YMMV / Star Trek Deep Space Nine S 07 E 05 Chrysalis

• Heartwarming Moments: The singalong in the cargo bay. The genuinely talented voices of all the singers, the beautiful harmony, the sheer joy on Sarina's face, all make it practically impossible not to smile throughout the whole thing. Even fans who don't like the episode (and there are quite a few, whether because of what it seems to imply about mental illness or because of the way Bashir and Sarina's relationship develops) agree that this scene is the highlight.
• Informed Wrongness: Bashir learns the lesson that it was wrong for him to "smother" Sarina with his romantic interest so soon after she recovers from her catatonia. While Bashir's conduct isn't completely blameless, and it does ultimately seem like a good idea for Sarina to strike out on her own to figure out her place in the world, there are a number of factors that make the episode's judgment of his behavior seem more harsh than he deserves:
  • Sarina was already able to interact with the world in a limited capacity. In her previous episode, she was able to indirectly pass on the solution to an issue that the other savants were puzzling over. Bashir himself discovered her solution, so he knows that she hasn't been completely disconnected from the world.
  • Sarina already had a crush on Jack, something Bashir himself figured out, so he knows that she's been able to understand what love is and have romantic feelings for some time.
  • Sarina goes to Bashir when she's having a problem, falls asleep in his arms, and reclines against his chest even after she awakens. You can't really blame Bashir for interpreting that kind of physical closeness as genuine romantic interest rather than just the feeling of indebtedness that she describes later.