Plot – Accidentally taking fire from a Jem H’adar weapon or
accidentally being mowed down by a P’ah Wraith possessed Dukat…it would seem
that whatever route the writers had taken, Jadzia Dax was doomed for an
unintentional death. How strange that one of the most vital and alive
characters of the franchise is taken out not in glorious battle but as a side
issue to the main action. Sometimes life is humbling and cruel like that.
Tongo does look rather fun and the actors certainly make it
look like it is an involved game.
Character – The ways in which Worf is desperately romantic
and cute in this episode; betting a wager on Jadzia even though she will
probably lose to Quark and stating that he would rather lose on her than win on
him, telling Jadzia to go faster through the asteroid field because it will get
their hearts racing, affectionately taking care of the wounds that the jungle
inflicts on his wife despite the fact that she lashes out at him for it,
Ways in which Jadzia is the most sensational woman in all of
Star Trek here; snogging Worf over the Tongo table with no fear of people
watching, respecting Worf’s religion enough to be quiet whilst he prays,
tossing her night dress on Worf’s head and climbing into bed naked and claiming
that she is done talking, refusing to go hiking for their honeymoon and instead
staking a claim to be pampered…and winning the argument, putting the shawl
around Worf and hugging him at night because Klingons don’t like the cold, trying
to make light of the fact that she is clearly dying,
The truth is that they are both highly competent officers
and physically very capable. Being sent on a mission which is this physically
punishing makes perfect sense.
Performance – Dorn and Farrell in the moment when she sends
Worf away to complete the mission. They are heartbreakingly good.
Great Dialogue – ‘On the Enterprise I was considered to be
quite amusing’ ‘Well, that must have been one dull ship.’
‘Think of it as a challenge’ ‘That’s your obsession, Miles.
Not mine’ ‘Do it for the latinum’ ‘Nice try’ ‘Do it for the satisfaction of the
look on Quark’s face when he’s beaten at a game of Tongo by a lowly hew-mon’
‘Deal the cards.’
‘Just kiss me and go’ should be agonisingly twee but it
breaks my heart.
Production – That’s one of the better studio jungles that
Star Trek has pulled together. They often look artificial and plasticky but
David Livingston goes to some lengths to make it misty and atmospheric, full of
exotic creatures and with a light that falls down behind the trees as the day
goes on. It goes to show that with a little effort these studio sets can really
feel like they are outside. It feels like a huge spot when it is probably the
same set being shot from different angles and there are a number of crane shots
that really help sell the environment.
Best moment – The whole sequence in the runabout between Dax
and Worf where the show basically becomes a sitcom for five minutes. The
dialogue is absolutely on point, and so are the performances.
The whole episode is predictably leading up to the moment
when Worf has to choose between his wife or the mission but it is when we get
to that moment that this simple character story really pays off. The Worf of
old would have done anything rather than fail in his duty and behave
dishonourably in the eyes of Starfleet. But the Worf of DS9 has built a life
for himself, made friends, found a lover and gotten married and has a
completely different set of priorities. The tension in the moment is whether
this is still the old Worf or absolutely the new Worf, and whether Jadzia will
be sacrificed or not for his principles. I’m pleased at the answer, and I love
the payoff. Sisko chews him out in the best scene of the episode and tells him
that he will be punished professionally for his actions…but admits that had he
been in his shoes and that had been Jennifer that he would have made the same
call. It’s precisely that reason (probing character questions and real
consequences) that I love this show so much.
I wish they hadn’t done that – The subplot is cute and has
its moments but it is one of those DS9 b stories that is completely disposable,
which means you could really do without it. Bashir is about to have a year long
flirtation match with Jadzia’s successor so this our pre-reminder of his
feelings for her before she goes to set that up. Alongside that is a reminder
that Quark is a savage gambler and manipulator and isn’t afraid to throw in
some wicked psychology in order to win some money. Like I said, it’s fair
material and it’s certainly not anything I didn’t enjoy watching but all the
gold is found in the A plot this week. And this B-Plot mostly takes place in
the middle of this episode, which means that the central plot can’t pick up
much momentum. I thought that Julian was
going to be playing along and win out against Quark all along despite his
blatant manipulation, but it turns out he truly is a schmucky hew-mon. It is a
nice reminder that everybody on DS9 is either fucking or gambling though, so it
is still the best post in the galaxy.
A reason to watch this episode again – Not an episode for
your average Star Trek fan (I seem to say that a lot about DS9 a lot) but
definitely one if you enjoy character work and some real emotion in your drama.
Honestly, this would have been a more realistic episode for Jadzia to have gone
out on and it would have left Worf with some serious hang ups about the
conflict between duty and love that would have been fascinating to follow up
on. It also would have served to have been entirely about their relationship
and as an endorsement of the Dax/Worf marriage there is no finer episode and
the chemistry between Farrell and Dorn is extraordinarily fun. Dax’s death was
ultimately rather arbitrary and caught up in the arc machinations of this
show…but then it was never going to be a quiet and intimate decision like this.
And I actually rather like how she is dispatched in such a callous way because
life is sometimes unpredictable and cruel like that. This would have been the
easier path to take, but also the more touching. This my way of saying that the
episode serves as a healthy reminder of why Starfleet officers in relationships
should not go on missions together and the decision that Worf makes at the end
is entirely the right with absolutely the right consequences for his career.
It’s pretty slight in the plot department although there are still attempts to
tie this into the Dominion War and there is an amusing but absolutely throwaway
sub plot about Bashir and his feelings for Dax, which I thought had been dealt
with but needed to be brough up again because of developments soon to come in
season seven. Change of Heart isn’t going to top anyone’s list of top DS9
episodes but in its own quiet, subtle way it is telling a universal story that
anyone in a relationship can relate to. Dax and Worf are the best relationship
on DS9, and episodes like this prove why.
***1/2 out of *****
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