Depends on the branch and job.
Ro was a surprising addition to quite a packed cast list, and I think that at this point I was thinking we'd easily see ensign Sonia Gomez or flippin' Rondon just because they could chuck them in. (Tune in later for other surprise cameos)
But the great thing is they utilised her quite well! It felt like it was the same character with years more experience, not a washed-out or angry deviation with the Ro name tag. And, those scenes with Picard, just brilliant.
(I also don't care what anyone else says, we didnt see her body, she's fine.
)
Also, a lot of fans didnt seem to like the design of the Intrepid, but I found the secondary hull configuration quite unique and eye-catching. The dorsal view is the best, however.
But the great thing is they utilised her quite well! It felt like it was the same character with years more experience, not a washed-out or angry deviation with the Ro name tag. And, those scenes with Picard, just brilliant.
(I also don't care what anyone else says, we didnt see her body, she's fine.
)Also, a lot of fans didnt seem to like the design of the Intrepid, but I found the secondary hull configuration quite unique and eye-catching. The dorsal view is the best, however.
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Had a busy day. Super tired. I also haven't read everything yet. I'll post something more detailed tomorrow or as I have time. So, I'll keep it short for now.
Hot Take: I like how the Picard/Ro storyline with the Maquis was handled in "Preemptive Strike" and "Imposters" better than how the Sisko/Eddington storyline with the Maquis was handled in "For the Cause" and "For the Uniform". Not a knock on DS9, but I prefer how TNG/PIC did it. And Picard's angry glare at the end of "Preemptive Strike" spoke far more volumes to me than any shouting Sisko did in "For the Uniform".
Cannibas. I'm not a fan of pot and I can't stand the smell but I voted to legalize it anyway. I don't think it should be criminal. I'm assuming that they're talking about edibles in PIC and it's very likely the edibles are the equivalent of synthohol. Strictly headcanon, I know, but it would fit the way these things are handled.
The Changelings. I don't want to say too much at this stage so I'll leave it at I think it makes sense there would be at least some rogue Changelings who'd want revenge. Outside of DS9, the Dominon were mentioned in both Insurrection and Nemesis. And I think in an alternate reality where the TNG Movies had continued in the '00s, then if they used the Dominion, then the Changelings would've been the most accessible and understandable to a mainstream audience. "They're shape-shifters!" So, I have no problem with them being in Picard Season 3.
Picard/Beverly. I wasn't a fan of how that was handled. Beverly's justification for not telling Picard about their son doesn't make sense. Beverly talks about how violent Picard's life was. That's not the way Picard's life was in TNG. In the TNG Movies, we saw one adventure every two years, so I'm assuming they weren't typical of Picard's life either. And Picard wouldn't have left the Enterprise to assist the Romulan evacuation until two years after Nemesis, by which time Jack would've already been born. So, it doesn't work. I'm also not a fan of Picard and Beverly getting together and breaking up five times. I thought they'd be smarter than this and would've learned they're not a good romantic match long before they would've gotten to a fifth time. That being said, I like Jack. And the scenes with Picard and Beverly arguing had some real gravitas to them, even I didn't agree with why it happened.
Okay, that wasn't so short. More later.
Hot Take: I like how the Picard/Ro storyline with the Maquis was handled in "Preemptive Strike" and "Imposters" better than how the Sisko/Eddington storyline with the Maquis was handled in "For the Cause" and "For the Uniform". Not a knock on DS9, but I prefer how TNG/PIC did it. And Picard's angry glare at the end of "Preemptive Strike" spoke far more volumes to me than any shouting Sisko did in "For the Uniform".
Cannibas. I'm not a fan of pot and I can't stand the smell but I voted to legalize it anyway. I don't think it should be criminal. I'm assuming that they're talking about edibles in PIC and it's very likely the edibles are the equivalent of synthohol. Strictly headcanon, I know, but it would fit the way these things are handled.
The Changelings. I don't want to say too much at this stage so I'll leave it at I think it makes sense there would be at least some rogue Changelings who'd want revenge. Outside of DS9, the Dominon were mentioned in both Insurrection and Nemesis. And I think in an alternate reality where the TNG Movies had continued in the '00s, then if they used the Dominion, then the Changelings would've been the most accessible and understandable to a mainstream audience. "They're shape-shifters!" So, I have no problem with them being in Picard Season 3.
