Mutai Sho-Rin said it best, however. Go through all seasons in order - as much as episode-hopscotch can be fun, it makes more of an impact for the excellent episodes after sitting through the embarrassing and trashy ones. And even then there's bound to be one scene or line of dialogue that shows real potential
And now, my chance to ramblebabblethroughsomebramble:
On first viewing, in 1987, it often felt like a hackneyed remake of TOS - complete with models of TOS-era ships for no reason. Having said that, some episodes did try new narrative directions and some felt like a continuation of TOS as opposed to being a hacked up TOS-Wannabe mess. Having said that, at the time, I mocked far more of season 1 back then than appreciating even the smallest bit of potential. Which includes "Justice" since it explores one possible solution to preventing crime. And once I read how the story had been rewritten from something far more sinister into what got produced on screen, I appreciated the original author a lot more.
But on rewatch, a decade later and then a decade later after the blu-rays came out:
There's a lot I wish I didn't heckle. There are a lot of unpolished gems. After "Datalore", there's a change in tone for the show.
I stayed for season 2. Again, in the late-80s, it was hit or miss. But I did re-watch more of them on repeats and season 2 has a number of (IMHO) high points:
* Where Silence has Lease (the least-effective story on this list, many are far better but the episode is really solid for the first 75% or so)
* Elementary Dear Data
* Unnatural Selection
* A Matter of Honor
* The Measure of a Man
* Time Squared
* The Royale (it's quirky and feels like another type of story shoehorned into TNG's format, but the more I rewatch it the more I've appreciated and enjoyed it - because it's not a typical TNG genre story yet largely uses the TNG characters as "fish out of water" trope very well.)
* Contagion
* Pen Pals (despite that throwaway ending)
* The Dauphin (another decent Wesley story, gotta love Worf as well, and is one of the best "teenage awkward love interest" tropes, especially considering how raunchy most coming of age movies and shows in the 80s were)
* Q Who
* The Emissary
* Peak Performance
For me, TNG seasons 2-5 are the definitive era, even with the clunkers seasons 2 and 5 have. But season 1 I find a lot more entertaining. Nostalgia isn't exactly a reason, since I spent that year of my youth belittling most of it. The late-80s I'd often want to forget due to childhood traumas anyway, so when I say the reasons for liking it
aren't nostalgic, you can believe it.
Season 1 episodes I personally gravitated toward, despite the clunker scenes - note that season 2's good eps, for me, pretty much trounces on most of these episodes:
* Encounter at Farpoint
* Where No One Has Gone Before
* The Battle (arguably the best Ferengi-centric story in TNG's run, DS9 does a lot more with the Ferengi and not always as cartoon relief)
* Hide and Q
* The Big Goodbye (first real holodeck story isn't bad)
* Datalore (the clunkiest on this list still hit a homer thanks to Lore's malicious nature - which is pretty chilling)
* Angel One (okay, solely for the eye candy, big 80s hair, smellovision with the hairspray you can smell through the TV set, and Picard's amazing line to Dr Crusher that seems as much realistic as it is out of place. Otherwise this one wouldn't be on the list.)
* 11001001 (Must see!)
* Too Short a Season (has the TOS feel done right, even if the aging makeup isn't always perfect)
* When the Bough Breaks (an interesting family-themed episode but it has a nice sci-fi background at its core)
* Home Soil (who can hate a terraforming story?)
* Coming of Age (implausible on some plot details, but it's one of the better Wesley stories)
* Heart of Glory (first Klingon-themed story and it's quite good)
* The Arsenal of Freedom (nice action piece of the sort you'll want far more of by the time you're halfway into season 6 or 5, I'd wager. 50 Quatloos, hehe.)
* Symbiosis
* Skin of Evil
* Conspiracy
