Holy fuck. Hooooly fuck. It was all Garak’s Xanatos Gambit, all along.
Or not even so–it was a plan that might’ve worked but didn’t, but under it was another plan that might’ve worked but didn’t, but then last of all was the plan that would work and did, and this, this was why Garak was the son of Tain, the master manipulator, the one who Got His Shit Done and this is why you never, ever, ever want to a) piss him off or b) get to know him on any level deeper than the surface, because as soon as that defense fails, you’ll hit the next one and the next one until finally, inevitably, you will hit the one that ends you–

Oh my GOD!

I want to shriek into the sun!

(also, i feel totes superficial, but i was distracted over and over again during garak’s final speech by how badly his tunic fit. like, dude, you are a tailor. alter that shit. jesus.)