Dukat has been many things in this show, but I am fairly confident this is his last turn. After rising to the top of the Cardassian government as a part of the Dominion he is now a prisoner of the Federation and his daughter was killed in front of him. In this episode we see what this has done to him, not only does he kidnap Sisko to try and get him to say he respects Dukat, but he is also hallucinating badly. I don't know much about this kind of mental disorder, but I have a feeling it doesn't work quite like this in real life. At the same time the first scene where he is talking to Weyoun it isn't clear to the audience that Weyoun isn't actually there for the first bit which is cool. In the end Dukat loses it and sets of on a mission to kill every Bajoran which luckily he isn't able to accomplish.
The episode begins on the USS Honshu where Sisko is preparing himself to visit Dukat in his cell. The two discuss how Sisko is there to testify at the hearing Dukat will be subjected to when they arrive at a starbase. As the captain prepares to leave the ship is shaken and we cut to the opening credits. Back on DS9 the crew are preparing for a rescue operation. The Honshu was destroyed and they Defiant is needed in a few days to escort a troop convoy so they won't have much time to search. They get underway and we cut back to Dukat and Sisko, now in a cave on an unknown planet. Dukat tells Sisko that he carried Sisko to a shuttle as the Honshu exploded but that he shuttle was damaged in the process and he was forced to put down on this hostile planet. He has an emergency beacon that he took from the shuttle that he tells Sisko is set to broadcast a generic distress signal so they don't know if the Dominion or Federation will find them first.
Sisko was badly hurt and his arm is in a cast. He also allegedly has burns on a large part of his body. Dukat leaves to go look for plants outside and runs into Weyoun who insists that he just go ahead and kill Sisko. Dukat responds that he has the time to get Sisko to tell him he respects him before dying. Suddenly it is apparent that Weyoun isn't there and Dukat is talking to himself. While he is gone Sisko opens up the beacon and realizes it isn't working. When Dukat returns Sisko gets him to check it over and Dukat lies and says it is fine so Sisko knows the whole thing is probably a ruse of some sort. Dukat wants to talk about what he did on Bajor a lot and Sisko is happy to talk, but isn't willing to say that he respects Dukat. The Defiant keeps looking, but despite rescuing 12 survivors there is no sign of the captain.
While Dukat is busy arguing with more sides of his personality, in this case Damar, Sisko manages to get the beacon to actually work and pretends to be resting when Dukat returns. We get a fake out with the Defiant detecting a signal and rescuing two life forms, but of course it isn't the captain. Dukat becomes increasingly unhinged and eventually figures out the beacon is working and blasts it with a phaser. Dukat gets into a fight with "Kira" in front of Sisko and finally admits that he thinks he should have killed all the Bajorans. While he is distracted Sisko hits Dukat over the head with a metal pole and flees to the shuttle. But before he can escape Dukat returns, throws him out, and leaves in the shuttle promising to kill all Bajorans. Sisko is rescued though and swears that this time he won't give Dukat the chance to get away again.
Review: A dark episode that shows just how unhinged Dukat has become. But also that on the inside he doesn't seem to have wanted to be a good person while ruling Bajor and that he was actually making excuses to himself the whole time.
8 out of 10
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