Episode of the Week: 2x10 "The Dauphin"

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by Jeyl, Apr 1, 2013.

  1. Jeyl

    Jeyl Commodore Commodore

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    "The Dauphin"

    Dah-fin... daw-fin. Day-you-fin.... Day-up-hin. I don't know. Let me see here...

    Oh! It means the eldest son of the king of France. Wait..... does that mean Salia was actually a french boy? Hehe. Will's first onscreen kiss was with a french boy in disguise as a girl! I guess that will make some fans happy.

    It's funny how an episode like "The Measure Of A Man" could leave such a long lasting effect on the character of Data throughout the series yet be immediately followed up with an episode that.... well, was designed to have absolutely zero lasting impact. It's one of those typical love story episodes that tries to imply it's going somewhere, but ends up having the two love birds departing on their own because of some greater purpose, tragic loss, temporal distortion, ect. We've gotten that a lot in Star Trek in general and we will continue to get it in the following series. Heck, Deep Space Nine has probably the worst case of this trope imaginable and that's my favorite series.

    But what we do get is a real treat in the form of Anya, a really strange shapeshifting creature who's job is to comfort and protect Salia. To say that she was a bit over protective of Salia is a gross understatement as the sight of a sick person provokes her into insisting that the patient be killed. And when Pulaski refuses, she turns into a monster and starts fighting with Worf.... in freaking Sick Bay. Where were these species during the Dominion War?

    I honestly don't know why that sickbay fight scene exists, but if I had to venture a guess, it probably had to do with some kind of mandate by the studio to include an action scene of the crew fighting a monster. Except that this is a monster that's supposed to be cooperating with the crew in safely transporting Salia to her destination. You're not going to make things go any smoother if you demand people be executed in an area that can be quarantined and picking fights with the ship's tactical officer.

    Conclusion: Not a terrible episode, it's just completely pointless. The only people who I can see liking this episode are Wesley fans. Yes, Will Wheaton gets his first screen kiss, but who cares? We never see or hear from Salia or Anya again and Wesley will have a brand new girlfriend later on in the series that will also go no where. Also, does Starfleet allow crew members to make loud and intrusive noises on the bridge?

    STINGER:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2013
  2. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    Enjoyed this one more on the bluray. Hadn't watched it in ages. I guess ultimately you can't choose who you fall in love/lust with, Wesley just happened to pick one that was never going to be possible. That's life.
     
  3. yousirname

    yousirname Commander Red Shirt

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    Madchen Amick's brief appearance almost makes it worthwhile. Otherwise, a bit silly, but not irredeemably awful.
     
  4. Captrek

    Captrek Vice Admiral Admiral

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    You make Wesley sound like a teenager or something.
     
  5. Jeyl

    Jeyl Commodore Commodore

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    Yeah. It's almost like I want Star Trek to take it's teenage drama and blow it out the airlock, along with Janeway's holodeck costume dramas.
     
  6. jimbotron

    jimbotron Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Bland and forgettable episode, except for when Wesley was looking for advice. Smash cut to Worf screaming and the "flirting" scene between Riker and Guinan were great.

    "Shut up, kid......tell me more about my eyes."

    Episodes where Wesley is either told to shut up or reprimanded gets a bonus 1/10 to its final score. Datalore got 2 bonus points. :lol:
     
  7. JirinPanthosa

    JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

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    The writing in this episode is pretty poor. Wesley comes off more like a character on Full House than a teenager. It would have been nice if his interest in her came off as a little more hormonal.
     
  8. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    This isn't a bad episode, it just suffers having to follow the previous two brilliant episodes.

    It's full of great moments, Worf explaining Klingon mating rituals, Riker doing the same for Humans. I came away feeling doubly sorry for Wesley - she was never "in love" with him, she was in love with the idea of not having to fulfill her duties. I don't know if that was intended as it isn't really alluded to and I haven't noticed it before.

    I have been a critic of HTV's VFX work but i must admit that they have done a great job with updating the "morphing" effects here, even the DNR isn't overdone in that it doesn't jar and take you out of the scene.

    Jeyl, any chance you could start to include the links to Memory Alpha and the Transcripts that CapTrek asked for? It just makes it a little tidier and easier to reference. Cheers.
     
  9. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    Wil's first screen kiss at 17 was with a 27 year old woman. Lucky guy. Nowadays she'd be arrested for that in the U.S.
     
  10. Jeyl

    Jeyl Commodore Commodore

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    Uh, Captrek didn't ask for that. He asked for "tng episode of the week" to be in the tags.

    Now if you would like me to have those links in my posts, I can oblige.
     
  11. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Technically, you are correct, he never...

    ...but he did suggest it. And I used it in the following weeks episode (I think it was A Matter Of Honour).

    That would be great. I think it looks better and it satisfies my OCD! :bolian:
     
  12. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Followed by her own reality show and a lucrative book deal.

    :)
     
  13. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    My home-name for this episode is Wesley Gets Giddy over the Space Princess. If you look at it that way, it's not as bad an offender of the trope as, say, Lessons, because the "princess" departing and never to be heard from again is completely in line with what's laid out from the get-go.

    My favorite parts of the episode are their holodeck date and the finale/reveal in the transporter room. That last scene was of course very sci-fi, and, to me at least, it added an additional layer to why the lovebirds might really be incompatible, which I thought was a nice touch.

    Nowhere nearly as good as the previous episode, but still OK.
     
  14. inflatabledalek

    inflatabledalek Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    The highlight of the whole show is Worf and his face off with the old woman. Always cracks me up.

    Otherwise, filler but a sign of how the show is coming along nicely that the throwaway stuff is less likely to make you want to strangle kittens than most of season 1.
     
  15. JessDD

    JessDD Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Agreed. I don't particularly watch Star Trek for love interest stories. There are so many other shows that do that.
     
  16. Captrek

    Captrek Vice Admiral Admiral

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    TOS has some excellent love stories: Kirk and Edith Keeler, Kirk and Miramanee, and Spock and Leila. One would need a heart of stone not to be touched by these stories. It's just that later Trek hasn't done it very well.
     
  17. Distorted Humor

    Distorted Humor Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Lets just say I I was a young teenager, and Jamie hubbard made me get all hormonal. I guess she was my "Type" as the girl i chased in High School was a blue eyed variation of Jamie Hubbard.