Shades of Gray - how would you fix the episode?

[Shikarnov]

I for one have never seen a clip show that I liked, except the end of DS9's What you leave behind, because it was a small part of the show and it had a nostalgic touch to it.

I have to admit that I really disliked What You Leave Behind because it omitted Jadzia. She was with the crew for 6 years -- Sisko's confidant, Worf's lover and wife, commander of the Defiant during times of war, we laughed with her, we cried with her, but when it came time to bookend the show, she was very conspicuously absent. I really like Ezri, but it seemed really disrespectful toward long-term fans of the show to ignore her. Even Denise Crosby was able to return for All Good Things; surely the producers of DS9 could have paid whatever royalties were necessary to include some clips featuring Terri Farrell.

If I do a rewatch of the show, I usually finish watching Season 2 with "Peak Performance", and skip watching "Shades of Grey" completely.

You and me both. I think the last time Shades of Gray soiled my television, it was during a late-night TNG binge and I fell asleep during The Emissary or Peak Performance and Netflix just kept playing on through automatically.

Given how the premise of the show somewhat changed from "alone in deep space" to "not really exploring all that far out there", this episode may have been an opportunity to examine that change from an in-universe perspective. For instance, threats like the Borg convincing Starfleet that this wasn't the time to be sending ships too far away.

This is a really good point. I never thought about it before, but I really like the idea that Starfleet's most powerful ships were staying close to home (or getting recalled from deep space assignments) due to the emerging Borg threat.

I wish they would have played on that point a little more -- maybe with an episode about how patrolling the edge of known space was getting to the crew, or at least a some comments to tie existing episodes to the overall theme. Peak Performance, for example, need not have been just a wargames episode, but could have been a test of the crew's tactical creativity and ability to improvise solutions against the kind of incredible, almost impossible, odds the Borg presented. (It's nicely consistent that Riker captained the Hathaway during the initial training, and then lead the Enterprise to victory during the actual confrontation).

And in the third season, Picard might have been stressed/agitated and in need of the vacation in Captain's Holiday due to frustrations regarding Starfleet's (un)preparedness rather than some diplomatic problem on Planet Irrelevant. And there could have been a throw-away line about Gomtuu's tactical value against the Borg in Tin Man. All together, it would have been an amazing build-up to The Best of Both Worlds.

It was made as a clip show with minimal framing to save money. Can you think of a way they could have done that and made a better episode from it?

I know by this point the Conspiracy aliens had sort of morphed into the Borg, but if I had to make a clip show, I would use them (or paranoia about them) as the pretense. There's some event, perhaps some strange behavior on the part of a crewmember returning from a conference, an unexplained death, evidence of sabotage, something, anything to remind the crew about that episode and trigger an investigation.

Logs are reviewed in detail, past events are visited and revisited looking for clues. In a way, it could be a nitpicker's show; using preexisting continuity errors, plotholes, and the like to demonstrate the existence of a problem. It would also give Worf a chance to really shine in his role as security chief. You'd really only need one set even: the security office/brig (was it built by this point in Season Two?) where Worf conducts his interviews -- or the observation lounge.

 

[locutus101]

I have to admit that I really disliked What You Leave Behind because it omitted Jadzia. She was with the crew for 6 years -- Sisko's confidant, Worf's lover and wife, commander of the Defiant during times of war, we laughed with her, we cried with her, but when it came time to bookend the show, she was very conspicuously absent. I really like Ezri, but it seemed really disrespectful toward long-term fans of the show to ignore her. Even Denise Crosby was able to return for All Good Things; surely the producers of DS9 could have paid whatever royalties were necessary to include some clips featuring Terri Farrell. ...

I think Terri Farrell didn't leave on the best of terms, to put it mildly. In the entire season we only see her once and it was on that wedding picture and we also hear her only once and it was from the wedding ceremony.

 

[Richard Baker]

It would have been interesting if they went through all the prior shows, took conversations and some scenes from them and tied them together into a new story.
Steve Martin did something along those lines in his film 'Dead Men Do Not Wear Plaid'- classic clips from unassociated films woven into a new story through editing. It would have driven viewers nuts trying to figure out where each piece came from. The three days they did have to shoot could have been used for a couple of unique moments to get the story going and wrap things up at the end. You would have to watch Riker and Worf for the beard and makeup changes, but they would not have to be in every scene.

 

[Shikarnov]

I think Terri Farrell didn't leave on the best of terms, to put it mildly. In the entire season we only see her once and it was on that wedding picture and we also hear her only once and it was from the wedding ceremony.

