Star Trek 358: FacetsFORMULA: Frame of Mind + Invasive Procedures
WHY WE LIKE IT: Sisko's creepy Joran.
WHY WE DON'T: Leeta gets invited to all the cool parties.
REVIEW: DS9 doesn't shy away from mysticism and it's easy to attribute the zhian'tara ritual to some form of telepathy on the guardian's part. Isolating every part of Dax this way is quite an interesting hook. And though Leeta has infiltrated herself into the cool gang after just one tiny appearance, making our cast of actors incarnate the various hosts is a brilliant idea. By the looks of it, it was a great change of pace, and everyone gives a fun, quirky performance from Kira's Lela on down. Avery Brooks in particular gives an incredibly creepy performance as the psychotic host Joran, weird accent and all. It doesn't really match what has gone before or what will come later, but it's a heck of a performance. Throw in a lot of great reactions for Sisko throughout (glad she didn't break any bones, or when he realizes Quark will incarnate a woman), and you've got a good show for Brooks.
But of course, that all flies by pretty fast so that we can get to Curzon. After Joran has done playing on Jadzia's insecurities, the "old man" is in a perfect position to do the same to give himself a new life. He's certainly got a strong personality that it can get away from her like that, but it's really thanks to Odo's strange changeling nature. Odo and Curzon become joined and the joined character is a hoot, though it feels a lot more like the latter than the former. Odo as bon vivant...
In the end, I'm not sure what to think of the revelation about Curzon and Jadzia's relationship, especially since it's information that was somehow hidden from her even after joining, although like other information she learns from hosts, it could be something she couldn't quite put her finger on. I wonder how many psychologists migrate to Trill each year.
The theme of the episode is the theft of someone's life, and in the Nog subplot, Quark tries to sabotage Nog's application to Starfleet Academy. Rom comes ferociously to his defense and won't allow Quark to cross that line (as in Family Business). Rom's quickly becoming a favorite as the big dumb cluck who knows what's really important in life. And look for the first appearance of root beer, which pays off interestingly next season!
LESSON: Verad remains insignificant. Forever.
REWATCHABILITY - High: The final revelation may be touch melodramatic, but you learn so much about the Dax symbiont, and there are some really fun performances by practically everyone in the cast. It's one of my personal favorites.
Comments
I agree, it's a winner!