Comments on: Retro Review: Shadowplay

By: Seventhbeacon

Seventhbeacon — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 06:10:00 +0000

Loved this episode! Thank you for the review. I’m pretty much in agreement with it and the comments too! This is one of those that I appreciated more in repeated viewings than when it originally aired. Granted, I was in my Freshman year of high school at the time?

By: Robert Clements

Robert Clements — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Maybe. Later on, the DS9 writers would create some classic A- & B- episodes wherein the parallel stories mirrored each other (think of the twin definitions of Explorers, Heart of Stone & [Treachery,] Faith & the Great River) but they did plenty of episodes – before & afterwards – following the traditional approach of simply cross-cutting between two unrelated stories. Mostly i can remember them – the quest for the Cardassian voles in Playing God, for eg – but not this one

Perhaps it simply isn’t very good. Not all stories are gems

By: hostile_17

hostile_17 — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:08:00 +0000

You know, I had the exact same thing… I remembered the holograms, nothing else. I guess the ‘else’ could have happened at any time.

By: Guest

Guest — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 02:12:00 +0000

“If they’d spent two hours shouting about the interpretation of prophecy and then kissed, I’d be more inclined to think they were a great couple.”

I’m glad you weren’t writing for television.

By: Robert Clements

Robert Clements — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:58:00 +0000

I love the writing on DS9 but the writers had some odd blindspots. The chemistry between Kira & Quark is always great – i wonder if that will translate to the project Michael Dorn is putting together with Nana & Armin? – so why are the stories which pit them against each other so bad? Is there a Ferengi rule of acquisition stating that satisfaction is not guaranteed?

By: Robert Clements

Robert Clements — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:48:00 +0000

In other words, Bareil – or the actor playing him – was a drip; & the writers had no idea how to write for Jake when he wasn’t just being his father’s moppet….

Have always enjoyed this episode; but its curious how the A-story is the only one which sticks in your mind. The best A- & B-story writing (whether on DS9, MASH or the A N Other show) usually gives the second story enough room to leave some traces; but if you hadn’t reminded me of it, i wouldn’t have remembered anything which happened off the holographic world. There’s no doubt that strength of Shadowplay is way you see the transformation of the old, grouchy Odo into his mature Pierrot le Fou. Both are on duty in this episode – Pierrot with Taya (& Dax at times), Dirty Odo with Rurigan – & it reminds you how far Rene & the writers have taken this character since Emissary… & foreshadows how far they will take it before they get to What You Leave Behind

Thanks

By: Sabrecliff28

Sabrecliff28 — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:30:00 +0000

I thought the B-story (Kira vs. Quark) was the weakest of the three in this episode. It was easy to tell that Quark had something to do with Bariel’s presence on DS9 (when you see that very smug look on his face when the couple walk out of their first scene together). Add the fact we don’t really see anything (Quark’s cousin is never actually seen nor is Kira’s apprehension of the criminal). All we have here is an exchange of dialogue with Kira rubbing it in on Quark at the end. There’s another Kira vs. Quark B-story In the following season episode “Meridian”, but that was just as weak and predicable as this one. Thankfully, that was the last of them.