Plot – As soon as Kira gets a message saying ‘that’s one’ you know exactly what we are in for. A Star Trek procedural drama with a hint of horror to add some excitement. CSI: DS9 anyone? You can add Field of Fire to that category too (I liked that one too). Ron Moore paces his story very well with some suspenseful and creepy opening acts as Kira begins to realise that her life is in danger, before introducing some old characters we know to make the deaths count. I like how Moore uses the old CSI plotting to spare those who don’t like the Bajoran religious and political episodes. Don’t like Bajoran episodes… here’s secret weapons hidden in candles, bombs going off in the station, transport malfunctions and a woman strapped in a chair having her baby surgically removed by a madman!
Kira makes a great point about how somebody can live through decades as a terrorist and countless deadly skirmishes only to be murdered years later. It’s a curious feeling of injustice that permeates the whole piece.
The argument between Prin and Kira really strikes home the atrocities that were committed on both sides of the conflict on Bajor. Like the best of Star Trek there are no easy answers here. The Cardassians were raping the planet and torturing and murdering the Bajoran people and the Bajoran terrorists were fighting back with attacks and murders of their own. People were dying on both sides and the unfortunate effect is that some people outside of the major decisions of the conflict were hurt. People like Prin. His motive is revenge but only because so many people he cared for her crippled and killed. It has unhinged him. It’s a muddy moral area of the sort that DS9 excels and Ron Moore in particular loves pushing the show towards.
All that waffle about herbs and sedatives might seem like inconsequential dialogue but cleverly it is setting up the get out clause at the climax. I’m not sure we needed Bashir to point that out in the last scene, however. Credit us with a little intelligence.
Character – Unlike most horror movies, the characters in this don’t make too many stupid moves. As soon as there is a possibility that the Shakaar resistance cell is in danger, Kira contacts the others and lets them know to keep on their guard. Odo puts appropriate security measures in place on the station. You feel Kira’s frustration at being pregnant because if she wasn’t, she would be on Bajor hunting this guy down. It’s another sensible decision that she doesn’t.
I like how Kira’s faith prevents her falling into histrionics early in the episode as others might if their former colleagues and friends were slaughtered. She is saddened by their loss but happy that they are now with their Gods. It’s not until almost 20 minutes in that she finally snaps and that is mostly because this kid inside her is murdering her back. If you ever needed to see an example of how the portrayal of women has changed in Trek since the sixties watch Kira beat the crap out of two security guards heavily pregnant as she rushes to try and save her friends. And how the baby doesn’t prevent her hunting down this psychopath at the climax for the deaths he has perpetrated.
Performance – How warm and wonderful are the performances of the actors who play Lupaza and Furel in just that single scene. It makes their deaths hurt.
If you ever want a perfect demonstration of how to perform Star Trek style of acting in a naturalistic and absorbing way then check out Nana Visitor’s scene where she recounts how she joined the Shakaar resistance cell. It’s a beautiful piece of acting and the camera is complicit, getting closer and closer and giving Visitor no choice but to emote. I swear they are real tears.
I get why people might object to the overly theatrical turn of Randy Oblesby as Prin but I was brought up in a household where countless programmes were watched featuring British actors of the stage giving it their all and so this is a style of acting that I am very much accustomed to. What I love is how much he goes for it, refusing to hold back the extremes of emotion that this man is feeling and pulling off a genuinely disturbing, unhinged personality. His dialogue is overdone at times but that doesn’t stop the actor, he just delivers it as richly as possible.
Production – We get to see what can go wrong if a transporter malfunction can occur and the result is a disturbingly charred corpse. Vejar isn’t shy in getting the camera up close and personal, if only for a moment. You’ve got to love how Bashir is examining the corpses as if there is something he can do about it. It’s burnt to a crisp and smoking.
There’s a highly atmospheric sequence where Kira is hunted in the O’Brien’s quarters and when you turn the lights down completely you realise just how moody those DS9 sets are.
Best moment – Ron Moore is one of the shows best writers when it comes to the Dax and Worf relationship (You Are Cordially Invited, Change of Heart) and their small but very funny scene here perfectly encapsulates why he is so good at capturing their sexual chemistry and witty combativeness.
Worst moment – ‘You were all guilty and you were all legitimate targets!’ says Kira, contradicting the realisation she made in Duet.
I still don’t know why nobody asks Kira what on Earth she is talking about in the final scene. Perhaps the result of an overdose of sedative is that you end up talking in metaphor.
I wish they hadn’t done that – No Shakaar? Of all the episodes that he should be a given in, his absence here is keenly felt.
A reason to watch this episode again – This is probably one Trek’s better horror riffs and it still isn’t perfect so it probably goes to show how well they mastered that genre. Revulsion, Empok Nor, The Haunting of Deck Twelve, Genesis, Impulse…they are all shows with atmospheric productions and very few brain cells. The Darkness and the Light at least chooses to be an intense character study of Kira and has the extra boost of the fact that she is pregnant at this point, which gives the show a real edge. And the direction by Mike Vejar is out of this world. He knows the ambiance he is trying to achieve and her gets there with an excellent score, creepy, harsh lighting, the sight of some grisly corpses and tight final act that sees some strong close ups on horrific make up. So, on a production and a character level, this is top notch. As a piece of plotting it is fine, if a little predictable. One murder, then another, and another. Kira in danger. Kira hunting down the killer. Kira finding the killer. Kira arguing with the killer. Kira killing the killer. It’s following a set of rules diligently. Moore adds some spice with the heightened and brutal conversation between Pren and Kira – it contradicts previous episodes but who cares - Kira gives this guy a true blast Nerys venom and it is glorious to watch. The Darkness and the Light is very good meat and potatoes DS9, which is a testament to the level of quality in season five.
**** out of *****
Clue for tomorrow's episode:
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