A Collection of Episode Reviews Originally Posted on the MI6 Forums Between June 24 and July 07, 2010
"Redemption II"
A great second-parter to the previous season's cliffhanger, although its packed a little tight -- maybe there should have been a part three. However, I gotta love seeing a good political galactic intrigue episode, with the Enterprise engaging in actual military actions instead of the usual "bringing a vaccine to a planet run by an omnipotent cloud-like being" type stuff. Also, Sela is too cool. Good episode.
"Darmok"
From a Klingon Civil War to an episode that would make Roddenberry proud. I really like this episode and its unique way of showing communication breakdown in the Star Trek universe. Also Picard gets a snazzy new jacket.
"Ensign Ro"
And then Admiral Cain shows up and the show is awesome. Swinging to a totally opposite character in finding their replacement for Wesley, TNG suddenly delivers an episode with moral grey zone. A fantastic episode that of course lays much of the groundwork for DS9. I wish Ro had gone from a recurring character in Season 5 to a full regular in Season 6 and 7. Unfortunately a series of ridiculous events conspired to make that not a thing. But we have the episodes we have.
"Silicon Avatar"
This felt like a third season episode. I suppose it was neat to follow up on the Crystalline Entity and the notion that Data carries the memories of the dead colonists from Omicron Theta, but the Moby Dick angle is not only something everyone's riffed on; its something Trek has done several times! At least once in every series practically! Ultimately the show felt weak and subpar.
"Disaster"
Now THIS was an episode! TNG meets Poseidon Adventure! Worf and Keiko in Ten-Forward is hilarious, Riker and Data is a team-up we haven't really seen since the early seasons, Picard finally gets over his dislike of children (a rather odd "character flaw" that belonged to the stuffy and odd season 1 characterization of Picard), and of course the Troi/O'Brien/Ro stuff was the highlight. Now, I frakkin hate Troi, she's such a useless character, but I loved how this plot brought to light that a) oh right, she's an officer! and b) just how useless she was. Meanwhile, the conflict between O'Brien and Ro was great, demonstrating the different ideologies. My only complaint is how fast Ro apologizes to Troi, its literally a sudden 180.
"The Game"
The best thing in this episode was the Lefler/Wesley chemistry -- Judd and Weaton really worked well together and I wish we'd seen Lefler in more episodes after this one and her previous appearance. Weaton is actually good in the scenes where he's not spouting technobabble -- Wesley's likeable here as a young man in love (much better handled than in season 2's "The Dauphin"). However, the main plot about the Ktarian brainwashing game was a bore and missed an opportunity to address the idea of games addiction -- but I guess that really wasn't a topical issue in 1991. (I think the closest Trek's ever gotten to an episode on that is either "Hollow Pursuits" [TNG] or "It's Only a Paper Moon" [DS9])
"Unification I"
Possibly the best opening hour of a two-parter so far. Honestly even if it's all just set-up for Part II, its spectacular set-up. The scene between Picard and Sarek is gangbusters; one of TNG's best. Everything in this episode crackles. One thing I've noticed is that Season 5 got a big budget increase because the SFX sequences are impressively energetic with new shots filmed and used instead of the same old stock stuff. The battle scene in this show is a good example. Finally, another great TNG cliffhanger to end the show.
"Unification II"
As I've come to expect from this show, Part II did not live up to Part I. However, still a great episode with great guest performances from Nimoy and Crosby. One thing's clear though -- as an actor, Leonard Nimoy is a clear level above every single other person in the episode, Patrick Stewart included. I'm really disppointed in the Star Trek franchise in a whole that Spock and Sela on Romulus was never picked up on again -- where was Sela in the Dominion War? Where were either of them in Nemesis? We never saw Spock again until Abrams needed him to get fan sympathy for his terrible movie.
"A Matter of Time"
A funny episode, well done, if exceptionally light. But I like Matt Frewer in basically everything.
"New Ground"
Ugh, give me my life back. That was terrible. Aside from the terrible child actor playing Alexander, aside from extended scenes with Troi, and aside from an utterly pointless/go-nowhere A plot -- the only good thing in this episode was character development for Worf. TNG is starting to settle into a formula that I'm starting to hate: a B plot involving development for a regular, an A plot that involves some random task that's solved by technobabble, and nary a connection between them. If the main plot is about a new propulsion method, it should be a Geordi episode. There is really no connection between the two in this show, or the previous one -- any mission/situation could've put Alexander in the necessary jeopardy. Ugh, and I have six more Alexander appearances on TNG to sit through, and only six more episodes with Ro Laren!
"Hero Worship"
Basically "The Bonding" only the kid likes Data instead of Worf. Some fun moments, but mostly a yawn.
"Violations"
Clearly the staff had bought some new lenses and wanted to try them out for the wacky dream sequences. Of all the crew whose past to dig into, they went with Troi/Riker/Beverly? The only one that was really interesting was Beverly's -- finally seeing the moment when Picard brought Jack's body to her. But apparently they had scenes planned for the whole cast -- I for one would've used the Ro/Garon II flashback instead of the rather lame Riker scene.
"The Masterpiece Society"
This episode had some interesting things in it to say about genetic engineering -- but largely it was another yawn. It felt like an episode from third season. I think the show is getting tired.
I'm very disappointed that we've only seen Ro once since her introduction; especially since that introduction was so strong. She was purposefully introduced to add new life and a new angle to the cast and the show, and yet was woefully underused -- we could've used her in episodes like these to break up the monotony and spark discussions in the briefing room. Even the episodes aren't Ro-centric she should still be there acting as contrarian in staff meetings and entering in course headings the rest of the time -- these nameless Ensigns are starting to annoy. But without her, the show just feels like its getting old.
Also, maybe its just me, but season 5 seems remarkably Troi heavy so far -- and Troi remains probably my least favourite character on the show. So these episodes are a pain to sit through.
"Conundrum"
This episode is of a type that would become common on VOY, but here it feels fun, intriguing, and well done. The concept of brainwashing soldiers into war by altering their memories is itriguing, and the crew having to figure out for themselves who they are was enjoyable, such as Worf assuming he was the Captain and the Riker/Ro/Troi triangle. All in all a fun episode.
"Power Play"
There was a lot of action and excitement, and it was fun seeing Sirtis, Spiner and Meaney get to stretch a bit acting wise, but ultimately this story was a GNDN -- goes nowhere, does nothing. Totally forgettable.
"Ethics"
I actually didn't mind this one -- I do think it handled its topic well, but I think there really wasn't enough time given to a fair discussion of BOTH experimental medicine AND assisted suicide. Still, I think it was an all right episode. Just a little annoying because I know the next episode won't address Worf recovering at all, and I doubt the fact that Worf has an artificial spine will ever be brought up again.
"The Outcast"
So halfway through Season 5 apparently the writers realized things weren't going well and left for a retreat at Micheal Piller's Mexican getaway house. This is the first episode after they returned. It is (in)famous as the episode where Trek finally addresses, or fails to address, homosexuality and gender identiy, albeit in an alegorical way. While I agree with Jonathan Frakes that the episode would've worked better if the character he fell in love with was played by a male actor, I don't think the episode is a complete failure. I think it is intelligently written and heartfelt, and I think the point of the issue it addresses most effectively is the idea that these people can be "cured" with therapy, and whether or not they are deviants or sick. I think that whole point is in fact very eloquently addressed. I do, however, find it distressing that at the end of the day nothing was shown to be done about the situation. While we all knew Riker's relationship would end in tragedy, usually Trek would end the show by at least showing that the first seeds towards ending prejudice have been sown, whereas here no progress happened at all. Still, I certainly don't think the episode was half-hearted; maybe just less successful than it could have been.
"Cause and Effect"
I think that, without a doubt, this is Trek's best "temporal anomaly" episode -- before such things became annoyingly cliche on VOY. The whole thing is well written and well directed and just fun to watch. And of course it has the best teaser of all time with the Enterprise exploding, and a great ending with the Kelsey Grammer cameo.
"The First Duty"
This is one of the best episodes of TNG of all time, in my opinion. From finally seeing Starfleet Academy (and Boothby) to the ethical dilemna presented, to the great speech Picard gives about telling the truth, its just an all around fantastic episode. And hey look, Tom Paris! 
