I have to say it...I probably haven't seen a single TNG episode since almost a decade ago. And overall I think I want to leave it alone because I took a serious blow to my optimism in humankind seven years ago and I know I'll never be able to see most of it the same again. (Well, except once it started running concurrently to DS9. I really think that the latter series "infected" it, and in a VERY good way.) That's NOT saying it's a bad series by any means, just that I have changed.
Nonetheless, certain episodes stand out as ones that I will never forget, the ones that made a real impression on me. Most will be good, but I've got a rare few that get a mention for being inexcusably horrible. I'd like to spotlight them here, and I'd be interested to hear if they're the same ones that make most people's lists, or if I've got some unusual ones in there.
Award Winners (in chronological order...my absolute favorites, the ones that if I could buy episodes individually I would, will get stars):
"Loud as a Whisper." I'm not even sure what exactly it was in this one that grabbed me...if it was the concept, or the way it was acted. But this one I found very intriguing and would've loved to find out more about how this eventually turned out, if Riva actually pulled it off or not.
"Q Who?" Two words: THE BORG. The best thing that happened to TNG!
"The Measure of a Man." I loved the exploration into Data's nature and rights--that was a gripping trial!
"Evolution." I will never forget the nanites speaking through Data--and again there was so much potential for finding out how this macrocosmic (literally!) society fared, that I would've loved to see explored in later episodes.
* "Sarek." The interplay between Sarek and Picard was OUTSTANDING here, especially as it built towards the mind-meld. Truly unforgettable scene, well-acted by those two.
* "The Best of Both Worlds": THIS is the way I will always remember the Borg Collective--it doesn't get any better than this! I felt like everything Voyager did was an absolute affront to this gem of Trekdom.
* "Family": For character depth, this one REALLY was excellent. Perhaps the beginning of the Niner in me, I've always loved the episodes that took time to explore the ramifications of what happened in the previous ones. Watching Picard break down into tears...such a needed, and well-acted moment. Not to mention the insight into who he was and where he'd come from.
* "The Wounded": The next best thing to happen to Trekdom (in my opinion) after the TNG Borg--Cardassians! Or maybe THE best thing, given that the Cardassians got through ALL series without being screwed over by the writers. The characters here were superb--Picard and Macet, O'Brien and Daro, and Ben Maxwell...I'll never forget this episode, ever. This one burned such an impression into my mind on ONE viewing ever, that even seven or so years later when I bought the soundtrack for Black Hawk Down, not remembering a SINGLE lyric to the song or knowing what the chord scheme had been (I'd thought something with a lot more minor chords) I immediately ID'd "The Minstrel Boy" as the song from this episode and remembered everything. I literally cheered when in the Gateways novel, the ID for that Cardassian ship came up as the Trager. One notable "irksome" moment that showed up the bad side of Picard's character very well...I think it was some serious restraint on Macet's part not to deck him for saying in so many words that he couldn't get what loyalty really was because he was a Cardassian. Even though they were speaking of it in very different terms...I think Macet was right: there's a point when you have to divorce the memory of the man from what he has become.
"The Drumhead": The first acknowledgment of the dark side of Starfleet--and there were no parasites to blame in this one. For that, I really appreciated this one.
"Darmok": Though implausible when you really think about it, I liked seeing the weaknesses of the UT, not to mention the way Picard and Dathon forged a relationship.
* "Unification, Parts I and II": This is the episode that first got me into Trek. I remember flipping through channels on TV when they're first bouncing from planet to planet trying to figure out what was going on, and immediately I wanted to know. Even on re-viewings a few years later, this one proved just as good.
"Ethics": There's something I really liked about this controversy episode...man, the interplay between Worf and Alexander here--tense!
"Cause and Effect": Really chilling to watch that time loop! And Kelsey Grammer...as a Frasier fan I have to appreciate him.
