 |
||
 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
 |
Nothing Human Review by Steve Perry Airdate: December 2, 1998 Written by: Jeri Taylor Directed by: David Livingston Short Take: Surprisingly strong morality episode Brief Summary: Belanna is attacked by an unknown species, and the Doc must resort to a less than moral source for guidance Note: Yes, this is late. Actually, I sent this one in months again, but my blasted account never sent it through, and it got lost. So I've redone it, for your enjoyment. Review: Great episode. A real issue, an intriguing alien, and best of all, we got great character work as everyone wrestled with it. That gives the episode an added dimension, one that makes for good TV. Did the Doc delete Moset because Moset smarted off to him, or because he was being ethical? Was Tom defending the Doc because he wanted Belanna to live, or because of a higher philosophical feeling? We can't always be sure. I like that. To begin with, it's a nice premise: an alien is hurt, and needs to use someone's vital systems as a life preserver. It's a neat little scientific problem, made more interesting by the fact that the creature is sentient. Right from the start, before the ethical dilemma arrived, I was fascinated. But, of course, the medical dilemma made this episode. Maybe such "dilemma" episodes are a bit hammy to some. I only know that I loved that briefing room scene where each side went at each other, with Tom particularly fierce. We NEED good arguments like that. They are what makes Trek so different from the rest of TV. I'm inclined to think that you keep the research. Yes, it was obtained by horrific means, but in the here and now, lives must be saved. No need to add to the death toll. What makes the episode so interesting is that what was at stake was the information himself, not Moset, despite the reactions of some to Moset beng very personal. Fundamentally, the episode was about the science and not the war criminal. With that said, Moset was well done. Moset worked so well because he was ALMOST sympathetic. You couldn't tell when he was talking about the Occupation's waste if he was discussing the wasted Cardassian resources or the wasted Bajoran lives. Or simply the wasted time. Here is a man who has worked to preserve life, but why? To get the Bajorans healthy enough to be enslaved? Medical logic can be slippery: by chosing to save Belanna, you risk sacrificing another life. Is it worth it? Maybe it seems extreme to us, but it's an important point. Once you set priorities about who lives and who dies, all sorts of problems arise. One could argue that it does all feel a bit forced. The alien jumping on Belanna was somewhat cheesy, and the fact Doc couldnt hold all the exobiology information in his matrix was more than a little convenient, as was the solution to create a partner (but non-sentient!) hologram. And it was convenient that, with a shrug, the Doc and Kim decided NOT to change Moset from a Cardassian to something more... friendly. These to me are no great crimes. What WAS forced was this brand new Bajoran on the ship, who by some chance knew Moset. Seems to me that you don't need a Bajoran to identify him when one of the Maquis could just as well. It created false drama and is the biggest black mark by far again the episode. But what wasn't forced was Belanna's reaction. At first it was simple Cardassian hatred. Intriguing at first, but it would have grown old. Taylor smartly decided to make Belanna feel guilty at even accepting help. Her life being saved would mean she would be justifying Moset's research. An odd logic, but it is a logic. Some have used this as a slap to DS9: Voyager did a great Cardassian episode that DS9 didn't do. I don't buy that. DS9 ALMOST did that, but it mutated into Wrongs Darker than Death or Night, God knows how. I wouldn't be surprised if a conversation in the Hart Building created this episode. Nothing Human is outstanding; it's not so much a critique at DS9's inability to create new ideas as it is to pick those ideas correctly. Between this and Wrongs Darker, I take this without question. Some short takes: - I liked the CGI alien - exotic to ay the least. I can think of no better use of the technology. - Incidentally, someone there at Voyager must watch DS9 regularly: they got Cardassian arrogance down to a T. - Anyone wish that Moset would have hung around? Rating: A- | |
|
|
||
|
NAVIGATION PADD | ||
| ||