"Cost of Living"
From one of the best of the best to an episode that pairs Lwaxana and Alexander. This episode may be one of the most terrible, forgettable pieces of crap ever.
"The Perfect Mate"
Episodes with Picard in love are always interesting because he's not a ridiculous womanizer like Riker and Kirk, so its cool when they can find a woman you can believe he'd be with. And of course Famke Janssen is always great.
"Imaginary Friend"
So, there are these children and families on the Enterprise, and that's an interesting idea. But every time the writers try to do something with it, it ends up terrible. This episode is better than most if only because Clara acts like a real child instead of some ludicrous caricature of one. As for Alexander, I want it made clear here:
Alexander Rozhenko is far, far, far worse than Wesley Crusher. At least Wesley worked to better himself and got an episode like "The First Duty". Alexander is just a whiny, whiny, whiny little brat.
"I, Borg"
A perfect Trek episode and probably the only follow-up you could possibly do to "Best of Both Worlds". Just everything works in the show, but I especially like the scenes with Patrick Stewart and Whoopi Goldberg. I seem to recall there was a BSG episode with a similar premise (send a Cylon back to a regen hub with a virus and kill all of them) but I forget if Adam went through with it.
"The Next Phase"
A fun adventure episode with Geordi and Ro and plenty of action and excitement and even some character development for Ro, who comes to face her own mortality.
"The Inner Light"
It won a Hugo as I recall, and I think some Emmys too? Deserved. Great episode. Patrick Stewart is just fantastic.
"Time's Arrow"
The tease of Data's head buried on Earth since the 19th century is great. Data once he's time travelled back is great. Finally getting some answers about Guinan is great. But the cliffhanger is the weakest cliffhanger in TNG history. "Ah! a portal! Let's walk through it." TO BE CONTINUED! Meh.
A Collection of Episode Reviews Originally Posted on the MI6Forums Between May 05 and June 17, 2010
"The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2"
Usually when I watch this episode I feel it loses momentum in the third act. This time I enjoyed it much more. It really is just as well written as part one, with some prime classic stuff. I think the main problem is that while it's brilliant to order the Borg to "sleep", the fact that the ship for no reason auto-destructs afterwards is too easy. The Enterprise should've destroyed them. Picard should've been on the bridge, Borg implants still hanging from his face, and ordered "fire!" But I guess Rick wouldn't go for it. I always lol at Shelby's line about Riker having his pick of assignment, and hoping she'd serve under him again -- by 2374 she's Captain of the Sutherland and he's still in the same post.
"Family"
Surprisingly Rick did go for this, after much cajoling apparently. I like all of it, although it does feel somewhat light. I guess its just odd seeing these elements of emotion and relationship after three years of them being virtually ignored. The Picard plot is the strongest, Worf's is amusing at best, and Wesley's is just... there. It's really too bad we never saw Roberre again.
"Brothers"
I guess cause they couldn't fit Data into the previous episode. I like how for a show that resisted doing serial storytelling, all this episode has is the middle part in a serial. Lore returns, Data meets his father, Lore steals the emotion chip and escapes. There's no resolution, it's just a way of saying "Lore's still out there, with an emotion chip meant for Data". But it was still a good episode. First written by Rick Berman, eh? Hey, trevanian, you seem to have all the backstage gossip -- who did the rewrite? I can't believe Berman's this good on his own.
"Suddenly Human"
The whole episode I couldn't help but think that Picard's harumphing about what the Talarians did to Jeremiah is so wrong, and THERE'S WORF RIGHT THERE. Still, a well written and performed episode.
"Remember Me"
The best parts of this episode is the showcase for Gates McFadden, the humour, and the character interactions. The worst is the "use the Force" Wesley subplot with the Traveler. I just didn't buy that. And it was a little heavy on the technobabble.
"Legacy"
I think its hilarious that Tasha gets more character development in this episode, three years after her death, than she ever did when she was on the show. I did really like Ishara Yar. They should've brought her on as a fulltime crewmember. Especially if they'd kept her in that jumpsuit.
"Reunion"
The next part in TNG's Klingon saga has a lot going on. First appearances of Alexander and ghawran (and the vor'cha attack cruiser), and the deaths of K'Ehleyr and DuraS. Big moments for Worf and Picard. I really like how we never find out who actually poisoned qImpeq -- we assume it was DuraS because we don't like him, but it just as easily could've been ghawran. But we're stuck with ghawran because Worf murders DuraS. All in all a great episode with lots of consequences; building on previous storylines and offering possibilities for more. In some ways I wish K'Ehleyr hadn't been killed -- Suzie Plakson was undeniably sexy and charismatic in the role -- but it served an integral and needed story purpose.
"Future Imperfect"
This is a fun episode at times, but of course its all such a cop-out. I actually thought the fake-out revelation if it being a Romulan plot was a better idea than the eventual revelation of the kid. It's a good turn for Frakes as Riker, but its all meaningless; and a similar story was done much better in sixth season (I think) in "Frame of Mind".
"Final Mission"
Hurray! Wesley's gone! This episode has some great production values and great scenes but ultimately I didn't like that the way Wesley solves the problem was meaningless tech nonsense and that we never learned the secrets of the intelligence they were combating. However Wheaton and Stewart do some marvelous work here and it ends up being one of the best Wesley episodes so far -- right when he's finally gone.
"The Loss"
I actually quite liked this episode. It finally gave some much needed three-dimensionality to Troi. I liked seeing her actually counsel people, I liked the scene between her and Guinan -- essentially addressing the overlap in characters, I liked the stuff with her and Riker keeping that relationship alive, all in all it was a great way to show her personality. I heard they toyed with taking her empathy away permanently, but I'm glad they didn't. I think the writers were finally beginning to figure out how to use it at this point, and without it she's kind've a bitch. I also really liked the pseudo-science in this episode, with the cosmic string and the flatlanders.
Two things hit home for me in this episode. One was "wow, Wesley's gone." I didn't so much miss him as just find it... odd that he wasn't there. I wasn't as overjoyed to get rid of him as I thought I'd be at this point. He'd become a welcome character. I did like that the same replacement officer was seen in "Final Mission" and "The Loss" -- Ensign Allenby. She seemed cute and smart and I was annoyed to learn she does not appear any further. I wish they'd had a regular recurring extra in that seat, like an O'Brien: not a regular, but at least not some random new person each week. The other item that hit home was that I have grown to really like the TNG characters. I feel I know and understand them. I don't find them boring or bland. They're not as good as the TOS characters, but I feel by this point attached to them like I have always been to the TOS characters.
"Data's Day"
This was just a great episode. Great premise, to show things from Data's point of view, great character development all around with good scenes with Beverly and Geordi, and of course O'Brien's marriage to Keiko. Also the Romulan subplot was cool and well done. Just overall a well written, memorable, great episode.
So far I just love how season four has gone.
"The Wounded"
Such a prime episode! Cardassians, Miles O'Brien, Nebula-class ships, Ben Maxwell, basically a mild Heart of Darkness Trek-style. Just great. My only quibble is how easily O'Brien gets over his racism against the Cardies. Then again, it probably took the writers a lot of fighting to even allow him to be racist as long as he was -- and it had to be O'Brien, they might've initially wanted it to be a regular and that was flat out of the question. Still, I really like his "it's not you I hate, but what you made me become" speech. Just all around a great episode.
"Devil's Due"
Speaking of "feels like classic Trek", here's an episode based on an unproduced 70s script. Honestly, it just feels out of place and backwards in TNG as its progressed to this point. There are huge plot holes and facepalm moments that might've glossed over fine in TOS, but seem asinine here. And the entire "seduce Picard" subplot just doesn't work -- cause he's NOT Kirk! It was fun, but fluff, and ultimately says nothing.
"Clues"
This is a strongly written, well presented, well produced episode that suffers only because for all intents and purposes it might as well have never happened. But I think this is the only time TNG pulls that, unlike VOY which hit reset on over a dozen episodes.
"First Contact"
A straight up no holds barred awesome episode. First contact with an alien species from the alien POV. Just prime. Tons of great moments, too, from the alien prime minister and Picard to Riker having to bone the alien nurse to escape. Just a great episode.
