DS9 Season 5 Episode 25 In The Cards

Oh, you silly goddamn show. How do you manage to do so many things so right?

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, and it was delightful to watch. I figured out what the premise would be pretty quickly, but I was still curious to see how Jake and Nog would cheer up everyone on the station (including Weyoun - so cute!).

And think about that for a second. Can you imagine this on TNG or Voyager? “Data decides to cheer up everyone on the ship.” You’d slit your wrists.

But because I genuinely like everybody on this show, including the baddies, I was giggling like an idiot through the whole silly 45 minutes.

Highlights include:

–soulless minions of orthodoxy (hi there! Now I know where you got your tumblr name from!)

–Bashir and O'Brien wordlessly defending their whiskey (gotta put up the screenshots after this)

–“Lions and Gigers and bears…"  "Oh my…"  They flat out went there.

–Happy O'Brien in a wet suit warms my heart.

–Depressed Julian with a small fluffy bear is still pretty depressed, but Kukalaka is cute, so it evens out.

–Kira looks so thrilled at having people clap for her speech. Kira is many things, but funny isn’t one. I loved that she wanted Jake to add some humour to the speech, and I loved his stupid "water reclamation is such a dry subject” joke.

–I liked the callback to Worf listening to Klingon operas on the Defiant at full volume. I know I crank the radio in my car. The subwoofers on the Defiant are probably pretty good, right?

–And I legitimately teared up when Sisko hugged Jake at the end and the music flared up all triumphant-like. Bam, pow, right in the feels.

Being shamelessly manipulated has never felt so good. I love this stupid show.

Things are going to get really, really dark now, aren’t they.