ST: TNG Rewatch

[Ssosmcin]

The Schizoid Man

At first, I wasn't sure why I was dreading this episode. As I watched it, it was mostly because of the inane dialog Wesley was given. He kept harping on "to know him was to love him was to know him."

Otherwise, this is another "not bad" episode enlivened by Brent Spiner's outstanding performance. Episodes like this are similar to original series plots that gave Nimoy a chance to step out of his usual persona and stretch a bit. Those were always noteworthy and this is no exception.

W. Morgan Sheppard, in his first but not last Star Trek appearance, is excellent at Graves, the man who "taught Soong all he knew" and is a spiritual "grandpa" to Data. This guy gets lost in the shuffle of the Data family lineage. So do we assume he's full of hot air? He's certainly a genius and can do what he says he can. Sheppard makes him entertaining in the short screen time he has.

Barbara Allyn Woods, so new to acting (this is only her second screen credit) is fine. Nothing special other than in her innocent beauty.

Props for giving the Star Trek universe Suzie Plakson as Dr. Selar. To be frank, she didn't do much for me in this role, but her best was yet to come. It was, however, nice to finally see a Vulcan crewmember with lines. She hit the right notes. What's weird is just how sidelined Diana Muldaur is this week. I'd understand if she wasn't in the episode at all, she wasn't an actual regular, but she's in the beginning and then given an excuse to be off screen and then comes back for the end, given Selar the center stage. Knowing Unnatural Selection (kill me) is next and the demands on her for that, I can understand that they gave her a lighter workload this week but still wanted to keep her involved.

They use the "tell me" feature when asking for Data locations for the first time in a while. And Picard cracks out another "grand" when talking to Graves/Data - they were still not ready to let that die.

The near-warp transport is, to be blunt, stupid. It usually takes them seconds to drop out of warp and go back in, so they couldn't spare a minute to let the away team beam down like normal? This felt like another one of those "weird filler scenes" and false risk.

Patrick Stewart is a fine, truly magnificent actor. But he can't do a reaction to a backhanded slap very well. That was one of the most unconvincing "knock out" scenes I'd seen in this series so far.

Still, overall, not a bad ride, but too many oddities for me to truly warm to it. Performances save this one more than anything else.

2.5/5

 

[Qonundrum]

The Schizoid Man

At first, I wasn't sure why I was dreading this episode. As I watched it, it was mostly because of the inane dialog Wesley was given. He kept harping on "to know him was to love him was to know him."

Otherwise, this is another "not bad" episode enlivened by Brent Spiner's outstanding performance. Episodes like this are similar to original series plots that gave Nimoy a chance to step out of his usual persona and stretch a bit. Those were always noteworthy and this is no exception.

Spiner and Plakson, and W. Morgan Sheppard nail it.

At the time, I was more peeved that the story's title was based on a 60s TV show ("The Prisoner") and had no other inspiration.

W. Morgan Sheppard, in his first but not last Star Trek appearance, is excellent at Graves, the man who "taught Soong all he knew" and is a spiritual "grandpa" to Data. This guy gets lost in the shuffle of the Data family lineage. So do we assume he's full of hot air? He's certainly a genius and can do what he says he can. Sheppard makes him entertaining in the short screen time he has.

It's easier to roll with him as part of Data's family tree than 80% of who appears afterward. And definitely seconded on Sheppard.

Barbara Allyn Woods, so new to acting (this is only her second screen credit) is fine. Nothing special other than in her innocent beauty.

Props for giving the Star Trek universe Suzie Plakson as Dr. Selar. To be frank, she didn't do much for me in this role, but her best was yet to come. It was, however, nice to finally see a Vulcan crewmember with lines. She hit the right notes. What's weird is just how sidelined Diana Muldaur is this week. I'd understand if she wasn't in the episode at all, she wasn't an actual regular, but she's in the beginning and then given an excuse to be off screen and then comes back for the end, given Selar the center stage. Knowing Unnatural Selection (kill me) is next and the demands on her for that, I can understand that they gave her a lighter workload this week but still wanted to keep her involved.

^^this

She's a natural as a Vulcan but, hell, K'ehleyr is far more fun... until season 4 where she comes with Cousin Oliver Alexander and is quickly killed off.

They use the "tell me" feature when asking for Data locations for the first time in a while. And Picard cracks out another "grand" when talking to Graves/Data - they were still not ready to let that die.

The near-warp transport is, to be blunt, stupid. It usually takes them seconds to drop out of warp and go back in, so they couldn't spare a minute to let the away team beam down like normal? This felt like another one of those "weird filler scenes" and false risk.

It's gimmicky, but not as much so as the torpedo tube fitted with life support and letting inertia somehow move her at warp 9 all that way.

If nothing else, it's like hypermiling, to improve fuel efficiency. Not really, rather, but I wish they had a more palpable emergency to give the scene a little more weight as, yeah, the time saved by doing this didn't feel significant enough.

Patrick Stewart is a fine, truly magnificent actor. But he can't do a reaction to a backhanded slap very well. That was one of the most unconvincing "knock out" scenes I'd seen in this series so far.

Still, overall, not a bad ride, but too many oddities for me to truly warm to it. Performances save this one more than anything else.

2.5/5

Spiner as IraData really hit the spot, though, and elevating the idea of putting a mind into a robot body as a result. The acting of Picard's slap didn't work, but the dialogue and unconscious bodies of security dude and Geordi did help set the scene. In a part of Engineering rarely seen, too.

It's not the best ever episode, not the worst. definitely middle or above average as, despite trying and not failing by any means, the story doesn't feel as significant as it wants to be. But it is in my regular rotation list.

