2.02 "The Circle"
The political unrest on Bajor has turned to open violence on the streets. Kira has been replaced but not reassigned, so she goes to Vedek Bareil's monastery to gain some peace and direction. Meanwhile on the station, Odo, Quark, and Sisko have been uncovering a plot to overthrow the Bajoran government, a plot that has been orchestrated and supplied by none other than the Cardassians.
Things pick up a bit in this ep. The plot moves a much better clip and ends on a more suspenseful note than the first part.
THE GOOD
-I really like Odo and Kira's friendship. What they become later, not so much. But their friendship is really nice.
-The scene where the members of the crew come in to Kira's quarters one-by-one and are having overlapping convos is great. It feels a little scripted and might have been better if the actors had been allowed to ad lib their dialogue more, but overall it's a fun scene with both funny and touching moments.
-Watching the crew try to unravel the web of conspiracy and intrigue is suspenseful and holds your interest well.
-The addition of Winn to the plot.
THE BAD
-I don't feel that the scenes of Kira in the monastery were necessary. Maybe it's because I don't like her romance with Bareil, of which the seeds are planted in those scenes. But I found the intergalactic political intrigue way more interesting than watching Kira stand awkwardly in the middle of a pond talking to people.
-Jaro is way too cartoonish of a bad guy. Winn and the Cardassians make the plotting interesting, but Jaro does not.
-Even without him knowing that the Cardassians were supplying him, I still find the stupidity of Jaro's plot to be too much to swallow. In season 1 it is stated repeatedly that if Starfleet left, the Cardassian would immediately reoccupy Bajor. Nothing has changed on that front, so his plot is blindingly, incomprehensibly stupid.
THE UGLY
-The room where Kira has the orb experience looks like the same room Kai Winn later uses as her office.
-Odo shapeshift count: Rat. 10 total shifts for the series.
The political unrest on Bajor has turned to open violence on the streets. Kira has been replaced but not reassigned, so she goes to Vedek Bareil's monastery to gain some peace and direction. Meanwhile on the station, Odo, Quark, and Sisko have been uncovering a plot to overthrow the Bajoran government, a plot that has been orchestrated and supplied by none other than the Cardassians.
Things pick up a bit in this ep. The plot moves a much better clip and ends on a more suspenseful note than the first part.
THE GOOD
-I really like Odo and Kira's friendship. What they become later, not so much. But their friendship is really nice.
-The scene where the members of the crew come in to Kira's quarters one-by-one and are having overlapping convos is great. It feels a little scripted and might have been better if the actors had been allowed to ad lib their dialogue more, but overall it's a fun scene with both funny and touching moments.
-Watching the crew try to unravel the web of conspiracy and intrigue is suspenseful and holds your interest well.
-The addition of Winn to the plot.
THE BAD
-I don't feel that the scenes of Kira in the monastery were necessary. Maybe it's because I don't like her romance with Bareil, of which the seeds are planted in those scenes. But I found the intergalactic political intrigue way more interesting than watching Kira stand awkwardly in the middle of a pond talking to people.
-Jaro is way too cartoonish of a bad guy. Winn and the Cardassians make the plotting interesting, but Jaro does not.
-Even without him knowing that the Cardassians were supplying him, I still find the stupidity of Jaro's plot to be too much to swallow. In season 1 it is stated repeatedly that if Starfleet left, the Cardassian would immediately reoccupy Bajor. Nothing has changed on that front, so his plot is blindingly, incomprehensibly stupid.
THE UGLY
-The room where Kira has the orb experience looks like the same room Kai Winn later uses as her office.
-Odo shapeshift count: Rat. 10 total shifts for the series.