Quodo in Every Episode discussion: "Rivals"

[chacusha]

This week we're discussing... episode 2x11 "Rivals"!

Episode synopsis: A local con artist discovers a mysterious gambling device that alters the luck of its wielder. He uses the device to open a rival gambling establishment across from Quark's. Meanwhile, O'Brien and Bashir become tennis rivals.

What The Boys are up to in this episode: This episode mostly centers on Quark and how he responds to a rival charming rogue moving in on his turf. Odo pops in and out of this episode, mainly related to his job as a law enforcement officer, apprehending Martus in response to complaints about his previous cons. Quark and Odo actually have two short scenes together in this episode -- one where Quark complains to Odo about Martus opening a rival casino and insists Odo arrest him (kind of cute...) and then a second one at the end when Odo brings Quark into the security office to work out a deal with Martus.

Quark: But don't worry, Martus, I've come to get you out.
Martus: In return for what?
Quark: Nothing! Pure generosity.
Odo: (incredulously) Huh!

One screencap from this episode:


Transcript: http://chakoteya.net/DS9/431.htm

Quodo fics tagged with this episode: None (https://archiveofourown.org/works?work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=Episode%3A+S2E11+Rivals&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&commit=Sort+and+Filter&tag_id=Star+Trek%3A+Deep+Space+Nine)

Tell us:
- What did you think about this episode?
- Have you written a fic set during/after this episode?
- Do you know of any other fics set in or that build off this episode that weren't linked above?
- What do you see as the Quodo potential for this episode?

Anonymous comments are on, so feel free to chime in even if you don't have a Dreamwidth account! If you prefer, we are also available on Discord:
https://discord.gg/VaCnMYvKu6 (18+ proship Quodo Discord - there is a dedicated channel for this event)
https://discord.gg/Htz4crCdCt (general Quodo Discord)

Comments

[chacusha]

Okay here are some random thoughts on this episode:

- To be honest, I find this episode pretty forgettable. Other than Bashir's tennis outfit (which is magnificent) and the one-sided-rivalry dynamic between O'Brien and Bashir (which is SO funny), I find it pretty meh overall.

- I find the episode theming around luck and gambling and con artistry quite fun, but also weirdly underexplored. Like, Dax and Sisko discover this device that alters the spin of neutrinos or whatever (scientific handwaving) to explain how a device can change people's luck... but there's no implications of this? There's nothing scientifically interesting about this device? Nothing useful or potentially dangerous about this phenomenon if people could harness it on purpose? In the end, they end up immediately destroying this cursed artifact that turned up in mysterious circumstances gambling device which (following the general logic of cursed artifact stories in this vein) was probably a good idea, but there's this odd sort of fit between the "magic curse" vibes of the mechanic here and the sci-fi world the story is being told in. I get that luck is an extremely overpowered/stakes-ruining mechanic, though, so it's probably good to not have any kind of luck-related mechanisms floating around in your universe...

- That said, I do like how it's a bit ambiguous whether Martus's failures are due to the device forcibly changing his luck or whether it's just karma / the predictable consequences of his earlier bad decisions/judgment. For example, I like how his downfall here is because he was conned by a conwoman doing an obvious con. His overconfidence that he's the manipulator and not the mark ends up being his downfall.

- According to the notes in the DS9 Companion, Martus was originally meant to be Guinan's son and it was originally intended to make him a recurring character, but then the episode fell flat and they ended up not bringing him back.

Some thoughts on the Quodo potential:

- Well, Martus has a flirty way of interacting with Odo (Odo: "I've been watching you ever since you arrived." Martus: "Should I be flattered?") that kind of mirrors how Quark always interacts with Odo. I definitely think there's room here to have a plotline where Quark is kind of jealous over Odo paying more attention to the new conman in town and not giving him enough attention. XD

- When Quark complains to Odo about Martus opening up a gambling establishment, is it just me or is Odo being pretty civil to him here (like, not shutting Quark down immediately or being hostile to him)? And while Quark is ostensibly asking for Odo to do something about Martus's casino, he mostly just seems like he's complaining to Odo for the sympathy. This could maybe support an established relationship read. XD Oh yeah, not to mention that Odo and Quark end up cooperating to sort of revel in Martus's misfortune at the end. Hm...

- At the end, anything where Odo makes an exaggeratedly grumpy noise in response to Quark being annoying feels very overcompensating to me, lol.

[tribble_of_tarth]

I definitely think there's room here to have a plotline where Quark is kind of jealous over Odo paying more attention to the new conman in town and not giving him enough attention. XD

OMG, yes! I can imagine Quark adding "Odo's backhanded flirty attentions" to the list of things Martus has taken from him lol! ((Quark couldn't believe the audacity of this- this listener. Not only was he cutting into Quark's profits, but now he was stealing Odo's attention as well. Quark ought to be glad that the Constable was poking his pointy nose in someone else's business, but instead it only fueled his irritation with the entire situation.)) Whoops, my hand slipped.

When Quark complains to Odo about Martus opening up a gambling establishment, is it just me or is Odo being pretty civil to him here?

YES! I think so too! I feel like I always make a mental note when Odo isn't particularly hostile to Quark, especially when the situation could call for it. I mean, asking for Martus to be arrested for opening a gambling establishment is a ridiculous ask whether he ever had an exclusivity contract with the Cardassians or not. Even though Odo's still ascertaining the situation in their interaction, I think he's well aware from the beginning that whatever's going on won't require him arresting anyone, but he lets the conversation with Quark play out anyway.

And I love the two of them reveling in Martus' misfortune at the end. XD I feel like these two can be such menaces when cooperating to work over people. (Also thinking of the little ship episode when Odo tells Miles and Julian they're a few centimeters shorter than they used to be and Quark backs him up.) One of their shared favorite pastimes is messing with people and I love to see it, lol.

[chacusha]

Oh excellent -- that's a nice little 3-sentence fic you've written there! :D

And yes, Quark and Odo teaming up revel in a third party's misery is such a rare but A+ dynamic. My mind also instantly went to the Little Ship episode as well. XD