I'm aware. I just think, if you're going to put in a bunch of clips to highlight important events and people from a years-long story, you can't just omit a major element from that story and pretend like it didn't exist. Not if you actually want the scene to work. It's shouldn't be about the feud between the producers and the actress; it should be about the viewers' experience.

 

[locutus101]

I'm aware. I just think, if you're going to put in a bunch of clips to highlight important events and people from a years-long story, you can't just omit a major element from that story and pretend like it didn't exist. Not if you actually want the scene to work. It's shouldn't be about the feud between the producers and the actress; it should be about the viewers' experience.

I think there was some legal rigmarole between them that precluded that.

 

[DonIago]

Yeah. I'm sure TPTB wanted to include Jadzia, but I'm not sure it was possible at that point regardless of financial considerations. That being the case, it seems a little unfair to hold it against the episode.

Of course, I suppose the same arguments apply to "Shades of Gray", except that we're coming up with other options that would have been viable.

 

[Mojochi]

I've actually discussed this before, & my conclusion was that if you absolutely must do a clip show on TNG, at that time (tragedy though that may be) then this premise isn't the most terrible they could have done. However, the mistake they made was that they shouldn't have made it Riker. They should have made it... Wesley. Don't hate me just yet...

Think about it. 2 seasons into a new show is a really crappy amount of time to be hashing out old clips, to string together into an episode. You've barely got anything to work with. If you have to do it, it should be something that centers around an aspect of the show that had been the most detailed... & for good or ill, the most developed aspect, up to that time, was the growth of Wesley. He had more episodes about him than Riker. His story is more interesting at that time, & there's a much more fertile selection of good moments to choose from, with him & virtually every member of the crew.

Not to mention that #1, he's a kid, #2, he's been left in the care of the Enterprise crew, & #3, his mother, a great doctor in her own right, is elsewhere. Now, you factor in the personal relationship with Picard, & how he faces the possibility of having to yet again tell Beverly another of her family has died under his watch, & you have one HELL of a compelling story, & in that story, you piece together clips of Wesley's past, & how much he's grown & learned while being there. There's an opportunity for some good drama there. Whereas, what have we really cared about Riker in these 1st two seasons?

 

[Catarina]

Clip shows are lazy as hell. I'd rather have nothing than 30 minutes of clips from previous episodes. Should have ended the season an episode earlier.

Would that be a 'ditto' for Shattered? (voy) I have mixed feelings. I kinda liked that episode. I don't recall TNG clip shows. They never seem to air when I catch TNG on BBCAmerica.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Rewrite it so that it is a bottle episode focusing on Riker and Troi as they try to rekindle their romantic relationship through BDSM

 

[Seven of Five]

To be really cheap, perhaps they could have filmed everything on a couple of sets. Perhaps either have the ship adrift for some reason, or even just waiting for some admiral to show up.

Then just have the episode be characters interacting with each other on the bridge, I'm thinking in the style of Shuttlepod One when Trip and Reed are adrift?

Something that reveals things about our characters anyway, rather than just being a cheap repeat of what we've already seen.

 

[Mojochi]

I think it's important to consider the behind-the-scenes backstory on this episode. They shot the whole thing in 3 days, under pressure to deliver an episode they had no money or time for.

None of this lends itself to an environment where a quality bottle episode, like "Clues" for example, could be delivered. I get why Hurley offered a crappy clip show. They were left with pretty much no other option. I'm just saying that show could have been done better by one simple change, make it Wesley, not Riker. The possibility of doing a palatable clip episode is not unheard of in TV drama

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

To be really cheap, perhaps they could have filmed everything on a couple of sets. Perhaps either have the ship adrift for some reason, or even just waiting for some admiral to show up.

Then just have the episode be characters interacting with each other on the bridge, I'm thinking in the style of Shuttlepod One when Trip and Reed are adrift?

Something that reveals things about our characters anyway, rather than just being a cheap repeat of what we've already seen.

I could see that, with the senior staff all pulling a rare night shift (which would explain why nothing else was happening on the bridge) due to an impending event they need to be awake/around for. Possibly a last-minute rendezvous with another ship (which might come late) or waiting to observe a stellar phenomena firsthand. While waiting, they might sit in the briefing room over a snack and discuss certain things.

 

[Shawnster]

Part of the problem sounds like the "need" to give everyone some screen time. It makes sense tome that, the smaller the cast size, the easier it would have been to film in less time. Instead of shooting an episode where everyone gets some screen time, they could have made a better show that only featured a couple of characters and nobody else. Sure, those couple of actors may work harder over those three days, but more story can be developed.

So they could have shot an episode similar to the bones of TAS "Slaver Weapon." The only main characters featured in that episode were Spock, Uhura and Sulu.


