In the twentieth episode of the third season of Deep Space Nine, Odo and Sisko try to determine why Garak’s shop was bombed. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
HOW IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD?
“The Wire” was one of my favorites of season two and of the whole show, really. It was never going to be an easy thing to follow up on, and yet Deep Space Nine gives us another chapter in Garak’s life, and it is just as satisfying and frustrating as the last one.
There are many things to be impressed by here, but I’ll start with the sheer scope of “Improbable Cause.” This episode starts with an act of terrorism – or at least we’re led to believe that – and ends with Romulan and Cardassian forces on the brink of a war with the Dominion. It’s not just the escalation that blew me away. Every time Garak is involved, this show manages to take a plot and turn into something else. Truthfully, you can’t try to anticipate the twists and turns of his life because he’s so deliberately ambiguous.
Which is why “Improbable Cause” feels so huge. For the first time in the show’s history, I feel like we’re as close to the “truth” of Garak’s life than we’ll ever be. There was no doubt in my mind that his past had something to do with the bombing at his shop. Granted, that’s what we’re supposed to think, and we have good reason to. Garak has plenty of enemies. So when he starts listing off possible suspects – someone whose dress he misplaced, someone to whom he owns money, Major Kira – we know that he’s doing that thing where he pretends to be as sincere as possible, but he’s really just teasing everyone with the fact that he will always lie about himself. It’s why that scene where Julian relates the tale of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is so utterly fantastic. Garak tells the truth here: he never utters the same lie twice.
I definitely love any chance for Julian and Garak to have a conversation about LITERALLY ANYTHING, but I was pleased that Odo spent so much time with him here because it brought out a new dynamic in the show that I’m now eager to see more of. If Garak is the most secretive member of the cast, then Odo is his polar opposite. He’s the one person most dedicated to rooting out the truth. Thus, there’s an undeniable energy between them whenever they’re on screen. Now, it’s not more powerful than Julian giving Garak chocolate before his trip (AND NOW, KISS), but it’s still one of the best pairings the show has given us.
But let’s move to the story itself because I HAVE A LOT TO SAY. Once the Romulans were invoked, I didn’t see how everything was connected. Odo’s mysterious visit with someone in that cave didn’t help much either. (WHO WAS THAT, BY THE WAY???) I did love the idea that Odo had some secret past with some of the Cardassians and knows how to utilize it to help himself. These disparate parts – the weird assassination attempt, the idea that all six of these former operatives were dying, and Garak’s familiar cagey attitude – did not fit together for me. That’s not a criticism, for the record. Eventually, it all made a lot of sense, but I think the script is written cleverly enough that it made it genuinely challenging to figure out this story.
However, it’s all rooted in some fantastic characterization. I’ve commented on much of it already, but I want to move towards the big confrontation at the end because IT’S SO FASCINATING TO ME. Garak is often steps ahead of everyone around him, so it’s really entertaining to watch Odo catch up to him. Granted, he and Odo are both completely gobsmacked by what they find on the Romulan ship. How could they have expected this? Even though Odo correctly suspected that Odo was risking his life for Enabran Tain, even though he more or less nailed the relationship between them, they both thought they were going to rescue Tain from the Romulans.
No one could have conceived of the idea that Tain would be working with the Romulans. CERTAINLY NOT ME. And y’all, let me just state once more that the brilliant serialization on this show allows for episodes like “Improbable Cause.” This episode combines the Dominion plot with Garak’s backstory, and it’s part of the reason it’s so surprising. I never expected these story lines to converge. Yet it makes total sense. With the Dominion threat creepily looming over everyone in the Alpha Quadrant, it felt inevitable that someone would make the first move.
BUT LET’S BE REAL. THE BEST AND MOST TERRIFYING THING ABOUT THIS IS GARAK ACCEPTING TAIN’S OFFER TO COME BACK TO HIS SIDE. Have we ever seen Garak behave like this? No, not at all, and the joy on his face is perhaps the most real shit we’ve ever seen him express. He accepts Tain’s offer without a moment’s hesitation, y’all. He’s wanted this for years, hasn’t he? We still don’t know what he did to “betray” Tain, but he appears to have spent the interim wishing he could come back to the Obsidian Order and work under his longtime mentor.
And now it’s happening DURING A MISSION TO WIPE OUT THE DOMINION IN ONE BLOW. What does that mean for Odo? What is he going to be asked to do by Tain? IS THIS REALLY FUCKING HAPPENING?
Bless this episode, and also, damn it forever. HOW DARE A CLIFFHANGER SNEAK ITS WAY IN HERE.
The video for “Improbable Cause” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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