"Galaxy's Child"
A good follow-up to "Booby Trap", certainly a natural idea to want to meet the real Leah Brahms. Would've been maybe neat to see her a third time to round it out, maybe in seventh season have her come back having divorced her husband and wanting Geordi, but Geordi's moved on and doesn't want her as a switch. But instead we got a mention in an anti-time future in the finale. Meanwhile, the CGI in this episode is acceptable until it moves, then its hilarious.
"Night Terrors"
A terrible, paceless, train wreck of an episode. The idea of going crazy without REM sleep was cool, but the whole thing was pulled off way too poorly. The whole thing felt like something from TNG Season 1 or 2, not Season 4. The first real clunker of the season, for sure. Also, I don't like how we see Miles and Keiko get into a fight, but we don't see them reconcile later. For some reason that bothers me.
"Identity Crisis"
Another pretty terrible episode. I found myself asking "what's the point?", "what's it about?" So Geordi turns into an alien and then turns back. What's the theme? What are we addressing? Did our characters learn anything? Nope, just a bad sci-fi plot. Very much a kind of episode I associate with VOY.
"The Nth Degree"
Now THIS was a great episode! I love TNG Barclay! Really fun and cool, reminded me both of 2001 with the runaway computer and "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (TOS) with the human evolving past humanity. A great story and great acting performances.
"Qpid"
Best episode ever? No. But certainly one of the greats. Sometimes its good to just let loose and have fun, and this show definitely shows why. I love that when the episode starts you have no idea its going to end up where it eventually does. Some of the best Q/Picard humour of the series, and definitely some classic Worf moments of course. This episode cracks me up every time I see it.
"The Drumhead"
Barring any episode of TNG I haven't seen (I have a feeling "Chain of Command" will do it, for example), this is my favourite episode. I've seen it many times before now and its always great. For some reason I'm always a big fan of McCarthyism/witch hunts/freedom vs. security style stories. Of course, this episode has a whole ton of similarities to the first season BSG episode "Litmus". Just one is obviously done the BSG way, and one the TNG way. While I found Adama's solution to the witch hunt to be more emotionally satisfying, I think I admire Picard's more -- I'm a sucker for Patrick Stewart delivering well written moralizing speeches about civil rights and such. One minor quabble I had when I watched it this time was that Picard identifies Satie and her methods as a problem too quickly, I think it would've made better impact if he went along with her a bit longer; since now it appears like he's jumping on her too soon, as if he expected this to happen.
"Half a Life"
Wow! A Troi's mom episode that didn't make me want to kill myself (no pun intended). I really liked Majel Roddenberry's performance here, and also really liked the guest appearance from David Ogden Stiers as Timicin. Truly a touching performance. And of course there's Michelle Forbes' minor appearance that is so strong it won her the role of Ensign Ro next season.
"The Host"
So, it introduces the Trill but the way they are depicted is vastly different from the DS9 version -- and not just in appearance. I think the best thing in this episode was getting to know Beverly more as a character, seeing her as a person rather than just a doctor or a mother. I think the best scene of the episode was the one in Ten Forward between Troi and Beverly where they discuss the men in their life. Very good character development in that scene.
"The Mind's Eye"
So this was a fun little Manchurian Candidate knock-off done fairly well for the 50 some minutes they had to do it in. I've always liked sneaky Romulan plots and it all worked quite well here. I've actually been impressed with the way TNG has built up this Klingon/Romulan intrigue plot in the background of Season 4 -- not impressed compared to a show like DS9 or BSG or whatever, but impressed for TNG. Also, I liked the unnerving ending that implies that Geordi will not automatically be all right after this incident (even though he's of course fine by next week).
"In Theory"
A really fun "Data tries Dating" episode that only fails because its A plot and B plot never really meet up -- in fact, the A plot (about the Ent-D investigating a "dark matter nebula" <--- not a thing) suddenly becomes a Picard show at the last minute in a very surprising and uncharacteristic turn. Meanwhile, the Data storyline is much better done than the sci-fi one and was a great time to watch. Also, the Enterprise looks SO cool when only lit with its own lights!!
"Redemption"
A cracking season finale bringing the ongoing Klingon plot to a head. I really like the writing and performances here, great stuff all around. The true ending of the episode feels like the scene where Worf leaves the ship -- but they had to add the Denise Crosby ending so there would be a suitable cliffhanger. Of course, it doesn't live up to last seasons' cliffhanger, but its still very exciting in its own right -- something that couldn't be said of the woefully mediocre season 5 cliffhanger.
A Collection of Episode Reviews Originally Posted on the MI6 Forums Between March 3 and May 4, 2010
"Evolution"
Yeah, third season. Suddenly the show has this special effects budget. And isn't so murky that it's hard to pick up the colours. Also the uniforms. Anyways -- this is a really good Wesley episode with some good music and turns from Goldberg and McFadden. That's right Tux, I actually quite liked Beverly in this episode because she managed to be convincing as both a doctor and a mother. That was one of my issues in S1 was that they TOLD you Beverly was Wesley's mother but it never really seemed that way. Here I could believe it. McFadden was much better. Generally I just liked the development for Wesley, finally saying "hey! being a goody-two-shoes geek might NOT be the best thing, after all."
"The Ensigns of Command"
This was a really good episode for Data development. I liked the girl he befriends down on the planet -- although while I somewhat see what Goshovan was getting at, the way they make him express it lacks subtlety and makes him kind've an ass by the end. And you can tell they redubbed him. But I love Picard's interaction with the Sheliak. I wish we'd seen that race again -- I love their no ******** attitude.
The Survivors
Great episode, helped along well by a very good cinematographic sense, as well as good guest star performances. It's always so shocking when Trek does location shooting because it looks so much consistently better than stage planets. Also I liked Marina Sirtis as Troi here too, for once -- but largely the great thing here is how Picard FIGURES OUT the mystery before the third act, unlike in the first season where the entire crew were retards who figured out the plot only in the last five minutes of the episode. So a good showcase for Picard -- he really starts seeming much more "captainly" as of this third season.
Who Watches the Watchers?
Very cool episode, great to see Lelland Palmer. These sorts of stories are what TNG does best -- Picard especially is really well utilized. Troi, however, is not. Seriously, useless. My friend shouted out "so that's where that's from!" when Picard got the Mintaken tapestry.
The Bonding
So despite the changes made, Ron Moore's first script is quite noticeably strong. Like, extremely so. As in, he hits all the characters right out of the park. This episode gets every single character right -- hell, I even like Beverly, Wesley, and Troi in it! Moore said he identified with Wesley and I think that's maybe why he's the first writer to really do the kid justice. Also, I must say in argument to Tux that I really think Beverly gels better with the rest of the cast -- and I think she's best played from the maternal angle. McFadden does well, there. And we actually see Troi do some COUNSELING here! Good episode.
"Booby Trap"
I dunno, this one kinda fell flat for me. The solution to the trap was to obvious (basically Chinese finger trap), and the meat of the story (Geordi falling in love with a holodeck character) really wasn't addressed past all the technobabble. I mean, that's always been my number one question with the holodeck -- how many people would use it just to virtually bone all the time? What are the ethics of that? Handled a bit better in season one's "Minuet", which is saying something. Oh well, "Cockblocked" starring Geordi La Forge.
"The Enemy"
Yeesh, two Geordi episodes in a row! In all seriousness though, this was a fantastic episode that I think utilized Geordi even better than "Booby Trap". A great episode with three great plotlines demonstrating the value of overcoming distrust and racism and learning to... oh wait, right. Which brings us to the awesomeness that is Worf refusing to give blood to a Romulan. Who says TNG characters were perfect and always worked together? I was so convinced he was going to come around by the end, too. Very brave decision, very well done episode. My only complaint would be guest star John Snyder as Centurion Bochra -- he's really overplaying it. Also -- Wesley saves the day! Haven't seen that since Season One!
WESLEY SAVES THE DAY: 5.5
"The Price"
Pretty much the only neat thing about this one is how Voyager followed up with the two Ferengi who got lost in the Delta Quadrant. That was a good use of continuity -- instead of just pulling an Alpha Quad race out of their ass for ratings, Voyager actually used something legitimate established earlier. As for this actual episode -- yaaawn; although I liked the Riker/Ral scenes way more than the Troi ones. Guy's a real douche though.
"The Vengeance Factor"
This one was all right, although I continually felt like there was some big secret backstory with the Acamarians that they never really went into. And the ending is sort've unsettling with just how unresolved it is. I dunno, it was cool while I was watching it, but felt flat after it was over.
