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Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 42: The Wire [VHS]

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"The Wire" is a very intense and riviting show about DS9's only Cardassian resident, Garak. Over the many years of DS9's distinguished run, Garak has often been the most mysterious character of DS9's ensemble. "Wire" reveals (however, incompletely) Garak's past. This show owes a lot to the performances from Siddig El Fadil(Dr. Bashier) and Andrew Robinson(Garak), for without these two marvelous actors, the show would've certainly been a failure. However, these two do not disapoint, and carry every scene with intensity. Kim Friedman's directon is also wonderful. "Wire" also gives some insight into the ominous Obsidian Order, so frightening, it can scare even a seasoned, Cardassian military officer (those of you who know how seasoned those officers can be, know what this means). "Wire" has no action scenes(although, there is a short fight between Garak and Bashier, but it is quite minor) or space battles, it simply puts two characters in a room, and reveals one's inner struggles. A top-notch show, it shouldn't be missed.

In this episode, our favorite Cardassian "mender of pants" and "hemmer of skirts" - Garak - literally comes apart at the seams. Or so it seems...

The episode begins as Dr. Julian Bashir notices his occassional lunchmate, playmate and object of his constant curiosity, Garak the tailor, is suffering from a not-so-mild headache. This headache, however, is caused by an implant, placed in Garak's brain, by the deliciously despicable Obsidian Order. The breakdown of this "wire" turns out to be a catalyst through which Bashir tries to learn about Garak's past, and an opportunity for Garak to practice tormenting the good doctor with all kinds of lies and fiction, even as he writhes in agony, or tries to drown his pain in numerous bottles of kanar.

Throughout the episode, as Garak literally falls apart and Bashir tries to help save him, we watch their friendship develop. We are introduced to the Obsidian Order, and it's former master, Enabrin Tain. More importantly, we learn the truth about Garak's past... And that truth is that it is made up of nothing but possible truths and probable lies. The contradiction is poetic... In fact, after viewing the episode, we still have no real knowledge about the mysterious Garak, or the circumstances leading to his exile on DS9. Instead, what we have are a series of half truths, bald-faced lies, and sob stories, brilliantly executed in classic Garak style.

My favorite scene, however, peaks when the Ferengi Quark is affectionately called a "parasite" by an uncommonly jovial and obviously raunchy Cardassian called Boheeka... For that alone it is worth the shipping and handling costs...

It would be a lie to say this was not my favorite DS9 episode. But that's what it's all about, isn't it, Mr. Garak? Lies, deception, and all other types of poetry in motion...

Surely Andrew Robinson's Garak was the best EVER recurring guest star on television. It seems that the writers couldn't help but produce pure gold whenever he was in an episode and "The Wire" was no exception. Simple as it is, this one grew on me the more I watched DS9, largely because it was a brilliant way to set up future Garak episodes without revealling a thing about his past. If you're looking for action you won't find any but as long as you watch this episode before "Improbable Cause", "The Die Is Cast" or "In Purgatory's Shadow" you'll swear the writer's had his whole history mapped out from the very beginning.

This episode introduces the word Obsidian Order- {Cardassian spies}, and the former head of the Order-Enabran Tain. The Cardassians are the most interesting and handsome race of Star Trek, and Andrew Robinson's Garak is the most fascinating character of DS9. One never forgets that Garak is Cardassian and will die Cardassian. Luckily in this episode he survives- thanks to Dr. Bashir and his father-Enabran Tain.

Garak and Bashir have these intriguing weekly lunches in which Garak spins lie after lie and Bashir tries to siphon out any shred of truth to find out more about Garak's past. While waiting at line at a restaurant at the Promenade, Garak shows signs that he is in pain. When Bashir asks him to come with him to sick bay, Garak refuses and is indignant and the two separate on a very sour note.

Bashir then happens to see Garak doing clandestine business with Quark and he knows something is up... but Quark obfuscates as usual. Later, Quark calls for Bashir as Garak gets soused in the bar and behaves erratically. When Bashir arrives, he and Garak get into a shoving match until Garak has a full blown seziure on the floor and is taken to Sickbay. Bashir finds a wire - a long implant in Garak's brain. He doesn't know what it's supposed to do, how it work, how to remove it, or if it should be removed.

When Garak regains consciousness, he is forced to come clean for the first time in his life - he must reveal the true nature of his implant and its origins in the feared Obsidian Order. Bashir and Garak are clearly not friends, but there is a sense that there is a kinship between them, although neither is really sure why. The wire is a device to aid captured members of the Obsidian Order. In the event of torture, the wire was to stimulate natural endorphins so that the victim would be able to resist torture and even feel pleasure instead of pain. In absolute isolation and misery, Garak has stimulated this wire for 2 years to escape the pain of exile from his planet and being daily reviled by the Bajoran inhabitants. Bashir sits with him for hours in his quarters as he goes through withdrawal symptoms once the device is deactivated.

There are unpleasant side-effects that appear to be fatal and Bashir must find the man behind the Obsidian Order to get the information he needs to save Garak's life. Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley) is Garak's former mentor and father figure - but their is no love lost between the two anymore. We never learn what it was that caused Garak to be exiled and be hated by his once loving mentor, but there is lots of intrigue and Bashir is able to flex his spy-seeking muscles. A great episode.

"The Wire" focuses on one of Star Trek's most morally ambiguous characters, the Cardassian former spy & exile, Elim Garak. As the mysterious DS9 denizen suffers a mental breakdown, viewers are given their first few, contradictory glimpses into his decidedly dark past & conflicted nature. This story also begins to lay the groundwork for such vitally important DS9 episodes as "The Defiant," "Improbable Cause," & "The Die Is Cast," all of which revolve around the Cardassians' dangerous & powerful Obsidian Order.

Episode title: "The Wire"

Written by: Robert Hewitt Wolfe

Directed by: Kim Friedman

"The Wire" can possibly be called the very best episode of the second season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It offers new insights to the character of Garak, who was introduced in the early first season episode "Past Prologue", in wich he promised to be either one of the worst or one of the best written characters in Star Trek's history.

It took almost a year for him to re-appear in the suberb and informative early second season episode "Cardassians", after wich he was given some further information about in the episode "Profit and Loss". At this point even the bad writing and plot of the episode couldn't put out the intrique the character had inspired.

Then came "The Wire", in wich Doctor Bashir, who hadn't had much to contribute earlier on to the series, is given the spotlight as he notices that something is wrong with his cardassian lunch-partner.

The episode unravels information about Garak's true past, introducing the Cardassian intelligence organization called The Obsidian Order, opening whole new continuing storylines for the whole series.

We get some strong and well performed scenes between Garak and Bashir, as the latter solves the mystery of a presumably Obsidian Order planted device that's malfunction causes deadly symptoms to Garak. Especially Siddig El Fadil exeeds himself, making the interaction between himself and the highly talented Andrew Robinson (Garak) not nearly as one-sided as it might have been expected to be.

By the end of the episode nothing conclusive is revealed and many things that are highly conclusive are revealed. You really don't know even after all the information given throughout the dark, well constructed and exeplaryly directed episode, wich awakens a great interest towards Cardassian society, deepens the character of Doctor Julian Bashir and constucts the character of Garak to the point where he isn't just "the mysterious Cardassian tailor who has lunch with 'the good doctor' ", but finally becomes a real, multi-dimencional character.

This episode can be reviewed in 3 words: "Garak Goes Crazy" This episode should had more to it than this!