Picard/Beverly. I wasn't a fan of how that was handled. Beverly's justification for not telling Picard about their son doesn't make sense. Beverly talks about how violent Picard's life was. That's not the way Picard's life was in TNG. In the TNG Movies, we saw one adventure every two years, so I'm assuming they weren't typical of Picard's life either. And Picard wouldn't have left the Enterprise to assist the Romulan evacuation until two years after Nemesis, by which time Jack would've already been born. So, it doesn't work. I'm also not a fan of Picard and Beverly getting together and breaking up five times. I thought they'd be smarter than this and would've learned they're not a good romantic match long before they would've gotten to a fifth time. That being said, I like Jack. And the scenes with Picard and Beverly arguing had some real gravitas to them, even I didn't agree with why it happened.
Okay, that wasn't so short. More later.
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The writers were doing their own version of a Kirk/Marcus, I did not like it in TWOK and PIC version was even worse. From a Trek universe perspective two middle aged/elderly people cannot get their shit together at five attempts? They have the emotional maturity of 20th century teenagers, actually teenagers would not even be that stupid. None of them used birth control???? Or even in the 2300's bc is not 100% successful? And as for Picard's dangerous life, she spent most of those years right beside him as his CMO! And was so concerned about his dangerous life she runs away and finds a nice quiet planet to raise her son like Risa, or Vulcan or Betazed or a medical organisation that operates on the dangerous fringes of the galaxy.
Apart from even more nostalgiaberries, more Borg, the toxic Picard/Crusher/unknown son put me off the whole S3. The MVP was Worf.
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I don't think it's very hot TBH... I agree. I think the TNG arc felt more integral to the story and natural for Ro. Both her 'betraying' Picard and coming back both felt reasonably solid. The former it's her people... the latter the Federation is clearly under attack from all angles so are employing the likes of her and Raffi to counter that. Eddington felt a contrivance in the Maquis story. Like we need someone to go rogue, he's around he'll do.
Just to be clear in case I'm misinterpreted I'm not anti-cannabis. I mean I'm not a huge fan, I'm more of a booze person... but I'm not a puritan. It's just the out of place rather lame humour about it I didn't like that is clearly for a certain audience. And I don't see how a 24th century ex-Borg would think shapeshifters without lungs would smoke pot. And that taking it from them would be a plot point.
Yeah, glad I'm not alone on this. I also hadn't clocked that Jack was pre-Romulan shenanigans. His life before that does not match her description.
Arguably I'd say her biggest fear should have been Bok's action, as he was out to exact revenge on his 'son'. It wouldn't have been narratively dramatic, but it would have been more sensible.
No worries, I didn't misinterpret you. Though I skimmed through reactions and felt like I had to give my take: I don't like it, despite how I voted, but this is my rationalization for how it can work in Trek.
If they had a series or movie about that backstory, where all of that was actually shown instead of summed up, I wouldn't have liked it either. As it's only summed up in the third episode of the season, I noted my critique, filed it away, and put my focus was on what's going on immediately in front of me as I'm watching.
I'll point out where I disagree with what the season did, just like with the other seasons, but it wasn't enough for me to throw up my hands and say, "I'm done!"
Beverly's a huge hypocrite here. There's no denying that. I think that she might've intended to keep Jack totally safe at first, but then she ran into an issue she felt strongly about, ala "Symbiosis" or "Suspicions", became involved, got tunnel vision, and didn't look back.
Overall, though, I think the writers really overthought it and came out with a mess. The easiest thing to do would've been for them to look at the "All Good Things" Future. Picard and Beverly were married and divorced. They should've stuck with that. And it would be no surprise that having Jack would've come out of that.
My compass for Picard (with every season) is: the closer to the "All Good Things" Future, the better. That was the original blueprint. Minus the things the crew intentionally wanted to avoid, once they found out about it, like Troi's death.
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Other observations:
I get a huge kick out of Amanda Plummer as Vadic. The first time I saw her was in Pulp Fiction. I loved her performance there. She knows how to play crazy and deranged.
The Shrike: I love the design of the Shrike. It looks intimidating but also doesn't look over-designed.
Shaw: Right off the bat, I knew he was our Captain we weren't supposed to like, ala TSFS. The only difference is that spending an entire season with Shaw gives us a chance to get to know him better than Stiles or Esteban. The way Shaw treats Seven, with his backstory, I can see it. I have to wonder if Seven was assigned to the Titan over Shaw's objections. Either that or he deliberately wanted her to either further break her or make sure that she was fully "assimilated" into Starfleet culture.
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Really making up for lost time here.
