The teaser trailer had me hoping they'd be jumping between different times and places, so I was a bit disappointed when they kept not doing that.
Probably an investigation into how things changed, plus all the shenanigans that would've gone with it, then going back in time to stop it. Like Back to the Future, Part II.
I don't know what they could have done either, but I found that timeline vastly more interesting than Our Heroes being stuck in the 'present'.
Watching this episode now. This time I am rooting for the Romulans
, they were right but took too long to blast synth city or at least destroy the beacon. I wish Picard had stayed dead physically and mentally but then Sir Patrick signed up for three seasons, so we got what we got.
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There's a thread for that.
Poll - Rank the Picard Seasons
Tough call for me between S3 and S1 as the best (they feel somewhat like entirely different series), but S2 definitely at the bottom of the three.
www.trekbbs.com
2.10 "Farewell"
out of 5
The most generous thing I can say with the finale is they tried. They tried to tie this hodge podge of stories into some semblance of a final narrative and did they best they could.
If I had to summarise this season it's fragmented. The individual pieces have potential, but they have too many pieces. More Soongs, eugenics, Borg, space launches, Guinan, Q... it reaches for too many things and came away with none. It was if the writers were told to go off and write things then like a game of Chinese Whispers you ended up with this as a season.
I did think as they wrap up Tallin's story wouldn't it have been easier just to have Laris? Have her taken back in time. That would fit Q's theme of wanting Picard to find love. He'd put his potential love back in time with him, a bit like he did with Vash. Laris could have respected Renee as she understood that it's her descendent that would help the Romulans and her. It would allow them to cut out ALL that clutter of watchers, and fake ears and stuff. Her death would have also been tragic and drove Picard's belief further that love is dangerous.
I'm not entirely sure why Q was obsessed with the love angle though. Picard has never struck me as someone who is lonely. And it plays to the stereotype that you have to have a partner. Not everyone does, not everyone wants one.
The Wesley cameo is one of the weirdest. Partially as "Who on earth demanded Wesley?" and then he takes off Clone girl. The fact I can't remember her name says so much. If Wesley were to appear for this sort of limp scene I'd have liked Soji to have a potentially exciting future. Instead Soji who we invested time in has disappeared, and this girl who had about 5 minutes of scenes is suddenly a Wesley protege because of... well I doubt they know.
I'm sure Wil Wheaton said he'd like to guest and they just contrived this - it's how it feels.
I'm sure Picard said the key moved around the house just last episode, and this episode he's putting it behind the brick so that he can find it. Like it'll remain there for hundreds of years, even through a full renovation of the chateu!
Guinan sitting there all cocky about how she acted the way she did so he'd work it out in the past...but this Guinan would have met Picard in 19th century earth. So this Guinan now has memories of both knowing Picard beforehand, and not knowing him as she went through those scenes. This is how time travel gets complicated.
It's interesting how the biggest success for me of this rewatch is getting to know and like the characters they put in it. Even Raffi saying "JL" at a scene here felt right. I railed against it at first (mostly as they used it 45 times in 2 minutes). But used deftly, in a nice scene... and it kind of works.
Rios as expected stayed behind, which is a fine ending for him. Jurati I can live with it, but will miss her. And Elnor is alive again. That was bugging me constantly, so that gives some relief.
It's hard not to like the end scenes with Q, particuarly as Picard hugs Q. "See you out there" is a callback I love... proof you can reference what's come before again if done - like the JL in this episode - sparingly and with care.
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That's the end of season two! I mean it was a pretty shambolic shit show. I didn't mind season one last time, but I think this time i liked it more and importantly have bought into the characters. I think it's *that* that helped me at least see pockets of good stuff in season two. It gave me a greater foundation to watch it from.
Which of course is ironic as many of them will be dumped for the TNG reunion that Stewart said he never wanted.
I have seen season three. My memory of it is surprisingly foggy. I remember being largely unimpressed, but I know it's a popular season.
Will my improved view of season one and now complete view of season two help me enjoy it more? We'll see.
out of 5The most generous thing I can say with the finale is they tried. They tried to tie this hodge podge of stories into some semblance of a final narrative and did they best they could.
If I had to summarise this season it's fragmented. The individual pieces have potential, but they have too many pieces. More Soongs, eugenics, Borg, space launches, Guinan, Q... it reaches for too many things and came away with none. It was if the writers were told to go off and write things then like a game of Chinese Whispers you ended up with this as a season.
