"Maybe you should talk to Worf again!"
On the station, Sisko settles into his marriage as Martok advises him to prepare for a lifelong war between partners. At the same time, Dukat and Kai Winn are enjoying conjugal bliss when Kai Winn has another vision. This time, the Pah-wraiths reveal themselves to her, horrifying the Kai. Dukat tries to convince her to turn her alliegence to the Pah-wraiths, but Winn refuses. Unable to receive guidance from the Prophets, she turns to Kira for advice on repenting the greed that led her down the path of evil. Kira tells her to renounce her position as Kai, and Winn balks. She returns to Dukat stating that she has come too far in her career to give up now, so she will embrace the power that the Pah-wraiths offer her with him at her side.
Meanwhile, the Dominion is finalizing their alliance with the Breen, and Damar is alarmed that the Breen are being given preferential treatment over Cardassia within the power structure of the Dominion. His own authority will also be supplanted by the Breen. To make matters worse, Weyoun continues to dismiss the sacrifices of the Cardassian military as appalling losses rack up. Even Weyoun accidentally getting himself killed by the imprisoned Worf is little comfort, because Weyoun-8 continues the same as before. Damar descends deeper into drink and resentment.
Thrown in a holding cell, Worf and Ezri refuse to cooperate with Dominion interrogators, so they are scheduled to be executed in two days. They continue to argue about their relationship as they plot their escape. After breaking out of their cell, Worf gets shot, and Ezri refuses to leave him behind, but they're soon recaptured anyway. Realizing that they're going to die, the two former spouses finally reconcile. They admit that their brief dalliance was just a holdover from their previous relationship rather than something real. However, they affirm that they still care for each other as "more than friends." When Damar arrives to escort them to their execution, he instead kills the two Jem'Hadar guards and gives them an escape route, telling them to deliver a message to Starfleet that "they have a friend on Cardassia." Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, the pair escape.
Tropes in this episode:
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: Damar laughs his ass off when Worf kills Weyoun and is still sniggering when the next Weyoun clone walks in.
- Bait-and-Switch Gunshot: Worf and Ezri are being taken to their execution, with two Jem'Hadar guards and Damar following them. Suddenly, Damar shoots the guards and gives their rifles to Worf and Ezri.
- Big "NO!": Winn, when she realizes that the prophets who spoke to her were actually the Pah-wraiths.
- The Dog Bites Back: After years of watching the Cardassians become second-class citizens, and particularly after the Cardassians' senseless defeat at Septimus III, Damar decides enough is enough and starts making strides towards kickstarting a revolt against the Dominion.
- Double-Meaning Title: The episode title is a reference to a quote from Shakespeare's The Tempest, "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows," that has been in modern times reworded to refer to politics and war, among other aspects of life. While there are several examples of the phenomenon (those with little or nothing in common coming together for mutual advantage) in the episode, such as Damar and the Federation (in the persons of Ezri and Worf) and especially Kai Winn and the disguised Gul Dukat, it's actually literal for the latter since the two become lovers as part of Dukat's scheme to sway Winn to the Pah-wraiths. It even applies to Ezri and Worf themselves (being forced to work together to escape while dealing with the status of their relationship and the aftermath of having had sex); Sisko and Yates (dealing with figuring out the new boundaries in their lives thanks to marriage and his status as the Emissary); and metaphorically to O'Brien, Bashir, and Quark commiserating over Ezri's absence.
- Everyone Has Standards: Subverted. The thoroughly unscrupulous Winn repeatedly refuses to entertain the notion of following the evil Pah-wraiths instead of the Prophets... until the final scene, when she decides Then Let Me Be Evil.
- Face–Heel Turn: Though she was a pretty flimsy face, Winn finally goes full-on evil.
- False Reassurance: In the previous episode, Damar asked Weyoun to send Jem'Hadar reinforcements to Septimus III, to relieve the Cardassian defenders fighting off a Klingon invasion. Weyoun told him "The situation will be taken care of." Here, when Damar learns that the garrison was overrun and wiped out, he confronts Weyoun, who repeats that the situation was taken care of … by the Klingons.
- Fatal Flaw:
- Damar notes that overconfidence is "the hallmark of the Weyouns."