I think Riker having been Captain of the Titan before made things even worse. Because now he was also thinking, "I've been Captain! I know what it's like! Don't tell me we have to do this impossible thing! We can't!" And Picard being elderly made it harder for him to appropriately stand up to Riker. Which actually kind of reminded me of "All Good Things" where Old Picard kept trying to plead with Admiral Riker.
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Other Thoughts:
The Ferengi Crimelord, I forget his name even though I've seen the season four times: This is the first time the Ferengi as promised in "Encounter at Farpoint" are delivered. This guy actually seems threatening. If this is how the Ferengi had been portrayed in TNG, I would've taken them seriously as a threat. Instead, we got "The Last Outpost".
The Vulcan Gangster. He was ridiculous. I'm amused by him, but he was ridiculous. Yes, I know Spock once said, "For a logical reason, a Vulcan can kill." But if you want to see a perfect example of a Vulcan Gangster, even though he's not a Vulcan, look at Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Cold, calculating, ruthless, and usually keeps his emotions in check, but when they come out they really come out.
Concluding this post with Worf's still a badass! Picking this up later.
Agreed. I prefer de-aging through makeup rather than using CGI that still isn't up to the task. Even if not, I think they should've let us suspend disbelief.
Yup. I like Riker as a First Officer, but I don't like him as a Captain. At least from what's been shown in "The Best of Both Worlds" and now here. He's way too cautious. In TNG, he openly said to Troi that maybe he was afraid of the Big Chair. I don't think he was afraid of the big chair, I think it was more he was afraid of making the Big Decisions. And then he resists whenever he has to make the tough call. Which is why he was tough on Shelby and why he was super-tough on Picard, before coming to his senses in the very next episode.
I think Riker having been Captain of the Titan before made things even worse. Because now he was also thinking, "I've been Captain! I know what it's like! Don't tell me we have to do this impossible thing! We can't!" And Picard being elderly made it harder for him to appropriately stand up to Riker. Which actually kind of reminded me of "All Good Things" where Old Picard kept trying to plead with Admiral Riker.
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Other Thoughts:
The Ferengi Crimelord, I forget his name even though I've seen the season four times: This is the first time the Ferengi as promised in "Encounter at Farpoint" are delivered. This guy actually seems threatening. If this is how the Ferengi had been portrayed in TNG, I would've taken them seriously as a threat. Instead, we got "The Last Outpost".
The Vulcan Gangster. He was ridiculous. I'm amused by him, but he was ridiculous. Yes, I know Spock once said, "For a logical reason, a Vulcan can kill." But if you want to see a perfect example of a Vulcan Gangster, even though he's not a Vulcan, look at Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Cold, calculating, ruthless, and usually keeps his emotions in check, but when they come out they really come out.
Concluding this post with Worf's still a badass! Picking this up later.
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3.06 "The Bounty". 
out of five.
Almost a five! Mostly as I just enjoyed it. And for the first time I started to feel a bit of the TNG I knew - but that could just be to the sheer number of TNG cast now present.
Well Vadic is scenery chewing at warp 11, which I love. It's so knowingly over the top and great. And she is going to go after the crew's family - well that's one way to bring more of the TNG crew in!
This episode does lean on the parenting again after a brief respite. Jack is now upset over his diagnosis, so now Picard is on trial once again and this time for wonky semen.
Raffi and Worf have turned up, and it's nice to have a further reunion. The writers playing up Worf meditating I find a bit odd as we have seen many times Worf was capable of calisthenics and more than once meditated to get a vision. Klingons are openly quite focused in that regard, to counter their aggressive side (at least Worf did that). It does not surprise me about Worf, let's put it that way.
The banter with Worf and Raffi and Riker is all lovely.
Daystrom raid... it's a fun sequence but I'm not sure I understand it! Like why Moriaty? It feels so contrived and adds little. It also undermines his story in TNG, I think, where he had a happy ending. And he's got bit of Data because Data is the computer but the computer can't be turned on as it has multiple personalities but somehow that means you get crows...? I don't get it, but on this I just let it pass.
The fanwankery of the episode continues with tribbles and Kirk's body etc. For me Kirk was buried on that hill, and it seems sad they'd go back and exhume him to put him into cold storage.
That said I didn't find any of this too objectionable, and if they were going to bring back Moriarty then more of him may have been better.
I have to say how good early TNG looked in this stupid-widescreen they have these days. I know it would never have worked for the remaster, and I firmly back TNG being in 4:3. But it doesn't mean I can't enjoy these few shots looking great.
Odd that Riker speaks in abstract to Worf like he doesn't even know Data - if Raffi had asked the question his response would have made more sense.