* "I, Borg": Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh) turns in a performance here that stands side-by-side Lawrence Pressman (Tekeny Ghemor) as most moving supporting character acting EVER to grace Trekdom, and the regulars (especially Levar Burton and Patrick Stewart) played off of him wonderfully. This is an episode that could just about put me in tears--probably the one time I would ever say that of TNG. I know, given my comments about Best of Both Worlds, this might seem surprising. But there was nothing in it that invalidated what was previously established about the Borg. (It did, however, lead me to becoming quite incensed about the idiocy of Seven of Nine's character. And the total rip-off that was "One".)
* "The Inner Light". I think I'm starting to notice a pattern here--the episodes that focus on Patrick Stewart's acting really make an impression. I got completely sucked into the story of Kamin, and when he receives that flute from the probe later on...I loved it.
"True Q". While I normally saw Q as comic relief, the way the Ferengi episodes later were on DS9, this chance to see him in a more serious light--not to mention watching someone come to grips with Q power (and take it in a whole direction than the trickster himself) really stuck with me.
* "Chain of Command, Parts I and II". WOW. Picard and Cardassians. It doesn't get any better than this. I LOVE the episodes that push Picard's mental tolerances to the limit--he's VERY good at acting this sort of thing without getting carried away the way Avery Brooks (though I liked him) could do, and the actor who played Gul Madred also does a very credible job in his role. And the lights...man, that scene made an impression and when I eventually read 1984, I ultimately decided that even though that scene was a direct tribute, it was a worthy one indeed.
* "Tapestry": What if you had chosen differently in your life? I loved the chance to explore what would've happened if Picard hadn't become the strong man he was now. Very good job acting the character-out-of-character without taking it over the top. (OK...I think I see now who's really making the series in my head.)
* "The Chase": I just LOVED the concept of bringing all four of the major galactic powers together to discover the origins (at least back a few million years) of the galactic powers. The almost-intelligent-design message also served to undo the trash-talk in "Who Watches the Watchers" and Q's mockery of God in "Tapestry" (the latter of which otherwise ruled). Maybe the DS9 mindset was starting to creep onto TNG some, and believe me, that was a good thing. And Gul Ocett's reaction to being related to a Klingon...priceless! (Hmm...Picard and Cardassians again...
)
* "Descent, Parts I and II": VERY nice to see the fallout of Hugh's return, the ultimate conclusion of the Data-Lore battle, and a whole different take on the Borg! Again very well acted by Jonathan Del Arco. And again this has an almost Niner tendency of revisiting loose threads--I love that sort of thing! One really wonders what happened to this colony afterwards...part of me wishes the Borg story could've stopped right here, or at least stayed true to its roots, though continuing to First Contact was OK in my mind. Going beyond...on Voyager, I think the Borg jumped the shark.
* "Phantasms": Data having nightmares--CREEPY! Whoever wrote this absolutely NAILED the surreal nature of dreams, and the relation to the story...can't forget the Troi-cake or the stabbing sequence!!!
"Dark Page": Wow. A Lwaxana episode that wasn't totally comic relief. I loved bringing out a more serious, tormented side to her character, and the Cairn perspective was quite interesting even though occasionally overacted.
"Attached": Wow, TNG was batting 3 for 3 here. Seeing Picard and Crusher tethered together, their minds blurring into one, was a heck of an experience. Too bad the relationship tension between them didn't have more time after this to be addressed...
"Masks": I think it's the imagery here that I love more than anything--the primitive archetypes cast into a 24th-century guise.
* "Lower Decks": First off, it was about time we got to see something out of the junior officers on the ship! The return of Sito and her being forced to cope with her remorse about her previous actions was quite welcome, as was the introduction of a Cardassian for whom the good of his people didn't necessarily toe the Central Command line. (Kinda set up the emergence later of Tekeny Ghemor...hmm, I wonder, did they know each other?) What a powerful, tragic ending.
