171. When It Rains...

Summary

A. Sisko and Ross, out of desire to help Damar and his resistance, send Kira (with a new Starfleet commission so the Cardassians will accept her), Garak and Odo to Cardassia prime to teach them about resistance tactics. Before he leaves, Odo reluctantly donates a sample of his substance to Bashir for some research, but Bashir learns that Odo is infected with the disease that's ravaging the Link. Aboard the runabout en route to Cardassia, Bashir informs Odo about his condition but is hopeful he can find a cure. Kira, visibly upset, wants to take Odo back to DS9 but he insists on continuing the mission. Once they arrive, many Cardassians have trouble dealing with Kira as she and the others make suggestions that they have difficulty accepting. Kira and one of the Guls almost come to blows over his insinuations that Odo was a collaborator during the Occupation, but after Odo holds her back Kira leaves the room and vents her anger (and her distress about his illness, no doubt) on some supply containers. As she leaves in search of a cooling unit, Odo notices the first signs of deterioriation on his hands. Bashir is stymied at every turn when he tries to get Odo's medical records from Starfleet Medical; when Sisko finally obtains the records for him, they turn out to be fake. He and the Chief deduce that Section 31 planted the false records. When further investigation reveals that Odo was infected three years ago during a trip to Earth (see Homefront), they realize that Section 31 planted the virus and used Odo as a carrier to commit genocide...their task now becomes to find the cure they're sure Section 31 must have before 31 realizes they're wise to the plan.

B. Chancellor Gowron comes to the station for a ceremony to honor Martok, but once that's done, he announces to everyone's shock and Martok's dismay that he's taking over command of the fleet himself. Since Gowron has little tactical experience, Worf and Martok have doubts but Martok insists that it's their duty to support their Chancellor. With the Klingon fleet the only ones able to withstand the Breen energy weapon that destroyed the Defiant, Gowron orders foolhardy strikes deep into Dominion territory even though the fleet is barely protecting the border.

C. Dukat, his identity no longer a secret to the Kai, keeps trying to manipulate her and discover how to free the Pagh-Wraiths. When he sneaks into her office and tries to read the forbidden book of the Koss'tomogen himself, he is blinded...the book is for the Kai's eyes only. Winn, unsympathetic, throws him out into the street and tells him to beg for his living...and not to come back until he's had a lesson in humility and his sight has been restored.

D. While all of this is going on, Bashir tries to find out why Ezri has been avoiding him...he mistakenly gets the impression that she's back with Worf, but the Chief sets him straight. Whew, that's a lot for one episode!

Analysis

Oh man. It is so damned difficult to judge these episodes as individual episodes! They're not scripted to stand alone. But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna try.

This one, while not as strong as Strange Bedfellows, nevertheless advances the plot significantly. It also represents a dramatic shift in tone and plotline. Leaving the Ben/Kasidy and Worf/Ezri stuff behind (thank God) it embarks upon several threads that will continue to the final hour: Kira's aid to the Cardassian resistance, Odo's illness, and Bashir's fight against Section 31 to find a cure for it. All are well-executed. The illness brings Odo back into the thick of the main plotlines (about time, too...he's arguably one-third of DS9's "big three," if indeed such a thing exists it's Sisko, Kira and Odo) and introduces strong possibilities for a personal plot thread between him and Kira while the trip to Cardassia gives *her* something to do as well. While it leaves an odd taste in my mouth that Kira will spend most of the arc from now till the end off-station (seems vaguely inappropriate), it's a good use of her character. For the last three or four seasons her past as a terrorist and that trademark Kira temper and fire we know and love have seemed relatively distant...not any more. Her trouble interacting with the Cardassians, and theirs with her, lends another layer to the surface plot of the mission to assist the new Resistance. Garak, so far, fades into the background, but I trust that will change. Odo himself is already demonstrating that he intends to hide his illness, as much as he can, from the person who loves him most...he should know better than to think she just won't notice.

Meanwhile, the same plot thread brings Julian face-to-face with his longtime nemesis Section 31. I'm anxious to see how *that* pans out. While I find Section 31 fascinating, I do hope they get their comeuppance for attempting genocide, and I sincerely hope that we get some sort of acknolwedgement that the Federation itself won't stand for such tactics. It seems they're going to graft the Chief onto this plotline as well though I don't know what he can contribute as an engineer. At least he's not embroiled in yet another Torture O'Brien episode.

Although I missed Weyoun, and Damar was more cardboard that usual, I'm *loving* this Winn/Dukat stuff. Now that she knows who he is, their dynamic is infinitely more interesting than when she thought he was some Bajoran farmer. She can't tell anyone who he is and so she has to keep associating with him if she wants to free the Pagh-Wraiths. Dukat finds the tables turned on him as the Kai, whose conversion he engineered, kicks him out on his butt...because she's the only one who can read the book, he needs her desperately but she could take or leave him. I love it, she's so ruthless. Pleading with security to find Solbor after she sticks a knife in his back and smiling evilly after throwing Dukat to the wolves.

Finally, we have this Klingon chest-thumping. While I can't get enough of Martok and I like Gowron too, it's awfully late to be introducing a Klingon political plot. It's not out of nowhere and it fits surprisingly well, it just seems extraneous. Thankfully, by the previews it looks to be resolved for the most part next week.

Overall, intrigued by the new plotlines, don't miss the ones that are over, grateful that Odo, Julian and Kira aren't still languishing by the wayside and dying to know what happens next (even though I already know, I'm so spoiled it's not even funny).

Rating: 7.5

Memorable Quote:

"I need to...borrow a cup...of goo." --Julian, to Odo

"I expected that my Bajoran prisoners would be dealt with justly...but I soon learned that Cardassians have little interest in justice." --Odo

Worf: He plays with *toys.*
Ezri. It's a *model.*
Worf. With little figures!

Classic Scene:

The runabout scene where Odo learns of his illness is a classic piece of understatement. Very little is said during the scene, but everything is understood. His grim determination to continue and not show weakness, and Kira's horror and anxiety...both are very clear though never voiced.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"Damar and Garak? This should be an interesting mission." --Kira...there's a mental image I didn't need.

The O/K Status Report

By the expression on her face, the news of Odo's illness upsets Kira a great deal. When Rusot makes rude comments about him, she nearly takes the guy's head off...and her subsequent tantrum in the supply room is played as not just a reaction to Rusot, but as a pressure release from anxiety about Odo. She very nearly says so, but at the last minute just complains about the heat. They're not discussing it, but it's clear that they're both thinking about it. I gotta admit I got a little smile out of hearing Rusot refer to Odo as Kira's "lover" in front of everyone, though. :-)

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