Geordi is back! And I like Shaw being a buffoon in front of him. Did I say something positive about Shaw again? It seems I did.
The ship graveyard I remember being a bit unimpressed the first time, due to it feeling like fanwank. But this time... this time I fell for it. I liked the scene, in particular Seven's reaction to seeing Voyager. It's a sweet scene, and shows you how far she's come. Also Voyager looked lovely... she is a fine ship.
Geordi was a bit annoying... I know he should worry about his daughter. But I want to shake them all a bit and go "YOU ARE ALL STARFLEET OFFICERS". You can't have all this squeamishness over your careers. When Sidney took him to task I thought FINALLY. It's nice to see Sidney actually become a character that isn't her father's daughter. She's spot on with how she deals with it.
I did think oh god another Soong... and this one includes Data. But didn't Picard delete Data, didn't Data want to die?
But I can't help but feel a bit of a spark when it felt like Data was there. And it felt like him rather than all these lookalikes. And why is Lore in there? Not sure... but we're gonna find out!
It was also nice to get something from season one, so it's not entirely pointless!
Actually another point is relevant to season one - stealing Picard's body. Wow this Daystrom institute really is a collection of everything. I can't remember why they want it... but at least there's finally some consequence of Picard dying.
Then over to Vadic and oh she has Deanna, there's a surprise. But you ain't so cocky now Riker...
It was for me a largely enjoyable episode. Yes the parenting thing is overplayed across the board a bit too much... and some of it does make me just ask "Why?" But it was mostly solid, it moved between the scenes and characters well, it had some laughs, it had some touching moments... and it felt like TNG again quite a lot.
out of five.Almost a five! Mostly as I just enjoyed it. And for the first time I started to feel a bit of the TNG I knew - but that could just be to the sheer number of TNG cast now present.
Well Vadic is scenery chewing at warp 11, which I love. It's so knowingly over the top and great. And she is going to go after the crew's family - well that's one way to bring more of the TNG crew in!
This episode does lean on the parenting again after a brief respite. Jack is now upset over his diagnosis, so now Picard is on trial once again and this time for wonky semen.
Raffi and Worf have turned up, and it's nice to have a further reunion. The writers playing up Worf meditating I find a bit odd as we have seen many times Worf was capable of calisthenics and more than once meditated to get a vision. Klingons are openly quite focused in that regard, to counter their aggressive side (at least Worf did that). It does not surprise me about Worf, let's put it that way.
The banter with Worf and Raffi and Riker is all lovely.
Daystrom raid... it's a fun sequence but I'm not sure I understand it! Like why Moriaty? It feels so contrived and adds little. It also undermines his story in TNG, I think, where he had a happy ending. And he's got bit of Data because Data is the computer but the computer can't be turned on as it has multiple personalities but somehow that means you get crows...? I don't get it, but on this I just let it pass.
The fanwankery of the episode continues with tribbles and Kirk's body etc. For me Kirk was buried on that hill, and it seems sad they'd go back and exhume him to put him into cold storage.
That said I didn't find any of this too objectionable, and if they were going to bring back Moriarty then more of him may have been better.
I have to say how good early TNG looked in this stupid-widescreen they have these days. I know it would never have worked for the remaster, and I firmly back TNG being in 4:3. But it doesn't mean I can't enjoy these few shots looking great.
Odd that Riker speaks in abstract to Worf like he doesn't even know Data - if Raffi had asked the question his response would have made more sense.
Geordi is back! And I like Shaw being a buffoon in front of him. Did I say something positive about Shaw again? It seems I did.
The ship graveyard I remember being a bit unimpressed the first time, due to it feeling like fanwank. But this time... this time I fell for it. I liked the scene, in particular Seven's reaction to seeing Voyager. It's a sweet scene, and shows you how far she's come. Also Voyager looked lovely... she is a fine ship.
Geordi was a bit annoying... I know he should worry about his daughter. But I want to shake them all a bit and go "YOU ARE ALL STARFLEET OFFICERS". You can't have all this squeamishness over your careers. When Sidney took him to task I thought FINALLY. It's nice to see Sidney actually become a character that isn't her father's daughter. She's spot on with how she deals with it.
I did think oh god another Soong... and this one includes Data. But didn't Picard delete Data, didn't Data want to die?
But I can't help but feel a bit of a spark when it felt like Data was there. And it felt like him rather than all these lookalikes. And why is Lore in there? Not sure... but we're gonna find out!
It was also nice to get something from season one, so it's not entirely pointless!
