Good grief - are we this far already?

I've got to play catch-up big time :)

Coming on the back of 'Duet', we get another amazing episode, and another amazing guest appearance, this time by Oscar winner Louise Fletcher as Vedek Winn. Not even Cakehole O'Brien can ruin this, although having said that, Rosalind Chao gives what is probably her best performance as Keiko in this one.

A nice look at religious and political fundamentalism. Winn's brand of Bajoran fundamentalism doesn't look too nice, but the purely scientific attitude of Keiko gets a bit of a roasting too, as her attitudes are just as solid and closed minded as Winn's.

I know not everyone likes the Bajoran spiritual/political aspects we often see on the show, but I do as it's handled very well, full of intrigue and wheeler-dealing. Good stuff. The look at the wrangling involved in looking to become a spiritual/religious leader is quite topical at the moment, what with the upcoming Vatican shennanigans. I hope the Papal succession isn't as spiteful and bloodthirsty as that of the Kai!

Andrew (HM) :upside:

Another enjoyable episode :)

A good performance from Louise Fletcher as Vedek Winn and from a personal view point I liked the political aspect of the story.

Not a traditional 'cliff hanger' ending to the series but very good nonetheless :)

The introduction of one of the show's great nastys! :lol:

I always found the character of Winn to be bordering on the irritating, but never quite overstepping the mark. The political side of DS9 is another of its cornerstones and it's superbly kicked off here.

Cakehole gets some quality onscreen time, which may be good or bad dependent on your opinion of the character. I must admit, I didn't quite get what her problem was with the whole 'wormhole/celestial temple' thing. Why couldn't she just teach both philosophies, the scientific and the religious? Seemed to me like that would be an easy way out of the situation she ended up getting hersef in :shrug:

Fantastic finale, sets things up nicely for next season.

Q: Why is Quark worried about his latest business deal?

A: Because it's in the hands of the profits...

:ph43r:

Sorry, just thought of that :rolleyes: :whistling:

Anywaaaaay...

Another cracker. Louise Fletcher always gives me the creeps, ever since One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, so she's a perfect choice for this role. I just want to kick her every time she "forgives" someone for not agreeing with her, an intent on the writers' part that works superbly. Quite curious to how Kira put it all together and confronted her about it and yet Winn was allowed to walk away :shrug:

Totally agree with Andrew about the close-mindedness. At one point it actually seems that Winn was being quite reasonable. All Keiko had to do was delay teaching about the wormhole and allow Sisko and co to find a solution, but she says "no" there and then and the situation spirals out of control, playing straight into Winn's hands.

Which brings about Vedek Bareil's arrival. I like his first conversation with Sisko and his appreciation of the politics of the situation. I also like his arrival on the station and the way he stops Winn grabbing hold of his ear :lol:

The seeming B story - that turns out to be far more - is also very good. It leads you down the path of thinking it's just going to be O'Brien dealing with the attentions of Neela and then turns into something else completely. I like the way that, between them, O'Brien, Dax and Odo get to the bottom of the mystery, and in a very logical fashion, too :thumbsup:

The blowing up of the school is a shock, especially because it happens off screen, which is very clever. The assassination sequence is also very good, although I think the slow motion last a bit too long.

I get so fed up with season-ending cliffhangers, largely because the next part rarely lives up to the promise, that it's a pleasure to see a finale that manages to be self-contained whilst still setting things in motion for the following year.

Excellent :thumbsup:

Pretty sure DS9 never actually had a bonafide cliffhanger as such. Most finales tended to be self-contained whilst setting certain things up for the beginning of next season.

I guess the obvious exception to that may be the end of season 5.