460. The Dogs of WarFORMULA: Prophet Motive + The Nagus + The Homecoming
WHY WE LIKE IT: Damar as urban legend.
WHY WE DON'T: The Ferengi's final fate.
REVIEW: Though the title is mismatched, the main plot of The Dogs of War focuses on the final fate of the Ferengi Alliance. After a changing of the guard for the Klingons, I'm not sure we needed closure on the Ferengi as well, but there you have it. Sadly, it's very much in the vein of the last few Ferengi comedies. For one thing, the guest Ferengi are acting completely out of character. Ishka has completed her about-face since the halcyon days of Andrea Martin and has gone from advocating for equal rights for females to turning Ferenginar into a socialist democracy. This isn't the woman we met in Family Business who was as interested in profit as any male, and who knew Rom was good-hearted but no businessman. Now, not only can Ferengi society be rewritten inside of a few months, but Zek goes along with it. Worse still, Brunt seems fine with it.
I cannot fault the Ferengi cast members, however. Quark will have nothing to do with Zek's reforms, and uses Picard's famous line from First Contact to draw a line in the sand (he's no Patrick Stewart, but it's a fun moment). His bar will be the last bastion of the old Ferenginar. At least HE hasn't lost his senses. Sweet old Rom will no doubt be the ruin of his homeworld, but he's good here trying to finally get his hands on the bar. And the expression of love between the brothers at the end is as touching as it is appropriate.
Though that's the A-plot, there still isn't that much time spent on it. Things have to be moved along for the next episode's finale, after all. On Cardassia, Damar's resistance has been crushed by the Dominion and all seems lost until Kira hits upon the idea of turning the Legate in exile into a legend. And the resistance starts all over again, this time from Mila's basement. Who can forget his Braveheart moment? The Founders retreat into Cardassian territory where you can bet a last stand battle will be fought.
To enable this, Admiral Ross delivers the USS Sao Paulo to Sisko, and it is immediately renamed Defiant. Sao Paulo just doesn't have the right ring to it. But I'm with Bashir - those purple carpets have got to go. Bashir and Ezri take their merry, awkward time admitting their feelings to one another. Odo gets peeved the Federation doesn't want to give his people the cure to their disease. And Kasidy is pregnant on the eve of Sisko's great trial. Whether these scenes provide set-up, closure or an ominous foreshadowing of tragedy, all our ducks are now in a row, and we're ready for the big finale.
LESSON: In the end, greed loses.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: The build-up to the next episode is must-see tv, but the Ferengi plotline is just this side of pure drivel.
Comments
1) Hmm. I would like to know more about the Ferengi
2) Well that had it moments
3) It was kind of funny
4) Not another Ferengi episode
5) Dear heavens stop talking about the Ferengi
At least for me...
But the Damar stuff was quite good.
In short, it was a mock cautionary tale.
I know, it's a minor thing, but... consistency, dagnabit!
It's arguably unfair, but it's definitely intentional.