Spoilers Episode 7 "Nepenthe"

[Cap.T]

I loved the episode. I was really, really impressed by how well Frakes and Sirtis handeled those small emotional beats throughout. Sirtis especially was great. Even in her first scence when she sees Picard and she immidiately feels he's sick. Her expression and that little touch to his head... And later when she opens the door to her sons room and you see how hard that is for in just a little momentent and you realize something bad has happened even before the audiance is being told.
And Frakes too. When he speaks about the planets supposed regenerative capapilities and he's voice breaks a little bit.
Of course I liked them on TNG, but even when they did get to play more emotional stuff back then it always had either a bit of this sterile quality to it that the show had back then or was just a bit too over the top. Seeing them unshakeled from that and playing all those subtle moments just right, really has given me a new appreciation for them as actors.

 

[Discofan]

I don't know but it seems that Oh's mindmeld looks a bit like Mommy Burnham's, except that androids are taking the place of Control... Is that the conclusion we're headed to? Control redux?

 

[Agony_Boothb]

If Agnes is not a cold blooded murderer and instead a tragic figure we are supposed to feel sorry for, can someone please explain to me why she gave her boyfriend a painful death? Surely there were other options to kill him with less pain? No?

Revenge for Brian brophy

 

[Yistaan]

Still have problems with Rios' "cool" smoking. We're a long way down from when Leonard Nimoy refused to have Spock smoke a space cigarette.

 

[yenny]

Beside Thud and Kestra, it sound like Deanna mention a third child name Andrew that was very close to Thud, Actually found the planet they're living on.
Also, the room Picard stay in was mention to be Thud room and they had bunk beds in the room that Kestra was sleeping in, which means they have three kids, two sons and daughter.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Still have problems with Rios' "cool" smoking. We're a long way down from when Leonard Nimoy refused to have Spock smoke a space cigarette.

What's the big deal if he smokes? It's the 24th century, all the bad stuff would be removed.

 

[Yistaan]

What's the big deal if he smokes? It's the 24th century, all the bad stuff would be removed.

Then maybe that should be clarified. I think there are other ways for his character to look macho without it. Raffi's portrayal of smoking in a negative light is the best way to go.

 

[Tuskin38]

Beside Thud and Kestra, it sound like Deanna mention a third child name Andrew that was very close to Thud, Actually found the planet they're living on.

Erm, no she didn't? I think you misheard the name of the planet.

 

[Discofan]

Beside Thud and Kestra, it sound like Deanna mention a third child name Andrew that was very close to Thud, Actually found the planet they're living on.
Also, the room Picard stay in was mention to be Thud room and they had bunk beds in the room that Kestra was sleeping in, which means they have three kids, two sons and daughter.

I hear they didn't like Thud very much because of the loud noises he kept making...

 

[hellojane]

Beside Thud and Kestra, it sound like Deanna mention a third child name Andrew that was very close to Thud, Actually found the planet they're living on.
Also, the room Picard stay in was mention to be Thud room and they had bunk beds in the room that Kestra was sleeping in, which means they have three kids, two sons and daughter.

No, she was saying that Thad had maybe up that planet for him and Kestra because he wanted them to have a homeworld. When Deanna said that Kestra still cries for Thad, she would have mentioned another kid if there was one.

When they show Soji entering Kestra's room, you see a painting I guess Kestra made of her family and it just shows four people- her, Thad, Deanna, and Riker.

 

[Kevman7987]

I have several thoughts.

1. Apparently the writers took a page from the Ronald D. Moore book of writing for this season of Picard; kill off friends & loved ones as a shortcut to force character development in your protagonist (think of Robert & Rene's fiery deaths in Generations affecting Picard).

They killed:
Dahj Asha
Icheb
Bruce Maddox
Hugh
Thad "J.R.R. Tolkien" Troi-Riker

2. Interesting that Kestra is named after Deanna's dead sister and Thad after Will's Civil War Veteran ancestor. It's also interesting that Kestra"s blonde when her mother & father have black & brown hair respectively.

3. Being one quarter Betazoid, how empathic is Kestra?

4. What did Kestra's sleepwear t-shirt say in that scene where she's sketching a sleeping Soji?

5. I want to know more about Thad's Middle-Earth style invented homeworld.

6. If Thad was dying, why didn't Riker & Troi move to Baku to save him?

7. I hope that it ends up being Seven & the xBs that kill off Rizzo. I hope just before they kill her, Seven gets to say "We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."

 

[eschaton]

It occurred to me that if in Trek they still have belief of an afterlife, Soji now has to come to terms with the fact that she's immortal but if she's killed, she may not get an afterlife but just cease to exist. That'd throw anyone on a severe emotional bender. No wonder Data just kept his emotions chip off or removed towards the end of the film series.

