griggsda

This is DS 9's idea of a spoof of Film Noir, with Quark as the criminal who is not all bad, and Odo as the hard-boiled detective. The highlight must be the presence of Lawrence Tierney who is one of the giants of 1940s and 50s crime dramas (see esp. "Born To Kill"). He only does two scenes, but his icy presence gives this little comedy/drama a pedigree and authenticity.

I am surprised at how few positive reviews this teleplay gets. I consider this program one of television's finest hours. It seems that many viewers lack sympathy for the main character, Horace M. Ford. I see him as a man with a troubled childhood who has spent most of his life in denial about his psychological baggage. His unwillingness to face reality has caught up with him and he is having what they called in the 1960s a nervous breakdown. So, of course his behavior is childish, he is having a nervous breakdown. I assume that for most of his adult life he was able to act more like an adult, but at the age of 38 the wounded child within finally demanded attention. In a 'magical realism' sort of way, the resolution is convincing and satisfying. The acting, casting, and set designs are first rate. "The Incredible World of Horace Ford" is a meaningful psychological drama.

The Cairo episode was packed with every cliché, stereotype, and old joke about Egypt. It did not come off as campy or cute, just racist, superficial, and utterly lacking in imagination. Since the new series has little connection to the original version, I suppose the creators are aiming for a young audience who might be new to cliché and old jokes. Over all, the show has some potential, if only the creators will take a more thoughtful approach. It does not need to be profound, but why go for dull and second-hand?