See Also: 'The Die is Cast' Episode Guide

As Romulan and Cardassian ships prepare for an ill-advised attack on the Dominion, Garak's former mentor demands that Garak prove his loyalty by helping him test a weapon for use against the Founders on Odo. Garak finds that he can't torture Odo to death, and with the help of Sisko and the Defiant, the two barely survive the devastating battle.

Analysis:

Unfortunately, this episode did not nearly live up to the promise of its prequel. I though the attack-the-Dominion plot should have dragged over several episodes, I don't believe for a minute that the Romulan and Cardassian governments wouldn't have been in states of near-collapse once the news of the defeat broke, and what pathetic little we saw of Starfleet made the entire organization look ridiculous. Garak and Odo made the episode worth watching, but they better not pull any silliness like this again.

I wish Tom Riker had successfully gotten the Defiant blown up; then we'd be rid of it once and for all and never again would the ENTIRE command crew hop aboard, particularly at a moment when the station could be attacked by the greatest threat it's ever known, just to check up on one guy. I mean, I love Odo and am glad they rescued him, but was Sisko out of his mind not to order SOMEONE to get off the ship and take care of the station? What's he doing - competing with Janeway for the Most Unnecessary Away Missions Ostensibly In The Line of Duty award? Even if he felt an obligation to go himself - which I find unconvincing given his often strained relationship with Odo, and the necessity of official non-involvement in the business with Tain - even if he let Kira come along because of her long relationship with Odo, even if he took Bashir to deal with Garak, what the hell were Dax and O'Brien doing flying around instead of helping get everyone out of harm's way back home?

And as for Starfleet Command...OK, admittedly every admiral we've ever seen has been a psychopath, an idiot, or both, but boy was I embarrassed for them this week. One guy gets to decide to let Bajor, the station, and everything the Jem'Hadar could hit just...go, if necessary? Since we were never told why Eddington disappeared and then returned, working behind Sisko's back, I hardly know what to say about him except Cheap Plot Device. Please, folks, let's get some consistency in how Starfleet deals with possible enormous threats from other quadrants.

The Odo-Garak-Tain triangle was fascinating indeed - even as he died I couldn't quite figure out why Tain treated Garak the way he did, nor why he saw Odo as enough of a threat to torture (why the hell did they need a stasis field if they were planning to kill off all the shapeshifters anyway?) Garak was superb, I believed all his emotions even when I was consciously aware that he was probably playing a part, and Odo did a fantastic job in that torture sequence that I thought was rather dreadfully filmed. The outburst about wanting to go home was very moving and particularly poignant now that "home" clearly isn't where it used to be.

I have a feeling this entire incident is going to get dropped now for many many weeks, which is going to infuriate me because it has ramifications that we should feel for months and months. But continuity is probably too much to ask for.

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