'All You Leave Behind' has the difficult task of concluding the Dominion War arc, saying goodbye to various characters and providing a satisfying finale to DS9. For me it achieves all these objectives but is not perfect.
There is little I can say about the plot without spoiling, but for me the war is resolved in an exciting, yet fairly contrived way. The battle scenes, both in space and on the ground are compelling and numerous characters have the opportunity to contribute in ways that feel right for them individually. It has a bit too much exposition dialogue for my liking and certain things feel quite plot convenient, but it is not to the detriment of the story.
The scenes involving the fate of the character Benjamin Sisko are probably what is likely to make or break it for viewers. I think what becomes of the character is a good decision by the writers, but it could have been done in better way. It feels slightly rushed for me, but it just about works.
Dukat's arc has been arguably not as good since 'Sacrifice of Angels', and it ends here in an oversimplified way when compared with how complex it was in the early/mid seasons.
What is particularly good are all the character 'goodbye' moments in the latter part of the episode. Certain pairings and groups of individuals have some excellent final moments together and this for me is the highlight of the finale. So much so it put a lump in my cynical throat at times.
Visually it has numerous great and memorable scenes. All the action related scenes are done well and there is an excellent group character scene set a Vic's that looks fabulous. The final few shots tug at the heartstrings incredibly well.
The biggest letdown for me is that Jadzia does not appear in one poignant montage that would have cemented her character legacy in the show. For a franchise that has commented so much on politics, cooperation and the nature of humanity over the years you would have thought all parties could have come to an agreement to make it happen.
There is little I can say about the plot without spoiling, but for me the war is resolved in an exciting, yet fairly contrived way. The battle scenes, both in space and on the ground are compelling and numerous characters have the opportunity to contribute in ways that feel right for them individually. It has a bit too much exposition dialogue for my liking and certain things feel quite plot convenient, but it is not to the detriment of the story.
The scenes involving the fate of the character Benjamin Sisko are probably what is likely to make or break it for viewers. I think what becomes of the character is a good decision by the writers, but it could have been done in better way. It feels slightly rushed for me, but it just about works.
Dukat's arc has been arguably not as good since 'Sacrifice of Angels', and it ends here in an oversimplified way when compared with how complex it was in the early/mid seasons.
What is particularly good are all the character 'goodbye' moments in the latter part of the episode. Certain pairings and groups of individuals have some excellent final moments together and this for me is the highlight of the finale. So much so it put a lump in my cynical throat at times.
Visually it has numerous great and memorable scenes. All the action related scenes are done well and there is an excellent group character scene set a Vic's that looks fabulous. The final few shots tug at the heartstrings incredibly well.
The biggest letdown for me is that Jadzia does not appear in one poignant montage that would have cemented her character legacy in the show. For a franchise that has commented so much on politics, cooperation and the nature of humanity over the years you would have thought all parties could have come to an agreement to make it happen.