Hi all, it's me again - the cure for insomnia! Here's my list:
The Ugly
Suddenly Human - Oh goody, the kid from "Our House" (an incredibly boring and schmaltz-driven from the late-1980s show about a family, which is as exciting as the show's title wasn't) gets to dredge through one of the final season 4 entries that's taken the "fish taken out of water by abduction or whatever" trope so worn out, didn't people get their fix for all this when Picard got borgified? Thankfully the show's format would finally get out of the pit it got stuck into during early season 4.
The Bad
In Theory - The Romulan spy bit is okay. Data's girlfriend is nice but it seems hard to buy into the premise.
The Host - Introduces the Trill, Dax's make-up was better than the plastic goo plastered onto an actor's face. Not sure what subtext was supposed top have the priority. And I know people who support homosexuals but personally feel uncomfortable and not wanting to do it (like how homosexuals who support heterosexuals but find the actual acts to be something they don't want to do). If that's the point of the episode.
Half a Life - ritual suicide when reaching that magical age could have been handled a lot better. Ditto for Michelle Forbes' helicopter hair that's trying to say she's alien but screams "Look at this, don't put a lit match anywhere near it, and try not to do too much corpsing because this is supposed to be a serious episode...")
The Meh
Reunion - this story is to Worf what The Wounded is to TNG itself: The Bringing in the ol' standby of "introduce new character to find new plot avenues, but for Worf let's make 'im a child because we all remember how cool Cousin Oliver was and not because he and K'Ehleyr did it in the Study without the raincoat." It didn't help that K'Ehleyr is killed. On the plus side, just like in "Sons of Mogh", Worf puts Klingon customs over Federation law. The plus is that we see how Picard handles Worf regarding dealing with Klingon customs while in Federation rule. Sisko did the trope rather better, IMHO.
The Wounded - Nod bad, but could have been better? The cast elevate what is remarkably 2D in ways into something better due to their performances. The design and prosthetic for the Cardassians look great, superfluous headgear notwithstanding, but as the show is now trying to expand by introducing new species for analogous parallels to Earth situations, it was the first time in TNG when I felt the show was starting to splutter because it all felt shoehorned, almost like a pilot episode and TNG had already refined drama in its lifespan, this episode feels like a throwback in that regard when it could have had more panache. TNG's use of the Cardassians tended to feel awkward, as with the Ferengi, but DS9 did the miraculous and made both Ferengi and Cardassians properly compelling. Another plus side, the OBrien/Daro scene in Ten-Forward is quite compelling.
The Loss - The whole ship becomes Troi's counselor. Overdone. Had some moments but could have been bad, but wasn't.
Final Mission - a bit on the bland side.
Qpid - had Q's humor and an okay premise, but by the early 1990s weren't there other, or even more modern myths and legends to exploit?
Brothers - Oh brother. A double plot of two kids fighting and Data is abducted. Nice voiceover for the password encryption, and for TNG they didn't change the bulb when going to blue alert. They did a video edit.
Identity Crisis - I remember lots of blue but that's about it.
Night Terrors - I don't remember much of it, just some green fog and Troi floating?
The Decent
Legacy - some massive plot holes aside, it's a fun romp in the spirit of season 1 but not in a bad way.
Devil's Due - always had a spot for this one because it's fun. Marta DuBois steals the show and helps elevate what is actually a mundane plot. Yeah, why she wants Picard doesn't quite scream "SHE WANTS HIM FOR HIS MONEY!!!" and is one of the Phase II stories whose subplot was intended for Kirk but not altered, but it shows people can be "interested" in any physical characteristic.
Family -not my style of episode but if taken as a pseudo-third part to "Best of Both Worlds" it works fairly well.
Clues - rather good, but with hokey ending
The Good
Galaxy's Child - quite a good episode, though obvious plot issues (space whales that can't travel at warp speed end up an insane distance from their stomping grounds) drag it down a little. Liked Lea returning as there's some solid continuity and a great Geordi/Guinan scene.
The Nth Degree - there's only one Barclay story I don't care for, in good ol' season 6
Future Imperfect - Riker's the one taken this week. Good callback to Minuet, the show was dancing around "small universe syndrome" but not fully embracing it. Good plot twists.
The Mind's Eye - really creepy episode that holds up well.
Data's Day - unique
Redemption Part 1 - solid season finale, they were not trying to outdo TBOBW but made it epic nonetheless
The Drumhead - Jean Simmons steals the show, as well as Patrick Stewart in his scenes with her. Solid moral interplay without getting preachy, especially for Simon Tarsis.
The Great
Remember Me - great little story. Dr Crusher gets the best form of abduction - and it's based in engaging sci-fi tropes instead of a cheesy picket fence family with maudlin moments. And Wesley's the one who did it, all due to perfect(ly bad) timing!
First Contact - great little story, also elevated by Carolyn Seymour
The Best of Both Worlds Part 2 - part twos rarely outdo part one. This one just about manages it due to its action-intense nature as well as being the reversal of the plot from part one.
