Deep Space Nine Reviewed! (by a pedant) S2E22: THE WIRE 

Today's Thought Experiment: What happened to Quark's contact?

The real main character of the show. In all seriousness, Garak and Dukat absolutely own any episode they participate in.

I want to call attention to one of the best exchanges (in my opinion) of all Star Trek. "Which were true and which weren't?" "My dear doctor, they're all true." "Even the lies." "ESPECIALLY the lies." Absolutely brilliant.

I love those space dog skits

“Especially the lies” the best line in all of trek

DS9: My brain: "A very special episode."

Ah "i'm fine" the oldest and easiest lie.

For all Bashir's privacy violations, you can't deny his dedication to his patients. Despite the verbal (and indeed physical) attacks he still continues to treat Garak and flat out refuses to let Odo speak to him until he's recovered.

What I find fascinating is that Garak could go to Sisko or any Federation representative and say, "hi I am a former Obsidian Order officer, here are some crumbs of info," and he would be whisked away somewhere comfy. He instead remains in a place that is torture for him, somewhere where he is hated, because he cannot bring himself to betray Cardassia. A connection to the novel the Never Ending Sacrifice novel from the beginning of the episode.

What could possibly go wrong Space Dog? This was another great episode, one of its strengths is the things left unsaid. We never find out the 'true' story, characters are their moments showing they have lives outside of the episodes.

I know it's a rather insignificant part of the whole episode, but the way Bashir hides Garak's bottle of kanar, allowing Quark to surreptitiously remove said bottle, was a nice touch. I imagine you likely agreed as you showed this at around the two minute mark. Also, blue kanar... if there's one thing about Star Trek, it's that we learn there are many different types of kanar - at least three different colours, and it can be watery or syrupy - but they all go under a single name. Dukat was drinking the dark, syrupy stuff in the second part of _The Maquis_ (literally the previous episode) from a spiral bottle that we'll come to associate with the drink.

I must admit, Garak's line about "They're all true" "Even the lies?" "Especially the Like" really is important as well as one of my favorite lines from Garak

The Garak/Bashir relationship is always amazing and especially in this episode. Where is the truth? Does it even matter? What matters is that Bashir keeps trying and I don't think Garak's ever had that before.

At least the 3rd story was told to give Bashir the location of Tain and the ability to give Bashir the means to get the medical information he needed. Garak uses lies to get share information and to get what he wants. Why say there is an assassin after you, when you can just blow up your own shop?

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Twink

Tailor and twink, that has to be the title of some slash fiction somewhere.

God I love the character of Garek. “Never tell the truth when a lie will do” is such a twisted statement and flies in the face of conventional wisdom. To me, it is a reminder: these are aliens. Their thought process may be similar, but it still is fundamentally different. I love it when Trek is alien. I love it when it explores fundamental concepts like lies, deception, and the truth. Trek is at its best when I feel like the character is a dark mirror.

Great episode, sir. I wasn’t aware of the term “spicy brain” until your channel popped into my life but I love it!

This is such a cool episode and I love Garrek's attitude at the end. And I like the continuity of having the same actor play Tane in season 3, seems like a simple thing but such a small role I could easily see them using a different actor for. So I'm glad they keep the same one. And I really wish we got more from those 2, but what we get in the episodes he appears in is some good stuff.

Now this is a good one!

"Dominion Book Publishing?"

Having just finished 'A Stitch in Time' recently it's interesting how Robinson built off this episode.

"Friend" is such a Garak-esque way of saying "lover".

One of my favorite DS9 episodes along with "Body Parts"

The screenshot at 0:31 makes Siddig El Fadil look more like Bronson Pinchot than I'm comfortable with.

Damn, that was one of your best analysis sections. I never even thought of that for the stories Garrek tells, but it makes sense. And I never made the connection between Sisko and the Maquis story from the previous episodes. And maybe that wasn't even their intentions but as you say it would make perfect sense.

DS9 has a funny relationship with its technology. In one episode they'll be talking about how welded together everything is, while in another they're casually using the transporter instead of a gurney. Not that Bashir would have anyone to help him since he has no nurses despite being the only doctor for an entire space station. Then there is the miraculously appearing tricorder that people sometimes have and other times don't. On a ship it somewhat makes sense that they would just have one sitting in every room but on a station people would need to carry their equipment. Finally in this episode synthesizing white blood cells (something we can do in a few hours) will take too long but they have time to hop on a shuttle and travel to a Cardassian colony and back.

This is my fav DS9 episode

the great thing is we find out about his spicy brain an explains this grandiose behaviour in times like this

Ah the Garak pseudo backstory episode. Love this episode as it really built out Garak's character.

As a maladaptive daydreamer, this episode hits different

Nice timing. Have a great weekend!

Dominion Publishing? 😅😅😅

see, I always have argued that Garek is an absolute patriot, and a master of his art. He is no psychopath or sociopath, hes not needlessly cruel, hes typically clinical and to the point. A professional. However, his conscience was sacrificed years ago. conscience is a luxury, and what is your own conscience to the state that you love? If small terrorism and atrocity is needed, then he will gladly bare that weight of that requirement. True self sacrifice; conscience, Honour and home. all surrendered in service of Cardassia.

Huh, i didn't get the allegory for substance abuse until you said it now, but it does totally fit and i agree with your conclusions. Re Garak's multi backstories, i believe the SF debris hypothesis that Elim is the "prim proper Cardassian" part of his own pysche, and the stories are all a high level summary of whatever it was that got him exiled. He did something that his conscience said was right but wasn't want a proper cardassian should do (proper civilian being whatever the state thinks that should be) and he feels the shame of "giving in" to his conscience. He's much like Quark in that regard; what he feels is morally good conflicts with what his society defines as good, and he's outcast because of it.

Excellent 😁👍 Thanks for another great review 💚🌹💚you are appreciated

I'm sure that you're aware of this, but the actor who played plain simple Garrick understood that his relationship with Brashear was a queer (read gay) one. The showrunners were not on board, and the actors were told to downplay it. Many years later however, a fanfic was written where they became lovers and spent decades together. The actors loved it so much that they narrated the audiobook. So that lives in my headcannon forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this review. Damn fine work. Despite the fact that I have not seen any DS9 episodes, I am now coming up to speed with the lore (I know, two series in and I am only just beginning to understand what the hell is going on). Character names remain elusive though: Gull Duck goose? Galgadot? Doctor Bashy station.? It doesn't matter, I will get there in the end. Excellent, Cheers

This episode shows the last branch of the Cardassian government. I don't think its every explicitly said but basically Cardassia is ruled by the military Central Command, Obsidian Order, and civilian Detapa Council with each faction always trying to undermine and one up the other two. Besides these three factions there is also the dissident movement that Quarks ex-girlfriend is a part of that is against all three. I always enjoyed how DS9 let take a real deep dive into the internal politics of the various powers. Anytime I hear people asking for a Game of Thrones in space type of show I always recommend DS9 and B5. Still two of the best shows with interstellar politics, strong characters, and engaging stories.

Especially the lies

I admit I totally didn't pick up on the gay/bi vibes intended between Garak and Bashir when I watched this back when. And it's not because I was unaware of such things, but I think back then I needed something a bit more overt than this to figure it out. (And Garak isn't human. If he had been human, and acted the same way, I might have figured he was interested in Bashir.) This is a classic episode and somehow "I forgive for whatever it is you think you've done" is somehow really sweet.

Dominion Publishing lol 🖖

Cardigans?????????????

garak and bashir ship.

1:47 Compared to the shit Dr Flox did on Enterprise, that's nothing

A tailor and twink episode...😉