‘IN THE CARDS’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is the penultimate episode in Season 5 of ‘DS9’! Things are starting to build up towards a dramatic climax in the season finale and it’s clearly indicated in what is considered a comedic tale. 🙂
In the episode, everyone seems depressed including Sisko, Odo, Kira, Bashir, O’Brien and Worf. Don’t know where Dax is mind. The prospect of war with the Dominion seems to be inevitable here.
Sisko’s son Jake is determined to cheer his father up. Actually, as I think of it, the DS9 crew being depressed in this tale makes me think of people depressed during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. 😀
Anyway, Jake hears that a 1951 Willie Mays rookie card is going for sale at Quark’s upcoming auction. He hopes to buy it during the auction in order to cheer his baseball-loving father up. Nice. 🙂
How hard can it be, right? Don’t count your chickens, Jake! 😀 It was funny when Jake enlisted Aron Eisenberg as Nog’s help to acquire the card. Nog gets annoyed once Jake blackmails him in this tale.
During the auction, it should be successful for Jake and Nog to acquire the card until Brian Markinson as oddball Dr. Elias Giger buys the lot which includes the card. Oh deary me! Bad luck, Jake. 🙁
I was reminded of that auction-taking during the ‘Laurel & Hardy’ short film ‘Thicker Than Water’. I could easily hear “What are you bidding against me for?” “Well, you’re bidding against me!” here. 😀
Jake and Nog try to buy the card off from Giger but he’s not interested. Eventually, Giger offers to give the card to Jake in exchange for a strange assortment of equipment to construct a strange chamber.
The chamber happens to be a ‘celullar regeneration and entertainment chamber’, which Giger believes will grant immortality. Again, I’m hearing echoes of L&H’s ‘Dirty Work’ short film in this tale.
Privately, Jake and Nog think Giger is crazy – or ‘screwy’ as Ollie would say. 😀 They agree to his offer however and start to obtain the required materials by doing various odd jobs for various DS9 crew. 🙂
This includes Chief O’Brien, Dr. Bashir, Major Kira and Lt. Commander Worf. I found it funny when Nog stole Bashir’s teddy bear back from Chase Masterson as Leeta who was keeping it at the time. 🙂
That must’ve been when Bashir and Leeta were dating before Leeta fell in love and got engaged to Rom. Jake is determined to keep the baseball card gift a surprise, not revealing it to anybody else. 😐
Nog gets concerned about Jake’s obsession. Whilst all of this is happening, Louise Fletcher as Kai Winn comes to see Sisko about a proposed non-aggression pact between Bajor and the Dominion. 😐
Winn is torn since she doesn’t wish for Bajor to align with the Dominion but isn’t sure she can trust the Federation to defend her planet during a war. Sisko recommends Winn stalls for time in the tale.
The non-aggression pact between Bajor and the Dominion becomes significant, especially in the next episode. This episode also features Jeffrey Combs back as Weyoun, the Dominion’s Vorta negotiator.
It’s slightly amusing that Weyoun tries to be overly friendly and polite whilst Sisko can’t stand the sight of him. Kai Winn also points out to Weyoun that she and he aren’t alike when he mentions it. 😐
Weyoun also has his guest quarters above Dr. Giger’s, becoming suspicious of the noises downstairs caused by Giger’s equipment. Later on, Jake and Nog find Giger’s room empty as well as him gone. 😮
It does get pear-shaped when Jake and Nog accuse Winn of kidnapping Dr. Giger, earning a reprimand from Sisko. The two boys are soon unexpectedly beamed onto Weyoun’s Jem’Hadar ship.
Weyoun is curious about Jake and Nog’s relationship with Giger. Thankfully, Jake and Nog manage to get themselves out of a tight spot. After all the trouble they’ve gone to, Jake gets that baseball card.
The story ends with Sisko getting the card from Jake and being happy. Also the crew’s moods have improved, thanks to Jake and Nog’s efforts. Though Leeta’s curious where Bashir’s teddy bear went.
‘In the Cards’ is a nice ‘DS9’ episode to sit down to. It starts the closure of Season 5 pretty well. Things however are bound to get grim once the fate of DS9 is at risk and soon war is about to begin.
Incidentally, Michael Dorn directed this ‘DS9’ episode. This happens to be the first of three ‘DS9’ episodes he directed. I think Michael Dorn does a good job being the director of this certain episode.
‘In the Cards’ rating – 8/10
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