“Family Business” misses its mark. Sure, it’s supposed to be a lighthearted affair. But its attempt to use humor to look at the strict Ferengi code regarding women just rings hollow. If it’s a serious subject matter, then it ought to be treated seriously. Conversely, if humor is going to be used, it needs to be insightful or illuminating in some way. Instead, the episode devolves into bickering and fisticuffs as a means to settle its conflicts, rather than providing commentary with any real conviction.

The main plot of the episode involves a Ferengi woman, named Ishka, who is the mother of both Quark and Rom. Her crime: she’s accused of – gasp! – earning a profit, a thoroughly illegal and detestable activity in the eyes of the Ferengi. As a result of her actions, Quark must get her to confess to her crimes, or face paying restitution himself. Ishka, however, has been acting in defiance of Ferengi law – a law she believes to be outdated and immoral. And from this perspective, the episode sets up for some potentially interesting explorations.

But it manages to almost completely avoid them.

The best scenes, in terms of commentary, come from an argument between Quark and his mother. Quark, argues that his mother doesn’t care about her family – because her actions could, conceivably, ruin Quark. Ishka argues that she shouldn’t be constrained by laws that are sexist and humiliating. There’s legitimacy on both sides of the issue – a nice touch, really – but that’s about as deep as the episode gets. Instead, it spends the rest of its time pushing the “family” angle of Quark, Rom, Ishka and the father, who has since passed away. Families often are dysfunctional. But by placing so much emphasis on the dysfunction of Quark’s clan, the episode siphons precious time away from its more important conflict of tradition vs. progress.

And what does the episode ultimately have to say about the issue when, in the end, Ishka finally gives in and makes a confession? True, she only confessed to a fraction of her “crimes” … but that she confessed at all?

The subplot involving Jake’s attempts to play matchmaker between his father and a freighter captain named Kasidy Yates fares much better. There’s a natural chemistry to the father-son relationship between Ben and Jake. And that really helps these plots come across as sincere. In the end, Yates and Sisko have coffee and, just when it seemed there’s little connection between them, they stumble upon a mutual appreciation and love of baseball – which, by the time of DS9, had become little more than a footnote in history. It’s a natural kind of development, and enjoyable to watch.

“Family Business” gets marks for confronting the misogynist Ferengi code and for its “feel-good” story between Sisko and Yates. But the silly, hokey bickering and fisticuffs with respect to Quark and his family do a distinct disservice to the episode and the larger issues at stake.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine