So more on this colostomic episode, Damon Bok returns and presents a kid that was apparently made thanks to Picard's wild oats and horsing around. Gee, why not get even smaller universe syndrome and claim the kid's mom was the lady from "Tapestry" and really watch Kirk² - I mean Picard - squirm? The storyline was overly convoluted to begin with, to the point you could get seven seasons of shtick from this plot alone if you handed the ideas over to Maury, Jerry, Ricki, Richard Bey, you name it, the 90s were loaded with over the top talk shows and/or brawlfests of which some were no less contrived but audiences yummed it up anyway...
Thwip!
This merely demonstrates (in a quasi-karmic way) that this outcome was preordained.
That said - and I may have said so before in previous editions of this contest - this result shows that the contest is misnamed. Clearly "Bloodlines" is not the "most disliked" (= "hated") episode of anything! What it is is an episode that no one remembers, that is mediocre and forgettable, and which therefore has no fans. So it should really be "the least inspiring episode of TNG" - and that it may very well be all things considered.
It's sad when an otherwise mediocre and forgettable story also doubles as the worst one of the bunch. And yet, "Bloodlines" is so bereft of its execution, imagination and passion* that it is just as worthy of being crappier than a lot of season 1 escapades, of which some were largely banal as well but at least
those had a spark of life or potential to them despite tripping over themselves - and none of those felt anything as contrived. This eppy simply doesn't have anything going for it because it was all story-by-numbers at this point and that's a fair reason to dislike it, TNG was on fumes at this point**. Why not give this one to DS9 for Quark's or Odo's kid or something to build up new characters instead, and let TNG have "Move Along Home" where the crew beam down to a planet and get trapped in a deadly game, just to teach Data about humanity where the more established characters make it work better***. Yep, I just made you think of Riker and Worf singing
Allamaraine****, didn't I?
* that sounds oddly familiar...
double entendre aside...
** In season 7, a season that's trying to be more sci-fi-themed again when compared to the previous two more generic when not traipsing into soap-opera affairs, with some successes, too often feels less than the sum of its parts, which is amazing as the incidental music has been flat and lifeless for the better part of three years at this point, all while despite also finding a new vibe for incidental music for some episodes of which still can't compete with season 1-4 but is better than most the remaining three seasons' worth.
*** in all fairness, the story does boost Quark immensely as a result and adds long-needed dimension to the Ferengi and is in fact an underrated story, but before I digress...
**** and count to four!:
(On edit: Is the gold emblem on the door somewhat reminiscent of the Blue Peter logo? Not surprising as the makers seemed cognizant of other British shows, especially sci-fi, hehehehe!)