Actually another point is relevant to season one - stealing Picard's body. Wow this Daystrom institute really is a collection of everything. I can't remember why they want it... but at least there's finally some consequence of Picard dying.
Then over to Vadic and oh she has Deanna, there's a surprise. But you ain't so cocky now Riker...
It was for me a largely enjoyable episode. Yes the parenting thing is overplayed across the board a bit too much... and some of it does make me just ask "Why?" But it was mostly solid, it moved between the scenes and characters well, it had some laughs, it had some touching moments... and it felt like TNG again quite a lot.
I agree with the vast majority of what you said.
I'm imagining this is what they would've come up with in the '00s. If you'll remember, at the end of Nemesis B-4 started singing Blue Skies. So, if they made more movies, I think they would've found a way to work Data back in that would work around Brent Spiner's concerns about playing an aging android. In the case of Data's death, it was like Nemesis was the TWOK to a hypothetical TSFS that didn't come until Picard.
Moriarty was going a little too far me. I'm all for referencing and building upon previous material as long as they're relevant to the story being told or at least make sense to be there, but Moriarty was random.
With Kirk's body, I can understand it. If the inhabitants of Veridian IV ever get into space and have 20th/21st Century Level pre-warp technology, then if they ever travelled to Veridian III and, by any chance, somehow found the skeletal remains of Kirk, the Conspiracy Theories would fly everywhere.
I agree. I've experimented with cropping 4:3 to 16:9 just for fun and you can almost get away with it in wide-shots but as soon as there's a close-up? Forget it. The same goes with cropping 4:3 to 2.39:1 (which I believe Picard is). Forget it. And not just with the close-ups. The shots with Riker were kind of a medium-wide. I have to wonder if they used the unused sides of the frame to make this work as 2:39:1.
Yup. Daddy LaForge! Happy Father's Day!
I agree. And considering I'm anti-suicide, including someone I knew committed suicide, I'm very glad they're not adhering to "Please end my existence!" Plus, they incorporated Brent Spiner's aging into Data's appearance now, so it works!
I'm imagining this is what they would've come up with in the '00s. If you'll remember, at the end of Nemesis B-4 started singing Blue Skies. So, if they made more movies, I think they would've found a way to work Data back in that would work around Brent Spiner's concerns about playing an aging android. In the case of Data's death, it was like Nemesis was the TWOK to a hypothetical TSFS that didn't come until Picard.
This. 100% this! This is the proof I hold up that Season 3 didn't just pretend Season 1 (and 2) didn't happen. If they truly wanted to completely ignore Season 1, they would've found a different way for the Bad Guys to enact their plans. I'm not sure what I can say yet that isn't spoilery, so I'll leave it there.
Yup!
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This is why I like discussing episodes as for most things I'm open to that there's a reason that i hadn't thought of. And that's it. I guess imagine us finding a grave on the moon landing, it'd cause a bit of a stir.
I'd like to compare. I must admit not having a digital copy to hand is an issue, I need to get out my blu-rays. Then I get lazy...
It is an elegant way to do it. It totally makes sense that technology has advanced in the last couple of decades, and that they now have the synth approach to incorporate Data.
3.07 "Dominion". out of five.
Tuvok! A nice cameo. Although I do love the whole conceit for a bit of "Only Tuvok knew we played Kal'toh!" I mean if I said to you "We played darts!" you could probably deduce it's a game and respond. It was nice to have a small, quiet moment of Seven manoeuvring him. Often Picard shows people like Seven as shooty fighty, and Picard as thinky talky. It's a small moment but I like it.
Lore always fun and I love how Spiner can spin between him and Data so well. Although I don't know what him being "arch" means, even after a Google. It might mean how women need to arch their back. I guess it's not that.
Soong and B-4 operate as a memory only file Geordi says... didn't at the end of the last episode Soong and B4 both speak?
I meant to say in the last episode they were clearly creating a spark between Jack and Sidney. Because of cause seconds after finally defining herself against her father she's got to have a man circling around here. Please give this woman a moment breath has her own character.
"What's doing this?" shouts Geordi. I'm guessing it's that synth android that you have plugged in right next to you. He storms out the door, so he can be locked out. I mean I saw that coming a mile off, this amazing engineer of the fleet couldn't?! They do like to show moments of stupidity for these clever characters. Seven turning her back onto the turbolift knowing it had changelings in it later in the episode is another such moment to allow the drama to unfold.
Beverly saying she's considering her oath of do no harm continues to degrade Beverly's character. It could be a threat, but the fact she even said it. The conversation later with her and Picard when standing in front of the changeling I would say is not an unfair one to have, as they grapple with being the good guys vs the obvious threat they face.
