A good day for everyone, except Quark

Jim’s Take on Episode 2.16: “Shadowplay”

There is a lot going on in “Shadowplay.” Odo and Dax get a rare chance to team-up and solve a mystery. Kira gets to have a little love in her life, while still thwarting Quark. Jake gets a job while revealing he doesn’t want to go to Starfleet Academy. And Julian Bashir fails at being a spy. All of these stories give us great opportunities to hang with these brilliant characters and learn a little more about them. Well, maybe not Quark. His lobes must be acting up, because his weak schemes are thwarted at every turn.

First off, it has to be said that Odo is adorable. He is such an outstanding example of perfect, yet unexpected, casting. If they had gone the obvious route and cast a more traditional “tough guy” to play the part of DS9’s fierce constable, he could have been a very different character. Instead, they cast Rene Auberjonois. His Odo may seem tough and emotionless on the surface, but underneath there is clearly a timid and lonely man desperate for acceptance. He’s quick to punish a lawbreaker, but he’s a sensitive softie who instantly bonds with a cute and insightful little girl who is suffering through the loss of her mother. He may be the master of the exasperated eye roll, but he’s also the nicest guy on the station. I’m not generally one to be swayed by cute kids, but Odo’s scenes with Taya in this story are all wonderfully sweet.

Odo may seem tough and emotionless on the surface, but underneath there is clearly a timid and lonely man desperate for acceptance.

With Odo off the station, Kira has a lot on her plate. On top of all her usual duties, she has to keep an eye on Quark. While others may view Quark as a necessary evil, Kira makes it clear that she has no time for any of his nonsense: “I don’t just ‘not like you’, I despise you.” I love how excited Bashir is to be asked to help her out by “spying” on Quark while Odo is away, but he clearly does a terrible job of it, as Quark keeps plotting and Julian is never seen again. (Garak will be very disappointed in his pupil.) Kira has to run away from a hot smooching date with Vedek Bareil to bust Quark’s latest criminal enterprises on her own. At least she gets to enjoy her victory, as evidenced by her fantastic strut away from her defeated opponent. It’s also cute that Bareil thought he had some sort of chance in a sports competition with Kira. He may be a wise and insightful Vedek, but that’s a rookie mistake. I’m sure he found plenty of consolation in the smooches. 

Dax and Odo run into a mystery when they discover a quaint, isolated, Yaderan village. Even though this is a seemingly ideal society with no crime or poverty, people have been going missing for months, leaving no trace. Odo is always a detective at heart and can’t help but solve any mystery he runs into. He and Dax quickly realize that the whole village is a hologram and the computer running the program is starting to break down. This solution leads to an interesting philosophical dilemma: Are these people real? Odo makes a convincing and passionate case to their creator that they are unique individuals with hopes, dreams, and feelings, which makes them very much alive. The day is saved and Odo gets one last adorable scene with Taya, yet again making us all want to give him a big ol’ hug. 

Meanwhile, Jake is having fun times identifying isolinear rods with Chief O’Brien. When Jake reveals that he isn’t really very interested in engineering or going to Starfleet Academy, O’Brien gives him the sage advice he needs to hear. Honestly, I wish I had O’Brien in my life to offer up advice when tough calls need to be made. What Would Chief O’Brien Do? might be my new mantra. Of course, Sisko proves he is every bit as good a father as he is a commander and tells Jake, “Find something you love, then do it the best you can.”

I love these episodes where we get to spend some time with the characters on more “normal” days, just kind of dealing with life in the 24th century. Everyone had a pretty good day…except for Quark. No doubt he’ll get his lobes back in the game next time!