{"id":5786,"date":"2016-09-02T13:00:40","date_gmt":"2016-09-02T20:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5786"},"modified":"2016-08-06T21:29:52","modified_gmt":"2016-08-07T04:29:52","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s05e07-let-he-who-is-without-sin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/09\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s05e07-let-he-who-is-without-sin\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S05E07 – Let He Who Is Without Sin…"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the seventh episode of the fifth season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, Worf and Dax go on vacation, and this is so much better than you could possibly think it is. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I love this episode. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so rich and layered, a chance for the writers to talk about Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s conservatism, the challenges of inter-species and inter-cultural relationships, and the issue of mutually exclusive behaviors. I HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n

Vacation<\/b><\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all laugh at my insistence at the start of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let He Who Is Without Sin\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that this be a funny episode. It is certainly a lot more playful than most episodes of the show, and I appreciate that. I think that the tone is a perfect mix between the more serious elements and the humorous ones, especially since the two characters at the center of it represent those two dynamics. But for nearly the first half of this episode, the writers exploit the humor out of this situation, first by piling as many disparate characters into the runabout, then having each situation on Risa exacerbate Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s discomfort with the very idea of a vacation. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the great things about this episode! It openly acknowledges the chemistry Worf and Jadzia have with one another while also displaying their stark differences.<\/p>\n

Risa ends up being the perfect setting for this story, too, especially because it represents the artifical nature of enjoyment. I did find myself perplexed that the show stuck to such rigid displays of heteronormativity, though. Risa is a pleasure planet, and their whole deal is that they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t judge people for seeking out pleasure. So it seems like the perfect \u00c2\u00a0 place to show same-gender couples, even in the background! The same goes with the writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 bizarre need to define Jadzia as not being interested in someone because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a woman. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just\u00c2\u00a0silly<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0at this point, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. We already know she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s capable of it, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no rational reason for not having the Trill be pansexual or bisexual, you know?<\/p>\n

Anyway, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about Worf.<\/p>\n

Pleasure<\/b><\/p>\n

On a very personal level, there are few things I dislike more than people who truly believe the kind of logic that Fullerton (and, for a while, Worf) follows. \u00c2\u00a0I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe how many bullshit thinkpieces I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen about how our generation is going down the toilet because we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about society anymore. All we care about is Pok\u00c3\u00a9mon Go. Or the Kardashians. Or whatever new fad or trend is on the news or online, you know? There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s this awful idea that people can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be interested in two things at once. You see this in activist circles, too! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such an aggravating thing EVERY SINGLE TIME.<\/p>\n

Fullerton, of course, is an exaggerated version of this same phenomenon. He believes that a vacation is a sign of weakness. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know where to start with debunking such a terrible fucking idea. Actually, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll start with Worf, since he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guilty of it, too: YOU ARE DELIBERATELY\u00c2\u00a0REMOVING THE CONTEXT OF THESE PEOPLE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S LIVES. Worf frustratingly tries to tell Jadzia that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being frivolous, and I just wanted to reach through the screen and slap him. Did he forget all of his time with her since the start of last season??? And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what irks me the most. How do Fullerton and his followers know that these people aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t prepared? He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s invading a space meant to provide people with a\u00c2\u00a0temporary<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0respite. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like people are moving to Risa en masse to escape their duties and responsibilities. They relax, they experience pleasure, and then they go home to their lives and jobs and I HATE THAT I EVEN HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS. IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS.<\/p>\n

Justification<\/b><\/p>\n

Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I love SO MUCH that this episode gets intensely personal because there\u00c2\u00a0was<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0a point where I wanted to call foul. Worf is stubborn and loves traditional Klingon culture. This is nothing new. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got over eight full seasons of characterization that points to this. Now, as I said in the video, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not often a fan of the kind of origin story thing that happens here, but I\u00c2\u00a0adored<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s explanation as to why he is so reluctant to break loose and act more like the Klingons we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen over the years. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sad part of his past, but holy shit, it fits so well. Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reluctance came from guilt over accidentally killing a young boy during a moment of bliss. NO WONDER HE ASSOCIATES PLEASURE WITH DISHONOR AND NEGATIVITY. Oh my god, do you realize how much this explains? And not just for this episode, though his behavior here is given the reasoning that was sorely lacking the whole time.<\/p>\n

It was also obvious that he adored Jadzia, yet he refused to compromise on nearly anything she offered. Surely, he knew that was a bad thing, right? So now it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy for me to imagine that he\u00c2\u00a0always<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0knew he was pushing Jadzia away since her carefree nature reminded him of the last time\u00c2\u00a0he<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0got to be carefree. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just sad that at the end of the day, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get to see Worf in that precious golden speedo. LIFE IS TOO CRUEL, I GUESS.<\/p>\n

Deep Space Nine<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0has been on fire, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. The show just keeps impressing me. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR IT.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let He Who Is Without Sin\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\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":"