* "Journey's End": Cardassians! Story arcs! And the impetus for the whole Maquis arc on DS9...seriously, it may not have SAID Deep Space Nine, but I really think of this one as a DS9 episode wearing TNG clothing and almost a part of that series. Though I wasn't a HUGE fan of Wesley, I did like the spiritual angle this took.
* "Preemptive Strike": Like the episode before it on my list, I would buy this one individually if I could as a quasi DS9 episode. The background this later provides for the Maquis arc is invaluable, and I love the back-and-forth as to the validity of the Maquis position (though I do not agree with their actions).
* "All Good Things...": The experience of watching this, knowing the series was coming to an end...I actually remember (just like "Unification") exactly where I was when I got to see this one. Probably the strongest Q appearance ever, it redeemed the bomb that was Encounter at Farpoint--when things came full-circle and returned to that courtroom...it actually WORKED. Though all the characters were involved, it was really Patrick Stewart that deserved the first bow in the show's final curtain call. Well-done.
Weird/Creepy (in chronological order):
"Conspiracy": Man, there needed to be more of these aliens--that scene with the king parasite crawling into that guy's mouth, and possessed dude actually accepting it...EWWWWW!
"Yesterday's Enterprise." This one, and all the later fallout involving Sela, confused the hell out of me when I was a kid.
"Man of the People." Alkar was one sick puppy.
Awful:
"Encounter at Farpoint, I and II" I am so glad I didn't start the series with this. I would've never watched it again. Thank goodness "Emissary" did a lot better or I would've been off Trek forever!!! (Voyager scored in between, as did Enterprise. Unfortunately both series did not live up to their potential in my mind despite a lot of good being there.)
"Code of Honor." Even before my teens, something struck me as insulting...
"The Last Outpost." Tkon dude was cool. The Ferengi...man, they were about as bright as Pakleds here.
"The Royale." No words here. SPEW.
"Who Watches the Watchers" Would've been a great concept but one arrogant statement out of Picard's mouth pissed me off. Obviously the Mintakans couldn't be allowed to continue worshipping Picard (cultural contamination and all of that), but the offhand intolerance towards ALL faith from a man who was supposedly the epitome of tolerance--man, I wanted to deck him. (Watch "The Wounded" for more MUST DECK PICARD action.)
Nonetheless, certain episodes stand out as ones that I will never forget, the ones that made a real impression on me. Most will be good, but I've got a rare few that get a mention for being inexcusably horrible. I'd like to spotlight them here, and I'd be interested to hear if they're the same ones that make most people's lists, or if I've got some unusual ones in there.
Award Winners (in chronological order...my absolute favorites, the ones that if I could buy episodes individually I would, will get stars):
"Loud as a Whisper." I'm not even sure what exactly it was in this one that grabbed me...if it was the concept, or the way it was acted. But this one I found very intriguing and would've loved to find out more about how this eventually turned out, if Riva actually pulled it off or not.
"Q Who?" Two words: THE BORG. The best thing that happened to TNG!
"The Measure of a Man." I loved the exploration into Data's nature and rights--that was a gripping trial!
"Evolution." I will never forget the nanites speaking through Data--and again there was so much potential for finding out how this macrocosmic (literally!) society fared, that I would've loved to see explored in later episodes.
* "Sarek." The interplay between Sarek and Picard was OUTSTANDING here, especially as it built towards the mind-meld. Truly unforgettable scene, well-acted by those two.
* "The Best of Both Worlds": THIS is the way I will always remember the Borg Collective--it doesn't get any better than this! I felt like everything Voyager did was an absolute affront to this gem of Trekdom.
* "Family": For character depth, this one REALLY was excellent. Perhaps the beginning of the Niner in me, I've always loved the episodes that took time to explore the ramifications of what happened in the previous ones. Watching Picard break down into tears...such a needed, and well-acted moment. Not to mention the insight into who he was and where he'd come from.
