60. Heart of Stone

Summary

Kira and Odo, on their way home from a conference, chase a Maquis raider onto an unstable moon where Kira soon finds herself trapped inside a crystal which proceeds to grow while Odo frantically tries to find a way to keep her spirits up and free her before the crystal covers her completely. Having exhausted all the options, Kira orders Odo to leave her there. He refuses and when she demands why, he admits that he is in love with her. She replies that she feels the same way, which leads Odo to deduce that she's an imposter...whereupon she reveals herself to be the female Changeling from The Search. She wanted to test Odo's loyalty to the solids and so planned to let him think Kira had died. Odo frees the real Kira and they return home, but he doesn't tell her how he discovered the deception. Meanwhile, on the station, Nog persuades Sisko to provide him with a letter of recommendation to Starfleet Academy.

Analysis

"Heart of Stone" is a much-beloved episode, with good reason. Many outstanding DS9 episodes are two-character studies, such as Duet and Necessary Evil (the latter being the same twosome involved here), and this claustrophobic, time-pressured setting lends itself to the kind of wrenching revelation that it inspires. Unfortunately it's only as wrenching for the audience on the first viewing...all subsequent viewings are colored by our foreknowledge of the ending, which is quite a surprise the first time around. The conversations between Odo and "Kira" are very open and interesting, which is a testament to the depth of their friendship, at least from Odo's point of view...several elements have become fanfic touchstones, especially Odo's story of how he got his name and his revelation that he enjoys kayaking in the holosuites with the Chief. The B-plot is serviceable, if a bit distracting, and did lead to more interesting developments for Nog.

Rating: 9.0

Memorable Quote:

Odo: No, I won't leave you!
"Kira:" Why?
Odo: Because...I'm in love with you.

Classic Scene:

The teaser, which finds Odo mildly miffed at Kira for neglecting to consult him about a dinner invitation, is definitely a classic scene and an example of what would soon become a familiar pattern of gender-role-reversal in the Odo/Kira relationship.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"I don't suppose there's any way to speed things up?" --Kira

The O/K Status Report

Gosh, where to start. "Heart of Stone" is definitely one of the top five key episodes in the development of this relationship so far (the other four probably being Necessary Evil, Crossfire, Children of Time, and His Way) This was the first time Odo had actually admitted his own feelings, even though they had been alluded to by Lwaxana Troi in Fascination. His pain coming off the runabout and evading Kira's questions about how he discovered the subterfuge is palpable, as much as Kira's obliviousness is maddening...as it would often be.

Special Alerts

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