Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 2x08 - "Mercy"

[Tuskin38]

Absolute waste of runtime especially the tease of "stuck in the past"

I didn't feel that way.

 

[JRoss]

Fantastic episode. Overall this is probably the best single season of Star Trek of the 21st century, and that includes ENT Season 4.

 

[Phil123]

Enjoying this season but I the last 3-4 episodes have been saggy for me. Condense it down an episode and it would have been better. The underlying story is strong so far.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

As I said, I am watching the fan reaction and trying to figure out what the heck is the source of the intensity to these shifts of opinions in their intensity, i.e. "best ever' to "worst ever? If that's a quality swing that extreme then that's quite the impressive ability by the producers.

The Alternative Factor and The City on the Edge of Forever were aired back to back. Sub Rosa and Lower Decks. Trials and Tribble-ations and Let He Who Is Without Sin. Dead Stop and A Night in Sickbay. It happens sometimes!

 

[Andyliini]

Last week's episode was probably the low point pf this season. I still liked it, and gave it 8 last week (should have given it a 7, though).

I'm glad they found their groove again in this episode. Almost every character got their time to shine and the plot advanced on every front: Picard and Quinan learned on Q's condition, Seven and Raffi located Borg-Agnes, Kore left Adam Soong, who in turn became a pawn in a bigger game. Oh, and Rios is getting laid.

My biggest marks must go to young Quinan's actor (forgot her name). She is totally believeable in the role, and it's never easy to jump into a long-lived role as a recast, but she brings so much new to the character.

As mentioned before, this was a return to form, and if they stick the finale, this will probably be my favorite singular Trek season ever.

 

[jackoverfull]

I’m still liking pretty much every episode a lot, but I’m the first to say that the first two were exceptionally good, so the others can understandably feel like a letdown to some.

 

[Lord Garth]

I rated PIC Season 1 above every season of DSC, and I'm a huge DSC Fan, so that says something. S2 of PIC was on track to beat out even S1, until the last three episodes, so now it's come back down to Earth.

 

[nic3636]

I echo others who said the first two episodes were excellent, everything after that was meh. Part of the issue they are spending too much time in the present which just isn’t as interesting for me. I also don’t think they had enough material for 6 episodes in the present, could have easily been done in 2.

here’s what I liked:
Both queen / jurati
Q dying
Young Guinean
Brent spiner
Exploring Picard’s background / childhood

here’s what I didn’t like:
The watcher
Renee Picard
The high security gala
Rios getting arrested and deported
Car chase scene with no car chase
Picard getting arrested by the relativity captain

I didn’t like the above mostly because none of it was very interesting and felt like filler.

it will be interesting to see how this all comes together at the end. Personally I can’t wait for them to get back to the future

 

[Trekker4747]

Pros: So, I didn't enjoy most of this ep, but the character work for Seven, Raffi, and Elnor actually makes me very hopeful for the finale episodes. A lot of the stuff that didn't make a whole lot of sense before - why Raffi is only sweet on Seven at a distance, why Elnor wound up in Starfleet when it seems like such a weird fit, why Seven wanted to get away from Raffi, etc. - clicks now. I do think this is information that should have been presented at the start of the season; like so much of S2, the reveal wasn't worth the build up, and in this case, I think actually made for a worse viewing experience for it. But at least those dots got connected.

DeLancie, Pill, and Spiner knocked it out of the park again. Fantastic performances, no notes.

I liked that the wee bit we got of Elnor this episode was closer to his S1 portrayal, where his candor is at once keenly observant and a blunt instrument instead of just him stating the obvious for laughs. Part of me does wonder if the difference there is Elnor realizing what Raffi needed/wanted and playing up to that a bit, but I guess we'll see.

Cons: So. Rios and the doctor. What the hell was that? And Rios seriously went back to the clinic and didn't collect his badge? Did Santiago tick off the writers or something? Because I'd swear his character wasn't this out of it last season.

The whole FBI plot...nope. Hated it. Felt like more padding in a season that has had more than enough already.

All in all, better than last ep, but the pacing and passage of time still seems wonky. But at least it feels like we've got some momentum again.

This season has more padding than a 12-year-old's bra.

There were elements about this episode I liked, actually like the arc with the FBI guy but the stuff specifically in the FBI office just seemed pointless.

It just really seems like aspects of this season (like, all of it) weren't thought out and they didn't know how to make this change to the past make sense worth the stuff in the beginning of the season.

I feel the "theory" I had it the start if the season would've been better than where they seem to be going.

 

[donners22]

Yes, before someone points out, I am aware that classic Trek couched tales about modern societal issues within its narratives. It just didn't feel like the show runners at the time were slapping their audience upside the head about it.

Really? Tasha's "Just say no" speech comes to mind as but one example.

 

[fireproof78]

The Alternative Factor and The City on the Edge of Forever were aired back to back. Sub Rosa and Lower Decks. Trials and Tribble-ations and Let He Who Is Without Sin. Dead Stop and A Night in Sickbay. It happens sometimes!

Ah, well I've never watched in broadcast order.
Also, I like Alternative Factor, so "the worst" is subjective, I guess.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Our journey is very similar.

As soon as they started the on the nose preaching about the ills of 21st century human society it kind of dampened my enthusiasm. Yes, before someone points out, I am aware that classic Trek couched tales about modern societal issues within its narratives. It just didn't feel like the show runners at the time were slapping their audience upside the head about it. However, I will be the first to admit that subtlety in today's day and age about pretty much any topic doesn't seem to work. The loudest voice and the squeakiest wheel get the attention, or the most mouse clicks, and that is what drives everything it seems.

Dude, do you even Star Trek????

 

[GNDN18]

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Really? Tasha's "Just say no" speech comes to mind as but one example.

That was a bad scene that everyone mocks!

 

[cooleddie74]

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[Guy Gardener]

Really? Tasha's "Just say no" speech comes to mind as but one example.

"hiding from rape gangs"

I find it incredibly unlikely that Tasha didn't turn to something... OMG.

It's all fake.

Sela's dad wanted a replacement wife.

Tasha was a manturian candidate or a double agent, and her life fell short of her trigger to betray Picard and the Enterprise to the Romulans because she died.

 

[The Emissary]

Perhaps Quinn was unaware that Q had a natural lifespan. Or, perhaps Quinn's decision to choose to die somehow had ramifications for the entire continuum.

Maybe but that certainly diminishes the power of that episode to find out Quinn could have died all along and was simply "impatient" rather than wanting to experience the one thing that a Q couldn't have naturally - death.

Although, this isn't the first time Trek writers forgot their own lore with Q. Q Jr. being the "first" Q to be born between two Q. But TNG's Amanda Roger's kind of already did that ...

Oh well.

 

[cooleddie74]

Wasn't one of Amanda's parents a human? It's been a while since I've watched that episode but wasn't just one of her parents a Q?

 

[Turtletrekker]

Wasn't one of Amanda's parents a human? It's been a while since I've watched that episode but wasn't just one of her parents a Q?

No, they were both Q who had decided to become human.

 

[cooleddie74]

Gotcha. And the Continuum murdered both with the tornado. Thanks.