"The Defector"
A freaking sweet episode and definitely one of the best episodes of the series so far. Almost makes me wish we went to war with the Romulans. Great effects work, great writing, just plain great. Bonus points for no Wesley!
"The Hunted"
Another pretty good episode. I liked seeing the Enterprise crew being put through their paces by the supersoldier. Also liked that they didn't offer some nice easy answer at the end of the episode, like Crusher miraculously curing the guy's conditioning. Definitely liked the ending too, with Picard leaving the Angosians hanging. "The High Ground"
For some reason, this is the first time this episode worked for me. I actually kinda like that the positions of terrorism are presented equally -- the terrorists don't come across as evil villains, but the police forces don't come across as totalitarian stormtroopers either. I think all the characters feel very real and believable, including Beverly, who I think comes off well in the show. Also, gotta love Picard just flat out decking the terrorist leader on the bridge.
Wesley Saves the Ship: 6.5
"Deja Q"
How can you not love this episode? It's got exploration of the human condition, imminent danger to countless millions, great comic relief, Guinan stabbing Q with a fork, also -- Q! Really fun, enjoyable episode, with great work from de Lancie and Goldberg.
"A Matter of Perspective"
Trek does Rashomon. Yawn.
"Yesterday's Enterprise"
Another superb episode, of course. I think my favourite thing about it is the three female characters - Garrett, Guinan, and Yar. You can really believe in Garrett as a Captain of the Enterprise, and a damned good one at that. Also, Guinan continues to be a very well used character on the show -- I think because of Goldberg's schedule it forced them to only use her when needed, which really has the effect of making Guinan special and cool. And finally Yar -- I think the greatest victory of this episode is giving the character of Yar her proper and honorable send-off. Really great stuff -- it makes you wonder about how the show would've been if she'd been in the show the entire time to this point.
"The Offspring"
Another great "android's rights" episode, and a fantastic step forward for the character of Data. Of course it recalls the excellent "Measure of a Man" from last episode, but it also does a fine job on its own. Really good episode, both fun, touching, and intelligent, and a nice directorial debut for Jonathan Frakes.
"Sins of the Father"
Pretty good episode, really the first big Klingon episode. However, it takes too long to get going, and once it does it finishes up too quick. And at the end of the day, I just find it hard to get interested in the whole "Klingon macho posturing" thing. When's the next Romulan episode?
"Allegiance"
Another variation on a favourite scheme - captured for an alien experiment to learn about a human condition. Still, its a well handled episode to be sure, and I especially liked the "pseudo-Picard" scenes, which were quite funny.
"Captain's Holiday"
Maltese Falcon meets Indiana Jones. Still, I liked Vash here -- I can see why they brought her back for further episodes.
"Tin Man"
A good episode with good characterizations that just loses its way with a really, really weak ending. We finally get to the big mysterious tin man after all this time and basically it vanishes suddenly and we have no idea what happened. Oh, well, off to Starbase Whatever! *pft*
"Hollow Pursuits"
Good episode. I like the idea of looking in on the OTHER members of the Ent-D crew, you know the 1,006 who AREN'T the regulars. So I like Barclay. I suppose he's also the most relatable crewmember for the average Trekkie (lolol, easy jab). Also, this show helped look at some of the dangers of using the holodeck as a fantasy outlet. Hell, it's always seemed to me like most people would be using the holodeck as a personal virtual sex machine.
*sidenote: Despite being a TNG character, Barclay had more appearances on frakking Voyager than on TNG.
"The Most Toys"
Very good episode that I think nailed the whole "Collector" mentality very well. (Two stabs at Trekkies in the space of three episodes!) Great Brent Spiner vehicle, and of course Data fired! That was the whole point of the episode! And O'Brien said the weapon discharged. O'Brien would not lie!
"Sarek"
Sometimes I wish TNG had referenced TOS more, sometimes I'm glad they decided to stand on their own. Either way, this was a great episode. Mark Lenard FTW.
"Menage a Troi"
Not terrible, not nearly as bad as "Manhunt", but honestly it just feels like no one puts effort into these Lwaxana episodes. Its like they feel contractually obligated to have Roddenberry's wife every year, and are like "WELL, what crazy shenanigans can we come up with THIS time?"
"Transfigurations"
I didn't like this one because the Ent-D crew wasn't really involved. Nothing ever impacted our characters or suggested jeopardy to them, they basically just observed things that happened to someone else. The impact of John on Geordi is very minor, and only really is shown in the first half of the episode, then forgotten about. And his relationship with Beverly never actually becomes anything beyond cute smiles. So the whole thing feels like a waste of time. Still, the performances were quite good, even if the glowing body sock effect at the end of the episode was super poor. The best parts of this episode where the truncated Geordi subplot with Worf.
The Best of Both Worlds
What can I say about this episode that hasn't already been said? Frakes gives us some of his best work as Riker. I love the way the episode head on addresses the issue of Riker constantly turning down command. Picard and Guinan have another great scene, as always. Pretty much everything about the show is top-notch, leading to that unforgettable, famous, fantastic cliff-hanger. Definitely one of TNG's best shows, if not exactly exemplary of the show as a whole.
A Collection of Episode Reviews Originally Posted on the MI6 Forums Between October 7, 2009 and February 22, 2010
"The Child"
And so season 2 begins. What's essentially happening here is a reuse of an old 1970s Trek script because of the 88 Writer's Strike, with new elements added to introduce us to the new elements of Season 2. And frankly, these new elements are the best part of the episode. I've always held a liking for Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan character -- up to and including her appearance in Generations. I also think her scenes with Wesley in this episode are by far the best acting Wil Wheaton's done in the show up to this point.
As for the Troi stuff - meh.
I will say that its almost weird seeing Worf and Geordi in their familiar gold uniforms after a year in the burgundy. But Riker finally looks like Riker with his trademark Frakes beard.
"Where Silence Has Lease"
I like the spooky atmosphere on the ghost-Yamato, and Picard's speech to Data about death is a highlight, but once Nagilum got revealed I got bored quickly. "Advanced alien tests humans to learn about them" is such a stock plot in Trek that I am totally bored by it. I never like that the implications of all these omnipotent, non-coporeal beings is never explored. You're telling me all they do is wait in space for passing starships to play with?
"Elementary, Dear Data"
Pretty damn classy episode and you know that Data's having fun over-acting, but it's really the playing Moriarty who sells the whole thing. Good cerebral stuff.
"The Outrageous Okona"
Han Solo visits the Enterprise and it is awesome. Data tries stand-up and it's not nearly as interesting. The two are then cross-edited annoyingly.
Wesley Saves the Ship: 4.5
"The Schizoid Man"
This episode was really good. Fairly good script excellently enhanced by the acting of Brent Spiner and W. Morgan Sheppard (Graves), as well as some fancy direction from Les Landau of all people. A stand-out show. Also, Susie Plakson is hot as Vulcan Dr. Selar.
"Loud as a Whisper"
I knew the basic plot of this episode before going in, but had never seen it before, and honestly I was expecting a "deaf people are people too" after school special type story, but it turned out to be a really good episode, thanks in part to the actor playing Riva. Troi also felt very well used in this episode -- she's a much better character already than she was in Season 1. Too bad the "dignitary they must transport has the hots for Troi" angle will be reused for every Troi episode from here on if my memory holds true. This episode also had some great Geordi moments, like the scene where Pulaski offers to get him ocular implants.
Character reviews!
PICARD - Patrick Stewart is pretty cool guy, but there really still hasn't been enough of Picard to make me notice him. He's sort've running things, and giving speeches, but he's not yet the really awesome Captain I know he eventually becomes.
RIKER - It feels like Riker's been relegated to the background -- he's not as fun as he was in Season 1.
GEORDI - Moving Geordi to Chief Engineer felt weird at first, but honestly LeVar Burton is still charming enough for it to work, and it really gives Geordi his own unique place in the cast.
WORF - Worf fits great as security chief, but still seems like a snarling Klingon stereotype.
TROI - So much better than last season! She still has a tendency to state the obvious, but Marina Sirtis appears much more comfortable in the role.
DATA - The best character on the show so far, thanks in no small part to Brent Spiner's wonderful acting.
WESLEY - I like that he has a job now. He seems less arbitrary this way. So far he's not gotten on my nerves too much.
