I have expressed a mild bemusement with Bareil. It is not that I do not like the character. It is just difficult to buy that someone so subdued could not only reach the high position of power he has, but that he could carry on a relationship with Kira without her chewing him up and spitting him out. I will grant him a generous amount of redemption in “Life Support.” That someone with Bareil’s nature could be a diplomat is much more convincing than him being a political climber, even if the political system is a religious order. Having been immersed in overtly Christian organizations for log periods of time, I am well aware rising to be king of the mountain is as cutthroat as any secular political career. So when Bareil issaid to be central to negotiating the peace treaty between the Cardassians and Bajorans, I can believe it.
Bareil is seriously injured on his way to negotiations and ‘dies” on the operating table as Bashir tries to save him. In a stroke of luck, Bashir is eventually able to revive him, but Bareil is not himself. The radiation burns he suffered are too extensive to maintain his internal organs for log. Kai Winn insists he participate I the continuing negotiations because he has been so pivotal to them happening in the first place.
He agrees, but it takes a tragic and horrifying toll on him. The story takes on Frankenstein overtones as Bashir literally reanimates the dead Bareil with a neural implant at his most deteriorated. Bareil dies peacefully at the conclusion of the negotiations, having successfully brought a peace between Cardassia and Bajor.
Bareil’s death is an unexpected move, particularly considering how intense the previous two episodes were. One would expect more lighthearted fare to ease the tension, but the screws get tightened instead. This sort of thing is one of the emotional wallops we have lost in the days of pervasive internet spoilers. The element of surprise really pounds you here.
I wind up feeling sorry Bareil is gone even though I was pretty much ambivalent up until this point. I even bought into his relationship with Kira at the end when she whispers to his body all the things she could never tell him when he was alive. The result is that kira’s romantic life is going to become more catty and trite than the Kate/Sawyer/Jake triangle on Lost, but we will deal with that later.
It is not a perfect episode, howeer. The B-story is horribly out of place because it is the usual silly nonsense with Jake and Nog. Their antics are played exclusively for laughs in a terrible contrast with the very sad main story. What the writers were thinking by pairing these two stories up is beyond me.
The a-story is very moving. It made me think differently about Bareil without implausibly changing the character .in fact, the story finally put him in a believable spot considering his reserved, diplomatic personality. I am usually enthusiastic about Frankenstein homage as well, though this one is awfully squeamish. The B-story was very poorly chosen. I would have preferred something more serious. I do not see why they could not have skipped one altogether. Deep Space Nine’s best episodes usually do.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
