The Loss

[Neutral Zone]

I don't really have a favourite episode as I like most of them in one way or another but if there was I truly dislike, this has got to be theone

Troi's attitude to everybody turns her into the most obnoxious and selfish person on the Enterprise. She gets to feel what it's like for the 'normal' people for a while and she goes in virtual hate mode.

On the plus side a decent bit of acting, but not enough to make me watch all that often

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Troi's attitude to everybody turns her into the most obnoxious and selfish person on the Enterprise. She gets to feel what it's like for the 'normal' people for a while and she goes in virtual hate mode.

Those are my criticisms as well. Worse yet, when it was all over, she *still* criticized Riker for rightfully calling her conceited attitude.

 

[startrekwatcher]

I’ve always felt it was an often overlooked and underappreciated TNG episode. It isn’t a heavy-hitter like BoBW, Remember Me, Family or The Mind’s Eye but it is certainly a reasonably done and effective disability story headlining Troi. I enjoyed seeing the vulnerable and frightened side of her. I know many seem to view her as a pathetic whiny bitch and there is some of that but that is part of the point. TNG has often been criticized as being too perfect something I don’t agree with and episodes like this, “The Enemy” and “The Host” prove that. I think anyone who loses a sense would be angry and wallowing in self-pity. Would you be able to get up the next day and go about your day like everything was fine? Would you not be asking why this happened to you but not your neighbor or your co-worker? So how Troi behaves in this context works.

Troi is usually the one helping others the way she is now placed in the unenviable role of facing her own personal crisis directly is quite interesting. She is having to practice essentially what she preaches and I thought Marina did a good job first in her counseling sessions with Ensign Brooks which was a nice tie to the episode’s theme of loss and then in her own situation.

I thought it did a pretty decent job at getting across how frustrating & frightening such a loss can be and how it affects relationships. Troi’s anger at Beverly seemed like a realistic reaction even though misdirected. Usually these two are the best of friends so this was a contrast. And then of course Riker/Troi had their tribulations in some rather nice scenes that further cemented what great chemistry both the actors & characters have.

And of course Guinan is always a pleasure. I really really liked that scene with Troi in Ten-Forward. I think both are counselors in their own right but have completely different ways of dispensing advice. That is why I never really felt Guinan took anything away from Troi’s role as counselor. There is room for both. Troi/Data’s teamwork paid off again and they work pretty well together.

 

[Alrik]

^

Excellent observations. Non the less, there are too many real life stories of loss, where the individual takes their new challenge head on, that this kind of takes away a little bit of Deanna's luster. It's not so bad that if the ep comes on that I will shut it off, but over all, it is one of my least watched TNG eps. I like the Troi character too much, and this ep just doesn't seem to do her justice.

 

[WillsBabe]

She gets to feel what it's like for the 'normal' people for a while and she goes in virtual hate mode.

I don't think of it as Troi getting to be "normal" for a while, I think of it as her losing a sense. If I lived on a world where noone had sight, I wouldn't think of myself as becoming "normal" if I lost my sight. I'd think of it as me being blinded and losing a sense.

Every time this episode comes up, it's clear that it's pretty universally hated. I like it, though. *shrug*

 

[Takeru]

I don't think of it as Troi getting to be "normal" for a while, I think of it as her losing a sense. If I lived on a world where noone had sight, I wouldn't think of myself as becoming "normal" if I lost my sight. I'd think of it as me being blinded and losing a sense.

Exactly! And if someone I think will understand me just tells me to suck it up and stop whining about being just like everyone else, I would probably punch that person in the face.

Many people think Troi acted like a bitch, but I hate Will in this episode, he's such an ass when he talks to Deanna. She's telling him how awful she feels and he thinks the best answer is to tell her she's an aristocratic cow that used to feel better than everyone else because she had an extra sense? Thanks a lot, Imzadi!
If there was one person on the Enterprise I expected to understand Deanna's feelings it was Will, but he was the worst in a bunch of insensitive bastards (seriously, when everyone used a variation of "Well, we're not empathic!" and basically patted her on the head, all I could think was "You sure aren't!")!
With that episode every hope I had for Deanna and Will ending up together died, if I were Deanna I would have no longer considered him a friend. A colleague that I can get along with? Sure, but nothing more.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Worse yet, when it was all over, she *still* criticized Riker for rightfully calling her conceited attitude.

She's a woman, what did you expect?

 

[Geck]

I actually saw this for the first time finally on the weekend (it was one of three episodes that had been eluding me for years), and it wasn't as bad as I expected. The sci-fi plot was pretty tedious, but in terms of the meat of the episode...I agree with those who said Troi reacted rather reasonably and it was the rest of the crew who was irritating me by being so patronising, especially Riker. Guinan was the only character besides Troi put to really good use.

The biggest flaws of the episode, in my opinion, were the sci-fi plot as I mentioned, some of the parallels to Ensign Brooks's situation being too heavy-handed, and the reset button at the end. Troi had finally come to accept that she was still valuable even without her empathic sense at the end, just in time to get it back. Kind of cheap. It would have been dramatically stronger to keep it going for even just half a season or so, like they did with Odo losing his abilities in DS9. I understand TNG was inherently more episodic though so they probably didn't want to make such a dramatic character change.

 

[JustKate]

She gets to feel what it's like for the 'normal' people for a while and she goes in virtual hate mode.

I don't think of it as Troi getting to be "normal" for a while, I think of it as her losing a sense. If I lived on a world where noone had sight, I wouldn't think of myself as becoming "normal" if I lost my sight. I'd think of it as me being blinded and losing a sense.

Every time this episode comes up, it's clear that it's pretty universally hated. I like it, though. *shrug*

I don't understand why so many people dislike this episode, either. It's as though they expect everybody on the Enterprise to be heroic all the time.

And I also agree with those who point out that losing something that is part of yourself isn't "normal," even if it's normal for those around you.

My grandmother, who had been up until that moment a wonderful and energetic person, became extremely whiny and needy (and at times downright unpleasant) when she suddenly went blind in her 70s. It was understandable, and she had periods when she was almost her old self, and we still loved her, but that didn't make it fun.

Not everyone is enobled by tragedy. Not even close.

 

[WillsBabe]

I don't understand why so many people dislike this episode, either. It's as though they expect everybody on the Enterprise to be heroic all the time.

I hear so often that there is no conflict on the Enterprise D, no characters butting heads. In The Loss we have Deanna resenting Beverly for not coming to her aid sooner, and telling her so; and Riker letting slip of his own resentments. People don't like that, either!

 

[JustKate]

Exactly. As my dad used to say, though not about TNG, "You can't win for losing."

 

[Neutral Zone]

Agreed losing her empathic senses would be a big disability but unlike in the real world where the disabled normaly stay that way, she regained her senses again (that was obvious from the start or we would've had to get a new counciler, and that I would not want to hapeen as I like Troi except for this one time!).

She said sorry for actions and everyone was best of pals again with her but what would she said if Bev, Will and the rest said 'screw you, after all you tink that you're far better than we are!'?

Sorry, but this one stay at the bottom of the list.