136. Who Mourns for Morn?

Summary

When Morn is killed in an ion storm, Quark is excited to learn that he has inherited all of Morn's worldly goods...but as he and Odo go over Morn's assets, he rapidly loses his enthusiasm as he finds out that all he's inherited is a shipment of rotten beets, a matador painting and a Jacuzzi full of mud. But he soon finds that that's not all. A woman named Larell, who claims to be Morn' ex-wife, tells Quark that Morn had 1000 bricks of gold-pressed latinum stored away somewhere, but she's disappointed to learn that Quark has no idea where it could be. While working on his lobes, she gets him to agree to give her ten percent so she won't contest the will. Suspicious but resigned, Quark is soon visited by a pair of brothers, Krit and Nahsk, who say they're business associates of Morn's and they loaned him money...1000 bricks of latinum. Quark agrees to give them half under the influence of their veiled threats. Quark soon discovers that the 1000 bricks are in the Bank of Bolius, but as he contacts the bank he's visited by a human, Tain, who says he's Lurian security...and that the 1000 bricks was actually a bequest from the Lurian royal family to Morn, who was the crown prince! Quark agrees to help Tain arrest Larell and the brothers in exchange for a reward. As soon as they're all in the same room, though, it comes out that Larell, Tain and the brothers stole the 1000 bricks with Morn's help in the famous Lissepian Mother's Day Heist...but Morn ran off with the latinum to wait for the statute of limitations to run out, which it just did. Quark takes delivery of the bricks, but their agreement to split it evenly falls apart and the four conspirators turn on each other in a firefight and are arrested by Odo. Quark's jubilation soon turns sour as he discovers that his 1000 bricks don't contain any latinum, just worthless gold. Crying into his synthale in the bar, Morn stuns him by walking in, alive and well. He faked his own death and left everything to Quark to get his four colleagues off his back...and he's had the latinum stored in his second stomach all these years. He gives Quark 100 bricks' worth as a reward.

Analysis

Another Quark episode so soon after The Magnificent Ferengi (which is a much better episode) doesn't make one predisposed to like this one, and there's really not much in it that might change one's mind. It has its moments...I found the Mafioso brothers somewhat amusing...but it's mostly pretty dull with none of the humor that usually characterizes the better Quark episodes. I'm not entirely sure what they were going for in this episode. The tone is lighthearted, but there's really not much that's even supposed to be funny. If they were going for a straight heist caper, it doesn't really succeed as that either. Even the usually effusive Armin Shimerman seems to be going through the motions, and Odo is way too sarcastic through the entire thing, even for him. Morn's funeral was mildly entertaining, especially the scenes of the various crewmembers expressing their sadness...Jadzia's admission that she used to have a crush on Morn is an interesting revelation...but the episode tries to be too many things, and as the Chief's mother would say, ends up doing none of them very well. A letdown after what could have been an interesting premise. It does, however, perpetuate the continuous myths about Morn...that everyone says how he talks all the time even though he's never spoken on camera.

Rating: 3.5

Memorable Quote:

"Think of me as Morn...I can't believe I just said that." --Quark

Classic Scene:

Morn's miraculous return from the dead is amusing, especially in the way that he and Quark manage to discuss what just occurred while preserving Morn's onscreen silence.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

Quark: What are you doing in my quarters?
Krit: Waiting for you. [come up and see me sometime!]

The O/K Status Report

Not much, but they do have their first scene together since their reconciliation in You Are Cordially Invited (the tiny airlock scene in Resurrection hardly counts). As the crew proceed to Morn's funeral they're paired off...Bashir and O'Brien, Worf and Dax, then Odo and Kira...she comments with a smile on the bottle opener he's bringing for Morn (Lurian custom demands that mourners bring gifts for the afterlife), and they stand together at the funeral itself.

Special Alerts

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