I did think as they wrap up Tallin's story wouldn't it have been easier just to have Laris? Have her taken back in time. That would fit Q's theme of wanting Picard to find love. He'd put his potential love back in time with him, a bit like he did with Vash. Laris could have respected Renee as she understood that it's her descendent that would help the Romulans and her. It would allow them to cut out ALL that clutter of watchers, and fake ears and stuff. Her death would have also been tragic and drove Picard's belief further that love is dangerous.
I'm not entirely sure why Q was obsessed with the love angle though. Picard has never struck me as someone who is lonely. And it plays to the stereotype that you have to have a partner. Not everyone does, not everyone wants one.
The Wesley cameo is one of the weirdest. Partially as "Who on earth demanded Wesley?" and then he takes off Clone girl. The fact I can't remember her name says so much. If Wesley were to appear for this sort of limp scene I'd have liked Soji to have a potentially exciting future. Instead Soji who we invested time in has disappeared, and this girl who had about 5 minutes of scenes is suddenly a Wesley protege because of... well I doubt they know.
I'm sure Wil Wheaton said he'd like to guest and they just contrived this - it's how it feels.
I'm sure Picard said the key moved around the house just last episode, and this episode he's putting it behind the brick so that he can find it. Like it'll remain there for hundreds of years, even through a full renovation of the chateu!
Guinan sitting there all cocky about how she acted the way she did so he'd work it out in the past...but this Guinan would have met Picard in 19th century earth. So this Guinan now has memories of both knowing Picard beforehand, and not knowing him as she went through those scenes. This is how time travel gets complicated.
It's interesting how the biggest success for me of this rewatch is getting to know and like the characters they put in it. Even Raffi saying "JL" at a scene here felt right. I railed against it at first (mostly as they used it 45 times in 2 minutes). But used deftly, in a nice scene... and it kind of works.
Rios as expected stayed behind, which is a fine ending for him. Jurati I can live with it, but will miss her. And Elnor is alive again. That was bugging me constantly, so that gives some relief.
It's hard not to like the end scenes with Q, particuarly as Picard hugs Q. "See you out there" is a callback I love... proof you can reference what's come before again if done - like the JL in this episode - sparingly and with care.
------
That's the end of season two! I mean it was a pretty shambolic shit show. I didn't mind season one last time, but I think this time i liked it more and importantly have bought into the characters. I think it's *that* that helped me at least see pockets of good stuff in season two. It gave me a greater foundation to watch it from.
Which of course is ironic as many of them will be dumped for the TNG reunion that Stewart said he never wanted.
I have seen season three. My memory of it is surprisingly foggy. I remember being largely unimpressed, but I know it's a popular season.
Will my improved view of season one and now complete view of season two help me enjoy it more? We'll see.
I agree that it would've been easier to just have Laris, but I suspect they really wanted to have a Watcher. I think they could've easily had Laris and have the Watcher by played by someone else. But I like Orla Brady as the Talin as much as Laris.2.10 "Farewell"
The most generous thing I can say with the finale is they tried. They tried to tie this hodge podge of stories into some semblance of a final narrative and did they best they could.
If I had to summarise this season it's fragmented. The individual pieces have potential, but they have too many pieces. More Soongs, eugenics, Borg, space launches, Guinan, Q... it reaches for too many things and came away with none. It was if the writers were told to go off and write things then like a game of Chinese Whispers you ended up with this as a season.
I did think as they wrap up Tallin's story wouldn't it have been easier just to have Laris? Have her taken back in time. That would fit Q's theme of wanting Picard to find love. He'd put his potential love back in time with him, a bit like he did with Vash. Laris could have respected Renee as she understood that it's her descendent that would help the Romulans and her. It would allow them to cut out ALL that clutter of watchers, and fake ears and stuff. Her death would have also been tragic and drove Picard's belief further that love is dangerous.
While I do like the idea of Renee Picard being an astronaut, I'm less sold on the idea of discovering some type of life on a Saturn moon (IIRC) is what leads to undoing pollution on Earth and not having pollution is what leads us to having the Federation instead of the Confederation. That wasn't really very well thought out. I want to know how that one change alters everything, not just that it does.
Talin posing as Renee so Soong can think he killed Renee when he really killed Talin was a twist I didn't see coming, so I liked that part.