 

[Qonundrum]

Okay let's talk about

Loud as a Whisper

Woohoo!

I like the concept of this episode and the strong Troi involvement. Also props to casting an actual deaf actor to play Riva, the only guy to mediate a treaty between warring factions on Solais V. He's very good at in the role and I was convinced at all times during each change in his situation. Much like Too Short a Season, this episode is very much about the guest star. Which is fine. This episode isn't quite in the same league, but it's not bad. That doesn't mean it's good, it's kind of middling and lacking in energy. The lack of music at key point, like the cold open, make the episode just lie there.

Yeah, their beaming into an empty chamber then cue credits... definitely atypical. A sense of wonder for sure, but being Star Trek and sci-fi, one would think they'd do it with more gusto rather than playing it flat.

The chorus is a fun concept if a bit simplistic. Their death is both horrifying and comical. There was this habit that SF shows had, and this includes pretty much all of them, that show people getting hit by a laser beam and freezing while the effects department makes them dematerialize. V: The Final Battle showed a young man being thrown into the path of a beam and freezing in mid air for a second before the glow and disintegration took him away. It's theatrical and a trope but in this case, it's hilarious. All three members of the chorus get hit, fall back at the same time, freeze at the same time, with different expressions as they are (and this is the horrifying part) peeled away layer by layer.

The woman: "Oh the water is boiling over!"
Sexy Dude: "It's caught in my zipper!"
Mindy's Dad (without enthusiasm): "Oh nooo..."

LOL!

Nice touch on "Mindy" as well, na-nu na-nu!

and, yup, Sexy Dude (aka "Horny McPheromone") was single-entendre and grating at times.

I also have a problem with the physics of these bodies not flopping towards the ground as they break apart, but I know, I'm picking nits. It's just that this is the most memorable part of the episode. Seriously, this is all I remembered about it before I watched it.

You're lucky. More often than not, the first thing I remember about this episode can be summed up in a picture:



Now there's a crossover, if not "Herman's Head" where the biggest joke that flew over audiences' heads is how often men are said to be thinking about sex (hence most of the plots involving it at some point, much to critics of the time...).

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(A surprisingly underrated and sometimes extremely well-written show, albeit relic from the early 90s.)

It is a gruesome scene. To really go at the physics particles, to render that scene with the non-CGI of the time would have taken way too long... but would have been that much more horrific, as late-80s shows were wont to do. (For which 1988's "War of the Worlds" takes the cake and it was often sold along with TNG as well...) I wonder if "Fangoria" did a double-issue on that scene...

Moving on, Data learns sign language by watching 80's era computer still drawings of hands. If they made this show today, he'd just upload this information in seconds. Funny thing, he stands behind Picard and does a few half-assed signs. He doesn't need to do them at all, Riva can read lips. It's supposed to be for Picard and the others to understand Riva. And, seriously, 1000 crewmembers and passengers and nobody can read sign? Not a single deaf person on board? Or hey "computer, what is Riva saying?"

Very true. But I like the notion of Data doing this. Had Dr Pulaski been there, she might have respected him a tad more as well, but that is still too early in the season for her to do...

As for 1000 crewmembers, the story "The Enemy" is worse as no Vulcan can do a blood transfusion, despite the back and forth on biological science talks, yet only Worf could. Riiiiiiiiiight... (roll with it though, that season 3 story has far more going for it than one subplot's contrived subplot...)

Funniest part of the episode: Picard grabbing Riva by the head and SHOUTING at him.

Picard's first contact with a deaf person, apparently.

"Must break through the deaf!"

^^this

The wack of that scene got to me as well.

Okay, fine, they resolve it and leave Riva to hopefully not be laser peeled right after they leave him behind for the next few months while he somehow teaches these goons sign language. Did they ever go back for him? Or did Solais VI explode ten months after he was left there? Was the planned 11th movie going to be The Wrath of Riva?

^^this

The ending is way too fairy tale. Trek is about optimism in the face of opposition or whatever, but that ending is close to TOS levels of blissful stupidity (e.g. the ending to "Plato's Stepchildren", among others). But it's a Trek trope at this point.

And then we get a weird cap scene where Picard has to call Deanna into the ready room just to say "well done." I mean, it's nice she gets recognition, but she pretty much romanced and flirted and Data learned to sign, and Deanna get's a weirdly tacked on final scene. A few episodes this season feel like they came out short so a few hasty scenes were shot to fill in time.

It's a bit after school special, but still not as bad as some of season 1's fare...?

I make light, but this was a "meh" episode in 1988 and it's a "meh" episode now. Really great idea, and again, I admire the use of Howie Seago in the role (I understand he and his wife were behind this concept). I just wish it were better.

2.5/5

^^this

Great ideas, woolly and inconsistent execution.

 

[suarezguy]

I really liked the way both "Datalore" and then also still "The Schizoid Man" were early enough that the crew initially wasn't really sure what might not be, might/would be out of character for him, when real Data does something like trying to wear a beard, his antics in "The Outrageous Okona" (or even later creating Lal) going from things like that to the (entertaining) ridiculousness of "To know him was to love him and to love him was to know him" isn't clearly out of character, clearly something wrong, and over time the behavior believably escalated to where Picard was convinced something was wrong. Ira's both wanting Data's capacities and completing disregarding of him otherwise and then, more for other reasons, feeling conflicted about remaining in the body were really well done as was Picard's determination against him.

Edit: I liked "Elementary, Dear Data" but it was pretty weird how the show shifted in its first to second half from Data as lead to Picard as lead, that kind of shift is pretty rare, I kind of wish Data had played some role in the climax/resolution but that might have felt forced and it feels kind of refreshing that he didn't.