- Winn's lust for power and self-importance is the reason she can't redeem herself and throws in with the Pah-wraiths.
- Get Out!: Winn tells "Anjohl" this when he first admits that he's with the Pah-wraiths. Later, Winn changes her mind.
- Good Is Not Soft: Worf might be a Federation officer, but it's a mistake to push him too far as Weyoun discovers.
- Have You Seen My God?: After the Pah-wraiths begin to exercise their influence over Winn, the Prophets refuse to speak to her. Their silence to her helps to push her over the edge and complete her Face–Heel Turn.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- Damar, finally fed up with what's been happening to Cardassia.
- Winn has a chance to perform one, but rejects it.
- Heroic BSoD: Not exactly heroic, but Winn nearly falls apart when she learns she's being seduced by the Pah-wraiths.
- Ignored Epiphany: Kai Winn is horrified by the reveal that she's been receiving visions from the Pah-wraiths and is all ready to repent and do what she has to in order to make things up with the Prophets, until Kira suggests that the first step needs to be her giving up her power as Kai.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: When Worf gets shot in the leg during the first escape attempt.Worf: Leave me!
Ezri: Oh, shut up! - It's All About Me: Why Winn's attempt at redeeming herself fails — she refuses to relinquish her power as Kai.
- Kangaroo Court: Alluded to; in classic Cardassian fashion, Damar informs Worf and Ezri that they're to be executed as war criminals, then lets them know that the Dominion will make up the exact charges later.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: Martok recounts this is how he lost his childhood pet Targ when he and Sirella were married. Sirella couldn't stand the mangy beast, so she contrived to 'accidentally' leave the front door open when she and her husband first moved in together. The pet Targ, perhaps unsurprisingly, couldn't resist wandering outside and made a beeline for the wild.
- A Million Is a Statistic: Weyoun and Thot Gor's attitude towards the loss of Cardassian lives on Septimus III.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal:
- After watching his soldiers being used as cannon fodder, Cardassian worlds sold off to buy the Breen's allegiance, and being told he's nothing more than a puppet ruler by Weyoun, Damar finally turns against his Dominion masters.
- Kai Winn portrays her turn away from the Prophets as this, reasoning that she shouldn't bother worshiping gods who give her no support in return. While it is true that, as far as we know, the Prophets have never given her anything (Kira points out they rarely express their will in words, which also suggests any blessings they offer would likely not be openly or clearly from them), the point of worshiping the Prophets has never been indicated to be any sort of reward beyond enlightenment, peace, or spiritual renewal. And the same holds true for being kai, since Winn herself only notes she is supposed to look out for the spiritual well-being of her people. So in reality, it's just a case of her ego flying off the deep end.
- Neck Snap: How Worf kills Weyoun 7 for taunting Ezri in front of him. Damar finds it extremely amusing, much to Weyoun 8's chagrin.
- Never My Fault: Winn lays her betrayal of the Prophets squarely at the feet of the Prophets themselves; in her mind, if they won't give her everything she wants, they're the ones who are unworthy of her, totally blind to the fact that it's Winn's own greed and self-righteousness that makes her choose to serve the Pah-wraiths.
- Oh, Crap!: Winn, once she realizes that it wasn't the Prophets that had been communicating with her, but the Pah-wraiths.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After Winn learns that she's been consorting with the Pah-wraiths, she goes to Kira for the Bajoran equivalent of Confession — and for once, there's no bitchy Passive-Aggressive Kombat or posturing, as Winn is genuinely fearful and penitent. Unfortunately, it gets Subverted when Kira advises her to step down as Kai, and her usual It's All About Me attitude reasserts itself.
- The Puppet Cuts His Strings: This is when Damar stops being a good Puppet King under the Dominion's thumb and begins working against his former masters.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Weyoun 7 and Thot Gor both agree that giving the Klingons this is the best way to handle the battle on Septimus III. The Klingons waste valuable resources and soldiers on a strategically worthless planet, all while killing some weak and (as far as the Dominion is concerned) useless Cardassian soldiers. This is no great loss to the Dominion.