PULASKI - She's okay. She's a competent doctor. I haven't gotten much else from her.
GUINAN - Very cool character.
"Unnatural Selection"
So I suppose someone in the writer's room realized they had introduced a new doctor character and that they'd probably have to do something to develop her, rather than just go with "female McCoy" gags all the time. Ironically, the biggest Pulaski episode so far was apparently the one that made Diana Muldaur decide to quit the series after only one season -- she hated the make-up time needed for her (admittedly really super few) accelerated aging scenes.
The episode, of course, is a rip-off of "The Deadly Years" (TOS) with some illegal and dangerous genetic engineering thrown in. It also features my least favourite Trek deus ex machina -- that of restoring someone using the old pattern from the transporter buffer, first seen in "The Lorolei Signal" (TAS).
In other news, this episode is big because Colm Meaney's nameless transporter chief is dubbed O'Brien, and we establish his personality as an awesome NCO who can fix anything.
So I've decided this about TNG: O'Brien makes everything better.
"A Matter of Honor"
Probably the best Klingon episode produced up to this point in Trek's history. Certainly the bes Riker episode so far, except perhaps the Minuet one. Really enjoyable to watch, full of great dialogue and characterization -- even the Wesley-related subplot was funny and fresh, despite Wesley continuing to be a massive dork. Also, even tiny doses of O'Brien appear to be awesome.
A great episode, perhaps the best of the second season thus far.
"Measure of a Man"
Probably without a doubt the absolute finest episode of TNG so far. Definitely this is something I would point a fan of NuTrek too and say "NO! THIS is what Star Trek is supposed to be!" I absolutely LOVE the scene between Picard and Guinan as they discuss the implications of slavery. I think this show finally got what TNG could be here -- it could actually do the "social allegory" thing even better than TOS ever did by making it more cerebral -- more like Roddenberry wanted -- than action adventure. They figured out that TNG wasn't an action adventure show, but that the actors were so good, especially in this episode Stewart, Frakes, and Spiner, that they could sit them in a room and let them talk and it would be good. I think this is the first time they figured out that the real true key to the Picard character was to make him the moralizing figure, make him the one Captain in Starfleet who really BELIEVES all the stuff about the Prime Directive and the founding principles of the Federation and all that -- and then to give him fantastic speeches to deliver.
Great episode. Far above the VOY rip-off of it.
"The Dauphin"
Well, I suppose a stretch of good episodes in TNG Season 2 was too good to be true. This is a big time Wesley episode, and it's also just pretty poor in general. I find it hard to believe the crew would put up with Anya this much. If I was a security chief and some bitch was bragging to me about how she was so powerful she could destroy anyone on board -- I'd be showing her out the airlock. Also, what was Shelly from Twin Peaks doing in this episode? She's here for a single scene and that's it! Jamie Hubbard is cute as Wesley's first crush, but really this one falls flat on its face. The only really good scenes are Worf explaining Klingon mating rituals, and the Riker/Guinan flirting scene in Ten Forward.
"Contagion"
Very good episode. Kind've a second season version of "Disaster" where we really put the crew through their paces. Lots of cool interesting concepts at every turn, and actually a very good depiction of a shipboard computer virus, obviously by someone who actually knows how one works -- impressive for an episode from 1988!
"The Royale"
A boring piddle of an episode with no central conflict and loses steam halfway through. Colourful costumes and amusing scenarios don't make up for the fact that the crew solves the dilemma by doing nothing.
"Time Squared"
What starts as a valiant attempt at a temporal paradox episode gives up in the third act and has the crew basically win because they did nothing.
Both these episodes were pretty dull and suffered by not actually personifying the danger and having the main conflict solved too early leaving nothing for our characters to do in the third act.
"The Icarus Factor"
A pretty damn good Riker episode with a pretty damn good Worf subplot. This could almost be a DS9 episode, with the way it works the character dynamics. However, on DS9, a character like Riker's father would've become a recurring one, rather than just disappearing after this one episode. I would be tempted to call the whole thing brilliant, if it wasn't for the finale -- the "anbojitsu" martial art that Pulaski was so worried about turns out to be two combatants in a heavily padded arena dressed in Power Ranger body armour clumsily swinging batons at each other.
"Pen Pals"
Data violates the Prime Directive like eight or nine times over. Good effects in this episode, and strong performances from the cast though. I've decided I like what they're doing with Wesley in this season, although I think Wil Wheaton self-destructs his own character with his performance.
"Q Who?"
This episode, sh*t got real. The best, without a doubt, episode of TNG so far. Makes you sit up and pay attention. Great Q. Great Guinan. And here are the Borg as they should be -- implacable, undefeatable, relentless. Superb episode. TNG finds itself here. "They'll be coming," Oh, yes, Picard....
CHARACTER ROUND-UP
My impressions of the characters so far.
PICARD -- Stewart has definitely improved this role dramatically. Especially in the last two episodes I really see the Picard character as I recognize him. Easily one of the best parts of the series.
RIKER -- Riker, if more developed, seems more subdued this year instead of being practically the series protagonist in season one. Is it the beard?
GEORDI -- Geordi is practically an entirely different character in this season, but I think I prefer this version. I like that he seems very competent, despite being fairly young.
WORF -- Worf continues to improve and is for sure one of my favourites on the show. He's maybe two-dimensional now, instead of one-dimensional in first season. Always good for a one-liner, too.
TROI -- Troi isn't annoying anymore. I like her now. She's still useless, though.
DATA -- Brent Spiner makes Data work, but all in all he kinda bores me at this point.
WESLEY -- I like Acting Ensign Crusher. I like this learning on the go, Midshipman Hornblower style stuff. I just don't like Wil Wheaton.
PULASKI -- She's an okay character, but I don't like how soft she's become. She started out irascible, but now she's basically a big push-over and kind've super-boring.
GUINAN -- Guinan is cool. I like her mystery and her confidence and basically all the scenes she is in are good scenes. Great Whoopi Goldberg role, or the greatest Whoopi Goldberg role?
O'BRIEN -- Everything is better with O'Brien.
"Samaritan Snare"
This was actually a really good episode. The Pakleds are probably one of the better examples of the tried and true "not what they seem" Trek trope of alien races, and the humor with them and Geordi is quite well done. Also, Riker in command is great and is it just me or did anyone else actually think it'd be cool if Picard died in the operation and Riker actually became Captain? Speaking of Picard his subplot is great and basically overshadows the main plot, and not only is it written well, it's shot well too. Lots of great effects shots in this one. And I even like the continuation of the "Wesley getting into the Academy" subplot because it heralds the fact that one day he'll be gone.
"Up the Long Ladder"
A fairly forgettable episode involving cloning and Irish people and Pulaski hitting on Worf and a really hot guest turn from Rosalyn Landor. Apparently the Irish thought it was racist against them -- meh, less than the Lucky Charms cereal commericials.
"Manhunt"
Yeah. I dread the yearly visits from Roddenberry's wife. This episode is just unconfortable for everyone, though there are a few funny bits, such as in the Dixon Hill program.
Is it just me, or is Majel Barrett wearing some sort of contact lens? Either than she's high out of her brain this whole episode.
"The Emissary"
The first in a long line of "Let's f*ck Worf's life up until it gets totally ridiculous" episodes. Suzie Plakson is just great, though. Also, holy sh*t Worf takes everything too seriously. It's like a Jew being Super Kosher just because he lives in Kansas and feels the need to distinguish from all the Methodists.
"Peak Performance"
Very good episode. Two gripes -- 1) Why does the Ferengi ship come out of nowhere to attack the Enterprise? Makes no sense, even for early TNG's Villain Ferengis. 2) Why does Worf's gambit work on them? The whole reason it worked on the Ent-D was that Worf had the security codes to fool the sensors.
"Shades of Grey"
Well that was a waste of an hour.
A Collection of Episode Reviews Originally Posted on MI6 Forums Between June 20 and October 6, 2009
"Encounter at Farpoint"
I find it so shocking that the "Q" plot was added only to fill out the show to two hours. Not only because it became the primary story arc of the series, but because it is SO much more interesting than the Farpoint "mystery". The entire Farpoint story is so routine and ordinary a puzzle, but it's made interesting in the context of being Q's first test for the Enterprise crew.
