The Wire

DVD, DS9 S2 (The Wire)

As Garak is fond of reminding the good doctor, appearances can be deceptive. You would think, this being an episode all about a drug-addicted Garak that we would learn something about the enigmatic Cardassian tailor. You would think. The truth is (and I use that word loosely when dealing with everyone's favourite recurring character), amid all the lies, half-truths and downright maybe's, we find out one fact about him: Elim is his first name. To go through so much anguish and twisting tales we might expect to uncover quite a lot about most people, but with Garak, letting slip one solid-gold true fact is the reward and the point of the episode. Yes, it's Enabran Tain, another enigmatic Cardassian, who spills the beans, and his presence leaves viewers guessing even further. That is Garak's way, to eke out some detail and reveal the existence of many more that we're not going to find out easily. That is also what makes his character so appealing, added to his seemingly open and gracious outward appearance.

Ah, that word again. The same could be said for Tain, the head of the Obsidian Order, both of which are first mentioned here. When Bashir goes to him for help he projects an image of a retired old man in a cardigan, affable and mildly amused by the doctor's presence. But he can switch at a moment's notice to total authority, or drop anvils such as the knowledge he has of every facet of station life. Information is indeed his business. It would be easy to label this a Garak episode, but the important role of the ongoing characters was to throw light on the regulars, at least until they grew to become extra regulars themselves. At first, Bashir, (middle name Subatoi - thanks Tain!), doesn't think too much about his acquaintance with Garak, it's not as if they're friends. Through the course of events however, a bond is strengthened between them, and he proves what a true doctor (standing up to Odo who wants to question the Cardassian), and friend (his brash mission to Tain) he is.

Garak too, realises something: without the good doctor, he would be dead. Speaking of Bashir's visit to Tain, we're immediately given clues to the power of this unassuming, portly alien. If you think about it, a man who was head of the Order would have many enemies, yet Bashir locates his residence and pops down to see him with hardly any bother. Tain himself notes that he let the military know the human was coming. That's the key - he knows everything going on around him, near and far. No one he didn't wish to meet would find him, and even if he allowed them to get near, they wouldn't leave... His role was an aside to the main plot, but the nasty sentiments he wishes for Garak to live a long, miserable life, surrounded by those who hate him bring us up suddenly, with a start! With Cardassians we can get along fine, finding similarities, intelligence and appreciation of life. But, (as shown with Dukat in the recent Maquis two-parter), we can only carry on parallel with them for a while, until their incredibly harsh views explode in our face, stated so calmly and rationally. Nazi's are the best analogy I can think of.

They can also be quite terrifying, and Garak demonstates this in his seething disgust and rage while going cold turkey. The bitterness forces itself out of his face, as if his whole body is merely a podium to anger, surprising even Bashir. The moment he goes crazy, stalking his room and smashing things, while spitting out insults is actor Andrew Robinson's best scene to that point in the series, and like a Vulcan, makes so much more impact coming from a man who holds so much of himself back. It is a glimpse into a Garak unhindered by his own will, which would later come to the fore in 'Empok Nor'. The impression that Garak's time has come is quite strong, and with this series you never know what they'll do. They could have decided Garak had served his purpose and killed him off, but thankfully he lives to return many times in the future.

Quark gets to show himself equal to Garak's evasiveness in the scene where Bashir collars the Ferengi after overhearing Garak and he discussing something. The way he twists subtly and openly around on the spur of the moment, spinning plausible stories by the second, is a joy to behold. Odo later advises Bashir that the direct approach seldom works with Quark's kind! On top of the two-man drama dominating the episode, there are a number of references to keep us counting, often with food (Idanian spice pudding; Tarkalean tea; kanar, as always), but also with another Romulan nod: the Tal-Shiar get a mention, which is interesting in an episode where the Obsidian Order (even the name sounds deadly) are introduced, seeing as the two forces were destined to unite the following season.

While that had probably not even entered the writer's minds at this stage, what about the book Garak gives Bashir at the end? It's all about the Cardassian and Klingon Empires at war (and hinted that the former are victorious) - could this be a hint as to where they thought things might go in the future? Unlikely, as that state of affairs didn't crop up until Season Four, but it's fun to speculate, especially as both this and the Season Four opener were written or co-written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe... Another enjoyable note is the title of the first book the two friends discuss. It is 'The Never Ending Sacrifice', which was used in 2009 as the fitting title of a book about Rugal, the Cardassian boy seen earlier this season.

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