Cardassian Snakes, Spies, and Fathers

Ray’s Take on Episode 5: “Cardassians” 

Garak returns, continuing his dance with Bashir.

A word to the wise, watch out for kids, they bite!

As I have said before, Gul Dukat is a charming snake. Bashir confronting Dukat, with a little goading from Garak is very well done. Sisko doesn’t like being interrupted at all, but he did seem to enjoy Dukat’s discomfort. 

Cardassian stew probably tastes horrible. O’Brien doesn’t like Cardassians in general, but his interaction with Rugal causes him to evaluate his own latent racism.

Being raised by the people that your people enslaved and murdered must engender a complicated sense of self loathing. And the war orphans are left behind yet again.

Garak is not trying too hard to hide the fact that he obviously is far more than a simple tailor, especially with his skillful manipulation of Bashir.

The inadvertent deadbeat dad returns. Pa’Dar agrees to Sisko as arbitrator rather quickly. On writing out his name, does “PA” Dar seem intentional? 

Gul Dukat plays the “thing about the children” card rather heavy-handedly. Cardassian political maneuvering is dizzying. They obviously play the long game quite well.

Bashir is making interruption a habit.

As happens far too often in custody disputes, rarely are the desires of the child considered. So much for being concerned about the children. 

Garaks’ view on the relative nature of truth would be a handy moral compass, for a SPY…