We return to the pitiful infatuation Odo has for Kira once again. Like in “Heart of Stone,” Odo can barely hide his love for her. Kira not only never notices, but always says and does whatever would stomp on his heart the hardest. That is the way when you love someone you cannot have. In “Crossfire,” takes it to a new level. She not only falls I love with Shakaar, she celebrates her new happiness with Odo while he isassignedto serve as Shakaar’s bodyguard. Talk about a triple whammy.“Crossfire” is Shakkar’s second appearance. He was Kira’s resistance cell leader who defied Winn’s breach of contract and refused to return farming equipmet in his first appearance, “Shakaar.” He became a folk hero as aresult and got himself elected head of the government. With power being the ultimate aphrodisiac, Kira has developed the hts for him just as a Cardassian terrorist group called theTrue Way targets him for assignation. Odo is placed in charge of his protection.
This is the second and final appearance of the True Way. They were the ones responsible for the bombing that forced the trasporter patterns of the main cast into the holodeck during ’Our Man Bashir.” Wewill never hear from them again after “Crossfire,” presumably because their goal of eliminating the Federation as an enermy vecomes government policy once theCardassians join the Dominion. Still it is awkward for the group to appear only twice, then disappear completely.
The main emphasis of the episode is on Odo. From the opening scene where he is setting up everything just right for a briefing with Kira to his tantrum when he realizes he cannot compete with Shakaar for her affection to the begrudging acceptance by the end it isall about odo’s pain.
There are a couple nice touches there. One, Quark talks to him in his lowest moment after he has destroyed much of his quarters in anger. The scene is a further revelation that their antagonistic relationship is one that fills a need within each other--they need each other as a challenge in their normal pursuits--but have a certain friendship regardless. It is probably a recognition they need each other. Two, Odo smashes his old bucket, I which he had placed floral arrangement given to him by Kira asa housewarming gift. It symbolized a passing of his old self. Now that has been shattered, figuratively and literally. He is as alienated as he ever was.
It is a tough struggle to watch. I have been I his shoes. In fact, it would only be a few months after “Crossfire” aired when I would realize that for me and my disabilities, harsh reality was always going to stand in the way of romance. Those were tough times. Heck, these are tough times that make those seem like casual growing pains. It never gets any easier, does it?
Odo was originally supposed to take things much harder. There was to be a moment when Shakaar and Kira were caught in an explosion. Odo could only save one. Would he choose the one he loves or the one he has sworn to protect? In this scenario, he chooses Shakaar--not out of uty, but spite for kira’s rejection. She would have survived, but that would have been even more of a downer ending than we got. There is a thin line between love and hate, but that would be taking odo to too dark a place for my tastes.
"Crossfire” is a tough episode for me to watch, but I like it regardless.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