- Rage Against the Reflection: When Damar looks at himself and sees an increasingly useless drunkard, he throws his kanar all over the mirror.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: If the Pah-wraiths introducing themselves to Winn wasn't enough of a clue, the fact that Sisko's eyes turn red in her vision should be.
- Redemption Rejection: Winn would do anything to rid herself of the evil influence of the Pah-wraiths... except surrender her power as Kai. As far as she's concerned, if the Prophets can't let her keep her power and bless her, they aren't worth her loyalty.
- Senseless Sacrifice: What pushes Damar over the edge; learning that the Dominion sacrificed 500,000 Cardassian soldiers merely to slow down a Klingon attack on a "strategically unimportant" planet.
- Sincerity Mode: When Winn approaches Kira about her fears of the Prophets forsaking her, Kira sets aside years of animosity to give her some honest and heartfelt advice. Unfortunately, Kira's advice is for her to step down as Kai as the first step to reconnecting with the Prophets, and Winn's ambition and addiction to power won't let her heed Kira's words.
- Slut-Shaming: Ezri pulls this on Jadzia posthumously during her arguments with Worf; Ezri taunts him by claiming that there wasn't anyone on DS9 that she didn't sleep with. From her tone and posture it's implied she is only saying this to rile him up, not because she believes it (or it's actually even true).
- Stealth Pun: Damar offers Weyoun 8 a drink from a bottle with a twisted neck.
- Talking to the Dead: Damar takes a moment to mock Weyoun's corpse for his overconfidence."Ah, overconfidence...the hallmark of the Weyouns. Maybe the Founders should eliminate that from your genetic recipe next time!"
- Then Let Me Be Evil: With the Prophets deaf to her, her influence waning against Sisko's, and the Pah-wraiths offering her that which she desires, Winn decides to give the Prophets the middle finger and turn her coat.Winn: I'm a patient woman, but I've run out of patience. I will no longer serve gods who give me nothing in return. I'm ready to walk the path the Pah-wraiths have laid out for me.
"Anjohl": I will walk with you, and no one will be able to stand against us.
Winn: Those who try? The Federation and their puppet Vedeks? The Prophets and their precious Emissary? They will all be swept aside like dead leaves before an angry wind. - They Killed Kenny Again: Worf snaps Weyoun 7's neck like a twig, And There Was Much Rejoicing — at least for Damar.
- To Absent Friends: Damar does a rather sarcastic one with Weyoun 8 regarding his recently-killed predecessor.(Weyoun 8 walks into Damar's office)
Damar: Well, hello! (laughs)
Weyoun: (thoroughly unamused) I'm glad to see you find the death of my predecessor so amusing.
Damar: Oh, you misunderstand. I miss him deeply. Here — a toast to Weyoun 7. (drinks) - Too Dumb to Live: Weyoun 7 really should have known to stay out of Worf's reach while taunting him and Ezri.
- Translation Convention: Averted with the Breen. When Damar first meets with them, he's unable to understand them, and sourly remarks that he would have had his Universal Translator adjusted if he'd known they were coming. Later on, he has evidently had said adjustment made, as he is able to understand something Thot Gor says, but the audience still just hears the same distorted electronic noises that have always passed for Breen speech.
- Troll: Damar poking fun at Weyoun 7's death is probably the most fun he's had in years.Weyoun: Have they agreed to cooperate?
Damar: No. Maybe you should talk to Worf again! (laughs) - We Have Reserves:
- Weyoun sees Cardassian soldiers this way. Damar doesn't take it too well.
- After Worf kills Weyoun 7, Damar notes the Dominion will just clone another one.
- Wham Line:
- "Feel our love … the love of the Pah-wraith."
- When Damar kills the Jem'Hadar guards and tells Worf and Ezri how they can escape.Ezri: Why are you doing this?Damar: I want you to give a message to the Federation. Tell them they have an ally on Cardassia.
- Worthy Opponent: Martok's romantic opinion of Sirella. He concedes he can (and has) won his share of battles during their marriage. But he's confident she'll win the war in the long run.
- You Have Failed Me: Damar implies this may happen to Weyoun 8 once the Female Changeling learns of Worf and Ezri's escape.Damar: Oh, I'm sure she'll understand. But if she doesn't, I look forward to meeting Weyoun 9.
