting story. On the down side (since I'm The Cynic, there has to be one), I wish it had been tied in a bit better with DS9's overall story, you know, that war thing, and while I'd like to think that Odo has actually been changed by this experience, DS9's track record makes me doubt it. CYNICS CORNER RATING: 8.0 (B-) SURPRISE OF THE WEEK: There were quite a few surprises this week, mostly of the good variety, but probably the biggest is that it may be the only time that the Kira/Odo pairing has actually seemed to work. And I hate to admit it, but the closing scene was kind of affecting and <gack> sweet. CONTRIVANCES OF THE WEEK: Odo's right: with Laas' demonstrated abilities, there's no good reason he couldn't have escaped on his own; if he can turn himself into fire, he ought to be able to become energy that could break through the walls of the cell, if not the force field. On other matters, apparently Kira and Odo got away with the jailbreak, her lies about it, and his aiding and abetting of it. But surely there'd be a record of the force field off switch being pressed while Kira was alone with the prisoner, sensor readings showing no abnormal energy readings in the hoosegow, etc. How did Odo get to the mining planet, much less get there without being noticed, when he presumably can't yet turn into a space creature and "all available runabouts" were searching for Laas? Sisko acts like he suspects Kira and/or Odo of being involved in the escape, but does nothing about it? And we're to assume that the Klingons just dropped the issue, especially after jeopardizing their "honor" by filing court papers? PANDORA'S BOX OF THE WEEK: This episode, for me, pushed the Changelings' powers past my ability suspend disbelief, for a couple of reasons. First, while I guess it's no more abusive of physics for Laas to change himself into fire than it is for Odo to turn into, say, a tiny mouse, but it sure seems like it is. Second, if Laas, an unlinked Changeling, has figured out how to do all this stuff, then why can't the Founders, or why haven't they? This really opens up a can of worms best left closed. POTENTIAL RESET BUTTON OF THE WEEK: So Odo is sort of "out of the
closet" as far as his true Changeling nature goes. I wonder if this is going
somewhere, or if it's just another piece of one-episode character development to be lost
in the shuffle. I guess time will tell. |
| Previous:
"Field of Fire" Next: "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang" |
NEXT WEEK: Fighting the Dominion is hard, so let's fight holographic hoodlums instead. |
|
satisfied customers since 31 January 1999 |
This review is copyright
© 1999 David E. Sluss |
