Quodo in Every Episode discussion: "A Man Alone"

[chacusha]

New discussion this week! This week we're discussing... episode 1x04 "A Man Alone"! (Fun fact: This episode was originally scheduled to be the very last episode discussed in the random ordering. So it got bumped up in the schedule by QUITE a lot!)

Episode synopsis: Odo is framed for the murder of Ibudan, a formerly-convicted criminal whom Odo put away during the Cardassian occupation. As public opinion turns against Odo, he discovers that people are not as tolerant or trusting of shapeshifters as he thought.

What The Boys are up to in this episode: This is an Odo-centric episode, so he's in various scenes confronting Ibudan, conducting a murder investigation, clashing with Sisko over his role as security chief, and being hounded by hostile mobs. Quark has two scenes with Odo, one at the beginning where they discuss "coupling" and one later when Quark visits Odo in his trashed office, and another scene where he defends Odo's honor from various critical Bajorans.

One screencap from this episode:


Transcript: http://chakoteya.net/DS9/403.htm

Quodo fics tagged with this episode: There are two fics in the tag, which I've added to the masterlist already:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/46479091
https://archiveofourown.org/works/46668310

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)
Event info & rules
Fic masterlist

Comments

[axolotls]

Jadzia's Old and Wise shtick feels to me very much like her kind of parotting what's expected of a joined Trill, despite her only having been joined for a relatively short time (given what the Dax symbiont symbioses are usually like, as we later learn...).

Odo is so grumpy at the beginning, lmaoo. As an aroace, though, I really appreciate him being like that for a while... it's nice to have a character who just doesn't really want to engage in what is considered normal for humanoids! (And Quark makes for a fun contrast as the normative voice there and also as the person with the closest relationship to Odo, where they often have that old married couple vibe...)

- Interestingly, Quark's bar in this episode (as seen in Ibudan's itinerary) is called "Quark's Place." I'm reading a DS9 tie-in novel that uses "Quark's Place" too, which is interesting. I think later they change it to "Quark's Bar, Grill, Gaming House, and Holosuite Arcade" or just: "Quark's Bar."

That's very interesting! It's listed as Quark's Bar in the Deep Space Nine Companion, which shows the Promenade directory and while I can't tell when it was made, it's described as a background thing so I'd assume it was made when the Promenade was... Ah, but then must have been made after Garak was established as a character! So perhaps it's newer than I assumed! Interesting. (What's the novel? One of the numbered ones?)

- How many ways can two characters say "I care about you" without saying "I care about you" 😂

I KNOW RIGHT. That scene in the office was just, aaaa. So clear that Quark cares and wants to make Odo feel better after he's just been hatecrimed. I love those fic ideas too, I'll definitely add the one you mentioned to my marked for later list, and I'm very intrigued by your criminal!Odo AU idea. 👀

(Also lmaooo yeah I always loved that bit with Bashir agreeing to go for lunch with Sisko without even missing a beat. Precious.)

[chacusha]

Yeah, early series Jadzia does have more stereotypical "old wise man" type traits, before they develop the Dax symbiont into more of a headstrong, impulsive sort of being. It's interesting to interpret that as her leaning more on a stereotype of a joined Trill while she's figuring out her new personality.

Grumpy old man Odo is so good. It is refreshing to have a character so thoroughly turned off and baffled by sex and romance. Although yeah, it does add a layer of funniness/irony over his quasi-romantic dynamic with Quark!

Yeah, I wonder when they put in the Promenade directory in the show, or if it changed over time? The novel I'm reading is the DS9 Pocket Book #5, Fallen Heroes by Dafydd ab Hugh!

Haha yeah, Quark is so protective of Odo here -- practically chomping at the bit to find out who trashed Odo's office. XD It's such a good moment, because Odo is in a very vulnerable place here and not the type of person to want people to see him like that, and Quark knows that and provokes Odo/treats him how he always does in order to restore a sense of normalcy and like nothing really has changed, and pretends not to see Odo having "embarrassing" feelings. Now I'm thinking about that bit of Quodo meta someone wrote that's like "Quark loves Odo because Odo treats him like someone special and Odo loves Quark because Quark treats him like someone normal" and I'm having feelings about it, because both of those are very much on display in this scene.

(Bashir is cute. For some reason, I'm noticing a lot of characterization moments for him that I think I missed in my previous watches.)

[axolotls]

Awwww, I hadn't thought of that characterisation of their dynamic, that's great. :'3 Love them. Soulmates (derogatory).