- I love Armin's acting in this one. It's so fun seeing Quark being so emo. His overwhelmed confusion reaction to Zek being in his mother's house is so cute. 😂
- I think there's a subtle hint (one of many in the show) about how normal homosexuality is in Ferengi culture in this episode? When Zek and Ishka are recounting how they met, Zek says Ishka's letters were a highlight of his day and he knew they had to meet... before he found out she was female.
- Quark: "It's awful. You don't know what it's like to be denied the opportunity to earn profit." Ishka: "Oh, yes I do. I know exactly what it's like." -- lol, I love this exchange. Quark isn't very empathetic and he walked right into that one lmao.
Ishka: You've proven yourself a true Ferengi. You've betrayed friends and family for personal gain. Quark: It sounds so good when you say it. Ishka: But? Quark: I think I've been hanging around hu-mans too long. I think I'm developing a... Ishka: Conscience? Quark: (nods) It's been coming for a long time. I've fought against it, I really have. But living with those people day in and day out, being exposed to their ethics, their morality... It's like I've been brainwashed.
It's always interesting to me that Ferengi society considers the traits of scheming and self-interest to be desirable/complimentary. It's also kind of unclear to me how much Ishka buys into those norms? In most ways, she is a typical Ferengi (just closer to a typical *male* Ferengi, by wanting to engage in business), but her vision for Ferengi society does seem to depart from how it is currently in a couple of ways, even outside of women's rights, and here she does seem to fling around being manipulative, selfish, disloyal to family, etc. as an insult while not being super horrified to hear Quark has a conscience, but it's not a very strong reaction either way. Her calling Quark manipulative could be a backhanded compliment, for example, like, "Good for you, you're doing so well at being a Ferengi. At least one of us is succeeding in life, I guess. I hope you're happy." But it does seem like she thinks friends and family are owed some loyalty, at least, which is not a particularly Ferengi norm / is contradicted multiple times in the Rules of Acquisition.
- In this episode, like in episode 3x23 "Family Business," when Quark returns to Ferenginar for the first time, Quark shows signs that he hasn't been back to Ferenginar in a while, for example, being unused to paying for bribes in situations where you have to produce a bribe on Ferenginar but other cultures wouldn't expect one. Also, there's some interesting worldbuilding where houses on Ferenginar keep a stack of cloths by the entrance for people to wipe their head dry with after coming in from the rain.
- Brunt: "Congratulations, Quark. You're a Ferengi again." (After he hangs up) Quark: (ruthlessly) "I always was." -- The Brunt + Quark interactions in this episode are really good! It doesn't surprise me that the only two fics tagged with this episode at the moment are both Quark/Brunt fics. Quark and Brunt have similar values and are (at least at some point) cooperating in this episode, but also there's so much detestation and contempt between them. Quark's "Why are you picking on me?!" -- why indeed... lol.
- Lol, Zek is so ridiculous and funny. He's so childish/impish, messing with Quark all the time and being over-the-top schmoopy and horny with Ishka, and yet also in this position of incredible responsibility. It's just wild.
- Quark and Ishka's relationship in this is so interesting. There are multiple points during this episode where Quark asks for sympathy/emotional comfort from her and she doesn't really give him any. Part of it is just because there's something else more pressing on her mind that she's focused on, but I'm guessing she is actually warmer toward Rom than she is to Quark. And similarly, there are multiple points where Ishka herself is in need of some emotional support, and Quark is right there, but Quark is noticeably quite cold and uncaring and more wrapped up in his own fortunes as well. They are pretty similar in this regard. At the end of the episode, where you see Quark and Ishka actually having a bonding sort of moment together, it is over Quark's Maurader Mo figurines, and Quark and Ishka's closeness tends to be more centered around Ishka's ability to give Quark sound business advice, which I think suits their relationship well. It also resembles the main way in which she supports Zek as well. So I think "giving business advice" is one of Ishka's love languages (well, I guess this falls under "acts of service").
- For Leck fans, the script for this episode apparently has an extended version of the scene where Leck petitions Zek for financial advice. It has some interesting characterization for Leck, mentions some industries Ferenginar is involved in, and hints at Zek's reliance on Ishka's notes.
Quodo potential:
- They don't have any scenes together in this one, but I'd love to see something where Quark bids Odo goodbye before he heads back to Ferenginar. Or Quark coming back to the station and filling Odo in on his time on Ferenginar?
- Also, I feel like a relationship between Quark and Odo would be highly thematic in an episode called "Ferengi Love Songs" and where two members of Quark's family are in a serious romantic relationship. It'd be interesting to contrast Quark+Odo's relationship with Rom+Leeta's and Ishka+Zek's. There's a lot of ways in which Ferengi culture affects the other two relationships, so it would be interesting to see how those cultural aspects would play out in Quark and Odo's relationship too.
