Frame Of Mind

[acappellasaurus]

I'm watching "Frame Of Mind" on Sci-Fi as I type, and I am curious about people's thoughts on the episode. Frakes does a pretty good job here I think, maybe borderline overacting sometimes, but still enjoyable. What's with Crusher though? She's all up on Riker like she wants him! Any other thoughts here?

 

[Michael]

One of Brannon Braga's best efforts and defintely my favorite Riker episode. I agree, Frakes does a great job. I'm always reminded of a weird Twilight Zone episode when I watch this. I love the stark and gloomy cinematography as well as the unconventional narrative. Frakes always running around with this worn out look and the sanatorium garb makes for an eerie imagery. That episode is an underrated gem in my book.

I don't see the Crusher thing you're alluding to though.

 

[tomalak301]

Well, how are you supposed to act borderline going insane. Frakes did a hell of a job and made this episode one of my favorites of the series. Loved every minute of it.

 

[RyanKCR]

This is one of the few good TNG episodes. By the time they got to seasons 6 and 7 they started to finally have decent episodes. I actually started to look forward to them when these season's were on the air.

Looking back on this episode after getting my BA in Pscyhology is very interesting and fascinating. I actually used a similar concept in a story I wrote while still in college.

 

[sbk1234]

I always found this to be a disturbing episode to watch, but I guess that was the point, so kudos to tptb for accomplishing what they set out to do. I will also give them credit for being original. I can't off-hand think of another episode of Trek up to that point that is similar.
DS9 may have some similarities with the "Benny Russell" episodes, but, of course, Frame of Mind came first.

 

[Michael]

I can't off-hand think of another episode of Trek up to that point that is similar.
DS9 may have some similarities with the "Benny Russell" episodes, but, of course, Frame of Mind came first.

DS9's Hard Time has some similarities with Frame of Mind, too.

 

[Supernuke]

I love this episode!!!. It's my second favorite Riker episode behind Best of Both Worlds. I enjoy it because they do a good job of making it disturbing, but not so much that it became depressing. It was different from all other TNG episodes in that respect.

 

[WillsBabe]

What's with Crusher though? She's all up on Riker like she wants him! Any other thoughts here?

She does. Well, that's a flippant comment but I know what you mean. She is all over him in this episode - the "how do you feel" scene in his bathroom being just one example. I sometimes think that she's just a director encouraging her actor, then I think of fandom subtext and think there's far more to it than that!

 

[Rhody the Ram]

I remember that, as a kid, I could never understand the episode. There were too many changes in reality for an eight year old to follow. When I finally saw the episode 12ish years later, I remember enjoying it much more.

I think Crusher is just desperate to get a good actor, since people seem to shrug her off when she does theater.

 

[Falcor5]

Frame of Mind is one of my favorite episodes. I think Frakes did a great job with a very demanding role.

 

[GeorgeKirk]

Ah, back when the "Written by Brannon Braga" credit meant we were in for a good episode. This is one of the few instances where TNG actually took some risks told a different kind of story, and it's fantastic.

The one thing that might have made it better would be to have the camera not linger on other people when Riker leaves the room, since the whole story basically takes place in his head, but that might have given it all away.

 

[HRHTheKING]

Hated this episode.

Especially that bit where the screen shatters.

 

[CaptainStoner]

This episode is a lot of fun. I loved all the increasingly bizarre places TNG went through s7.

 

[RaymondJames]

This is one of the few good TNG episodes. By the time they got to seasons 6 and 7 they started to finally have decent episodes. I actually started to look forward to them when these season's were on the air.

Looking back on this episode after getting my BA in Pscyhology is very interesting and fascinating. I actually used a similar concept in a story I wrote while still in college.

what the hecks your fram eof mind Well I can't agree with you on Tng. I thought it was a great show and had great episodes , the better ones being Seasons 2-7, Season 1 kind of lacked but you will have that in a new show.

 

[DWF]

"I might be surrounded by insanity, but I'm not insane!"

That was a truely great line and I loved how Frakes delievered it and oddly enough the TV version with commericials seem to work better since you're left wondering in the break whether not what you just saw was real or not.

 

[Bacl]

Great episode, but I always hate the "It was just a dream" endings. I'd rather it had been a real psychological game aided by drugs, or something.

As soon as he starts shooting at the walls and they shatter....meh.

 

[AstroMike]

A great episode. When I was watching it when it first aired it was a dark and stormy night. It really added to the atmosphere of the episode. I had also had a hectic and crazy day work. It almost felt like I was going insane just watching it. One of Next Gen's best of the series.

 

[Red Ranger]

I really like this ep. It's like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in space! LOL! I always enjoyed the TNG eps that depend on confusion and internal drama -- like Phantasms and Parallels. Also, the somewhat subtle clue of Riker bleeding from his temple, indicating something was attached there, as it turned out. Sure, Frakes was a bit over the top, but his frustration and confusion needed to be conveyed. My favorite freak-out moment is when you see his face in that circular widow and he's screaming his head off, "LET ME OUT OF HEEEEERRRRE!!" -- RR

 

[SiorX]

What's with Crusher though? She's all up on Riker like she wants him! Any other thoughts here?

She does. Well, that's a flippant comment but I know what you mean. She is all over him in this episode - the "how do you feel" scene in his bathroom being just one example. I sometimes think that she's just a director encouraging her actor, then I think of fandom subtext and think there's far more to it than that!

I've noticed before that Crusher's pretty touchy-feely with everyone. While the rest of them mostly interact with their hands rigidly held at their sides, Beverly basically just gropes the hell out of everybody, up to and including Worf.

One of the reasons it's so noticable in Frame of Mind is probably because we don't get to see Crusher and Riker interact often enough. That episode always makes me wish we'd seen more of their friendship. (It also makes me believe - based on no evidence other than that I want it to be true - that at some stage in their seven years on the Enterprise, Beverly and Will totally had the kind of night where a few too many beers ends up in dumb-but-fun friend sex.)

Frame of Mind is a brilliant episode. Even now, when we've seen that kind of episode done on a hundred other shows since, I think it bears up to re-watching. It's Trek at it's best imo, experimental and thoughtful without being trite.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^They did have that kind of night, but there was a Trill involved rather than a few beers....

Now I haven't seen this episode since not long after it originally aired, but I hated it at the time for the reason that Bacl touches upon--the complete reset button at the end, where nothing that we'd seen had actually happened anywhere but in Will's head.