I was completely underwhelmed by Picard on a first watch early last year, but I've been having an urge for a rewatch recently and put episode 1 on today. I think released from the weight of expectation I'm enjoying it a lot more and seeing a lot of the care that's gone into the details. I didn't spot the Stargazer in the archive on a first watch for example. I'm going to take it slowly rather than binge but I felt this time around that episode 1 is a quiet tautly constructed thing that lays out everything the show is going to be about.
Picard as portrayed at the start of the show is a man who's absolutely not in charge and maybe that's what I didn't like first time. He's dismissed and treated as a kind of relic and in many ways views himself that way too, making several references to living in history rather than the now. What's more, in what I found to be very economical scripting, the first episode lays out a skeletal framework for everything that's happened from Nemesis to Remembrance, whilst giving Picard a purpose that stems from his own past (Data) whilst motivating him in the present.
The Borg Cube is beautifully teased for the cliffhanger as well. The shot cuts out just as we get the full reveal of the structure with enough 'is that...?' moments before then.
Basically, Remembrance is a gorgeous slice of television. I'm looking forward to rewatching the rest for a proper reappraisal. Has anyone else found they were nonplussed on a first viewing and then bowled over by a second go?