* "The Wounded": The next best thing to happen to Trekdom (in my opinion) after the TNG Borg--Cardassians! Or maybe THE best thing, given that the Cardassians got through ALL series without being screwed over by the writers. The characters here were superb--Picard and Macet, O'Brien and Daro, and Ben Maxwell...I'll never forget this episode, ever. This one burned such an impression into my mind on ONE viewing ever, that even seven or so years later when I bought the soundtrack for Black Hawk Down, not remembering a SINGLE lyric to the song or knowing what the chord scheme had been (I'd thought something with a lot more minor chords) I immediately ID'd "The Minstrel Boy" as the song from this episode and remembered everything. I literally cheered when in the Gateways novel, the ID for that Cardassian ship came up as the Trager. One notable "irksome" moment that showed up the bad side of Picard's character very well...I think it was some serious restraint on Macet's part not to deck him for saying in so many words that he couldn't get what loyalty really was because he was a Cardassian. Even though they were speaking of it in very different terms...I think Macet was right: there's a point when you have to divorce the memory of the man from what he has become.
"The Drumhead": The first acknowledgment of the dark side of Starfleet--and there were no parasites to blame in this one. For that, I really appreciated this one.
"Darmok": Though implausible when you really think about it, I liked seeing the weaknesses of the UT, not to mention the way Picard and Dathon forged a relationship.
* "Unification, Parts I and II": This is the episode that first got me into Trek. I remember flipping through channels on TV when they're first bouncing from planet to planet trying to figure out what was going on, and immediately I wanted to know. Even on re-viewings a few years later, this one proved just as good.
"Ethics": There's something I really liked about this controversy episode...man, the interplay between Worf and Alexander here--tense!
"Cause and Effect": Really chilling to watch that time loop! And Kelsey Grammer...as a Frasier fan I have to appreciate him.
* "I, Borg": Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh) turns in a performance here that stands side-by-side Lawrence Pressman (Tekeny Ghemor) as most moving supporting character acting EVER to grace Trekdom, and the regulars (especially Levar Burton and Patrick Stewart) played off of him wonderfully. This is an episode that could just about put me in tears--probably the one time I would ever say that of TNG. I know, given my comments about Best of Both Worlds, this might seem surprising. But there was nothing in it that invalidated what was previously established about the Borg. (It did, however, lead me to becoming quite incensed about the idiocy of Seven of Nine's character. And the total rip-off that was "One".)
* "The Inner Light". I think I'm starting to notice a pattern here--the episodes that focus on Patrick Stewart's acting really make an impression. I got completely sucked into the story of Kamin, and when he receives that flute from the probe later on...I loved it.
"True Q". While I normally saw Q as comic relief, the way the Ferengi episodes later were on DS9, this chance to see him in a more serious light--not to mention watching someone come to grips with Q power (and take it in a whole direction than the trickster himself) really stuck with me.
* "Chain of Command, Parts I and II". WOW. Picard and Cardassians. It doesn't get any better than this. I LOVE the episodes that push Picard's mental tolerances to the limit--he's VERY good at acting this sort of thing without getting carried away the way Avery Brooks (though I liked him) could do, and the actor who played Gul Madred also does a very credible job in his role. And the lights...man, that scene made an impression and when I eventually read 1984, I ultimately decided that even though that scene was a direct tribute, it was a worthy one indeed.
* "Tapestry": What if you had chosen differently in your life? I loved the chance to explore what would've happened if Picard hadn't become the strong man he was now. Very good job acting the character-out-of-character without taking it over the top. (OK...I think I see now who's really making the series in my head.)
* "The Chase": I just LOVED the concept of bringing all four of the major galactic powers together to discover the origins (at least back a few million years) of the galactic powers. The almost-intelligent-design message also served to undo the trash-talk in "Who Watches the Watchers" and Q's mockery of God in "Tapestry" (the latter of which otherwise ruled). Maybe the DS9 mindset was starting to creep onto TNG some, and believe me, that was a good thing. And Gul Ocett's reaction to being related to a Klingon...priceless! (Hmm...Picard and Cardassians again...