Q himself is a great character right off the bat. While he's a lot like similar life forms encountered by the original crew, he's better because he's much more three-dimensional -- neither a remote demigod nor a childish imp, he's completely unpredictable, and a great nemesis therefore.
Because TNG had already been sold, its pilot gets to focus on introducing the characters rather than showcasing an adventure. Each of the ensemble gets a little moment to let us know who they are. However, even at this point Tasha Yar feels underdeveloped compared to everyone else. Also, while some characters instantly pop and seem interesting, others are... cringe-worthy. So far I think the best character is Riker, followed by Data and Picard. And the worst are Troi and Wesley. I'll break them down:
PICARD -- He's really one-dimensional in this episode. He basically barks orders and yells at things and is generally unpleasant to people. However, they certainly immediately establish him as being different from Kirk. He's a much more professional, by-the-book Starfleet captain. One of my favourite moments is when the Red Alert klaxon goes off and he yells "Shut off that damn noise!"
RIKER -- So far Riker is the most fun character, and the only one who acts like he has a personality. Everyone else in the episode just takes or gives orders, but Riker actually comments on things and has a growth.
GEORDI -- Basically at this point he's just the blind guy with the gold hair barette on his face. But LeVar Burton is such a likeable performer that we like Geordi anyway.
YAR -- Denise Crosby is a fine actress here but she's given little to do. I feel that will be a running note.
WORF -- *gasp!* A Klingon in Starfleet?? I wonder what that's about?! Rofl, I'm looking forward to first season Worf. Michael Dorn says his take on Worf for the first two years was that he "didn't like anybody."
BEVERLY -- She's a soccer mom. In "Farpoint" the dynamic between her and Picard is very interesting and indeed it's almost as if Picard doesn't know her very well at all beyond her being the wife of his dead officer. By the way, can anyone confirm or deny if Gates McFadden's first-season hair is a wig? It looks really fake and much more red than in subsequent years.
TROI -- Troi's an annoying bimbo in this episode who states the obvious, over-acts, and stands with her mouth open. Probably my least favourite featured character in this episode. I also find the relationship between her and Riker much different than I remember it -- she's more like the ex-girlfriend who still carries a torch even though he's moved way beyond.
DATA -- Data's cool because he's interesting. We don't know where he came from and he don't know where he's going and he's got a cool attitude and of all the characters a definite initial story arc -- become human. Personally I've always thought there should've been more progress in that arc over the series, that by the end he should've been more close to human than he was even in Nemesis.
WESLEY -- What can I say? The kid's annoying. And it's not just the golly gee whiz attitude, it's his massive arrogance. The fact that he buts into conversations and acts like he knows what he's doing.
Definitely the best scenes in "Farpoint" are the Q/Picard scenes, and the worst are the scenes with Goppler Zorn or Troi, both of whom overact to extremes. "Of course we have NOTHING to hide! That's why I'm so jittery and anxious!!" "I sense PAIN. Immense PAIN and LONLINESS."
Probably the finest scene in the whole episode is the very touching scene between Admiral "Bones" and Data around the mid-point. Really sweet and moving, and a great send-off to the show.
All-inall, this episode's job was to convince Trekkies that a new show with a new crew would be worthwhile. It succeeds, but only provisionally. It's good enough that I think a fan would say "well, let's see what comes next."
"The Naked Now"
"But, if we ADMIT we're copying the Original Series, that makes it a sequel, not a rip-off!"
The original Naked Time episode worked for two reasons. One was that it was fun. Sulu ran around swashbuckling and Riley took control of Engineering while singing Irish folksongs. The other was that it defined the characters -- we finally learned of Spock's inner torment, and of Chapel's love for him.
Clearly the episode was ripped off for TNG so that the same easy, one-step character development could occur -- despite the fact that the pilot had wasted our time doing a lot of that already.
Why the TNG version doesn't work is that it's only the second episode and the characters aren't interesting enough (Picard and Crusher want each other, Riker wants to save everyone, Troi wants Riker, Tasha wants everything, Data wants to be human, Geordi wants sight, Wesley wants command -- all of these things were already established in the pilot) -- and it doesn't have the fun of the TOS version. TNG always was guilty of taking itself too seriously, and this episode lacks the comedy of the TOS outing. Instead of Riley we get GOD DAMN ANNOYING WESLEY CRUSHER.
However, there are some good bits. Tasha testing how "fully functional" Data is will always be memorable. And the Crusher/Picard scenes are great, though more for Gates McFadden than Patrick Stewart. I love "Drunk Beverly" in this episode -- McFadden should've given more of this sense of fun to the regular Beverly character and she might've been more likeable. But Patrick Stewart is playing things in this broad farcial way and doing weird things with his voice and it doesn't work.
Wil Wheaton once said that Wesley only really saved the ship "one and a half" times. I'll test that theory.
WESLEY SAVES THE SHIP: 1.
I'm keeping count.
I also noticed that Worf wasn't affected -- probably because in the eyes of the writers he wasn't a real character. He hadn't really been focused on in the pilot, either, and at this point he's just there to be a visual reminder of the Federation/Klingon Alliance, and to take orders, rather than be a real character.
"Code of Honor"
The reason this episode fails is that the exact code of honour isn't really explained. I never really understood what was going on with Lutan and his wife. And, of course, the racism.
Also -- this is a TOS episode. Really clearly a TOS episode. The need for a vaccine on another planet, the primitive alien culture needed to barter with, the fight to the death (where's the MUSIC?) -- it's all very much in the style of the old show.
On the other hand, the actor playing Lutan clearly had fun, and I liked that this episode focused on Tasha, since we'll get so few episodes with her.
Despite all that, I did have fun watching this episode for the most part. I liked the scene between Geordi and Data with Geordi shaving and Data trying to tell jokes. Sure, it's just there for filler, but it's the beginning of the long-lasting Data/Geordi friendship.
So far the series has convinced me that Riker, Geordi, Data, Tasha and even Beverly are likeable characters. Picard is basically a still a hard-ass, which is a cool change of pace from Kirk, but not necessarily likeable. Worf just sits there and takes orders, occasionally growls (where was he in "Code of Honor?" You think the Klingon would've been a great choice to deal with the honor-bound black guys!). Troi has yet to redeem herself (beyond being cute despite an awful costume/hair-do) and Wesley might be the most annoying goddamn thing ever.
"Haven"
This episode fell flat for me. It was a neat attempt to develop Troi and expand on the Riker/Troi relationship, and Majel Roddenberry is fun as Lwaxana (thank god there's only one episode of her a year though) and it's cool seeing Lurch as her valet. But the whole thing is rather dull, and ultimately senseless. How again do the boring mullet guy and the boring blonde bimbo make contact? Because all life is connected? How the f*ck does that make sense? Also, Marina Sirtis' performance is really uneven. Is she for the wedding or against it? The whole thing was a big, "meh", and of course the ending is a big reset button.
"Where No One Has Gone Before"
This may be the first episode this season I liked. For one thing, it looks like a new DOP came on board because the visual style of this episode is a lot more interesting than the previous four. I like Kosinski and his arrogant attitude and the conflict that brings. And I like that the Traveller gives the Wesley character the beginnings of a possible storyline, an arc, a reason for Wes to be there other than him being the annoying kid (and I love how everyone in the episode just calls him "the boy"). Sure, the writers never really did anything with it, and Wes remains an annoying arrogant brat, and this thread was never picked up on until the third last episode of the series -- but still. I also liked the visions the crew had -- especially Tasha's flashback and Picard seeing his mother. They're trying to really push home this idea that Tasha's upbringing was exceptionally hard and its molded her into this tough individual -- but they do it half-ass. They should've devoted an episode to exploring it rather than giving out piecemeal mentions throughout the season. Ultimately Tasha's background doesn't get explored until three seasons after her death. Also, some of the sfx imagery is very cool and memorable.
