As Kira has problems with her newfound 'friends', Julian continues to research the Founder's illness and Worf determines to make Gowron listen to sense.
Of all the characters involved in the Dominion War storyline, Damar has had the most attention lavished on him, transforming him from the murderer of Ziyal to a man regaining his honour and trying to change his planet and people for the better. Casey Biggs has some strong material in this episode particularly, as he gets a chance to experience what he has inflicted on others.
It's been a while since Kira got some major action, and it's great to see her take on anyone who makes her life difficult. Garak also gets some nice moments as he finally shows where his loyalties do lie in a tense last few scenes.
Julian's revelations in this story clearly lead into the next one, what with the return of Section 31, but that doesn't make what he discovers any less troubling. The script is written well, though, allowing both sides of the argument to be seen and examined. Could 31 have the right idea? It's also good to see the Miles/Julian team one last time. They've come a long way since season one, and it helps that they're firmly on their own with this problem, with only each other to rely on.
Finally, there's the Klingon storyline, which is wrapped up in this episode in the most obvious way. Still, the Klingons have never been the most subtle of people, and once again it's good to see some closure to another of Deep Space Nine's ongoing plots. Quite where Worf goes from here is still anyone's guess though.
All in all, the splitting off of the main cast into separate storylines is effective, bringing one to the fore as another moves into the background. Another impressive episode in the strongest run the show has ever had.
****
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