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Sons and Daughters Airdate: Week of
October 13th, 1997
Written by: Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
Directed by: Jesus Salvador Trevino
In short: A slight disappointment. A show that has strong ideas and characterizations, but can never overcome the fact that the issues it deals with are much bigger than the show itself. (Did that make sense?)
Brief Summary: Alexander joins the crew of the Rotarran, but struggles to gain acceptance. Though he is an inept warrior at best, Worf does in the end accept him into the House of Martok. Meanwhile, Ziyal returns to the station to find Kira and Dukat with irreconcilable differences.
Review: "Sons and Daughters" has a title worthy of a Russian novel, and in many ways its melodramatics were worthy of a Russian novel too. Being a fan of Russian novels, I had very high expectations as a result, and in many ways I wasn't disappointed. The dialogue was often crisp, the jokes good, and the show had the feel of actual people struggling with issues that aren't black and white.
But that in a sense was also the show's problem. "Sons" bit off more than it could chew. The issues were too complex for one show. It tried to lay out Worf as a deadbeat dad, Alexander as a rebellious teen, Martok as the wise advisor, Dukat and Kira as eternal foes, and Ziyal as the naive idealist all at once. For the most part, it succeeded in doing those things. But with all those balls in the air, it was hard to juggle an actual story along with them as well, and that is where "Sons" fails.
You might think I'm just complaining about the plot because so little of the war itself was dealt with, and you'd be partly right. You may think it unfair to hold the burden of expanding the war arc on "Sons," but I think it applies. We have six episodes to focus intently on one issue for once, and this one seemed almost intentionally tossed out the window. The show made me think of in many ways the Minbari Civil War in B5. Both Alexander and the threat of inter-caste war were issues brewing beneath the surface of their respective shows that happened to pop up at the least convenient time. As a result, both seemed like tossed in filler, and were handled in less time than they deserved. Simply on premise, a show just about Martok and Worf would have been stronger here, even if it mirrored in many ways last season's fairly strong "Soldiers of the Empire." That way, we could have focused on the war itself, while also dealing with honor and other wonderful things.
More intrinsic to the show itself, the plot itself seemed resolved, but not really. I'm still unsure as to what to think of the steps leading to the conclusion of the Alexander story. Alexander locked himself in, which makes sense for him in a bizarre teenagerish way, but how does that lead to him gaining acceptance? Something seemed missing. Cliched as it may seem, Alexander doing something daring to sacrifice himself for the ship (but surviving, of course) would have worked better here, for it would have connected his struggles to gain acceptance with his joining the Martok family.
The end may have been lacking, but I felt the story itself had several nice touches. Alexander had some excellent dialogue, both with Worf and Martok, as well as in the fight scene. His motives were appropriately mixed for his age, with him wanting to do something extreme, partly out of spite and partly out of loyalty. War is the perfect (yet most dangerous) sort of thing a young person with that type of attitude can toss himself into, since by doing so he is bound to receive attention he craves. I didn't find his behavior inconsistent with what we saw in TNG, because back then he decided to not become a warrior to spite his dad, and here he is becoming one for that same reason. Overall, I thought Alexander was well written, and I look forward to seeing him and Mark Worden in the future.
Worf's and Martok's characterizations were well done as well. Martok seemed like a commanding officer here, quick with decisions, concerned for his crew, yet open to his own prejudices, as seen in his lack of sympathy toward Alexander. One scene in particular I liked was Martok's speech to the recruits, especially about how the histroy of the war would be written in their blood. Very Klingon.
Another thing I found particularly interesting was Martok's comment about Worf's private nature, and how that sets him apart from most Klingons. He is indeed quite reserved and stubborn. That comment perfectly illustrates to me the show's approach to characterization. Worf does have flaws, and he was wrong for what he did to Alexander. I like it when the writers point things like that out. These people aren't perfect, and are apt to do something terribly selfish like Worf did to Alexander.
Worf tried to make up for his mistake by protecting Alexander. Once again, we have the Klingon who isn't, secure in his belief that he understands the Klingon way yet acting all too human in impulse situations. His breaking up the fight was the best example of this. The Klingon rowdie's comment to Alexander about his being the son of the esteemed first officer was a good example of others viewing Worf in this fashion. So, overall, we had some very solid portrayals of some very mixed up people.
The other half of "Sons" is the "Daughters," and I thought it worked extremely well, even if nothing truly came of it. Ziyal was both well-written and well-acted here, a combination that usually doesn't happen with her. I can sympathize with her. She is young, and her natural instinct is to think of the world as a place where everyone can get along, despite how she herself was treated at the university. Compare her to Kira, who is harsh and realistic, and we see how naive she truly is. This is sad in a sense. Ziyal's view of the world is how it ought to be, not how it is, and I fear she will face consequences for holding the beliefs she does before it is over.
This is further reflected in her view of her father. Alexander thinks he loathes Worf, while Ziyal has convinced herself that she loves her father the despot, despite the fact he's tried to kill her twice. We have no explanation why this is so - it could be she has no one else to turn to - but we do see the consquences. Dukat used the dress (if the petty Dukat was ever summed up in one scene, it was that one) to win her affection and he is using her success to boost his own ego. I fear he will use her even further and it will result in tragedy.
Kira, as with Worf in the other plot, was not painted in a good light here. It wasn't her initial acceptance of Gul Dukat's gift, which seemed unrealisitc, that got me, but her constant bickering, her almost selfish refusal to deal with Ziyal when Dukat was around, that really surprised me. I wish this had led to something, and I hope it eventually will. As with the other half of the episode, the characterizations were very good, but the story itself had trouble finding focus.
My only other complaint with the episode was the so-called resistance cell. Adding Jake to the ring makes sense. Having Jake blab about it at Quark's did not make sense. Instead of having a get-together, why not have them talk about what they're actually going to do? Judging by next week's preview, this "resistance" doesn't get too far before Odo betrays them. I'd like to see something before it is stamped out.
It's not bad having an episode about nothing in the grand scheme of things. A story just about the characters, without having the galaxy saved at the same time, can work very well. In a sense, much of "Sons and Daughters" rests on what will be done with Alexander and Ziyal in the future. I just hope future installments of the two youths continue the good characterization, and bring also to the table a true sense of resolution as well.
Some short takes:
- Allright. I've been wanting for sometime for a shot of Cardassian ships trying unsuccessfully to break up the minefield. Give me just one FX shot, please.
- The Worf/ Dax stuff wasn't terrible. I've actually growing fond of Farrell's acting. Please don't hold that against me. I do hope, however, that we'll see more of their relationship than lovey-dovey talk and Dax playing practical jokes (though the thought of her putting a laxative in the ceremonial targ is worth a shot.)
- A general complaint. I hate battle scenes that drag on. Enemies do not take convenient breaks that allow you to talk. Every sci-fi show has this problem, but I wish DS9 would be the one to do something about it.
Someone review the tape and tell me if they think the symbol on the strategy map next to the Cardassian one could be the symbol of the Dominion.
The Klingons must get their cargo ships from the same people the Cardassians get theirs from.
Cardassia gave Bajor more replicators than the Federation gave Bajor! ("For the Cause")
Writing: The dialogue itself was quite good, but the story needed some sort of punch.
Acting: Surprisingly good from Worden and Smith.
Directing: Nothing special.
Rating: 7.9 out of 10.0
Quote:
Kira: "What time?"
Dukat: "Um, 2130 - unless I am unavoidedly delayed."
Kira: "Ah, the busy life of an interstellar despot."
Next week: Odo melts under pressure
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