I like Q and Picard's farewell. And I appreciate the idea of Q wanting Picard to find love. To the side, I think Q had a thing for Picard, if you know what I mean... if the bed scene in "Tapestry" doesn't prove it, I don't know what does... and there was a brief moment where the way they framed things in this episode, I actually exclaimed to the TV, "Kiss!" But anyway... as much as I enjoyed that (even though they didn't go as far as they could've gone!
), I have to put on my Critical Hat and say there was no topping "All Good Things", and they really forced it to make another TNG Q story happen (yes, I count PIC as TNG).Everything with Guinan in the past... It stretches my suspension of disbelief to the limit that this is the same character as played by Whoopi Goldberg, but she was fine. Even though it's weird to me that Guinan would really spend this long on Earth.
The weird thing about Wesley's cameo is that it didn't feel like Wesley at all. The way he was acting (or not acting), I wanted to say to the TV screen, "You're not Wesley, you're Wil Wheaton from The Ready Room!"
Rios, more than anyone else, didn't really have a character arc. It's more accurate to say his character went wherever the story arc dictated. He starts off the season as Captain of the Stargazer. How do you go from Captain of La Sirena to Captain of the Stargazer just like that? But neverminding that, let's say he does it (because he did!), and he's Captain of the Stargazer. It would have to have been hard to get it and even harder to convince Starfleet. So, it should mean a lot to Rios and not something he'd give up so easily. But he meets the right woman in the past and he decides to throw his whole previous life away to stay with her! Just going from one thing to the next. In the first season, Rios was far more stable. Ex-Starfleet, now on his own with La Sirena.
The Jurati-Borg. Jurati assimilates more people in 21st Century, then that story goes into the background until we're back in the 25th Century. They should've had more of a character arc depicting how Assimilated Jurati turns into a Good Borg.
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Now some other things. Picard's mother. My mother died when I was 18. I still picture her as she was during her lifetime, not as how she would look now. I can't even picture in my mind what she'd look like as an old woman. I don't think Picard would imagine his mother as the age she would've been later on his life either.
Picard's father. I didn't ever get the sense he was in Starfleet. Picard's brother took after their father, so you'd think Picard's father wouldn't want to be anywhere near a Starfleet Uniform, let alone put one on. But let's say he did... why would he be wearing a 2370s Uniform?! But I did have some fun with the idea of James Callis being on Picard. I made joke once in a post, "Guias Baltar appears on the Enterprise! And he's Captain Picard's father! Next time on Staaaarrrrrr Trek TheNextGeneration!"
The FBI Guy. I thought he'd become an ally and show up to help save the day at the end of season. But nope!
Like you, I also enjoyed "Two of One". It felt like an episode of the Mission: Impossible TV Series.
Allison Pill singing Shadows of the Night was nice. We have Shadows of the Night, an '80s song. TNG. And we have a remix of California Dreaming, a '60s song. TOS. I don't know if that was intentional, but intentional or not, both eras that the two main Star Trek series premiered in were represented.
I'll stop there for now. Your morning is my haven't gone to bed yet!
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Lots of interesting points there. To address a few...
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I hadn't even clocked that's what they were saying. I do remember them saying about her finding something, but I didn't really piece together this is why the world changed. There are so many story strands and influences again I lose track of what is going on at points.
Eesh that is young. I thought it was bad I was in my 40s! But I'm like you... and the whole Sisko "you exist here" made way more sense in later life for me.
But it was just horrible trickery and bodgery from the writers. It's perhaps wrong of me to assign malice or intent when I don't know it... but for me there was a slightly sneering "You think we don't know continuity eh fans? We'll show you." It didn't come across as accomplished, just mean. I think especially as they're not retroconning her for nice purposes.
Must admit didn't cross my mind! I never thought of his father in Starfleet, I thought that was kind o f the entire point - Picard was the wayward son. I assumed it was something to do with him not realising it's his father at first, and the setup of the counselling scene.
I assumed that was an original song, but I learnt something new there too!
Is this a TOS thing? I noticed he mentioned a TOS character, but there's perhaps something going over my head. But that adds to the 'too many story strands' issue for me.
I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I hadn't even clocked that's what they were saying. I do remember them saying about her finding something, but I didn't really piece together this is why the world changed. There are so many story strands and influences again I lose track of what is going on at points.
