I watched it live when it aired ... and I remember being near tears. I figured there was no way they could come back from that, and what a big let-down it was. I knew that Vic's charade would be discovered ... and I grimaced when it came to a head. I felt SO bad for Odo.
When the kiss happened, I was
and
. And when they kissed again, I was in paradise! I watched it, and re-watched it until about 2 in the morning.
See, back when it aired, there were NO online spoilers. Star Trek sites for DS9 (especially Odo & Kira fansites) were very few and far between. There was a picture I saw of them kissing in a Star Trek magazine ... but I figured it was a very good computer/promo shot because the caption read, "Will Odo's dream (insert picture) come true?" That was it. I had no way of knowing until AFTER the episode aired that it was actually the "His Way" kiss. The only glimpses we got were the previews/promos after each new episode aired ... or whatever one sentence summary we got in the following week's TV guide. So, in the TV guide, it basically said that Odo goes to a holographic lounge lizard to ask for help to woo Kira. The promo said, "He's love sick and looking for a cure." (Shot of Odo talking with Quark, and then Odo & Kira walking along the Promenade). Then we saw him lean down to kiss Lola. "Can a hologram truly change a Changeling?" Then the scene of Odo at the piano.
The end result of "His Way" was a complete surprise. And definitely a good one
.
I got to relive that exhilaration recently, if you check out my icon -- Huddy ([H]ouse, M.D. - House & Cuddy), who finally got together after SIX YEARS!
I've uploaded a new video to the OP.
Odo & Kira - What If I Said