When Chief O'Brien goes missing while searching for the wife of former Orion Syndicate operative Bilby, Dax returns home to seek the help of her mother, but uncovers far more than she expected.
Nicole de Boer is getting a huge amount of attention and fleshing out of her character this season, which is good to see, if slightly annoying when the characters we've got used to over seven years stay in the background or don't even appear. This time we get to see her family, which is more than we have for some of the other regulars, and they're a strange bunch.
What works effectively in this story is the scripting and playing of the guest characters. The Teegan (Ezri's 'maiden' name) family are nicely drawn and experience their own character arc during the story, with events actually coming as a surprise, with none of them being who they first appear to be.
What doesn't work is the clumsy way two rather disparate elements (family troubles/the Orion syndicate) are pulled together to form one story. The likelihood that Ezri would get right to the crux of the problem without having to do anything is highly unlikely. This rather spoils what is an otherwise competent story, following up Honor Among Thieves and giving Nicole de Boer some more spotlight time which is well used and makes the already likeable Trill even more so. It's a shame the underused Chief O'Brien doesn't get more to do, however.
Interesting enough, but far too conveniently plotted.
***
Back to the Deep Space Nine guide, head back to the main TV reviews page, or return to the main page?
