3x20 Improbable Cause (1)

[9.3/10] Whoever decided to match up Odo, Deep Space Nine’s greatest detective, with Garak, Deep Space Nine’s greatest dissembler, was a genius. The man who can lie his way out of anything paired with the man who can find the truth under any circumstances makes for a thrilling set of combustible elements. Even if all you had them do was debate the right answer in a game of Clue, you’d probably squeeze a great episode out of the spymaster and the constable.

But “Improbable Cause” does DS9 fans one better and concocts one hell of a mystery. Who’s trying to kill Elim Garak? An explosion at the “simple tailor”’s shop puts Odo on the case, which leads him to assassins, foreign governments, and old Cardassian contacts that point him to the truth. That alone would be enough to sustain “Improbable Cause” and its whodunnit, as this all makes for a properly twisty mystery worthy of Odo’s talents that add more intrigue and suspense with each revelation. What elevates the proceedings, however, are two things.

One is that it sparks one of the most tantalizing undercurrents of the series to date -- Garak’s nebulous past. The question of who would attempt to slay him inevitably dredges up his connections to the Obsidian Order; his relationship with its former head, Enabran Tain; and the reason for his exile from Cardassia. (Hint: Despite his protests to the contrary, it’s probably not tax evasion.) The combination of Odo’s detective skills, the gravity of the situation, and a personal connection bring out the most forthright and transparent account of these things from Garak yet, which may not be saying much, but is still red meat after so many great teases.

The other is that it ties into the broader outline of politics and war that have rumbled in the background of season 3. Garak’s predicament is not merely the product of some other spook trying to settle a score. It’s part of a larger plot through which the Obsidian Order and the Tal Shiar are collaborating to strike first against the Dominion and eliminate the Founders, without the knowledge of their governments.

The reveal makes for one hell of a payoff to the secret Cardassian fleet Thomas Riker exposed in “Defiant” and the Romulans browbeating Sisko for information about the changelings in “Visionary”. Beyond that, there’s an essential espionage-soaked thrill to the cloak and dagger of the two most fearsome groups of secret police teaming up together for a furtive operation. And after a few substantial appetizers during the season, the prospect of the Dominion conflict frothing to a boil regardless of what Starfleet does comes with just as much oomph.

Even that key detail doesn’t answer the central inquiries of the episode: who blew up Garak’s shop and who’s trying to kill him? One of the great twists in “Improbable Cause” is that those questions have two different answers.

I love the choice to unveil that Garak blew up his own shop to garner Odo’s attention to the plot to kill him. On a narrative level, it soars as a neat left turn, befitting the craftiness of the double-talking tailor. Seeming not to be cooperating with the investigation, while secretly pushing it along accords with Garak’s motives and methods. But it also betrays a rare truth from him -- he respects Odo. The constable more than earns that faith in his abilities with his exacting investigation, but the elaborate stunt to get Odo on the case shows that Garak speaks the truth when he tells a former colleague that the changeling would have made a fine addition to the Obsidian Order back in the old days.

The man he makes that pronouncement to is the same one who was trying to kill him -- his former mentor in prevarication and manipulation, Enabran Tain. In truth, the opening credits which noted the appearance of “PAUL DOOLEY as ‘Enabran Tain’” all but give away the game here. But his connection to the larger Cardassian scheme we’ve seen hints of so far provides something exciting to uncover beyond the answer to the whodunnit. His reasoning that he planned to return to his old job heading the Obsidian Order and wanted to eliminate anyone who might know enough to have leverage over him is coldly practical and roundly satisfying as an explanation. And his involvement brings out the most honesty and vulnerability we’ve ever seen from Garak. (Give or take “The Wire”.)

Odo is right. Folks like Tain and Garan spend so much time choosing their words carefully to avoid revealing their true intentions that they often say nothing at all. And yet, Garak’s actions speak volumes. Despite the unpleasantness between him and his former mentor, he risks his life to save Tain when he thinks the Romulans are after him. He cites Tain as the cause of his exile, but protests that he never betrayed Tain “in his heart.” His gesture is enough to move Tain to not only call off his hit on Garak, but to offer him a choice between returning to his humble tailor shop or to join him in this daring but potentially deadly new venture, a referendum on whether Garak values the life and connections he’s forged on Deep Space Nine with friends like Dr. Bashir, or the smoke and mirrors (and power) he used to wield in his old life more.

Of course, Garak decides to accept Tain’s offer, because it’s more exciting that way. A great bit of cinematography from none other than guest director Avery Brooks himself puts that into relief when the final image sees stoic Odo aghast at a handshake between Garak and the man who ruined his life and just tried to have him killed. And yet, despite the seeming definiteness of the gesture, so much of “Improbable Cause” hinges on whether you can ever believe Garak, let alone trust him. The ambiguity is delicious, as Garak could genuinely be returning to the fold that seemed to give his life greater purpose over the exile he seemed to disdain in his withdrawal rants to Julian, or he could, as always, be playing a larger game.

Regardless, if he is, he has one hell of a sparring partner. Despite their marked differences, Garak and Odo have a strange understanding. They’re both experts at what they do, smart to the machinations of the Cardassian military-industrial complex, and mutually admiring of the other’s craft. (Note their little amiable concordance over Garak’s method of scrambling his communique to Tain’s home, something Odo seems to appreciate the “aesthetics” of.

But that also allows them to pierce one another a bit, see through the veil each holds up to keep less discerning individuals from getting too close. Odo’s not only able to uncover Garak’s ploy, but he recognizes when the famously shifty Cardassian is telling the truth, and even when he has an emotional connection that cuts through his typical inclination to play games. In turn, Garak successfully diagnoses the irony that for all Odo’s ability to read humanoid tells, he himself is supposedly bereft of such sentiment, merely seeing we solid as “fascinating creatures.” But he also recognizes the way Odo’s increased adeptness to Garak’s emotional reveal betrays the way that someone, somewhere, has a similar hold over him, even if the constable smartly avoids admitting it to his partner-of-convenience, let alone revealing the object of his affections.

These are, at base, two people who have the faculties to see each other, really see each other, in a way nobody else can. That creates excitement when they are, at once, formidable opponents and allies by necessity. Even in the shadow of the broader machinations of spooks and spies with big choices that affect each of their peoples, it’s the unique connection between the two men gives “Improbable Cause” so much spark, and makes it such a high point for both characters, and Deep Space Nine.