What's with the Inner Light bashing?

[M-Red]

It's a great episode to be sure, but I think it's an episode that's a couple steps away from being a superb episode.

And I disagree.


The things that bother you about this particular episode aren't a problem for me. In fact, I like the shots back to the crew on the Enterprise. If anything, I agree with the Jammer review upthread; they enhance the story for the audience by letting us in on the answer before it's revealed to our main character. It's not unique, but it is rare.


It's nice to be able to reasonably discuss various aspects of an episode, season, or series (or even franchise) and be able to just agree to disagree.

 

[Cyke101]

It's nice to be able to reasonably discuss various aspects of an episode, season, or series (or even franchise) and be able to just agree to disagree.

Well, I wouldn't want you to think that I'm bashing the episode as the likes of Shades of Gray or the warp 10 salamander episode is all. Conversely, nor should any critique of any episode come across as a personal affront to all one holds dear.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

It's a great episode to be sure, but I think it's an episode that's a couple steps away from being a superb episode.

And I disagree.


The things that bother you about this particular episode aren't a problem for me. In fact, I like the shots back to the crew on the Enterprise. If anything, I agree with the Jammer review upthread; they enhance the story for the audience by letting us in on the answer before it's revealed to our main character. It's not unique, but it is rare.


It's nice to be able to reasonably discuss various aspects of an episode, season, or series (or even franchise)
and be able to just agree to disagree.

Its even better when people (you) can admit that they're wrong

 

[M-Red]

Its even better when people (you) can admit that they're wrong

Your_Posts_Fail







Wow, those icons are super-duper fun. Clever too.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

 

[Tiberius]

Okay, so some of you have said that the scenes on the bridge take away the mystery of what is happening. But the thing is, the episode was never about that. It was never trying to make you think, "Is Picard really Kamin? Or is it a dream? Or something else?" It was never a mystery.

 

[Cyke101]

Okay, so some of you have said that the scenes on the bridge take away the mystery of what is happening. But the thing is, the episode was never about that. It was never trying to make you think, "Is Picard really Kamin? Or is it a dream? Or something else?" It was never a mystery.

You're approaching the criticisms as if to preserve a mystery to the viewer, when really it's initially a mystery for Picard, which are two different narrative approaches. But even then, if the episode is about how life is lived, then there's no point in reminding the viewer that it's not really Picard's life, and there's no point in diverting attention from Kamin's life -- the primary focus of the episode. On the contrary, the bridge crew scenes distract from that smoothness.

The problem here is that the writers kept insisting on inserting the bridge crew, all while trying to assert (and successfully, I might add) that both Picard and the viewer are becoming more comfortable with the life of Kamin. If we're supposed to concentrate and feel for Kamin and the community, then there's no point in trying to connect the viewer to a story that ultimately has nothing to do with Kamin.

Essentially, for me it comes down to this: More Plot A, less Plot B. Have faith in the strength of the Kamin storyline. In Trek, the B plots are made not just to fill time, but sometimes to carry the A plots. But I don't think that's necessary here at all.

 

[nnnnnnn]

Inner Light's theme's inheres in lyrics to Harrison song, invoking power of reverie (more generally, introspection, thought): "do all without doing". There is never intended to be a suggestion that Kamin's life actually occurred.

 

[Cyke101]

Inner Light's theme's inheres in lyrics to Harrison song, invoking power of reverie (more generally, introspection, thought): "do all without doing". There is never intended to be a suggestion that Kamin's life actually occurred.

It certainly occurred to Picard, or else there'd be no repercussions whatsoever. Hence the flute scene as an anchor in the Kamin life and as connector between both worlds at the end of the episode. Did it happen historically? Doesn't matter, but it clearly affected Picard, and he is the site where the viewer's care and the episode's pathos is generated.

 

[nnnnnnn]

Inner Light's theme's inheres in lyrics to Harrison song, invoking power of reverie (more generally, introspection, thought): "do all without doing". There is never intended to be a suggestion that Kamin's life actually occurred.

It certainly occurred to Picard, or else there'd be no repercussions whatsoever.

Did you actually read the Harrison lyrics? Seriously, I'm curious, because your comments seem like non sequiturs in that context. The lyrics state "Without going out of my door // You can know all things of earth." Picard can know something, can learn something, without actually doing it ("Do all without doing"). The whole theme is encapsulated in the lyrics, like I said.

 

[Cyke101]

Inner Light's theme's inheres in lyrics to Harrison song, invoking power of reverie (more generally, introspection, thought): "do all without doing". There is never intended to be a suggestion that Kamin's life actually occurred.

It certainly occurred to Picard, or else there'd be no repercussions whatsoever.

Did you actually read the Harrison lyrics? Seriously, I'm curious, because your comments seem like non sequiturs in that context. The lyrics state "Without going out of my door // You can know all things of earth." Picard can know something, can learn something, without actually doing it ("Do all without doing"). The whole theme is encapsulated in the lyrics, like I said.

Does it matter? Can the episode stand on its own feet? If it doesn't, then it becomes derivative. References are well and nice, but if the episode is dependent on it for its entire plot structure, then the references are a crutch, a copy, not inspiration. Funny, but the episode doesn't seem derivative to me.

Your point of contention was that Kamin's life didn't happen. I responded that they happened, in a sense, perhaps only in the mind (imagination, projection, programming, synonym after synonym) of one man (Picard), but that means it did happen. The lyrics don't exactly contradict that. If Picard learned something without doing it, then the doing was by Kamin. And if Kamin did it, it happened -- if not historically, then mentally and spiritually, and importantly to Picard and the viewer.

On a personal note, can you learn how to respond without being confrontational? Feel free to enlighten us by expanding your discussion about Harrison lyrics -- I would love to learn more about Harrison, as he's my favorite Beatle -- but tactless accusations that question intelligence really reduce interest.

 

[nnnnnnn]

I started another thread here: http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=165649 on Inner Light on Blu-ray. tl;dr: it's even better on Blu-ray, and definitely worth watching in that format.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

Yes, the picture quality is better on blu-ray, but high definition hardly makes the problems go away.

 

[Cyke101]

I started another thread here: http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=165649 on Inner Light on Blu-ray. tl;dr: it's even better on Blu-ray, and definitely worth watching in that format.

Now *this* I can agree with.