“A Man Alone” is an interesting, if somewhat flawed episode. It is, essentially, a murder-mystery story with a smattering of character-driven subplots thrown into the mix. There are some very interesting and enjoyable scenes. But they are juxtaposed with a few awkward and unfortunate sequences which do more than their share to lower the overall effectiveness of the episode. Indeed, the final result is just a bit above average.

The episode begins with Odo becoming enraged at the presence of a Bajoran, named Ibundan, on board DS9. As it turns out, Ibundan was once arrested, by Odo, for the murder of a Cardassian. Odo decides to issue an ultimatum for Ibundan to leave, however, Sisko rightly points out that Odo has no legal basis for doing so. This prompts a brief retort from Odo about justice. A few scenes later, Ibundan is found dead, with a knife in his back and – surprise! – Odo is the prime suspect. The rest of the episode primarily focuses on the investigation of the murder, along with a growing hate-mob which eventually decides it wants to lynch Odo.

The problems with this story line have to do with the forced, melodramatic presentation. Odo comes across like a rabid dog. The mob seems hopelessly staged. And the brief mentions of justice, both from Odo and the mob, feel like they were tacked on to try and shoehorn such commentary into the story. The final solution, that Ibundan had created a clone of himself, then murdered it, simply to frame Odo, is far-fetched and implausible.

On the flipside, there are a couple of minor subplots which turn out to be more informative and entertaining that the main plot. First there is the Keiko story in which she expresses her displeasure at being on DS9, as opposed to the Enterprise. Put simply, her services as a botanist are unnecessary on the space station, and she is worried about it as a healthy environment for her daughter to grow up in. Her solution, to start a school and become a teacher is fulfilling to see. Unfortunately, the whole story suffers from her own melodramatic arguments with Miles (she comes across as, simply, irrational). Also, it’s a bit hokey and cheesy and some viewers will likely be turned off by it. But if you can get past its less-than-optimal presentation, it’s notable for the decision by the series to focus on the lives of its main characters.

Likewise, the interrelationships between Sisko, Dax, and Bashir are amusing and informative. We get to see a bit of the history between Dax and Sisko, as well as a brief exploration of how much outer appearances affect how we relate to other people. Dax had once been an older man, when Sisko first knew her. Now that she is a younger, attractive woman, his relationship with her is, in his words, awkward. Bashir is, of course, pursuing Dax. But the joviality between the three characters allows for these interactions to be informative and amusing, without having to resort to fake melodrama.

As a murder-mystery, “A Man Alone” is marginally successful in terms of its procedural approach. But in its fundamental execution, it’s merely sloppy and lacking in true drama. The episode benefits the most from the character moments, flawed though some of them may be.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine