5-14. In Purgatory's Shadow.

Garak and Worf, prisoners of the Dominion!

THE PLOT

When an encoded Cardassian transmission is picked up in the Gamma Quadrant, Sisko orders Garak to decode it. Garak tells him it's innocuous, just a years-old planetary survey. But when he states that he's given up on the idea of survivors from the Cardassian attack on the Dominion, Dr. Bashir knows that he's lying. Bashir pushes Garak to reveal the truth: The transmission is a message from his old mentor, Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley), consisting of just one word repeated over and over: "Alive."

Garak insists on going after Tain, and points out to Sisko that if Tain is alive then there may be other survivors as well. He is sent with Worf in a runabout to trace the signal back... but they don't get far before they are intercepted by a Dominion fleet. Worf is able to get out a warning that Dominion forces are building up near the wormhole, but that is all he is able to accomplish before he and Garak are captured.

They are taken to a prison camp on an asteroid. The only atmosphere is provided by a dome, making escape an apparent impossibility. Meanwhile, at the station, Worf's message is received, leaving Sisko with only one option to stop a Dominion invasion: Collapse the wormhole!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Though he doesn't trust that Tain's message is real, he can't ignore the possibility of survivors. He sends Worf with Garak, knowing that the rigid Worf is unlikely to be swayed by the Cardassian's manipulations. When Worf's message gets through, Sisko gives him and Garak as much time as possible before collapsing the wormhole. Ultimately, however, he knows that cutting them off is an acceptable tradeoff to stopping a Dominion attack, and orders it done when the moment comes.

Worf: I love this show's willingness to combine different characters to create new dynamics. We've usually seen Garak paired with Bashir (and do for a bit of this episode), but we've also seen him teamed up with Odo to very different but equally enjoyable effect. Now Worf is assigned to accompany the Cardassian, and we get something different again. Worf's too inflexible to spar with Garak the way Bashir or Odo did. Instead, he calls out Garak's lies as soon as he recognizes them. His inflexible mind-set doesn't stop him from being manipulated, though. When he is about to turn back, as Sisko ordered, Garak prevails on his honor to get him to continue. Worf snaps that Garak doesn't understand the meaning of the word... but as Garak points out, that isn't the point. Worf does, and that's all that's needed for Garak to get the Klingon to do as he wants.

Dr. Bashir: Instantly recognizes Garak's claim of an inconsequential message as a lie. He waits in a runabout for the Cardassian to attempt to steal it, then takes him to Sisko to reveal the full truth. When Garak compliments him on how untrusting he's become over the past five years, Bashir says only that he had a good teacher. Much later in the episode, when Garak is stung by Tain rejecting him yet again, Bashir does provide some comfort. Garak snaps about how the best lesson he can teach Bashir is that sentiment is a weakness... Prompting the doctor to reply that this is one lesson he hopes never to learn.

Garak: Though there are big moments for several characters, this episode belongs to him and is all the better for it. Garak remains an unpredictable delight. He pushes Worf into considering sponsoring his application to Starfleet, only to reveal that he did so only to keep his lying skills sharp. He greets both Gul Dukat and his captors with a disarming grin, and doesn't seem too bothered when both encounters result in hands around his throat. For all of his rampant deception, and for all the wrongs Tain has done to him over the years, he retains a strong loyalty to his mentor. His final scene with Tain seems to reveal more about both men's backgrounds... though honestly, given Garak's nature, I don't trust that the information we seem to learn is truly genuine.

Gul Dukat: Enters the episode in a fury - literally, as he throttles Garak for his association with his daughter. This sets the tone for Dukat's entire role. When Kira confirms that she knew about Ziyal (Melanie Smith)'s association with Garak, he accuses her of willful betrayal. Gone is the smiling flirtation of the past two seasons - Dukat makes it clear in one scene that he now fully regards Kira as an enemy, and he intends to get his revenge. His last scene sees him denouncing his daughter for refusing to leave the station on his orders, lumping her in with all his other self-created enemies. For all of this, you can see that in his mind, he is the injured party in every case. Much like the man who claimed to want to protect the Bajorans as his "children," he has made himself into a victim. It will be very interesting to see where he goes from here.


THOUGHTS

Gul Dukat, Garak, and Enebran Tain all in the same episode, along with a massive Dominion build-up and a few big surprises... If I didn't know this was still the mid-season, I would think this was the first part of a season cliffhanger! It's certainly momentous enough. If the next episode sustains the momentum, this will likely rank alongside The Jem'Hadar, The Die Is Cast, and The Way of the Warrior for episodes that cause a seismic shift in the series.

I'll wait until my next review to discuss the episode's biggest revelation - I want to mull it over a while before seriously discussing it in any event. Besides, while I can't imagine many people are reading these reviews without having first seen the episodes, I want to allow at least one review's space before spoiling one of the best surprises the series has yet sprung.

Writers Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Ira Steven Behr provide the big moments and the sense of a series turning point, but they don't forget to make room for plenty of good character material. In addition to moments I've mentioned in the "Characters" section, we also see Odo adjusting to being a shapeshifter again, and finding that there are many aspects to being a solid that he's going to miss. The Kira/Dukat scenes are charged with energy, with Kira all but laughing at Dukat's attempts to intimidate her (something that I suspect she's taking far too lightly). worf and Dax get a scene together that shows the spark, humor, and chemistry that was so sorely lacking in Let He Who Is Without Sin...

All in all, an excellent first part that leaves me eagerly awaiting Part Two.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: For the Uniform
Next Episode: By Inferno's Light


Search Amazon.com for Star Trek: Deep Space 9



Review Index

3-21. The Die Is Cast.

Garak interrogates Odo.

THE PLOT

Garak has joined his old mentor, Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley), as Tain prepares to launch a first strike against the Dominion. Tain's plan is to attack the Founders' home world, eliminating them as a threat. The drug dependency used to control the Jem'Hadar will then neutralize them, as they will die within weeks of the Founders' destruction. This will remove the Dominion threat and, on a more personal level, provide Tain with a path back to power and Garak with an opportunity to take revenge on his old enemies in the Cardassian Empire.

This does, however, leave Odo as a prisoner on Tain's ship. Tain, for his part, requires a show of loyalty from Garak. A vigorous interrogation of Odo, with use of a stasis field to disable his shapeshifting abilities and make him vulnerable to torture!


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Even under orders to stay at the station and take no action regarding the Cardassian/Romulan fleet, he will not simply sit by while one of his officers is taken into a war zone. He disregards orders and takes the Defiant through the wormhole to rescue Odo. When this takes him directly into combat, he is very ready for it - though as soon as the constable and Garak are rescued, he is equally ready to get away as quickly as possible.

Odo: Rene Auberjonois gets a great scene, as Odo is interrogated by Garak. He never displays any fear, even as the Cardassian stasis field keeps him from reverting to his liquid state, leaving him a dried out husk with skin literally peeling away. As Odo stands there, a living wreck, he continues to batter Garak with his observations, recognizing that this is far from the return to glory the Cardassian had dreamt of.

Dr. Bashir: The teaser sees Bashir attempting to have lunch with his other best friend, Chief O'Brien. Bashir expounds on theatre, while O'Brien basically ignores him and eats. The doctor's frustration at his failed attempt to replicate his lunches with Garak is very funny, and this brief interaction shows just how important Bashir's friendship with Garak is to him - as important in its own way as his friendship with O'Brien.

Commander Eddington: I'd completely forgotten about Eddington. I think the writers had, too. Much was made of his introduction, but he's gone not only unseen, but entirely unmentioned in the twenty episodes since. Given that he was placed in charge of Starfleet security on the station, I'd have thought he'd at least receive some mention in some of the intervening episodes. As it stands, it took me a moment to remember who this extra character was. "Odo's my friend, too," he insists - but since these two characters have shared no screen time since Eddington's appointment, we can't even judge this statement as a lie. A rare missed opportunity for this series, as it keeps any of the character's actions in this episode from having any resonance at all.

Garak: "Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor." Back in his old role as Enabran Tain's right hand, Garak finds he has no taste for the job anymore. Some of this is down to Tain, whose orders are immediately too ruthless. He talks of eliminating his housekeeper, the very woman who pleaded with Garak to help Tain just one episode ago. He orders Garak to interrogate Odo, refusing to accept Garak's belief that Odo has nothing to tell. It's no surprise that the episode ends with Garak back at his tailor's shop - but he's emotionally in a very different place, which will hopefully result in further developments down the line.


THOUGHTS

A rare case of Part Two being even better than Part One. The Die Is Cast picks up on the idea of Enabran Tain's first strike against the Dominion. What's interesting is that all of the Alpha Quadrant governments have the same basic idea: To sit back and wait, not dirty their hands on this "rogue operation," but hope for its success just the same. This approach defines not only the Cardassians and the Romulans, but also Starfleet. "I never hope for war," a Starfleet official tells Sisko, "but if it comes, I want the Dominion to be on the losing side."

The Garak scenes are predictably the best in the show. Put back in a position of power, Garak finds that his ability to lie with absolute smoothness only goes so far. It's clear from the start that he's trying to protect Odo - but it's also clear to Tain and the Romulan captain, and Garak is forced to do what he least wants: torture someone he might have considered a friend.

The scene in which Garak interrogates Odo is the episode's strongest, with Rene Auberjonois and Andrew Robinson both outstanding. I particularly like the way writer Ronald D. Moore's script keeps each character determined to betray no sign of weakness. Garak is silky, charming, and utterly terrifying as he presses Odo for answers. Odo, in turn, is defiant, spitting sarcasm back at Garak even under torture. Both characters do give, just a little: Garak, practically whispering in Odo's ear as he begs the shapeshifter to say something - "lie if you have to!" - and Odo confiding his desire to join his people's Great Link. It is only when Garak shuts off the field, though, that they show their weakness: Odo returning to liquid form, Garak allowing himself to bury his head in his hands in exhaustion and self-disgust.

This is an episode which should have far-reaching consequences. The Dominion has been a background threat throughout the season - frequently mentioned, but largely passive save for a single attempt to get Odo to join them. Now they have been officially engaged, which should make them a more active threat. At the same time, this should cause a shift in the Cardassians' internal balance of power, which might be rather interesting to see. Whatever the case, I look forward to seeing the fallout from this - doubtless around the season's end.

The best episode of the season, and one which promises much to come as the series continues.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Improbable Cause

Next Episode: Explorers

Search Amazon.com for Star Trek: Deep Space 9

Review Index

3-20. Improbable Cause.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

2-22. The Wire.

Garak lashes out at Dr. Bashir.

THE PLOT

Garak is unwell. He's uncharacteristically short-tempered, his skin is clammy, and he is having regular headaches. Despite this, he resists Dr. Bashir's attempts to get him to the infirmary for a check up. Instead, he goes to Quark, making clandestine arrangements for a secret piece of Cardassian biotech - so secret that not even Quark's contacts will be able to obtain it.

When Garak collapses, Bashir discovers there is an implant inside Garak's head, connected to his entire central nervous system. He confronts Garak, who confesses that the implant was put there by the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian secret police. It was designed to make Garak immune to torture, by increasing his body's production of endorphins. Pain literally becomes pleasure. But the device "was never designed for continuous use," Garak tells Bashir. Finding his exile to the Bajoran-controlled Deep Space 9 to be a living torture, Garak simply switched the device on and left it run. Now it is malfunctioning, and Garak insists that there is nothing Bashir can do to help him...


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Barely present, though he does amusingly describe his yelling at an admiral (from the previous episode, perhaps?) as expressing his opinion, "loudly."

Dr. Bashir: After being an insufferably boor for the bulk of the first season, Dr. Bashir has grown into a strong character in Season Two. This episode gives him a particularly meaty role, showcasing his dedication to his patients and the strength of his friendship. He refuses to allow Garak to push him away, either when Garak tells him the most brutal version of his story or when he physically assaults him. He also refuses to allow Odo to intimidate him into questioning Garak while he's still in critical condition. By the end, Bashir knows that he hasn't learned much about Garak, with the connection to the Obsidian Order probably being the only new information truly confirmed. But he seems willing to accept the subterfuge and contradictions as simply part and parcel of a friendship with Garak.

Quark: Gleeful at the prospect of making the elusive Garak into one of his clients, and perhaps at the idea of repaying Garak for his mercy. Whether hoping for future business, repaying a personal debt, or a bit of both, Quark does his very best to assist Garak - though when the words, "Obsidian Order" are mentioned by his Cardassian contact, his self-preservation instincts kick in very, very quickly.

Garak: Garak hasn't actually been in very many episodes, with this being his fourth appearance in more than 40 shows, but he already feels like an integral part of the show. Between the shaded writing of the character and the performance by Andrew Robinson, which I think may be the very best work of Robinson's long career, he is a character who is as fascinatingly complex as he is fun to watch. We learn a lot about Garak's past in this episode... though most of it contradicts itself.

Garak was exiled in disgrace to Deep Space 9, after having been a powerful figure within the Obsidian Order. That much we know for sure. We don't know which of Garak's other stories are true, though - the one in which he was exiled for showing mercy, or the one in which he was exiled for being relentlessly merciless. It seems entirely possible that both incidents he related are true, and simply occurred on different occasions. It is certain, however, that Garak was an influential figure, and that his existence has not simply been forgotten back on the home to which he can never return. I look forward to his next appearance, though I'm guessing that won't occur until next season.


THOUGHTS

"My dear doctor, (the stories are) all true... especially the lies." The odd, mistrustful friendship between Garak and Bashir is the focus of this episode. After the teaser, the episode begins with Dax observing that Bashir and Garak aren't really friends, they simply have lunch together once a week. The episode then moves on to firmly establish that Bashir's friendship with Garak is genuine. Bashir may not truly know Garak, with even the end leaving him (and us) with a mass of contradictions.

Though a Garak-centered episode is always good news, The Wire is a particularly fine show. It's a character-centered episode that doesn't feel the need to graft on some extra, external threat to the station. This story is about the relationship between Bashir and Garak, and the contradictions of Garak's past. There's no looming military threat tenuously tied to Garak's implant. It's all character-centric, and remains that way. It's a very tightly-focused episode as a result, and that focus combines with excellent acting by Andrew Robinson and Siddig El-Fadil to make this one of the best of the season.

It's also an expertly-structured script, with the stakes rising steadily throughout. Bashir overcomes the barriers Garak throws in front of him, only to encounter new barriers due to the lack of medical information about Cardassians. Given that we've seen him treat Cardassians before, I'd have thought he'd have developed a lot of that information by now - but the episode's so good that I'm more than willing to let that slide. Bashir's commitment is tested at every point. He must overcome Garak's resistance, he must face down Odo at one point. Finally, he is forced to go to Cardassian space to confront a particularly infamous Cardassian (wonderfully played by Paul Dooley). And even at the end, neither he nor we know what crimes Garak is truly guilty of.

Dooley's cameo, by the way, is yet another instance in which Deep Space 9 has lured terrific character actors into its fold. All the Trek shows have had snared strong guest stars, probably a tribue to the franchise's iconic status even when it was in its dying days. But Deep Space 9 seems to get this calibre of actor more regularly than other Trek shows, and gets more out of their casting as well. I can't help but think that the show's consistently fine character writing - which far outstrips that of any other Trek, at any point in the franchise's history - probably has something to do with that.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: The Maquis

Next Episode: Crossover

Search Amazon.com for Star Trek: Deep Space 9




Review Index