Yes, folks, ol' Tendy Girl is back and she brought a friend with her. Hmmm... Smiley? Nope (not this time anyway). Garak? Are you kidding?!? Bashir the rock star? Sorry! Why it's... Bareil. Bareil??
Strange! Wasn't there a campaign of sorts by certain fans, appalled at the "killing-off" of Vedek Bareil during Season III, demanding the *miraculous* (my emphasis) return of Kira's lost love? Well if there was, it looks like their whining and pining finally paid off... yeah, right! Where else do fans (maybe this is true for soap-operas, I dunno) have such an influence on how a television show's plot or story-line enough to warrant wholesale revisions to suit the whims of a few overzealous viewers as in the intergalactic entertainment empire that is Star Trek? Such is the mystique of sci-fi fandom. No offense, people, but if a character is dead, let him rest in peace! Let the writers do their job and continue making DS9 a refreshing change from what we normally expect in a space-opera. Now, if they decide to really go out on a limb and do a "musical" episode... hey, I'm all for that! Kira & Odo warbling a duet, in a cloud of dry ice. How romantic! *g* Anyway, back to our regularly-scheduled review.
Yes, this episode proves that there is a Bareil in the parallel- universe and he, naturally, is in close cahoots with That Girl In The Rubber Catsuit (yes, Nana, those situps you do certainly pay dividends here! *g*) and, as expected, he is bad. At a recent con, Nana described the mirror-Bareil as "a thief... sort of like Aladdin". Swami, how I luv ya, how I luv ya... anyway, this Bareil is Bad! First, he takes Major Kira hostage from Ops, then after he is subdued by his captive, declares asylum from his universe of origin and then proceeds to seduce her. Or, he allows the Major to be seduced by him (needless to say the memory of her long-deceased Vedek is still strong). I won't go into too many details here about their interaction - there will be others who will review this episode, and I'll leave the juicy details about the Bajoran religious service, etc. to them. To make a long story short, they shack up. And here's where the plot really kicks in...
As Bareil relaxes in his quarters, who slinks on in but our favorite Vixen In Black, and as we learn, the Intendant appears to be leading a Bajoran revolt against the Alliance, but she needs an edge not only to defeat her former benefactors but also to become even master of the entire mirror-universe if she wanted to (with Bareil, her partner-in-crime, as her de jure "King"). This "edge", it turns out, happens to be the Orb Of Prophecy and Change, currently held in DS9's Bajoran chapel. So THAT's why they're here ÷ to steal the orb. All Bareil has to do is distract Major Kira into falling in love with him again(?!) while Intendant Kira, disguised as her double, slithers her way to a transporter-pad as Bareil heists the orb, and transport themselves with their booty back to their universe. "So much fun!", as Tendy-Girl would say. Luckily, the Major (with a little help from Quark) finally got wind of their plot and, with Bad-Bareil developing some genuine feelings for our heroine, double-crosses his "partner" by putting her to sleep with Major Kira's disruptor. In other words, the Intendant's plans for intergalactic domination were thwarted (for now, at least). But this Bareil reveals, as this episode draws to its bittersweet climax, that he and Major Kira could never make it as a couple in the long run (not to mention that the Intendant may try to kill him when she regains consciousness), so I doubt we'll ever see him again.
I suppose I don't have to tell you that Nana really enjoys her Intendant gigs (the rubber-suit notwithstanding), and Resurrection is no exception! The lines... the walk... the pout! Great Googly-Moogly!! Philip Anglim gets the best of both universes here, getting bussed by Nana as both Kiras, but Nana really has a ball when "Major" Kira (that is, the Intendant in disguise) does a number on that Bajoran security-officer: obviously they cast a man (Scott Strozier) with "such strong hands" for this one! *G* But ultimately she dispatches him with an elbow in that washboard-gut of his, and then delivers another in a long line of classic Intendant-lines: "You have a LOT to learn about giving a massage!" Later, as the two Kiras meet in the chapel, she retorts to the Major, "I just couldn't leave without saying hello to myself." Those 80-hour weeks sure paid off, didn't they, Nana?
Well, to sum it up, this episode showed the fine chemistry between Nana and Anglim that they shared in DS9 episodes long past; and maybe a little weak when compared to, say, Crossover, but it really doesn't matter. Whenever she plays the Intendant, Nana always has a blast... even while enduring the rigors of the rubber-suit. And she was lucky she didn't have to wear it but for only one scene this time around! I was thoroughly entertained. Some of you say "Bring back Bareil", well... I say "Bring Back The Intendant!!"