Wesley Saves the Ship: 1.5
Chief Engineers This Season: 2
"The Last Outpost"
This episode actually isn't half-bad. Up until the moment DaiMon Tar gets revealed on the viewscreen it's probably the most exciting TNG has been so far. But the Ferengi are so laughably misplayed here. Not even poorly written, per say, but misplayed. Their weapons are big plastic dildo whips and they are dressed in furs. The way they scamper about and over act and hand-talk is totally weird and makes them seem like animals. They come across as dangerous, yes, but in the way that a child with a lighter is dangerous. Not really a threat to the Federation so much as something to keep an eye on. It's interesting that the parallel to American capitalism is made immediately. Ferengi aside, the Tkon Empire plot and the Portal character and very cool and interesting, and I noticed a real growth in Riker here commanding the away team, you really feel like he would be a great starship captain. The other thing I liked in this episode was that LaForge suddenly gained a really fun personality and this is also the first time we see him in Engineering and he really seems in his element there. It's so weird that he won't be Chief Engineer until second season.
I'll briefly recap what I think of the characters so far:
PICARD -- Honestly, he doesn't really engage me at this point. He stands on the bridge and barks orders but seems somehow. He almost never leaves the bridge and is always reluctant to take action and he seems more like a distant father figure, while
RIKER seems more like the main character of the show. I really enjoy his take charge attitude and it's fun how even in just six shows you can really see growth in his character already. He's a fun guy and so far my favourite character.
LaFORGE When he gets to do something, I like Geordi, and it's entirely because of LaVar Burton. He just goes for it and gives a really lively, fun performance. Geordi feels like a real personality at this point.
TASHA is okay, when she gets something to do. The last three episodes she's just stood there, and it's weird that they added a tactical officer as a regular character on this show when so far the Enterprise has not had a single battle and Picard makes a definite point all the time of staying out of confrontations. So Tasha ends up being this third appendage who suggests they fight and gets turned down. Which bring us to
WORF, who serves the same function as Tasha only male, black, bumpy foreheaded, and more grumpy. And growling and snarling. Still, whenever he does say something it's always an interesting contrast with the human crew. He's probably my third fav character so far behind Riker and Geordi, just because he's mysterious and different.
BEVERLY has barely been developed. We know she's competent, compassionate, and has the hots for the Captain. She's okay so far. Can't ever have enough redheads on a show.
TROI is annoying. She's attractive but always just says the obvious. She's also kind've whiny. Of all the major developed characters, so far I could do without her.
DATA is really weird in first season. Instead of the flatly played automaton, he's being played as someone trying to act human, with smiles and jokes and slang and such, but it always sounding odd and unnatural because he doesn't understand the reason or feeling behind any of it. It's neat, but not really engaging. I could take or leave him.
WESLEY sucks. He should've been like Ioan Gruffudd in the early episodes of Hornblower -- a really bright young kid whose trying his best to learn and slowly becoming a good officer -- someone who we root for and see make mistakes, but also learn. Someone we want to see grow up and become a leader. I get that more from Riker, actually. Instead, Wesley has this attitude like he knows everything all ready and that just makes him an arrogant, unlikeable brat. He's sunny, cheerful, and incessantly insipid.
"Lonely Among Us"
I had completely forgotten this episode existed until I watched, so that tells you something. It's basically a complete rip-off of Fontana's TOS episode "Journey to Babel", only minus interesting character development and plus another energy being that possesses the crew. The whole thing was lame, schizophrenic, and kinda dumb. The make-up on the aliens was imaginative and better than just forehead ridges, but poorly accomplished. The only things really worthwhile are that Data's fascination with Sherlock Holmes begins, and that FINALLY we start to get a hold on Picard's character a bit when we establish that his dream is to explore. Picard the Explorer was really the handle for that character. It should've been shown in "Naked Time" or earlier, but for the past seven episodes all we got was Picard the Angry Captain. Kirk was a Swashbuckler, a leader of Men. This episode finally begins to define Picard. Other than that, it sucks. It just sort've runs out of steam and ends, and for some reason someone thought that the brutal murder of an ambassador for the purpose of dinner was a good joke to go out on.
Wesley Saves the Ship: 1.75
Chief Engineers This Season: 3
"Justice"
A planet of sexy Aryans who run around having constant orgies want to kill Wesley? Excellent! Oh, wait, Picard wants to save Wesley. Ugh, fine. You really see in this episode just how bad a child actor Wil Wheaton was. He's unbearable. You want him dead so bad. Gates McFadden gives a good turn worrying for her son, and the over-sexed Edo and their interactions with the crew are hilariously good times -- but a lot of this episode falls flat. It takes waaaay too long to get going, so the whole resolution gets rushed. The crew meets yet another God thing (yawn). The ending is literally a deus ex machina ending, and feels like a cheat as we never actually explore any of the issues of Justice that the episode vaguely brings up. One good note is that at the end of the show we get the very first "Picard morality speech" that will become a hallmark of TNG and one of the prime reasons to watch the show. Side note -- Sweet lord is Troi a completely useless character or what? In nine episodes I've seen her give one (just one) statement that wasn't already completely obvious.
"The Battle"
Well this episode was giving a very good effort to be dramatic and to restore the Ferengi to the place of verified villains. It also gives us some good dramatic backstory for Picard, with his old ship being the source of many moments mentioned later in the series, and of course the model in his ready room. Unfortunately, the whole thing never really coalesces. The episode feels like too much jam-packed into too little and it doesn't really work. Some specific problems include Patrick Stewart's ridiculous over-acting, more god-awful smart-ass Wesley Crusher moments, and a problem that's been plagueing this series since the start: a retarded crew. Whereas the TOS crew was the finest crew in Starfleet, the TNG crew solves problems by flailing its arms about until the runtime of the episode is over and the deus ex machine saves the day. For example -- several TNG episodes so far, including this one, have been mysteries. But instead of letting the audience solve the mystery with the crew, the audience is given the answer (the villains are behind it!) before the first commercial break, whereas the crew doesn't figure anything out until the final scene. This leaves us shouting at the television set because the entire cast looks retarded. Another issue I have with this episode is that it makes Picard look very weak, what with his headaches and his mental breakdowns and so forth. The series so far has given the impression of Picard as something of a lame duck captain, boring and somewhat indecisive, with Riker being the true hero of the show. Bad choice.
Wesley Saves the Ship: 2.75
"Hide and Q"
Oh, this episode could've been good too! It starts well enough, with John De Lancie really stealing the show, and a great sort've TOS set-up to the whole thing. But the final act with Riker is completely mishandled. None of the crew are tempted by his gifts because of course they're all so perfect, and none of the real implications of granting omnipotence to a human is dealt with aside from a tired reiteration of that old "power corrupts" schtick. Again, with Q making fun of Picard and leaving him out of the action he is presented as a lame duck with Riker the focus of the story. The whole thing falls flat and isn't nearly as fun as it's set-up could've made it. Tasha gets some moments though, and I jumped for joy when they announced they had booted Troi off the ship at the start of the episode. Ah, if only that had remained a permanent change...
"Too Short a Season"
This episode was awesome. Probably the first episode I really enjoyed watching all season. The main cast finally all seemed like competent individuals, Beverly got some great stuff, Picard got to make excellent speeches -- which is what an actor like Patrick Stewart is FOR -- and overall the entire plot and premise was great. I mean, yeah, it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", but this time with hostages and phaser fights and awesome old-school Starfleet admirals who are almost but not quite James T. Kirk. That's right, this episode was originally supposed to be a sequel to "A Private Little War" (TOS), and really they didn't change much of the backstory other than replace "Kirk" with "Jamison". Of course, with the aged Admiral not-Kirk, they were able to give him a perfect sci-fi "don't mess with nature" tragic ending. Great episode though. Dramatic, action-packed, emotional, prime.
"The Big Goodbye"
Another great episode! Yeah, it's a holodeck malfunction episode -- but at THIS point that's not an overdone cliche. In fact, everyone in this episode is totally gaga over the holodeck like it's Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360. The whole thing is believable and very cool. The 1940s film noir setting is also a lot of fun -- though I'm seriously surprised Warner Bros didn't sue for the OBVIOUS Maltese Falcon rip-off storyline. Lawrence Tierney gave a GREAT guest appearance as Sidney Greenstree -- erm, I mean the guy from Resevoir Dogs -- erm, I mean Cyrus Redblock. Again, Beverly and Picard got some great, believable chemistry in this episode and the whole thing was very enjoyable. Other than some minor Wesley.
Wesley Saves the Ship: 3.25
My reaction after these two episodes is -- WTF? Is there any behind the scenes reason why this show SUDDENLY got really good?? These last two episodes were great!!