Vadic talking of Section 31's attacks on the changelings is interesting. I mean it's a pretty cast iron reason to have a grudge, and gives their return weight. It does also continue to reinforce what I see as a general anti-establishment/anti-military vibe that I think is an undercurrent in Picard. I plan to open a seperate thread on that once I finish my rewatch as I think it's worth discussion but I don't want to derail my rewatch.
But there's no denying what section 31 did, and how it fuels what they are doing. It also reminds me that while I've often railed about modern Trek going "too dark" it actually did start in my beloved DS9 they just boiled the frog with me. It even started in late TNG in spots. I never did like Section 31, and here we are... but it's not a change modern Trek initiated and I have to admit that.
And I think Plummer is again fantastic conveying pain, lunacy, ego and vengeance all at once. And I like that the changeling took her captor's face. It's sort of the mirror of Odo, and his mentor... even if there was some concerns there over his methods it shows how the changelings are really shaped by their experiences.
Back to Seven... yeah turning your back on the turbolift is not bright. Also can't they just turn the damn thing off? The finale where the changeling takes over the bridge felt a bit contrived.
But another solid episode... with some real character development and a good use of back story. I can't believe there's only three left...
out of five.Tuvok! A nice cameo. Although I do love the whole conceit for a bit of "Only Tuvok knew we played Kal'toh!" I mean if I said to you "We played darts!" you could probably deduce it's a game and respond. It was nice to have a small, quiet moment of Seven manoeuvring him. Often Picard shows people like Seven as shooty fighty, and Picard as thinky talky. It's a small moment but I like it.
Lore always fun and I love how Spiner can spin between him and Data so well. Although I don't know what him being "arch" means, even after a Google. It might mean how women need to arch their back. I guess it's not that.
Soong and B-4 operate as a memory only file Geordi says... didn't at the end of the last episode Soong and B4 both speak?
I meant to say in the last episode they were clearly creating a spark between Jack and Sidney. Because of cause seconds after finally defining herself against her father she's got to have a man circling around here. Please give this woman a moment breath has her own character.
"What's doing this?" shouts Geordi. I'm guessing it's that synth android that you have plugged in right next to you. He storms out the door, so he can be locked out. I mean I saw that coming a mile off, this amazing engineer of the fleet couldn't?! They do like to show moments of stupidity for these clever characters. Seven turning her back onto the turbolift knowing it had changelings in it later in the episode is another such moment to allow the drama to unfold.
Beverly saying she's considering her oath of do no harm continues to degrade Beverly's character. It could be a threat, but the fact she even said it. The conversation later with her and Picard when standing in front of the changeling I would say is not an unfair one to have, as they grapple with being the good guys vs the obvious threat they face.
Vadic talking of Section 31's attacks on the changelings is interesting. I mean it's a pretty cast iron reason to have a grudge, and gives their return weight. It does also continue to reinforce what I see as a general anti-establishment/anti-military vibe that I think is an undercurrent in Picard. I plan to open a seperate thread on that once I finish my rewatch as I think it's worth discussion but I don't want to derail my rewatch.
But there's no denying what section 31 did, and how it fuels what they are doing. It also reminds me that while I've often railed about modern Trek going "too dark" it actually did start in my beloved DS9 they just boiled the frog with me. It even started in late TNG in spots. I never did like Section 31, and here we are... but it's not a change modern Trek initiated and I have to admit that.
And I think Plummer is again fantastic conveying pain, lunacy, ego and vengeance all at once. And I like that the changeling took her captor's face. It's sort of the mirror of Odo, and his mentor... even if there was some concerns there over his methods it shows how the changelings are really shaped by their experiences.
Back to Seven... yeah turning your back on the turbolift is not bright. Also can't they just turn the damn thing off? The finale where the changeling takes over the bridge felt a bit contrived.
But another solid episode... with some real character development and a good use of back story. I can't believe there's only three left...
I am on Seventeen seconds. I still disagree with what Crusher did, but I rewatching it, I understand why she never told Picard about this son. (BTW The actor playing Jack Crusher looks too old for the part).
As for mentioning the English accent that was too fourth wall breaking for the audience nonsense.
As for mentioning the English accent that was too fourth wall breaking for the audience nonsense.
The Sidney-Geordi rift never made sense to me since Geordi was a pilot too so both his daughters were following his footsteps just a different foot each.
