It's Only a Paper Moon

"It's Only a Paper Moon" is an episode that surprised me for two reasons. First, while I never understood why the show used the Vic Fontaine (James Darren) character, here he works fine. Second, I was shocked how good Aron Eisenberg was in this episode as he showed a much greater sense of depth to Nog than we'd ever seen before in the show.

When the show begins, Nog has finally returned to the station after losing his leg in battle. While the crew is prepared to celebrate his return, Nog has no interest in this and he quickly departs for the holosuite. He is on medical leave and he plans on spending all of it hanging out with Vic in 1962 Las Vegas. However, over time, it becomes very obvious that Nog is avoiding dealing with his emotional scars and he cannot hide from everyone forever.

I was seriously shocked that "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" could deliver a really good show about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder--especially with a Ferengi going through the trauma. After all, through the course of the show, the Ferengi were mostly there as comic relief and the diminutive Nog isn't most folks' idea of a soldier. Still, due to excellent writing and Eisenberg's performance, it turns out to be one of the best shows of the final season. Well worth seeing.