311. Invasive ProceduresFORMULA: The Host + Spock's Brain
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Klingon "nurse".
WHY WE DON'T: Quark's girly screams.
REVIEW: The show hasn't done much with Dax since, well, "Dax". Invasive Procedures addresses this problem, but focuses more on the Dax symbiont than on Jadzia (again). So we find out what would happen if the symbiont was placed in another host without having to really sacrifice Jadzia. It looks like the symbiont is mostly a carrier of memories and abilities (and the mannerisms that come with them), but the host supplies most of the motivations and ethics.
The show opens with Odo being taken out, much like Data would be on TNG. This is a dangerous precedent since it's calling attention to the fact that a character concept can negate entire plots. Hopefully Odo won't have to be removed too often. It also means he'll be the requisite deus ex machina at the episode's end. The station is further nerfed by a plasma storm that has necessitated an almost complete evacuation. Another one so soon? That's sloppy scheduling.
John Glover plays Verad well enough both Daxed and not, though the entire episode takes on something of his delivery and seems at times sluggish. Not that the cast is anything but excellent when they're given something to do. Sisko's an able and patient psychologist in dealing with both Mareel and Verad, Quark redeems himself by taking a beating, and Bashir is great not only as the caring doctor, but as the action hero who can stand up to Klingons. Jadzia is noble and her plight sad.
In the end, Odo isn't really a deus ex machina per se. Sisko finally convinces Mareel and surprises Verad by shooting him (a punch wouldn't do?). Bashir takes control of sickbay. And Verad winds up a lobotomized husk. Somehow, Jadzia's contention that Verad will always be a part of her rings false. For one thing, we don't really want him to be in there, do we? And for another, the next 6 years will show that he wasn't really, never appearing when other hosts have, nor his mannerisms. And Quark never really gets what's coming to him, does he? An unsatisfying ending then.
LESSON: Trills evolved from karagoos, not leopards.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: A flawed exploration of Trill nature is hopefully not the only thing the writers can do with Dax. Some good character bits though, especially for Bashir who is way better when not written as an oaf or an idiot.
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