{"id":5916,"date":"2016-10-25T13:00:48","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T20:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5916"},"modified":"2016-10-13T10:32:52","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T17:32:52","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s05e25-in-the-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/10\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s05e25-in-the-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S05E25 – In the Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-fifth and penultimate episode of the fifth season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, JAKE IS PURE AND GOOD AND I LOVE HIM. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to love \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the Cards\u00e2\u20ac\u009d specifically because it gave me a break from the existential horror of\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not necessarily the most original or exciting episode of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so purely\u00c2\u00a0good-natured<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0that I found myself smiling the entire time. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no mystery at this point that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m obsessed with the relationship between Benjamin and Jake, and thus, an entire episode devoted to making Benjamin happy was probably always going to cheer me up.<\/p>\n

And lord, did there need to be a cheering up. The cold open of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the Cards\u00e2\u20ac\u009d set the tone, but not in a way that felt surprising. The Dominion conflict has truly become all-encompassing on this show, and after everything that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happened in the last year, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t blame these people for feeling depressed and dejected. The future is fucking GRIM, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. So \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the Cards\u00e2\u20ac\u009d works as a sort of absurd version of\u00c2\u00a0Amelie<\/i>, if you will, especially if you consider Jake and Nog as agents of happiness. Granted, the absurdity here comes from the premise: Jake and Nog try to track down a list of ridiculous supplies for a scientist who is certain he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s found a way to achieve immortality by making sure cells aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00c2\u00a0bored<\/i>. Thus, in exchange, Jake will get a rare Willie Mays rookie card to cheer up his father!<\/p>\n

And if that sounds wild, my god, the execution of it\u00c2\u00a0absolutely<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is. The writers exploit everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s preconceived notions to pile on one misunderstanding after another, leading to one hell of a confrontation between Weyoun and Jake. Yet along the way, what do Jake and Nog provide everyone? The one thing they want to be happy. They give O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Brien time off so he can disappear in the holosuites for a few hours. They get Julian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s teddy bear back from Leeta. (BEST SUBPLOT EVER, OH MY GOD.) Jake edits an agriculture speech for Kira, and Nog helps edit out distortions from Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Klingon operas. (Where is Jadzia during this episode? It was weird that she was gone.) This barter system gets them a step closer to the baseball card, and in the process, Jake and Nog unknowingly change the environment of DS9.<\/p>\n

They also get Weyoun\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention, and OH MY GOD, do I love his scene where he confronts them. Jake\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story about a time-traveling baseball player is so ludicrous, and I admired his commitment to it. I also love that Weyoun rejected it\u00c2\u00a0immediately<\/i>. BLESS. The comedy here is often a lot more muted than it could have been, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m okay with that. I like how Dr. Giger seemed legit until about sixty seconds into his monologue, and then Jake and Nog (and the audience) realized he was a disaster. CELL ENTERTAINMENT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only one serious plot in this episode, and I suspect it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a set-up for the finale. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always a delight to see Louise Fletcher on this show, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s incredible here as the legitimately frightened Kai Winn. The writers do a fine job conveying the difficult decision she must face, especially since Sisko blocked Bajaron entry into the Federation. So how can you choose between certain death or certain occupation? Neither option seems appealing at all, so Sisko offers up the only advice he has: stall. Keep the options open until Bajor is forced to make a decision.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I imagine that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gonna happen in the next episode. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M NOT READY.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the Cards\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.<\/b>
\n– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"