156. Treachery, Faith and the Great River

Summary

Odo informs Kira that he has received a message from Gul Russel (not sure about that spelling), an old Cardassian informant whom he had believed dead. Russel wants to meet with Odo immediately, and though he's suspicious Odo sets off in a runabout. When he arrives, he finds not Russel but Weyoun, who astonishes him with the news that he has defected from the Dominion and wishes only to serve Odo. Realizing Weyoun's strategic value, Odo agrees to take him back to the station. They are soon hailed from Cardassia and Odo is amazed to see there on the viewscreen Damar and...Weyoun. They explain that the Weyoun Odo knows was Weyoun 5, who was recently killed in a transporter accident (which it is implied Damar was responsible for). The Weyoun with Odo is Weyoun 6, who proved defective because he began to believe the war with the Federation ill-advised and to advocate peace between the Founders and the solids. Thus, Weyoun 7 was activated, but 6 refuses to use his self-termination implant as he is supposed to do. He and Odo manage to escape one Jem'Hadar fighter sent to destroy them and hide from others among the fragments of a comet. Weyoun 6 tells Odo the story of how, long ago, the Founders granted the then-apelike Vorta the gift of being valued members of the Dominion. Then, he drops the big bomb. The Female Changeling has been showing signs of illness, and she told Weyoun 6 that the entire Link was infected. If a cure cannot be found, soon Odo will be all that's left of his species. Weyoun 6 admits that he has hoped that Odo would assume control of the Dominion once the Link is gone and reshape it into a peaceful, cooperative empire. Odo is clearly overwhelmed, but he has little time to ponder these revelations when the Jem'Hadar find their ship. To save Odo, Weyoun 6 activates his self-termination implant on the condition that Weyoun 7 calls off the attacking ships. Weyoun 6 dies in Odo's arms...and Odo reluctantly gives the dying Vorta his blessing as a Founder. Back on DS9, Odo tells Kira about all that's happened...and that he's learned that no matter who wins the war, *he* loses.

Meanwhile, Nog goes through some complicated machinations to obtain a necessary part for the Chief...who has some doubts about Nog's methods. But Nog has faith in the Great Material Continuum, which he says will provide anything they need. He turns out to be correct, and by the time Sisko returns from Bajor the Chief has the part he needs.

Analysis

I think this is the strongest episode they've had yet this season, and perhaps their strongest episode since In the Pale Moonlight last season. It was definitely the first one to give me that "wow" feeling that's generated by the best DS9 episodes. It was well-paced, well-acted (of course, with Jeffrey Combs and Rene Auberjonois at the helm) and, for the first time this year, included many intimations of things to come and plot points that are sure to have implications down the road. In short, we may be seeing the start of the series-ending arc right here. And, wonder of wonders, it had a B plot that was actually *thematically connected* to the A plot; not to mention the not-inconsequential fact that it was a Nog-centered B plot that managed not to annoy me because it wasn't played for humor or just plain overplayed. The A story was so fraught with implications it's hard to know where to begin. First of all, a new Weyoun...and was it just me, or did Weyoun 7 seem a bit darker in personality than Weyoun 5? Second of all, the seeds are being planted for Damar's demise. His drinking, combined with his weakness for bimbos seen earlier in the season and now this implied assassination of Weyoun 5, do not bode well for his continued existence. Third, the illness of the Founders, which spells crisis and major plot upheaval both for Odo (and consequently Kira), the Dominion and the entire war. Fourth, Weyoun 6's suggestions that Odo take control of the Dominion himself, again hinting at eventual plot twists. The dialogue between Odo and Weyoun was smartly written (a bit surprising considering this was a Weddle and Thompson script) and Jeffrey really did a marvelous job of playing Weyoun 6 as a wide-eyed innocent Vorta with none of the casual malice portrayed by either versions 5 or 7. He managed to make the character convincing enough that his death scene is genuinely moving. I was also happy to see the way Odo conducted himself here. This was the first time he's had any decent screen time away from Kira since The Sound of Her Voice and even *that* was just the B story, so it was a relief to see him being his familiar gruffly sarcastic self. I'm all for romance (duh) but not when it destroys the characters involved in it. Both he and Kira still seem quite like themselves. I do hope the Founders' illness is discussed in more detail (where did it come from? How long have they had it?) but I'm sure it will be. A great episode. And now congratulate me. I wrote this review without mentioning the massage scene ONCE.

Rating: 9.0

Memorable Quote:

"What's the use of being a god if there's no one to worship you?" --Weyoun 6

"No matter which side wins this war...I'm going to lose." --Odo

Classic Scene:

All right, for strictly visceral reasons there's the massage scene (see the O/K Status Report below). But as a more thoughtful choice, Weyoun 6's death scene is a winner.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"I came in this morning to find Ensign Nog polishing it." --Sisko. I don't even know what that means.

The O/K Status Report

All right, all us O/K groupies can pick ourselves up off the floor now that we've had one of our favorite fanfic fantasies, the massage scene, played out onscreen. The teaser opens with Kira facedown on a table (wearing nothing but a rather pulled-down sheet) and Odo is rubbing her back with his hands shapeshifting all over the place. She just lost a springball game to him. He tells her about his trip to meet his old informant and she expresses concern that it might be a trap and offers to go with him. He puts an arm around her, tells her he'll be careful. She sort of snuggles up and says it'll just give her more time to work on her backhand. The final scene finds him telling her about his feelings over what's just happened, and she's trying to comfort him. Actually, I almost prefer the latter scene. It's nice to see *her* supporting *him* emotionally for a change. But as a friend pointed out, that opening scene constitutes a bit of a shift in tone. Sure they'd had physical contact before but it had been relatively...well, chaste. Forehead presses, holding hands, stuff like that. After that scene there can be no doubt they're...well, sharing more than raktagino, let's put it that way. And this does put to rest the long-debated question of whether or not Kira would be uncomfortable having him touch her in his natural state. Apparently she's not.

Special Alerts

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