{"id":5742,"date":"2016-08-01T13:00:02","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T20:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5742"},"modified":"2016-08-01T10:58:57","modified_gmt":"2016-08-01T17:58:57","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s04e22-for-the-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/08\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s04e22-for-the-cause\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S04E22 – For the Cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-second episode of the fourth season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, this is NOTHING BUT PAIN. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a pervasive, almost sickening dread throughout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153For the Cause.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d As the evidence against Kasidy mounts higher and higher, I kept assuming the worst, right up until the worst\u00c2\u00a0actually happened<\/i>. I WOULD LIKE THIS NOT TO BE THE CASE, but alas, here we are. LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S DISCUSS.<\/p>\n

Kasidy Yates<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear now that both plots in this episode are meant to mirror each other. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re each about paranoia, suspicion, trust, and loyalty, though they end up in completely different places. At the start of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153For the Cause,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d however, I\u00c2\u00a0didn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0assume the worst. I figured that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d get a story about mistaken identity or miscommunication. Perhaps Kasidy had been set up or was a dupe! Everything would be fine, right?<\/p>\n

I theorized this for a number of reasons. The Kasidy\/Sisko relationship was still fairly new, and we hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen her for a while. We also hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had a Maquis episode in a while, and I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think of them as much of a threat to\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well,\u00c2\u00a0anything<\/i>. But I suppose that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point, and in hindsight, this episode addresses how these things had been folded into the background of the narrative. The Maquis are still trying to survive, their struggle still persists, and the Federation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s flaws still matter. The complicated political fabric of this part of the quadrant informs much of what we see here, too, from the Cardassian desperation to the Federation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s need to constantly expand its membership.<\/p>\n

And on top of all of this, the script makes this story intensely personal. It would have been bad enough to learn that longtime characters were willing to betray Sisko (more on that in a bit), but the fact that the show chose\u00c2\u00a0Kasidy<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to secretly be Maquis all along stings more than anything else. Sisko had not seen anyone romantically since Jennifer, and his relationship with Kasidy has felt so\u00c2\u00a0unique<\/i>. AND PERFECT. LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S JUST SAY THAT BECAUSE IT TOTALLY IS. Good relationships are based in trust, too, so that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why this hurts as much as it does! Sisko is trapped between his duty as a Starfleet officer and his need to treat Kasidy in good faith. Does he allow Odo and Eddington to do their jobs, even if it means distancing Kasidy in the process?<\/p>\n

My guess \u00e2\u20ac\u201c since this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t vocalized at any point \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is that Sisko couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that Kasidy was lying by omission this entire time. He takes that personally. And why shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he? He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the commander of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, and if Odo and Eddington\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suspicions are correct, then that means that\u00c2\u00a0not only<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0did he allow a Maquis smuggler onto his station, but he entered a relationship with her. THAT STINGS. A LOT. And yet, I kept this tiny sliver of hope alive because I wanted so badly for this to end well. Maybe Kasidy was being forced to drop off medical supplies and food to the Maquis!!! Maybe there was some extenuating circumstance!!! Maybe she found it morally just to provide those supplies to help out a suffering group even if she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a part of them!!!<\/p>\n

Nope. Kasidy is Maquis, and so is\u00c2\u00a0Eddington<\/i>. In some sense, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a real weird twist because I cannot see a single clue to this in the past episodes. I suspect it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t planned at all and instead, the writers more or less decided to change these characters\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 arcs. However, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m utterly for it when it comes to Eddington because of that blistering monologue he gives at the end of the episode. Maybe I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember little hints along the way, but lord, who cares when it allows\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to level such an intense criticism against the Federation? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a satisfying moment because the show finally states, in a definitive and undeniable way, that the Federation is not paradise for everyone. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always been told about it, explicitly in\u00c2\u00a0The Original Series<\/i>, quite frequently throughout\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>, and near the beginning of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>. But none of the other series have ever been able to be as critical of the Federation quite like\u00c2\u00a0DS9<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0has, and I appreciate it. I appreciate it so much because\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is how this show manages to separate itself from the pack. The writers give nuance to the Maquis by showing us why people would willingly choose to leave a utopia.<\/p>\n

Because it<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a utopia for them<\/i>.<\/p>\n

As for Kasidy? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say this twist is nonsensical. She is a deeply empathetic and political person. I can see why she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d sympathize with the Maquis and even why she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d choose to join them. Her betrayal of Sisko is a lot harder to stomach, but she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a complicated person who has an entire life outside of that man, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never been more obvious than now. Her return at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153For the Cause\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at least demonstrates her willingness to hold herself accountable and to stay in Sisko\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life. I desperately hope she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll return, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how the show will deal with that.<\/p>\n

I ALREADY MISS HER.<\/p>\n

Ziyal<\/b><\/p>\n

Like the main plot in this episode, Garak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trust of Ziyal is the focus of his story. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a history with Gul Dukat, so\u00c2\u00a0any<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0interaction with his daughter would be laced with complications. Can he trust her? Can he trust Dukat? Is he just being paranoid? In many ways, this plot was more of a humorous break than anything else, especially that scene with Quark and Garak in the shop. Is Garak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suspicion justified?<\/p>\n

Unlike the ending to the Kssidy plot, Ziyal comes clean about her intentions, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no insidious plot at work in her invitation for Garak to join her in a holosuite. Truth be told, both these characters are largely alone, separated from their people and their culture, unable to return, and Ziyal just wants\u00c2\u00a0company<\/i>. She wants someone who can tell her what her home is like. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a pretty cool thing that she can find that in Garak.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153For the Cause\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.<\/b>
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! 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":"