Plot – For a moment Second Skin is remarkably similar to Face of the Enemy in that it features a member of the regular cast waking up in heavy make-up. The difference here is the TNG reveals its hand straight away (Troi is never under the illusion that she is a Romulan) whereas Second Skin is making an entire episode out of the effort to convince you that Kira was going to be a Cardassian all along.
The way the script accumulates evidence that Kira is a surgically altered Cardassian sent into the Bajoran resistance as a spy is compelling and presenting in an entirely believable way. There’s a man who recognises her from the Cardassian labour camp, the records confirm it, she’s effortlessly transformed back into a Cardassian, her lost memory is put down to the brilliance of Cardassian technology that allowed her to create a whole new persona in the form of Kira Nerys, her father is being effortlessly kind and patient with her whilst the interrogators want information from her. In every way she is presented as a Cardassian agent returning home. The most shocking moment comes when she is presented with a corpse of the real Kira Nerys. That’s got to fuck with your head somewhat.
Character – This is another important moment in Kira’s transition from PTSD suffering ex-terrorist to a woman who makes peace with her anger and prejudices. What could possibly be worse than waking up to be told that you are a member of a species that you loathe and have spend most of your life fighting. Suddenly you would be at war with yourself. In a moment of frightening self-loathing, Kira pulls at her face as if she is trying to tear the Cardassian mask off. It’s fascinating to watch Kira resist what she thinks is Cardassian conditioning in trying to convince her that she is one of them; she’s witty and silly and defiant. It brings out the playful side of her. What finally breaks her are two things; one is she cannot find the answer to the question of what good could this possibly do to the Cardassians to convince her that she is one them…and why is Ghemor so willing to risk his career and reputation to free her. Those two things simply do not make sense.
Here’s a big question; was Garak bisexual? I think this is a question that is open to interpretation depending on your individual perspective. For my part I would say an unequivocal yes, and he and Bashir certainly have a flirtatious chemistry that is terrific to watch. It’s the fault of the show (as Ira Steven Behr confirms) that it was never said out loud because the studio wanted them to shy away from it. He is certainly also attracted to women, as his dalliance with Ziyal attests but there are just too many overtly theatrical characteristics (not exclusive to straight men, I know) and hints to a wider sexuality that cannot be ignored. He first approaches Bashir with come to bed eyes, he buys him chocolates, he’s overtly creative and flamboyant and more importantly his creator Andrew Robinson outright states that before they became good friends Garak simply wanted to fuck Bashir. What does any of this have to do with Second Skin? Nothing at all but Garak does feature prominently (and brilliantly) in this episode and it was fresh in my mind from the recent documentary and I’m the one writing these reviews and who decides what input is in them. There are (at least) three characters that you can say with some certainty that are bisexual in DS9 (Garak, Dax and Bashir – one is through behaviour, one actually has a relationship with a member of the same sex and is seen flirting outrageously with others and one outright admits he has feelings for another man) and that is a massive step up from other Trek shows. Who knows where Kira lies but if her mirror counterpart is anything to go by there are certainly tendencies.
Garak is typically awesome here, and vital in the extraction of Major Kira. The idea of taking him home to Cardassia and revealing some of those secrets that he has been keeping close to his chest is irresistible. Garak wouldn’t go under normal circumstances but Sisko openly blackmails him into doing it (how Sisko does this so casually without breaking a sweat is wonderful). We’ve heard about Garak’s skill and tactics as a spy but this is the first time we have really seen them in action and he doesn’t disappoint. He manages to crush the dick of a Cardassian officer with words alone and sends him back to Cardassia with his tail tucked between his legs. I love how he says that he rather liked Entek in an overtly lustful way just after killing him. There simply isn’t another character like Garak in the Trek franchise. The last scene isn’t about Kira being surgically altered or Ghemor’s future…it’s Kira’s ‘father’ telling her not to trust Garak for a second.
Performance – Lawrence Pressman is utterly convincing as Ghemor and for a long while I thought this was a particularly substantial piece of subterfuge on the Cardassians part. Add a gentle father figure into the equation and Kira will bend to the illusion a lot easier. The trouble is after a time his concern and affection for her seems so real the line starts to blur. He tells Sisko that if they are in any kind of danger that he is on his own and Sisko commends him for telling the truth for once. I could watch these two together all day long.
Best moment – The moment Kira is convinced that she is a Cardassian comes when she looks at herself in a mirror and smashes it in repulsion. It’s one of those moments where Star Trek really makes you feel the plight of one of its characters. It’s like her mind has snapped…and to make it even worse Ghemor is STILL being kind to her.
A reason to watch this episode again – A fantastic script, which upon first viewing (and because it is so convincing possibly second and third) pulled the wool completely over my eyes into thinking that this was all about Kira, when she was just tool to get to another man. It’s like an onion that keeps revealing new layers. Compelling performances across the board help with the subterfuge and by the end I found myself questioning whether Kira genuinely was a Cardassian all along (as was the original intention of the script) and when you are shown how you have been made to look in one direction throughout the entire running time when you should have been savvy enough to look in another everything makes perfect sense. A much bigger picture is being painted of Cardassia in season three and this fleshing out of the dissidents only helps to serve to make them the most compelling race in the Alpha Quadrant. On a character level this is a scorcher for both Kira and Garak and it affords them both some terrific opportunities to impress. Add in some tight direction and really great lighting (that’s underrated in Star Trek at times) and you have an early season three episode that shows that what might appear to be filler episodes in this show can twist into outright classics.
****1/2 out of *****
Clue for tomorrow's episode:
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