)* "Descent, Parts I and II": VERY nice to see the fallout of Hugh's return, the ultimate conclusion of the Data-Lore battle, and a whole different take on the Borg! Again very well acted by Jonathan Del Arco. And again this has an almost Niner tendency of revisiting loose threads--I love that sort of thing! One really wonders what happened to this colony afterwards...part of me wishes the Borg story could've stopped right here, or at least stayed true to its roots, though continuing to First Contact was OK in my mind. Going beyond...on Voyager, I think the Borg jumped the shark.
* "Phantasms": Data having nightmares--CREEPY! Whoever wrote this absolutely NAILED the surreal nature of dreams, and the relation to the story...can't forget the Troi-cake or the stabbing sequence!!!
"Dark Page": Wow. A Lwaxana episode that wasn't totally comic relief. I loved bringing out a more serious, tormented side to her character, and the Cairn perspective was quite interesting even though occasionally overacted.
"Attached": Wow, TNG was batting 3 for 3 here. Seeing Picard and Crusher tethered together, their minds blurring into one, was a heck of an experience. Too bad the relationship tension between them didn't have more time after this to be addressed...
"Masks": I think it's the imagery here that I love more than anything--the primitive archetypes cast into a 24th-century guise.
* "Lower Decks": First off, it was about time we got to see something out of the junior officers on the ship! The return of Sito and her being forced to cope with her remorse about her previous actions was quite welcome, as was the introduction of a Cardassian for whom the good of his people didn't necessarily toe the Central Command line. (Kinda set up the emergence later of Tekeny Ghemor...hmm, I wonder, did they know each other?) What a powerful, tragic ending.
* "Journey's End": Cardassians! Story arcs! And the impetus for the whole Maquis arc on DS9...seriously, it may not have SAID Deep Space Nine, but I really think of this one as a DS9 episode wearing TNG clothing and almost a part of that series. Though I wasn't a HUGE fan of Wesley, I did like the spiritual angle this took.
* "Preemptive Strike": Like the episode before it on my list, I would buy this one individually if I could as a quasi DS9 episode. The background this later provides for the Maquis arc is invaluable, and I love the back-and-forth as to the validity of the Maquis position (though I do not agree with their actions).
* "All Good Things...": The experience of watching this, knowing the series was coming to an end...I actually remember (just like "Unification") exactly where I was when I got to see this one. Probably the strongest Q appearance ever, it redeemed the bomb that was Encounter at Farpoint--when things came full-circle and returned to that courtroom...it actually WORKED. Though all the characters were involved, it was really Patrick Stewart that deserved the first bow in the show's final curtain call. Well-done.
Weird/Creepy (in chronological order):
"Conspiracy": Man, there needed to be more of these aliens--that scene with the king parasite crawling into that guy's mouth, and possessed dude actually accepting it...EWWWWW!
"Yesterday's Enterprise." This one, and all the later fallout involving Sela, confused the hell out of me when I was a kid.
"Man of the People." Alkar was one sick puppy.
Awful:
"Encounter at Farpoint, I and II" I am so glad I didn't start the series with this. I would've never watched it again. Thank goodness "Emissary" did a lot better or I would've been off Trek forever!!! (Voyager scored in between, as did Enterprise. Unfortunately both series did not live up to their potential in my mind despite a lot of good being there.)
"Code of Honor." Even before my teens, something struck me as insulting...
"The Last Outpost." Tkon dude was cool. The Ferengi...man, they were about as bright as Pakleds here.
"The Royale." No words here. SPEW.
"Who Watches the Watchers" Would've been a great concept but one arrogant statement out of Picard's mouth pissed me off. Obviously the Mintakans couldn't be allowed to continue worshipping Picard (cultural contamination and all of that), but the offhand intolerance towards ALL faith from a man who was supposedly the epitome of tolerance--man, I wanted to deck him. (Watch "The Wounded" for more MUST DECK PICARD action.)
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