Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Arrogance In The Second Viewing: "Second Sight" Sizzles Out.


The Good: Acting, Some character development
The Bad: Plot
The Basics: An unremarkable love story that necessarily progresses the Sisko character arc while feeling like that's all it's doing, "Second Sight" is for DS9 fans only.


Part of what makes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine so legitimately great is the serialized nature of the story and the way that allows various characters to evolve over the course of the series. It is powerful in the way it establishes characters and allows the viewer the opportunity to watch them grow, suffer the consequences of their actions, and/or slowly learn life's lessons. One of the most powerful character arcs that relies on the serialization of the show is that of Benjamin Sisko, the commander of space station Deep Space Nine. In "Second Sight," the viewer revisits the concept of Sisko as widower.

Commander Sisko is strolling the promenade one night when he runs into a woman he has never seen before and the two take a walk, talk and Sisko finds himself quite enamored with her. The, she promptly disappears and Sisko has no way of finding her. His search takes a turn for the weird when Federation scientist Gideon Seyetik comes aboard the station with his experimental procedure to reignite dead stars. Seyetik's wife bears a strong resemblance to the woman Sisko met, though she has a different name and does not remember Sisko. As Sisko and Dax investigate, it becomes clear that Seyetik's wife is not all she appears and neither is the mysterious woman who keeps popping into Sisko's life . . .

The superlative piece of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Sight" is the visual effect at the end. I'm not a fan of effects; usually they're a cover for a weak storyline and/or poor character development or acting. In the case of "Second Sight" all I remembered about the episode for years, despite being an avid fan of the series, was the final sequence.

"Second Sight" is a Sisko story and in his character arc, it's an important time. He's getting over the loss of his wife and the episode opens with him realizing he's pretty much open to relationships again. Of course, having wished that, he suddenly finds himself smitten with an alien woman who has a tendency to disappear on him. If "Second Sight" were to work, it would have to be through the interpretive lens that fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer became comfortable to using. By that, I mean that fans of Buffy tended to be able to watch episodes of that series in two ways: the literal and the metaphorical. So, for example, when Buffy first makes love to Angel and he turns into a bloodthirsty vampire, viewers were also able to see this episode as a metaphor for a young woman's fears that when they lose their virginity to a guy, he'll essentially become a jerk and discard her.

"Second Sight" works best when it is viewed through a similar metaphorical lens. Sisko is afraid of getting into a new relationship, as his last true love died quite horribly (in the series premiere). As Sisko looks for new love, of course he would be afraid of the woman disappearing again, like Jennifer. In "Second Sight," he encounters and experiences that fear by falling for a woman who literally disappears. This type of stretching to interpret events is less familiar in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine setting, but it does create an interpretation that makes the episode have some redeeming quality.

The other half of the plot, with the brilliant scientist Seyetik (played wonderfully by the late Richard Kiley, before he was late, of course!) - whose name is said no less than fifteen times in the episode - has decided to top his other scientific achievements by attempting to make a dead star alive again. He is a raging egomaniac, who rubs Kira and the audience the wrong way, but his real character fault is that it's almost impossible to conceive of how someone so very successful could have absolutely no interpersonal skills. Arrogance is great, especially when it is justified, but Seyetik seems much more cruel than gifted at moments, like the dinner party with the senior officers.

It turns out that the special effects in this episode are covering a completely emotively underdeveloped character arc for the alien woman. They're also covering her bland portrayal by actress Salli Elise Richardson who has looks going for her, but not much else. The problem is, while the Sisko character arc is making important progress, this interest doesn't seem real and Avery Brooks plays his character like the woman is a transition as we know she must be. It makes the actions of Sisko somewhat unbelievable. Moreover, there's not much evident to tie Sisko and Fenna to one another.

If you are enjoying Star Trek: Deep Space Nine the episode is worth a viewing if for nothing else than to make the Kassidy Yates arc (it's upcoming at the end of the next season, that's why you haven't heard her name yet!) more probable and believable and for the special effects shots at the end of the episode.

Not recommended for all audiences as the love story is shallow and bland.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]


4.5/10

For other episodes and movies from the Star Trek franchise, click here to visit my index page on the subject!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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