109. The Darkness and the Light

Summary

In the final weeks of her pregnancy, Kira receives some bad news that a friend of hers from the Resistance, Vedek Latha Mabrim, has been killed on Bajor by a hunter probe. When she receives a message with Latha's picture saying "That's one," she suspects foul play. Her suspicions are confirmed when a Shakaar informant, Trentin Falla, is also murdered while trying to seek shelter on DS9. Kira receives another message saying "That's two" and while she and Odo debate what to do, another message comes to the security office with a picture of yet another Shakaar member, Mobara..."That's three." As Odo tracks Mobara down, Kira goes to the O'Briens' quarters and is surprised to find there Furel and Lupaza, two other Resistance friends, who are determined to find out who's killing their friends and deal with it. While Kira, Dax and Nog analyze the messages...they're actually spoken in Kira's voice...the O'Brien's quarters undergo an explosive decompression and Furel and Lupaza are killed instantly. Kira, trying to reach the site of the accident, suffers a placental hemorrahge. Lying in sickbay, she tells Odo the story of how she joined the Resistance and what it meant to her, and how Lupaza made her clan earring out of scrap metal from her first mission. He promises her that he'll catch whoever did this, but she is unwilling to let someone else handle this. When he leaves, she beams herself to his office and steals his list of suspects, then leaves on a runabout to conduct her own search. She finally finds the killer, a Cardassian named Silarin Prin. He imprisons her and tells her that he's taking revenge on the Shakaar for a bombing on the home of Gul Pirac, for whom Prin worked as a servant. Kira begs him to spare the child and he agrees, sedating her to remove the fetus...but the makara herbs Kira's been taking for her pregnancy (which act as a counteragent to sedatives) enable her to surprise and incapacitate him. The Defiant arrives to find a stunned Kira sitting over Prin's body.

Analysis

Though I don't think there's anything really wrong with it, I have trouble working up any real enthusiasm for this episode. Given Kira's past it was only a matter of time before they did a revenge episode, but why Prin chose to focus on her is unclear...he says it's because she actually planted the bomb, but does that make her more liable than the person who built it or who ordered the hit? Now, I'm not a big Shakaar fan, but his absence here and even the lack of any mention of him hurts this episode. Keep in mind that he and Kira are still dating at this point and he was the *leader* of the resistance cell. One would think that as soon as she realized the cell was being targeted she'd immediately think of his safety, especially since he's First Minister. On the other hand, this episode represents in many ways the last hurrah of Kira's old anger and hostility from the Resistance, and I think that's a good thing. The anger was an important part of her character as it was originally conceived, but I think it's natural and right for it to leave her as time puts distance between her and the Resistance. The death of her friends recalls days she thought she'd put behind her and her proactive actions are in character if ill-advised...I imagine the Chief had a few choice words for her when she got back about putting his unborn son in such grave danger. The three murder victims we meet...Falla, Furel and Lupaza...are pretty vivid characters for such a short amount of screen time, to the point that we feel Kira's anger when they are killed. Her scene in the infirmary with Odo is very poignant, and one of the few times we hear her talk about her Resistance days, a topic she usually shies away from. The mystery itself is pretty transparent and the identity of the killer no great surprise, nor was it a strange plot twist (which is what I was half-expecting)...and the end is far too bogged down in a lot of dime-store philosophizing about darkness and light that doesn't make much dramatic or literal sense. Nevertheless not a bad episode.

Rating: 6.0

Memorable Quote:

This episode contains two classic Worf gems:

"I do not smirk. But, if I did...this would be a good opportunity."

"I am a graduate of Starfleet Academy. I know many things."

Classic Scene:

The infirmary scene mentioned above is really very well done...the lighting, the soliloquoy, the camera angles, Odo's silent presence and most of all Nana's heartfelt delivery. A lovely moment.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"I make it a point never to argue with someone's lobes." --Dax...I dunno if it's exactly sexually slanted but I just like the sound of it.

The O/K Status Report

This is the first time in quite some time that the two have shown any real onscreen connection, not since Crossfire. He toils tirelessly to protect her and her friends, she reveals her innermost thoughts to him...definitely a step forward.

Special Alerts

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