Afterimage

This claustrophobic episode focuses on Ezri's adjustment to her new circumstances and everyone else's adjustment to Ezri Dax and the casualties of the war.

The Thrill species can have joined symbiotic relationship where the symbiant outlives the host. Ezri is thus the 9th host and shares the memories and feelings of the 8 previous hosts including Jadzia who was an integral part of the station and the show for the last 6 years and the wife of Worf. This particular situation makes for some great drama trying to figure out how to interact with someone who has the memories and feelings of someone you know but that isn't that person. This is what science-fiction does best and DS9 gets Les Landau to direct actors who are as familiar as they can with their characters in the show's last season and put new wide-eyed and confused Ezri Dax (and new actress Nicole De Boer) to thread the line between this complicated situation.

Add Andrew Robinson as the enigmatic Elim Garak for character development and repartee, quirky Quark for warmth, brash Bashir for flirty friendship and bravado, as well as Avery Brooks' Sisko who not only knew Jadzia Dax but also Curson Dax, the 7th host. We have all the complexities of a great chess match and an episode that is perhaps match by "Duet" as one of the best Thrill episode ever. One of the best and most difficult episode all together when you take into account the 6 year backstory of all the characters culminating into this unspoken conflict (or conflicts).

The dialog and story are strong but the beauty is really in the nonverbal nuances, the tone, the double entendre and deeper interplay. In that sense, the episode may be for DS9 connoisseurs instead of passerby, but it still showcase strong narrative impetus. Also it elevates itself by the quality of questions it raises and the satisfying yet not quite resolved resolution.

Ezri is in search of herself, but we are glad we have found her. A great character and circumstances episodes to make Ezri Dax a solid part of the final chapter of this space saga.

The Dominion and Cardassians are involved in an all-out war with the Romulans, Klingons and the Federation. Life seems tenuous, that's for sure and at any minute the station could be attacked. So, in light of all this, "Afterimage" is a particularly frustrating and misplaced episode. Instead of deep and important topics, the main one explored here is that Ezri Dax feels unloved and unwanted by her fellow crew members as well as VERY uncertain about herself or whether she should remain on DS9. In addition, she talks about feeling space sick...which is a bit annoying. Although someone MUST have thought this would make her an endearing or interesting character, it just makes you wish that Terry Farrell had not left the show! Perhaps in a few episodes this won't be the case, but for now Nicole de Boer (Ezri) has a tough job winning over fans based on the character which was written for her. I know I sure felt frustrated by what I'd seen so far.

Apart from listening to Ezri whine and act like a little girl*, Ezri does manage to help Garak a bit using her counselor skills. Poor Garak was an abused child and she helps him gain control over his fears. Plus, his bluntness enables him to say what most fans of the show were feeling--that Ezri should 'man up', so to speak. Also, Worf continues his quest to be the most annoying and grouchy member of the crew...and he's doing a great job!

*One thing I LOVED about "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" over previous Trek shows is its female characters. In the original "Star Trek", women were mostly decorations for sexy outfits. In "Star Trek: The Next Generation", they were just annoying--with Tasha Yar being a one-dimensional angry lady who goes on and on about rape gangs, the Doctor being very inconsistently written and Counselor Troi being too, too 'touchy feely' (though she did improve a bit over time). On the other hand, Major/Colonel Kira definitely came into her own as the show progressed and Jadzia Dax was one of the best characters. Let's hope Ezri can grow into something more...but her sitting and crying in this episode is NOT a good sign for the future!

This is a predictable but enjoyable episode, with a good character introduction.

Ezri being integrated into the crew is a necessary plot and this one does it well thanks to the performances and character interactions.

The plot makes sense, particularly her struggles with identity and the reactions of other crew members. As a viewer it is weird adjusting to the character and actress change, and it creates empathy with all characters.

Interactions between her and others are pretty good, mixing drama and a bit of humour nicely. However, the arc involving Garak feels incredibly contrived. It's not the concept of what Garak is going through that feels forced, but the timing of it and how simply it resolves. Thankfully Andrew Robinson's performance lifts this aspect of the story.

Nicole de Boer is solid in the role and is acceptable as the same (but different) Dax character. Having a different role and personality to Jadzia works well and stops the change coming across as a straightforward actor replacement. She is supported perfectly by the likes of Avery Brooks, Michael Dorn, and in particular Robinson.

I hoped when Jadzia died, a new host would be found. I figured it would happen, but I didn't know what person would fill the bill. Enter Ezri who is a counselor. She is petite and very pretty. She was made a host because of unavoidable circumstances. This episode involves her integration onto the station. She has several issues. First of all, she has a devil of a time dealing with Garak's claustrophobia. He is hostile toward her and she is shy and vulnerable. Also, Bashir and Quark were carrying a torch for Jadzia who still inhabits her thoughts and memories. Worf, of course, sees her carrying his wife in her being. She has her ups and downs, but she is truly a strong woman. I hope her appearance is a good one for the series.

It's sad that after six seasons when a writer still doesn't know the characters. There are so many missed plot holes and holes in characters, you have to wonder if an amateur writing student at a local college actually wrote this episode.

Part of the blame must also go to Nicole De Boer, who seems absolutely clueless about how to play Dax. Yes, I understand that the Dax has inherited a new host in Ezri, but the years of wisdom and memories should still be intact. And yet Ezri walks around the station skittish of everything but her own shadow. And, yes, the argument that she's trying to get used to the symbiote is a stretch. How long did it take Jadzia in the first epsiode? Yeah, I rest my case.

My biggest issue, however, is how much pain Worf is in over the loss of his wife, and yet he's presented as the problem. The last episode ends with Dax walking off and saying, "Worf, we've got a lot to talk about." Really? The man LOST HIS WIFE, and this is what Dax says to him?! She can't figure out why he's avoiding her. Gee, I wonder why. So, instead, she begins avoiding him. I don't see Dax doing this. Not after being married to him and seeing how much pain he's in. No, Dax would find a way to talk to him and try to help. Instead, De Boer plays Dax like a high school girl who's afraid of being seen by the boy she actually likes.

I was also surprised that there were no scenes with Sisko and Worf. Sisko lost his own wife. He knows what it's like and how painful it is. As a writer myself, I would have definitely included some scenes between Worf and Sisko, with Sisko trying to help Worf through his pain. And, please! Worf being intimidated by Sisko is just stupid. Worf isn't intimidated by anyone, and frankly Picard could be a much tougher captain than Sisko.

This episode had so much potential, and yet it fails on most every front. The only storyline that was interesting was the one involving Garak and why he's experiencing such intense claustrophobia. That storyline keeps this episode from being a complete disaster.

I'm hoping De Boer starts getting a handle on her character as the season evolves, as she's shaping up to be the worst actor of the cast, as she clearly doesn't know her character at all. If things were going to be this bad, they should have just written off the character of Dax when Jadzia was killed.