- Even something like Quark complaining about everyone in his family being in a relationship (except Nog? or maybe Nog too IDK) and then Odo saying, "Well, if you want to be in a relationship with someone...."
no subject
- I love Armin's acting in this one. It's so fun seeing Quark being so emo. His overwhelmed confusion reaction to Zek being in his mother's house is so cute. 😂
- I think there's a subtle hint (one of many in the show) about how normal homosexuality is in Ferengi culture in this episode? When Zek and Ishka are recounting how they met, Zek says Ishka's letters were a highlight of his day and he knew they had to meet... before he found out she was female.
- Quark: "It's awful. You don't know what it's like to be denied the opportunity to earn profit." Ishka: "Oh, yes I do. I know exactly what it's like." -- lol, I love this exchange. Quark isn't very empathetic and he walked right into that one lmao.
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It's always interesting to me that Ferengi society considers the traits of scheming and self-interest to be desirable/complimentary. It's also kind of unclear to me how much Ishka buys into those norms? In most ways, she is a typical Ferengi (just closer to a typical *male* Ferengi, by wanting to engage in business), but her vision for Ferengi society does seem to depart from how it is currently in a couple of ways, even outside of women's rights, and here she does seem to fling around being manipulative, selfish, disloyal to family, etc. as an insult while not being super horrified to hear Quark has a conscience, but it's not a very strong reaction either way. Her calling Quark manipulative could be a backhanded compliment, for example, like, "Good for you, you're doing so well at being a Ferengi. At least one of us is succeeding in life, I guess. I hope you're happy." But it does seem like she thinks friends and family are owed some loyalty, at least, which is not a particularly Ferengi norm / is contradicted multiple times in the Rules of Acquisition.
- In this episode, like in episode 3x23 "Family Business," when Quark returns to Ferenginar for the first time, Quark shows signs that he hasn't been back to Ferenginar in a while, for example, being unused to paying for bribes in situations where you have to produce a bribe on Ferenginar but other cultures wouldn't expect one. Also, there's some interesting worldbuilding where houses on Ferenginar keep a stack of cloths by the entrance for people to wipe their head dry with after coming in from the rain.
- Brunt: "Congratulations, Quark. You're a Ferengi again." (After he hangs up) Quark: (ruthlessly) "I always was." -- The Brunt + Quark interactions in this episode are really good! It doesn't surprise me that the only two fics tagged with this episode at the moment are both Quark/Brunt fics. Quark and Brunt have similar values and are (at least at some point) cooperating in this episode, but also there's so much detestation and contempt between them. Quark's "Why are you picking on me?!" -- why indeed... lol.
- Lol, Zek is so ridiculous and funny. He's so childish/impish, messing with Quark all the time and being over-the-top schmoopy and horny with Ishka, and yet also in this position of incredible responsibility. It's just wild.
- Quark and Ishka's relationship in this is so interesting. There are multiple points during this episode where Quark asks for sympathy/emotional comfort from her and she doesn't really give him any. Part of it is just because there's something else more pressing on her mind that she's focused on, but I'm guessing she is actually warmer toward Rom than she is to Quark. And similarly, there are multiple points where Ishka herself is in need of some emotional support, and Quark is right there, but Quark is noticeably quite cold and uncaring and more wrapped up in his own fortunes as well. They are pretty similar in this regard. At the end of the episode, where you see Quark and Ishka actually having a bonding sort of moment together, it is over Quark's Maurader Mo figurines, and Quark and Ishka's closeness tends to be more centered around Ishka's ability to give Quark sound business advice, which I think suits their relationship well. It also resembles the main way in which she supports Zek as well. So I think "giving business advice" is one of Ishka's love languages (well, I guess this falls under "acts of service").
- For Leck fans, the script for this episode apparently has an extended version of the scene where Leck petitions Zek for financial advice. It has some interesting characterization for Leck, mentions some industries Ferenginar is involved in, and hints at Zek's reliance on Ishka's notes.
Quodo potential:
- They don't have any scenes together in this one, but I'd love to see something where Quark bids Odo goodbye before he heads back to Ferenginar. Or Quark coming back to the station and filling Odo in on his time on Ferenginar?
- Also, I feel like a relationship between Quark and Odo would be highly thematic in an episode called "Ferengi Love Songs" and where two members of Quark's family are in a serious romantic relationship. It'd be interesting to contrast Quark+Odo's relationship with Rom+Leeta's and Ishka+Zek's. There's a lot of ways in which Ferengi culture affects the other two relationships, so it would be interesting to see how those cultural aspects would play out in Quark and Odo's relationship too.
- Even something like Quark complaining about everyone in his family being in a relationship (except Nog? or maybe Nog too IDK) and then Odo saying, "Well, if you want to be in a relationship with someone...."