Gotta admit, I thought "It's Wil Wheaton" more than it was Wesley. And I don't even watch the Ready Room.
Eesh that is young. I thought it was bad I was in my 40s! But I'm like you... and the whole Sisko "you exist here" made way more sense in later life for me.
But it was just horrible trickery and bodgery from the writers. It's perhaps wrong of me to assign malice or intent when I don't know it... but for me there was a slightly sneering "You think we don't know continuity eh fans? We'll show you." It didn't come across as accomplished, just mean. I think especially as they're not retroconning her for nice purposes.
Must admit didn't cross my mind! I never thought of his father in Starfleet, I thought that was kind o f the entire point - Picard was the wayward son. I assumed it was something to do with him not realising it's his father at first, and the setup of the counselling scene.
I assumed that was an original song, but I learnt something new there too!
"Assignment: Earth" to be exact.
It took me until the third time I watched Picard Season 2 before I caught it. So you weren't the only one.
what the... oh no... I'm goin' down!!!
It's too modern for me probably! Ink Spots is more by bag... and I just flicked into the first few seconds of season three and... spoilers for my 3.01 review INK SPOTS!
Putting on the song!
While it's not inherently S3's fault (which is to say, arguably it happens before the season even starts), this is perhaps the thing that fundamentally irritates me the most about S3. They had a cast of characters who had the potential to tell new and interesting stories, and then they systematically dismanted and then removed the vast majority of them in favor of Nostalgia.
Actually, beyond The Ready Room, Will Wheaton wasn't expecting to get a call of any sort for new Star Trek, only to discover that there were three shows fighting over him! It was ultimately decided that Wesley should return here as TNG was Wesley's home (and of course they utterly wasted him because that is the nature of the Picard show). Then came his pre-The First Duty flashback appearance in Lower Decks, and then finally the payoff to all of this Travelers stuff in Prodigy.
While we're still on Season 2, some parallels with Star Trek IV from the obvious to the not-so-obvious.
The Punk on the Bus. "I just like the song!" Nice to know that after 40 years, he still hasn't sold out to The Man. He kept the mohawk and everything. He's truly hardcore. I have huge respect for that.
Chekov detained and thought to be a Soviet Spy. Rios detained and thought to be an Illegal Immigrant.
The environmental message. "Give a hoot, don't pollute!" Protecting the environment saves the future.
Rios staying in the 21st Century with Teresa Ramirez is the reverse of Gillian Taylor leaving the 20th Century to go with Kirk.
The Car Chase. Yes, the car chase. Yes, I'll admit that I enjoyed it. But parallels: The cops chasing Seven and Raffi parallels the cops chasing Kirk, McCoy, Chekov, and Gillian. Except this time they're not on foot. Both times, as soon as the cops think they have Our Heroes, they're beamed away.
One other thing: for all the Social Commentary, which yes I'm for it (so we have to agree to disagree), the one thing they didn't do is mention Trump. Granted, Biden was President when this was filmed and when this takes place, but Trump was always there in the background. So, thinking about it now, it's interesting they didn't mention him.
The Punk on the Bus. "I just like the song!" Nice to know that after 40 years, he still hasn't sold out to The Man. He kept the mohawk and everything. He's truly hardcore. I have huge respect for that.
Chekov detained and thought to be a Soviet Spy. Rios detained and thought to be an Illegal Immigrant.
The environmental message. "Give a hoot, don't pollute!" Protecting the environment saves the future.
Rios staying in the 21st Century with Teresa Ramirez is the reverse of Gillian Taylor leaving the 20th Century to go with Kirk.
The Car Chase. Yes, the car chase. Yes, I'll admit that I enjoyed it. But parallels: The cops chasing Seven and Raffi parallels the cops chasing Kirk, McCoy, Chekov, and Gillian. Except this time they're not on foot. Both times, as soon as the cops think they have Our Heroes, they're beamed away.
One other thing: for all the Social Commentary, which yes I'm for it (so we have to agree to disagree), the one thing they didn't do is mention Trump. Granted, Biden was President when this was filmed and when this takes place, but Trump was always there in the background. So, thinking about it now, it's interesting they didn't mention him.
"I'm from Argentina, I only work in outer space."
Mystery solved!
But they didn't mention the real villains: those dastardly refuseniks!
