Mini Review #80: Star Trek DS9 3x5/3x6 "Second Skin" and "The Abandoned" (Patreon)

Two more really great episodes today that cemented Season 3 as a great season. I have REALLY enjoyed every episode of this season so far and these two did not disappoint. Second Skin was a surprising episode that left me speechless half the time and confused the other half. Having Kira transform into a Cardassian only for the Cardassians to say she is some secret agent working for the Obsidian order was insanely mind bending. I had no idea what to believe because we have seen Cardassians do this before. I loved how the episode gave us just enough to doubt Kira's transformation yet, gave us enough to believe her transformation. I was guessing all over the place from "this is reality" to "this must be a dream she is having while getting tortured by Cardassians". Turns out none of those were true and the real twist of the episode was actually so well done because I did not see it coming yet it made perfect sense. The fact that the Obsidian Order wanted the father, Ghemor, instead of Kira or any information she possessed blew my mind. I really like Ghemor's character in this episode and it is always so interesting to see a Cardassian that disavows the ways of Cardassia. Also interesting to see what seems like a connection to that rebellion that Quark's lover mentioned in that one earlier episode in S2. Besides that, seeing the Obsidian Order again was really cool and they were even more scary this time around. Even cooler though was Garak as he incinerates someone into dust for the second time in the show. Love that guy.

The Abandoned never reached the same thrills for me as Second Skin, but it did contain some really great characterization for the Jem'Hadar. Seeing one grow up was really interesting but moreover, the real emotion of then episode came from Odo's attempt to change this boy from a violent Jem'Hadar to one that can appreciate life in more ways than just killing. It was really cool to see Odo take on this parental role for this boy and you could see how connected Odo felt to him due to very similar life experiences. What I loved about this episode though was the fact that this boy did not change. By the end of the episode, he still craves for violence and death and sees everyone else as inferior to him. It was a great moment for the Jem'Hadar as a species because it made them even more terrifying in my eyes. This is a species that can't be reasoned with. They can't be changed and they will never see another being as equal no matter how hard you try. I also really enjoyed Jake's girlfriends subplot with her meeting Sisko. That dinner table sequence was really great and I instantly connected with her character as she talked about people judging her based on her job (people do this to me but more on the degree and profession I want to go into). Now I want to see Jake's poetry!!