“A Simple Investigation” is another bittersweet of Odo trying to find love, but not quite making it. Some of these episodes are tough to watch because they hit close to home. This one does not resonate with me as much as some of the others like “Heart of Stone” have. Trek just does not do romance very well. It doesrise above “Let He Who is Without Sin…” but pretty much anything short of being dragged naked across gravel by a speeding train would.Odo has to protect a woman from a murder plot. As he does, he slowly falls in love with her. You know it is desperate because he goes to Bashit for advice. Bashir, being the reckless type, advises him to go for it with any consideration for professional ethics. His rationale is Odo should not fear the pain of rejection, because if he goes through life avoiding rejection, the pain of loneliness will cripple him.
So he does go for it and they wind up in bed together. Not Odo and Bashir. Odo and Ailissa. It comes across as kid of sweet. Odo has never done it before, so he feels compelled to sheepishly ask if he did it well. But I could not help but recall that Odo--how can I put this discreetly?--does not have the equipment for the job naturally, so he had to form one. Is that not…awkward? It casts this odd pall over the scene.
The romance cannot last. the science fiction twist is that Ailissa is not the woman’s real name, face, or identity. When the investigation has concluded, she returns to normal--a married woman who does not love Odo. Talk about getting the rug cruelly yanked out from under you. Or in this case, a pretty woman yanked out from under you. Literally, as it were.
The intended emotional impact just was not there for me. I have two problems with the episode, aside from the logistics of the sex scene. One, it would have been more poignant if Odo had his relationship with Ailissa when he was human. Falling in love would have made his experience as a human more poignant. Two, the episode impies that he no longer loves Kira. I do not buy it. Too many little instances, even as she is in a relationship with Shakaar, say otherwise. Ultimately, he does win her affection, but I prefer to think he was carrying a torch all along.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