"Datalore"
Another fun, good episode. Some beats are a bit ripped off from "The Enemy Within", Wesley is damned annoying, and the ending makes no sense (if Lore's plan was to beam something out to lower the shields so the Entity could attack, why didn't it attack when they beamed Lore out?) but at the end of the day none of it matters because we get a really fun time seeing Brent Spiner in his dual roles of Data and Lore. It's some really fantastic acting and you can tell he had fun doing it. Also, we finally learn about Data's past, and I for one always liked the Soong Androids storyline. One thing that never gelled for me though -- Soong was the foremost expert in robot design. He gets laughed at for bragging he can create a positronic brain. He disappears. An entire Earth science colony is destroyed. The starship sent to investigate finds a positronic android with the stored memories/knowledge of the colonists. This android then serves with Starfleet for 26 years. Yet the android's origin still remains a mystery all that time? And Data still has problems understanding things like perfume (next episode)? But pointless quibbling aside, good episode. Also -- SHUT UP, WESLEY! Also -- OMG, it's the chief engineer from "Where No One Has Gone Before"! He lasted more than a single episode!
Wesley Saves the Ship: 4.25
"Angel One"
Really heavy-handed. And also kinda silly. The A plot on the planet is okay, but patronizing, but the B plot on the ship is just ridiculously overplayed. I think I figured out the pattern though -- you can tell a Season 1 TNG episode will suck when TROI is in it.
"11001001"
Another good episode. And look - No Troi! Haha! But seriously Minuet is great and all the effects shots are fantastic and overall its a good episode that gives us a better insight into all the characters from Riker and his jazz, to Data and his painting.
Overall, since "Too Short a Season" I've seen a marked improvement in how the crew has been portrayed. They are all much more competent individuals and Picard especially is becoming a much more active Captain, though "Angel One" is an example of an earlier style episode with Picard as the butt of jokes. Still, the season is definitively steadily improving.
"Home Soil"
"The Devil in the Dark", if the Horta had been complete dicks instead of loveably misunderstood. "Ugly Bags of Mostly Water" is all this episode is worth remembering for.
"When the Bough Breaks"
ARRRRRRGH! I wanted to TEAR MY HAIR OUT at this episode! Absolutely the WORST TNG episode so far! When someone STEALS YOUR CHILDREN you don't stand there and DISCUSS IT! You get the ENTIRE MOTHERF*CKING FEDERATION IN THERE AND BLOW THEM TO HELL! ARRRGH! That wasn't the only problem with this episode. The WHOLE TIME I was pointing how plot holes and groaning at how STUPID the writing was. And to think the premise is "We must save Wesley!" which NO ONE in the audience wants anyway (though I like him better than Troi -- at least he's not an episode curse). Finally, after thirty minutes of pussy ********, Crusher brings up the ozone layer problem and the whole thing devolves into preachy environmentalist ****. No one in the entire episode acts like a rational human being, instead they just stand around being mouthpieces for Gene Roddenberry's condescending preaching of his audience. I just wanted to kill everyone in the show. Every, single, element was badly done and poorly thought out. There was ONE good effects show in the show, very stylish, and all the money on a writer must've gone to it. I HATED, HATED, HATED this episode! Which is too bad, because it's the first time Wil Wheaton's actually been kinda good as Wesley.
ARRRGH! Just when the crew was starting to be competent and compelling they all turned into simpering whimps who let radioactive baby-snatcher mutants get the better of them. There are two cliches I HATE in Star Trek. One is the planet that has an EASILY solveable problem if they just asked the Federation for help through normal channels and the OTHER is when the Enterprise forgets its part of an entire FLEET, backed by a MASSIVE political body and doesn't call for any sort of support of back-up. ARRRRGH!!! *headdesk*
Headdesk -- for when facepalm isn't nearly enough.
"Coming of Age"
To be honest, it's not a bad Wesley episode. He's almost not completely irritating in it. And the Picard subplot is great, even though similar ground will be covered much more expertly in "The Drumhead" -- but it still sets up the (almost) season finale. I wish they had kept the themee of the episode as "positive racism" though, with Mordock only getting in because he was the first Benzite in Starfleet. Oh well. I still like to think that's what happened, even if it's no longer explicitly stated.
"Heart of Glory"
What an episode! Fantastic! Really effectively fleshed Worf out into a character -- from background officer to three-dimensionality in a single bound!! I love the dialogue in this episode, it has a kind of heightened drama feel, like Shakespeare meets Robert E. Howard -- which is really the perfect way to write Klingons. The whole thing just had excellent drama and emotion and tension. At this point, however, Worf has severely eclipsed all the other characters, and some things in this show just made Picard look like a fool. If anything there should've been better efforts like this in the first season to really give a feel of exactly what the changes between the TNG and TOS eras were.
"The Arsenal of Freedom"
Of all the things going on in this episode, I liked the Geordi stuff the best. It was a great exploration of his character and a good natural outgrowth of what we've seen from him so far. I like "young officer excelling" stuff, like Hornblower. Weird that this Geordi is so different from the Geordi of later seasons. Also I liked the scene between Geordi and Troi -- it was a great moment for Geordi and possibly the first time I've seen Troi do any actual COUNSELLING onboard the ship rather than just a) state the obvious ("I sense danger") or b) be generally useless ("I can't read him").
As for the planetside stuff, the Picard/Beverly thing was okay, a nice extension of their ongoing romantic tension, but the fall into the hole was like a ludicrous comedic pratfall. The actual "main plot" of Riker/Tasha/Data fighting automated killer robots was boring and poorly done, mainly because of the pretty lame studio fake jungle set.
Ok episode, neither horrible nor really good.
CHIEF ENGINEERS THIS SEASON: 4
Symbiosis
This was actually a really good episode. It had tension, drama, even conflict between the main characters!! I really liked Picard's rather hardline solution to the problem, while still acting within the confines of the Prime Directive. I also liked the moral ambiguity of the episode - that we aren't sure if the right choice has been made or what the right choice even was. I think so far this was TNG's best attempt at emulating TOS's social conscience style episodes -- in a lot of ways it felt like TNG's "A Private Little War". The only negative to this episode I feel would be Tasha's after-school special speech about drugs to Wesley. But I liked Picard here.
Skin of Evil
Ah, the infamous "Tasha Dies" episode. This was another good one, actually. I think Roddenberry made the right choice in decreeing that Tasha die a quick and senseless death befitting a Star Trek security officer. I also really liked the Armus character and the episode's exploration of the motivations of senseless cruelty and sadism. Even Troi was used pretty effectively here. I also really liked Picard's, again, hardline stance against the creature. I prefer that to the Captain who couldn't make up his mind from earlier in the season. However, I feel like the "heartfelt farewell" funeral scene would've played better if Tasha had died in, say, Season 5, if we had known both her and the characters a lot better. At this point not only is her death not really a big deal (though we are losing the hottest chick on the show) but all her personal comments about the cast mean little, also.
CHIEF ENGINEERS THIS SEASON: 5
"We'll Always Have Paris"
I'd never seen this episode all the way through before. I knew of it, and seen bits, but I always sorta dismissed it as a cheasy "old flames" episode. In actuality, its quite well done -- especially the time distortion bits. The script itself is a bit better than how it was eventually pulled off -- but there is still a lot of good here. Nothing fantastic, but just a solid episode.
"Conspiracy"
and
"The Neutral Zone"
I can almost imagine the writers sitting around a table, flummoxed that they had two different ideas for the season finale. "I know!" one cries, triumphantly, "we'll just do both of them!"
At the end of the day, the mysterious alien invaders of "Conspiracy" should've been paired in the same episode as the mysterious Neutral Zone outpost destruction in the latter episode. And the 1988 Writer's Strike shouldn't've killed the plan for debuting Season 2 with the Borg. However, if everything had gone according to plan we would've gotten a (probably poorly executed) insect race for the Borg -- and I sort've prefer the hive mind cyborgs we got instead.
The 20th-century people subplot of "Neutral Zone" is fun, but really out of place in the episode -- especially since it gets to be more of the main plot than a subplot since the actual Romulan confrontation was saved until the last minute. Would've been interesting to see what happened to those characters down the line, though.
Well, that's first season under my belt. Started off mighty weak, but had a fairly strong finish. I look forward to Season 2, which apparently has... MORE WESLEY?? *comedic groan*
