Deep Space Nine Reviewed! (by a pedant) S1E19: DUET

Shades of grey.

Space Dog prints now available here:
Character art by @anebulouspurpose on instagram.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-2007-0329-501 / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Images of Stutthof concentration camp are public domain.

[Unlimited_Lives]

Today's Thought Experiment: Would his plan have worked?

[edibleapeman]

What makes this episode even more impressive is that it shows up in season ONE.

[zhn]

In a later episode we learn how the Cardassian justice system works and that's probably what Marritza imagined the process would be like. His plan would have worked there for sure.

[maxriley]

One of the great Trek episodes.

That scene where Kira comes to the realisation that Maritza is just a filing clerk and is trying to work out why on earth he would go to the lengths he did pretending to be a monster. Maritza responding by turning up the evil villain persona all the way up past the breaking point of absurdity. Then almost accidentally starting to talk about Maritza and his pathetic deficiencies and cowardice. Culminating in him hiding under his bed trying desperately to block out the cries of the Bajorans, before breaking down into uncontrollable tormented sobbing.

Just spectacular writing. An acting tour de force from both Nana and the guest actor in what was clearly just supposed to be a nothing bottle episode.

I never fail to cry when the strings start up.

[Norvo]

Oh, random sidenote: kudos on the dramatic acting during the Maaritza-revealed-as-Darhe'el segment. The hint of megalamonia in the narration really added to the bit!

[SupremeCleave]

I love love love this episode. This is when I realized DS9 was going to be special.

[ptonpc]

This was the episode that made me realise *THIS* is what made DS9 special, it was not a TNG knock off. The performances, the lighting, the camera, everything made this near perfect.
I feel he was trying to do his best to make up for his perceived crimes.

Good luck Space and Skull Dogs!

[PrincessOzaline]

Just want to say this review was really well done. You really dialed back on the memes, and jokes and treated this and what it represents with the gravitas it deserves, but still managed to make it a really interesting watch. Good job.

[captainyossarian]

Without fail, I end up a mess when I watch his breakdown. Harris Yulan was great in this, as was Nana Visitor.
Kira's general antagonism towards Cardassians is muted after this episode, a testament to DS9's character development. Indeed, Maritza was worried he had accomplished nothing with his attempted ruse, but he was wrong. He had managed to change the mind of one influential resistance fighter.

[MrMikeyMikerson]

Duet was truly a beautiful and heartwrenching episode. I havent seen a TV show ever hit on this level. Episodes like this is why DS9 is the absolute best Trek ever to grace our screens..and it's a shame it didn't get the praise it deserved during its original air date.

[dyne]

This might be the best episode of Star Trek I've ever seen.

[AvatarRiku]

I’ve been looking forward to the Duet review for ages

[Nasafalkas]

Excellent analysis. I really like the way you approached it.
I like to use Martiza's scene of breaking down to teach my English class drama. I'm thinking that next year I might tell them to watch this first to help get a better understanding of the character.

[zephyr]

A detail that almost flies by is that the real Gul Darheel was buried on Cardassia with honours.
The man who was the source of Marritiza's torment, who murdered so many, got away with it completely, likely died peacefully and was probably being lauded in state media as a hero.
This must've eaten at Marritza. He had to make the monster pay somehow, make everyone recognise what the bastard actually did and so he became determined to show everyone, everywhere what an unrepentant piece of garbage Darheel was.
Hence why he seemed to relish the part, why he had to do what he did. Because finally it'd be vindication, finally payback for the victims, including himself

I think in the end his motivations were layered. His plan was to ease his personal trauma, and it was to get back at the monster that haunted him even after his death, but it was also to force Cardassia to stop living in its little fascist rut where they're fine and everything bad was everybody else's fault.

[sethmaki]

Besides the pilot, I consider this one to be THE premier episode of the first season. For what basically amounts to a bottle show, the performances that Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin put forth are truly phenomenal, even Emmy-worthy.

[shadowinthevoid]

Another way of saying Record Keeper is Evidence Collector. I would at least accept that if you were resigned to having no way to change anything then at least you can collect the evidence to make sure people know what's going on later and it sounds like he did that. It becomes far murkier if your efficency can be said to have made the murder more efficent.

[rinoz]

I noticed you suspended the wheel of names. Good choice with the weight and seriousness of this story

[alexb]

One of the best episodes of all DS9 but definitely the best of early DS9.

[dellytancyl]

Ever since you announced DS9 as the next review, I've been looking forward to this review.

[FantasyFootballFPL]

perhaps the best episode you've ever reviewed thus far.