The Impossible Box
(Written before viewing Nepenthe)
The sixth episode. Soji is having recurring nightmares, and La Sirena is approaching the Artefact. (More on Soji's dream below.) Jurati had covered up her role in Maddox's death. (Wouldn't the EMH say that he was deactivated by Jurati?) They have Raffi talk to a friend in Starfleet to allow them to have access to the Artefact, to so Picard can talk to Hugh. This was done rather well. And Raffi's downward spiral, after her son's rejection, also continues to be depicted well. However, given his previous experience with the Borg, Picard is anxious about being on a Cube.
Indeed, the presence of the Artefact, makes everyone nervous. Even more so when Picard needs to go alone. His flashbacks, to being Locutus, once over there were very well done, as was his meeting with Hugh. Hugh showing him the reclaimation processes and asking him to advocate for the xB/former drones was done well, as well as his realisation that the drones are victims of the Collective, rather than monsters. Then Picard aks Hugh to help him find Soji. Hugh is onto Narek's agenda...
Soji's recurring nightmare. As a young girl, she's frightened of a storm, and goes to her father's workshop, where she wakes up. Narek has her questioning things, in his slimy narcissistic way (prodded by his sister) and she discovers that everything she owns is only just over three years old. That particular scene was rather moving, and showed her confusion rather well. She confesses her discovery to Narek who takes her to preform a Romulan ritual to look into her recurring nightmare to see what her subconcious is trying to tell her.
The progress of the ritual was interesting, and well presented. Narek prodding Soji all the while (narcissim showing), she does come to the realisation she's not as she thought she was, and he flat out tells her she's not real. After finding out where she was made, Narek tries to kill her, but she 'activates' and escapes, eventually running into Hugh and Picard. Picard's plea to trust her was particularly well done. Hugh leads them to the 'Queen Cell', where there is a spatial trajector, technology assimilated from the Sikarians.
It's within character for the Borg to have such technology and not use it to go on an assimilation spree. (Otherwise they would have sent a whole armada to assimilate the Federation at the end of 2366...) Overall a rather good episode. 8.8/10.
Boring!!
