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"It's Only a Paper Moon" Review, as always, by Steve Perry Airdate: Week of December 28, 1998 Written by: Ronald D. Moore (teleplay); David Mack and John Ordover (story) Directed by: Anson Williams Short Take: Remarkable... almost a complete waste of time Brief Summary: Yes, Nog is crazy, so he hides out in holo-Vegas. Review: "It's Only a Paper Moon" reveals everything that is interestng about DS9 and everything that is wrong with it currently. On one hand, it was such interesting concept. I can't think of another show that would have a former petty thief become soldier take refuge in a lounge singer's songs because he lost hs leg. Can you? Add in the alien characters and it becomes all the more bizarre. It's so odd, it seems hardly science fiction. In fact, it sees hardly like the DS9 I use to know. It seems intriguing, but it feels like a gimmick, too. The problem is more than that, however. "It's Only a Paper Moon" may be unique at first glance, but it was hardly original. We've seen stories of holo-addiction before. Voyager's "Alter Ego" was more relevant and simply better. The Barclay stuff was truer to what holodecks are about. Nog's story just didn't make sense on that level. I can understand his need to escape reality, though I don't think the episode did anything to show us why. It simply had Nog tell the camera he was scared. No, it's more of a question of the premise of an ensign coming home to seek treatment in a holosuite because he heard a song. The loophole in Starfleet Medical procedures was dumb, and typical of the writers slapdash approach to the show lately. For once, I'd like to see Starfleet treated as a credit governmental institution. That's a nitpick, I know, but would you want to really thrash the show? OK. The show wasn't even remotely surprising. We went 40 minutes to have a very predictable admission of fear by Nog. That's one-dimensional and not great TV, which is a shame, because the issue showed that the writers were at least concerned about following up on Nog's injury. You have to give them credit for seeking out character development, even if it is confined to one issue that's but one facet of a character who isn't even a regular. After all, they hardly follow up on anything else. The writers are going through the motions. Moore should have had a ball with a Ferengi in the Las Vegas world. Where's the mob hitting Vic up for protection money over the casino? Where's the sex and alcohol? Moore treated Vegas as Nog's dreamland and as a result created what was nothing less than a boring hour. The episode was surprisingly uninteresting. Itshould have been fun and funny to see behind the stage in Vic's life. Instead, we get a rather thin debate on letting Vic be sentient, or something like that. Of course, the only reason they bothered with the story is that Behr loves Nog and Vic. O'Brien never got a follow-up to the very powerful "Hard Time," but he's getting a rather implausible sounding one to "Honor Among Thieves" because Ira, it seems, like the movie Donnie Brasco. Unfortunately, the more power he accrues as executive producer, the worse the show has gotten. It reached what I thought was an exciting climax in "Sacrifice of Angels," had a few moments after that, but mostly stumbled and fell after that point. The reason? Ira's whims, it seems. "Odo and Kira must get together," he decrees, "and it must be in Vegas," so we get Bic and a relationship that completely ignores Odo's betrayal during the war for lovey-doveyness. It's all too typical of Behr's control. As was this episode. Both Nog and Vic are good characters in themselves. But together, taking screen time from regulars in the last season, they're nothing less than irritating. The lively Vic has become one note and Nog a whiner. Why couldn't Bashir have his leg blown off? The doctor would have become the patient, and it would have been a better story. Or JAKE, Sisko's son??? He's a regular, not Nog. My complaint isn't that the regulars aren't being use, but that they're being ignored when they could be used better than the alternative character are being used. This review is less of one of "It's Only a Paper Moon" than it is of DS9 this season. DS9, like "Paper Moon," hasn't been BAD. It at least showed an attempt at characterization and a modicum of continuity. But overall it was boring, and simply not inspired enough to be great TV. It LOOKED good, but I can't help but think that it's a waste of money. DS9 doesn't need new Vegas sets - it needs a new executive producer. Some short takes: - You know, that was a nice little bit with the movie "Shane" there. Nice touch, too bad they weren't as careful with the rest of the script. - So Jake has a girlfriend, Moesha or whatever her name is. Actually a funny episode would be the social life of the Emissary's son, but the writers would rather have Ferengi slapstick. - Rom called Nog something like "a one-legged crazy person." That has to be one of DS9's all-time worst lines, up there with Martok's comment to Worf in "Sons and Daughters" that when a son does not rspond to a father, there are family problems. - Oh, Ezri was in the episode? Yes, she became a complete idiot, had no dialogue that showed intelligence on her part, and pretty much deferred her entire workload to Vic. Thanks, Ron. - Why was there a staff meeting about Nog? Isn't there a WAR to fight? ` Rating: C+. Rankings: 1)"The Siege of AR-558" 2)"Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" 3)"Once More Unto the Breach" 4)"Shadows and Symbols" 5)"Image in the Sand" 6)"Chrysalis" 7)"Afterimage" 8)"It's Only a Paper Moon" 9)"Covenant" 10)"Take Me Out to the Holosuite" Next week: Who the hell cares | |
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