It looked so damn good to my weary eyes.Just FYI, the TNG shots were simply the regular shots cropped way down to fit PIC's aspect ratio.
I appreciate the efforts but I can't see those images. But I suspected that would be the case, and they were just lucky that the shots worked well. They were filming in the holodeck, further away, more to work with. The shots on the bridge where the crew look like they're in a group hug when doing dialogue would look damn odd if refactored.
3.08 "Surrender". out of five.
I must admit with this one, I started to feel weary on many fronts.
It starts off with Jack taking possession of someone then immediately getting them killed, that's a solid start to the episode! Oh well, just a no-named actor - phew!
Shaw lecturing Seven about how she's a Starfleet officer and she doesn't have the luxury of choices that feel hunky dory is remarkably like what I was saying about Geordi in the last review or two. The irony that again I'm thinking that Shaw ain't all that bad. Everything has consequences he says. Don't worry Shaw, it'll just be non main cast member that pays the price.
I guess I'm describing red shirts there, again I shouldn't begrudge a time honoured Trek tradition. But there is a certain cold brutality of executing young women on the bridge. It does push me back into my box a bit and think "Is this the Trek I really want?"
(Also I say young, I looked up the actress and she's not as young as I thought!)
The Jack special powers stuff he begins to expand and learn... and I'm thinking can Beverly just not have normal kids without them being super beings?
Also generally I found this episode I was really starting to feel weary of this whole story. He's debating endlessly to go to the bridge and give himself in and I thought how are we STILL here? Eight episodes of a clearly intelligent group, strong ship, shapeshifters that can be anywhere or be anyone and STILL they can't get one guy? It's pushing credibility now and the more they just dance around the more both sides look stupid.
I do however like the red door stuff, it's mysterious and creepy and I seem to remember the payoff is weak but I like it during the process at least.
Sidney is again living in her father's shadow "In month, my father could do it." Initially I thought the constant dad talk was meant to be funny, but increasingly I think they just want you to think she's living in his shadow and will keep beating that point.
The other thing that I found was pushing me back in my box was child death. More child death. Deanna is forced to suffer baby loss in the Destiny books I'm reading too. Again I think is all this punishment of her (and Riker) where I want my Trek to focus.
Bev: "My first child's gone and my second child's a dark murdering machine." Deanna: "Oh well my kid is dead, got ya beat." These poor women.
I think I'm perhaps naïve to think there will be no loss in the future, that people won't have to deal with these topics either through illness or just old age or falling into a lake (see original Kestra). But these characters seem to exist in that story and can't escape it. We had it in season one of Picard, then Riker's scenes earlier this season, now more of it...
Some fun banter, about Geordi's taste in wine. And I'm all for contrast in an episode and even some gallows humour, but the tone feels a little *too* jolly given we're bouncing around from executions and child death and the dead bodies of loads of young Starfleet officers literally lining the corridors.
The Data/Lore scenes feel slightly at odds with the rest of the episode but do at least provide some much needed contrast. It's also rather well executed... and it finally puts the Lore/Data feud to bed. And I like that they combined, rather than an outright win of one over the other. Not that we have much Picard left, but it does leave Data in an interesting position as he's now four people. They should maybe consider renaming him, he could take on a Soong name.
Spot looks a damn site larger than when we last saw him/her though... they continue to not care too much about cat continuity!
And then finally we get rid of Vadic. "Oh, fucking solids" amused me... again I'm learning to accept some language in Trek but it works better when it feels applied properly like here.
I often have wondered if you split a changeling in two, do both halves have sentience? Poor old Vadic I wonder if that's now a million bits of consciousness floating about.
With her death and the destruction of the Shrike it brings to close another chapter. They clearly had the nebula block for four episodes, then this for four episodes. And it's interesting how it mirrors my thoughts with episode four that I have a sense of "finally" as they move on. And boy do they move on, it's seconds until Deanna is sensing something and setting up the final chapter.
Deanna says she can't sense changelings and I admit I never thought about Betazoids in DS9. But it turns out now x-ray scanners and just stationing Betazoids everywhere would have solved so many of the show's issues.
But in a dash of genius at the end we have: "There's a darkness in this boy." "An ancient evil". The guy that can possess people and make them meat puppets of death. So let's put Deanna in a room alone with him. Oh and get her to totally encourage him to open the door, that seems sensible...
But yeah the episode was a bit of a slog. Partially due to some story choices I didn't like, but also it clearly was wrapping up another four episode 'arc' and it becomes a bit of a slog in the end.
Now, just two to go...
out of five.I must admit with this one, I started to feel weary on many fronts.
