In the twenty-fifth and penultimate episode of the third season of Deep Space Nine, THIS IS COOL AS HELL. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
I LOVE SO MANY THINGS IN “FACETS,†Y’ALL.
Nog
Y’all, the main plot and the subplot are EQUALLY AS SPECTACULAR. I had mentioned a few episodes that I really wanted an update about Nog, and “Facets†gives it to me in the best way possible. We get to see Nog using a Holosuite in order to prepare himself for the qualification test. The writers also make sure to touch on Quark’s continued disgust with Nog for choosing to join Starfleet, but in this episode, it’s taken way further than I expected. Most of the story focuses on Nog and his anxieties, which is great. He’s adorable, and I loved seeing his enthusiasm and dedication.
But it’s Rom who shines best in this episode. My god, watching him confront Quark was LIFE-GIVING. It’s also such a victorious scene because someone needed to tell Quark to let Nog make decisions all on his own. It’s not that he publicly disagreed with him that was so bad; he purposefully sabotaged Nog. He nearly took the opportunity away from him out of some petty, misguided attempt at keeping Nog where he “belonged.†So I found it incredibly cathartic to watch Rom stand up for his son and assert himself. It was a long time coming.
Zhian’tara
Until the appearance of Joran, there really wasn’t a conflict in “Facets.†Instead, the writers focused on showing us the experience of Jadzia meeting each of her seven previous hosts. (Minus that one from season two, which is fair since he wasn’t a host for very long.) It’s such a cool concept all by itself, so I’m pleased that the show did what they could to show us the entire thing. It provided the cast a chance to play new characters, which was an utter delight. And they all clearly had a lot of fun with it! Beyond that, though, we get a chance to understand how each of these hosts contributed to the character that is Jadzia Dax. She is an amalgamation of each of these personalities and some of their traits, and it affects who she is in the present day. For example! I never noticed that Jadzia often stands with her hands locked behind her back. She got that from Lela Dax!
But that also means that some of the not-so-positive traits are a part of her, too. Avery Brooks got the UNREAL chance to play Joran Dax, who we hadn’t seen since earlier this season. AND HE CHANNELS JORAN THROUGH A HANNIBAL LECTER FILTER, APPARENTLY. Holy shit, I was blown away by his performance. And you know what? I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE THE CONFLICT OF THE REST OF THE EPISODE. I thought Joran would escape confinement through Sisko and would terrorize the ship. But the writers for this episode were ready to punch me in the heart again with Odo as Curzon Dax.
AND WHAT A PERFORMANCE THAT IS, TOO. Rene Auberjonois knocks it out of the park as the brash Curzon Dax. It’s so impressive that Curzon’s decision to remain in Odo comes in the final third of the episode because up to that point, my attention had not waned once. I was transfixed by “Facets,†which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Yet I loved that this twist was dependent on the characterization of both Odo and Curzon. Odo gets to experience humanity for the first time, which means he gets to eat. Sleep. Drink. Stay up way too late. BE IRRESPONSIBLE. Meanwhile, Curzon gets to live on and avoid the uncomfortable reality of Jadzia.
WHO HE FELL IN LOVE WITH DURING HER INITIATION, SO HE FLUNKED HER. Oh my god, that is so awkward and horrible. It did make me wonder if these other memories could be actively hidden from the living host, since Jadzia had never been able to access the truth. That’s not really addressed, but I’m guessing that once Curzon found out that Jadzia would be getting Dax, he did what he could to make sure she’d never know.
I’m glad that this source of anxiety is finally addressed, though. We’ve seen how it affected her the past three seasons, and now, she’s got closure. She knows that she wasn’t inadequate and that she’s a worthy host for Dax. THIS IS SUCH GREAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, Y’ALL.
The video for “Facets†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be Death Note and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
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