Trek is a pretty atheistic setting overall. That said, there is no reason to believe that if "souls" exist they would be limited to naturally-evolved self-aware beings. Every single child is a "creation" of their parents after all. And Trek is littered with clones and biologically-created augments. Why would synthetic life be any different?

 

[Yistaan]

I have several thoughts.

1. Apparently the writers took a page from the Ronald D. Moore book of writing for this season of Picard; kill off friends & loved ones as a shortcut to force character development in your protagonist (think of Robert & Rene's fiery deaths in Generations affecting Picard).

They killed:
Dahj Asha
Icheb
Bruce Maddox
Hugh
Thad "J.R.R. Tolkien" Troi-Riker

2. Interesting that Kestra is named after Deanna's dead sister and Thad after Will's Civil War Veteran ancestor.

3. Being one quarter Betazoid, how empathic is Kestra?

4. What did Kestra's sleepwear t-shirt say in that scene where she's sketching a sleeping Soji?

5. I want to know more about Thad's Middle-Earth style invented homeworld.

6. If Thad was dying, why didn't Riker & Troi move to Baku to save him?

7. I hope that it ends up being Seven & the xBs that kill off Rizzo. I hope just before they kill her, Seven gets to say "We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."

Thad had a disease, not aging. Baku might not have helped. I'm wondering why Riker didn't hunt down Maddox, Lore's body, or Juliana Soong. Maybe he tried and failed?

With Thad, unless Riker is deep in his family history he wouldn't even remember the Voyager episode where Thad was brought up, his mind was wiped of that incident.

Trek is a pretty atheistic setting overall. That said, there is no reason to believe that if "souls" exist they would be limited to naturally-evolved self-aware beings. Every single child is a "creation" of their parents after all. And Trek is littered with clones and biologically-created augments. Why would synthetic life be any different?

That may all be true but Soji wouldn't have any frame of reference for any of that. This is a society where androids were hated and banned. I doubt anyone was building a philosophy/religion around what happened after they died/were deactivated.

 

[Discofan]

Turns out the androids are actually undercover Borg... dum dum dum...

 

[Discofan]

What's the catch line of a homeless Borg?

We are the bums, residence is futile...

 

[Dale Sams]

I thought the ep was fucking amazing.

And only just this episode remembered that its in 'pseudo 5.1'*...turned up the speakers, sat on the floor and got my own sensurround

* Dvds give me actual directional sound. Streaming doesn't do that so well, but still provide amazing bass and stand out sound FX. That true for everyone else?

 

[timtonruben359]

Sounds like this really was Hugh's last hurrah. The character's return and Del Arco's performance has been a major highlight of the series for me, so I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm glad we got to catch up with him and it was worth it for those reunion scenes with Picard.

https://www.startrek.com/videos/watch-jonathan-del-arco-shares-a-message-with-fans

Based on this conversation, yes, it does seem like this Hugh's final appearance which is very upsetting. I feel like his death was rushed and somewhat meaningless to the plot. Right now, it feels like Hugh was killed purely for the sake of killing him. Del Arco has previously made it sound like he would return next season, but maybe he was just leading us on.

 

[Hythlodeus]

If Thad was dying, why didn't Riker & Troi move to Baku to save him?

Can we please get a "Ba'ku's deaging effect only works as long people stay on Ba'ku" pinned post somewhere?

 

[ThreeEdgedSword]

I have several thoughts.

1. Apparently the writers took a page from the Ronald D. Moore book of writing for this season of Picard; kill off friends & loved ones as a shortcut to force character development in your protagonist (think of Robert & Rene's fiery deaths in Generations affecting Picard).

They killed:
Dahj Asha
Icheb
Bruce Maddox
Hugh
Thad "J.R.R. Tolkien" Troi-Riker

Yup. And Hugh's death will be the shortcut for the character development for either Seven (who shouldn't need it) and/ or Elnor (as Hugh was his best friend for a whole 30 minutes).

 

[Discofan]

I have several thoughts.


2. Interesting that Kestra is named after Deanna's dead sister and Thad after Will's Civil War Veteran ancestor. It's also interesting that Kestra"s blonde when her mother & father have black & brown hair respectively.

You don't mean the old iron boots that was saved by a Q, do you?

3. Being one quarter Betazoid, how empathic is Kestra?

Maybe the empathic gene is dominant.

....7. I hope that it ends up being Seven & the xBs that kill off Rizzo. I hope just before they kill her, Seven gets to say "We are the Borg. Resistance is futile."

Each time I hear the name Rizzo, it makes me think of risotto and it makes me hungry. I have to stop watching this show or I'll get fat!!!