It starts off with Jack taking possession of someone then immediately getting them killed, that's a solid start to the episode! Oh well, just a no-named actor - phew!
Shaw lecturing Seven about how she's a Starfleet officer and she doesn't have the luxury of choices that feel hunky dory is remarkably like what I was saying about Geordi in the last review or two. The irony that again I'm thinking that Shaw ain't all that bad. Everything has consequences he says. Don't worry Shaw, it'll just be non main cast member that pays the price.
I guess I'm describing red shirts there, again I shouldn't begrudge a time honoured Trek tradition. But there is a certain cold brutality of executing young women on the bridge. It does push me back into my box a bit and think "Is this the Trek I really want?"
(Also I say young, I looked up the actress and she's not as young as I thought!)
The Jack special powers stuff he begins to expand and learn... and I'm thinking can Beverly just not have normal kids without them being super beings?
Also generally I found this episode I was really starting to feel weary of this whole story. He's debating endlessly to go to the bridge and give himself in and I thought how are we STILL here? Eight episodes of a clearly intelligent group, strong ship, shapeshifters that can be anywhere or be anyone and STILL they can't get one guy? It's pushing credibility now and the more they just dance around the more both sides look stupid.
I do however like the red door stuff, it's mysterious and creepy and I seem to remember the payoff is weak but I like it during the process at least.
Sidney is again living in her father's shadow "In month, my father could do it." Initially I thought the constant dad talk was meant to be funny, but increasingly I think they just want you to think she's living in his shadow and will keep beating that point.
The other thing that I found was pushing me back in my box was child death. More child death. Deanna is forced to suffer baby loss in the Destiny books I'm reading too. Again I think is all this punishment of her (and Riker) where I want my Trek to focus.
Bev: "My first child's gone and my second child's a dark murdering machine." Deanna: "Oh well my kid is dead, got ya beat." These poor women.
I think I'm perhaps naïve to think there will be no loss in the future, that people won't have to deal with these topics either through illness or just old age or falling into a lake (see original Kestra). But these characters seem to exist in that story and can't escape it. We had it in season one of Picard, then Riker's scenes earlier this season, now more of it...
Some fun banter, about Geordi's taste in wine. And I'm all for contrast in an episode and even some gallows humour, but the tone feels a little *too* jolly given we're bouncing around from executions and child death and the dead bodies of loads of young Starfleet officers literally lining the corridors.
The Data/Lore scenes feel slightly at odds with the rest of the episode but do at least provide some much needed contrast. It's also rather well executed... and it finally puts the Lore/Data feud to bed. And I like that they combined, rather than an outright win of one over the other. Not that we have much Picard left, but it does leave Data in an interesting position as he's now four people. They should maybe consider renaming him, he could take on a Soong name.
Spot looks a damn site larger than when we last saw him/her though... they continue to not care too much about cat continuity!
And then finally we get rid of Vadic. "Oh, fucking solids" amused me... again I'm learning to accept some language in Trek but it works better when it feels applied properly like here.
I often have wondered if you split a changeling in two, do both halves have sentience? Poor old Vadic I wonder if that's now a million bits of consciousness floating about.
With her death and the destruction of the Shrike it brings to close another chapter. They clearly had the nebula block for four episodes, then this for four episodes. And it's interesting how it mirrors my thoughts with episode four that I have a sense of "finally" as they move on. And boy do they move on, it's seconds until Deanna is sensing something and setting up the final chapter.
Deanna says she can't sense changelings and I admit I never thought about Betazoids in DS9. But it turns out now x-ray scanners and just stationing Betazoids everywhere would have solved so many of the show's issues.
But in a dash of genius at the end we have: "There's a darkness in this boy." "An ancient evil". The guy that can possess people and make them meat puppets of death. So let's put Deanna in a room alone with him. Oh and get her to totally encourage him to open the door, that seems sensible...
But yeah the episode was a bit of a slog. Partially due to some story choices I didn't like, but also it clearly was wrapping up another four episode 'arc' and it becomes a bit of a slog in the end.
Now, just two to go...
They did address it at least once. In Fascination Lwaxana says to Odo, "I may not be able to read your emotions, but I can read your expression. Something's wrong.
(Interesting that as happens occasionally, someone perhaps forgot that it would more correctly be "I may not be able to read your mind" but that's not important right now!)
Also, if Betazoids cannot read Changelings, then surely you just arrest/cage anyone that they can't read. Yeah, you'll get a few Ferengi and Dopterians, but you can let them go once they get cleared.