So, some basic story with minimal characters might have worked well. Heck, the 1972 movie "Butterflies are Free" only appears to have 10 characters TOTAL and, I swear, the majority of the movie seems nothing more than 2 characters in an apartment. And it's a good movie!

We've had nearly 30 years to think about this. TV story telling was different 3 decades ago. This was the standard operating procedure in the 80s - do a clip show!

 

[Trek Survivor]

I don't get all the crazy hate for "Shades of Gray", given the constraints.

The whole "stimulating Riker's memories because of alien virus" idea was at least better than the "hey, Character A might be leaving town, let's all remember the happy times" cliche I've seen in many US TV shows (and why are we acting like clip shows are exclusive to TNG? Simpsons, Frasier, Friends...most of the imported US shows we get in the UK have had clip shows. Coincidentally, the A-Team's season 2 finale was also a clip show!).

Still, to the original question, what could be done to make it better? How about using some unbroadcast footage? Either whole scenes, or different angles/takes etc? Might make it feel a little 'fresher'.

How about an alien/s that has the ability to assess somebody's intentions by accessing their memories? Riker and a couple of other characters (to broaden the pool of clips that could be used) are on a delicate away team mission and get this done to them.

Look, I'm not trying to say Shades of Gray is a great episode, or even good; but it's adequate if rather forgettable. If they had to do a clip show, though, I'm sure some different 'set up' scenarios could've been employed.

 

[locutus101]

I don't get all the crazy hate for "Shades of Gray", given the constraints.

The whole "stimulating Riker's memories because of alien virus" idea was at least better than the "hey, Character A might be leaving town, let's all remember the happy times" cliche I've seen in many US TV shows (and why are we acting like clip shows are exclusive to TNG? Simpsons, Frasier, Friends...most of the imported US shows we get in the UK have had clip shows. Coincidentally, the A-Team's season 2 finale was also a clip show!).

Still, to the original question, what could be done to make it better? How about using some unbroadcast footage? Either whole scenes, or different angles/takes etc? Might make it feel a little 'fresher'.

How about an alien/s that has the ability to assess somebody's intentions by accessing their memories? Riker and a couple of other characters (to broaden the pool of clips that could be used) are on a delicate away team mission and get this done to them.

Look, I'm not trying to say Shades of Gray is a great episode, or even good; but it's adequate if rather forgettable. If they had to do a clip show, though, I'm sure some different 'set up' scenarios could've been employed.

The thing that bothers me about Shades of Gray is not that it is a clip show (although that does bother me a little), it's that with what little they had to work with they did even less, IOW even in the world of clip shows, it stinks.

 

[Shikarnov]

Not to mention that #1, he's a kid, #2, he's been left in the care of the Enterprise crew, & #3, his mother, a great doctor in her own right, is elsewhere. Now, you factor in the personal relationship with Picard, & how he faces the possibility of having to yet again tell Beverly another of her family has died under his watch, & you have one HELL of a compelling story, & in that story, you piece together clips of Wesley's past, & how much he's grown & learned while being there. There's an opportunity for some good drama there. Whereas, what have we really cared about Riker in these 1st two seasons?

I never thought about it being Wesley, but it really is a great idea. I find especially provocative the drama behind Picard's relationship with the Crusher family falling apart before his eyes. Wesley's ordeal could easily have been the B-plot while Patrick Stewart steals the show with a gripping emotional performance. We could even have had some cheap "vocal" flashbacks as Picard remembers Jack Crusher; some stock explosions, Jack's dying words "look out for my family, Jean Luc" or something to that effect. His own memories of Wesley. The first time he came on the bridge. After failing the academy entrance exam. And so on... Really hammer home the haunt.

 

[locutus101]

Or maybe we could have an entire show sans Wesley...

 

[BigDaveX]

This seems like a bit of an obvious idea, but considering the themes of the previous episode, I'd have made it about Picard and Riker giving the crew performance evaluations, talking about the situations they've faced since the Enterprise launched, along with expounding on previous storylines and talking about how they were personally affected by them. This of course would all be leading up to the big, armour-piercing question: is the Enterprise ready to take on the Borg?

 

[James T Kirk]

Just a boring poorly done episode like many were in the beginning. The acting, looks and feels and sound were just bad when this series started. It seems to have picked up intensity later.

 

[Lance]

This seems like a bit of an obvious idea, but considering the themes of the previous episode, I'd have made it about Picard and Riker giving the crew performance evaluations, talking about the situations they've faced since the Enterprise launched, along with expounding on previous storylines and talking about how they were personally affected by them. This of course would all be leading up to the big, armour-piercing question: is the Enterprise ready to take on the Borg?

I like this idea too.