7x12 The Emperor's New Cloak

Right, I do enjoy the Mirror Universe but this episode has the intelligence of a piece of paper. It has a fun factor going for it which helps but it's clear that there were no new ideas on the table when this was made. We get to see the Intendant being her usual self, miraculously finding the opportunity to escape at the end as usual. We see Regent Worf being unable to control his temper. We see Mirror Garak being incompetent, and even have an extended joke sequence about it that goes on way too long. It's nothing we haven't seen before, and by this point it's tired.

I kind of like Mirror Ezri, though, with her unscrupulous ways (and a heart of gold hidden underneath). It's a shame that the portrayal of her sexuality is something a 13-year-old school boy would write.

The sequence of Quark and Rom carrying the invisible cloak is quite excellent, so the episode gains points for that. Mirror Brunt is really fun to see. It also loses some for including a mirror version of Vic Fontaine. Seriously, how dumb is that? There is no sensible explanation behind it.

I don't completely hate the episode because I could switch my brain off and have fun, but it's a shame that it feels the need to be so insulting to the audience's intelligence. Ah, well. We won't be going back to the MU again in this show - although the storyline does continue in various books, so I'll be reading them eventually.

Gosh no. Of course all the entertaining parameters of parallel universe didn't change: actors have a field trip and it's of course entertaining to watch these totally transformed characters (Vic!) However, this episode has multiple problems:

• it can't decide whether it's a comedy or an action episode (or even a consequential episode)
• the comedy is mediocre; the action part is mediocre
• knowing that this is the last parallel universe episode, I'd have loved that they somehow also concluded its overarching story arc
• Another Ferengi is kidnapped (in an episode before that was Quark's mother): against all odds surprisingly clever Ferengis come to the rescue. We had this before.
• as much as I like that Quark and Bashir love Ezri (just like they loved Jadzia), story-wise this is very repetitive. They explored this before when Jadzia was still alive. Ezri should have her own life - and the two should look for another love interest
• besides, much of this episode is dedicated to Ezri. Again, one must say. And all of these episodes are mediocre at best and in turn this gives her a bad rep that neither Ezri nor de Boer really deserve. And guess who's the main character in the next episode? Episodes are just oddly programmed.

I really like the parallel universe when it started. I was excited when the two universes connected and had influence on each other. This offered a lot of potential to tell consequential stories that intertwined the fate if both universes. But ultimately, they ran out of ideas I believe. Like in this episode (and the parallel universe before), the other universe became a playground to tell mediocre and isolated stories that are inconsequential AF. Plus, after a while even the most flamboyant parallel universe character (like Kira) tend to become boring. Even Worf's magnificent hair can't save this episode.

It's good that it's over.