That's what TNG almost always did.
Worst TNG Episode Ever?
- Thread starter Chief Medical Officer
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"Hide and Q"
It's hateful, how this episode goes out of its way to make Riker look like a bell's end! As a matter of fact, I haven't watched it, since before startrek.com shut down its message boards, even. I love TNG heart & soul ... but this offering gets no love from me.
It's hateful, how this episode goes out of its way to make Riker look like a bell's end! As a matter of fact, I haven't watched it, since before startrek.com shut down its message boards, even. I love TNG heart & soul ... but this offering gets no love from me.
That one is pretty dire..... and I like Q a lot. Liked the actor ever since he was on Days Of Our Lives as a mad scientist / inventor.
What about Angel One. I can't stand that episode?
Not as long as "Fair Haven" and "Spirit Folk" exist. "Code of Honor" is something you can laugh at.
I haven't watched those season 1 "classics" in a while, last time I had a WTF moment with later seasons was with 'Hollow Pursuits'.
So bad you just laugh and shake your head? I was appalled by the racism. It is, for me, not just bad but embarrassed to be caught watching it bad. Other bad ST eps are, for me, bad in a they can't all be winners sort of way.
You know, I have to be honest with you ... I kind of like "Angel One." It's a Guilty Pleasure of mine - mostly because of Karen Montgomery. Also, the main cast, not really knowing what the hell "message" is in this story, do a great job of trying to focus on what they can relate to, which is, basically, the humour in it. For example, Riker sporting that ... that blouse ... and those tights. Egasds ... seeing the girls laughing was cute, though. What could Frakes do, but just go with it?
Otherwise, those responsible for the series haven't the BALLS to make - and commit to - ANY statement, despite the fact that the very premise demands one. So, they settle on "You Can't Fight the Winds of Change," and throw in a little hint at the feminising of Male America, here ... a slight suggestion regarding gender equality there ... but are so concerned with offending anyone, with a 1st season show like this, that they just dance around it all.
Trying to be Timely and Topical and all that's great ... but have some balls if you're going to be bringing the shit up, will you? Even if it is Left Wing Liberal, I can stand it, if it's coming from "the heart" as it were, and tries to be entertaining about it. Otherwise, it's just so much meaningless diversion, like all the rest of mixed media.
The feminizing of males has been going on for ages. Look at the so called "Cosmetics Industry."
We have had TV ads here for Nivea 'men's cream' which is basically exactly the same as Nivea skin cream for women, even the same blue tub but different writing on the top and "Men's cream" on it. One ad that used to come on had these men doing wood chopping and one guy pulls out a tub out his pocket and dabs his face...... It just looked so very awkward and forced...
So yeah that kind of thing has been going on for ages and I consider cosmetics feminizing to some degree.
What's kind of funny about cosmetics is that it was Men, actually, who started wearing make-up, first. Back when society was ruled by witchdoctors and their ilk, they'd come out with their fancy headdress and paint all over their face, trying to intimidate and signify a greater power. When women took to the idea of using make-up, they did so with a complete understanding of this. They knew the power of and how to use it.
Then, suddenly, these primitive societies start coming out with laws so if a Man is tricked into getting with a woman he finds unattractive, because she wore a lot of make-up, he can break with her, without being castrated through his wallet. In the here and now, though, yeah ... there's definitely this trend where guys want to look like a pretty boy to get with hot women. All I can tell them is, hey ... if you don't got it going on without it, you won't have it going on, by using it. But go on, fellas, and get the facials with the cucumbers over the eyes and the whole bit, if you think it'll help ...
Then, suddenly, these primitive societies start coming out with laws so if a Man is tricked into getting with a woman he finds unattractive, because she wore a lot of make-up, he can break with her, without being castrated through his wallet. In the here and now, though, yeah ... there's definitely this trend where guys want to look like a pretty boy to get with hot women. All I can tell them is, hey ... if you don't got it going on without it, you won't have it going on, by using it. But go on, fellas, and get the facials with the cucumbers over the eyes and the whole bit, if you think it'll help ...
I've always heard this was the "just say no" episode, but I never saw that on screen. Gene R actually did drugs and drank for many years. He was actually trying to say people often had a deeper need to use drugs, and that there wasn't a simple answer to it. He felt we needed to get to the heart of why humans feel the need to self-medicate themselves this way. Unfortunately, the episode could never really supply an answer..I don't think it was meant to, but leaving the question open for debate was the intention..quite the opposite of what many people got out of it.
RAMA
I think the ep was named 'Justice.' It was cringeworthy, yes, but no episode of TV with Brenda Bakke that scantily clad could be the 'worst of anything.' Same with Marta Dubois in 'Devil's Due.' She played Magnum's dead wife Michelle in Magnum PI and the Japanese 'princess' in Tales of the Gold Monkey. Totally babe-alicious.
Well yes, theres context. I don't watch star trek to see awkward sex. There are much better avenues for that.I think the ep was named 'Justice.' It was cringeworthy, yes, but no episode of TV with Brenda Bakke that scantily clad could be the 'worst of anything.' Same with Marta Dubois in 'Devil's Due.' She played Magnum's dead wife Michelle in Magnum PI and the Japanese 'princess' in Tales of the Gold Monkey. Totally babe-alicious.
"The Masterpiece Society" empitomizes what I disliked about Next Gen. It's bland, it's banal. It's where I stopped on my last attempt to watch TNG a few years ago.
I will list my least favorite episodes in no particular order:
A lot of people feel the need to constantly critique every Trek series, dwelling on what they would do differently, or which seasons are bad, or what the worst characters are. And that's fine. Y'all are welcome to. I may participate occasionally. But I always feel weird in those conversations, because I don't have a lot of negative words to say about Trek at all, unless I'm forced to. I have trouble being objective.
- "Shades of Grey"...this is not even an episode. This is the equivalent of happily driving along a highway in your car, listening to happy folk music, and then suddenly being t-boned by a large truck. It's probably the weakest season finale I've ever seen in any show. They might as well have just put up a notice on the screen saying, "We regret to inform you that the writer's strike has brought this season to a premature close, and in lieu of having someone cynically scribbling a series of scenes together in five minutes while drunk, we have opted to simply end things on a high note. I mean, Peak Performance was pretty good."
- "Angel One"...everyone talks about this one being bad. There's actually things to like in spurts, but the whole hamfisted message leaves a rotten taste in my mouth. I still can't believe they named the manservant Brent, and the presentation of the society seems rooted in outdated presentations of gender identity that seem rather cliche. Are we supposed to be like, "Ah ha! Brent uses perfume! It's a joke!" Not all masculine women are one dimensional bad asses (who secretly desire a real man), and not all feminine men are weak, submissive queens. It's just all so poorly handled.
- "Code of Honor"...there are, again, things I like in the episode, and I don't want to automatically assume that there absolutely can't exist an alien race of people who look like Africans with a tribal culture, but there's a lot of cliche and downright offensiveness in the presentation. I recently watched the silent film A Trip to the Moon, where astronauts go to the moon and take back moon people to Earth, who look exactly like tribal people of color, and put them in zoos. The end. "Code of Honor" only seems marginally better. It's not a positive portrayal of POC, what with a mostly white cast having to "deal" with a primitive POC tribe. Anyway, I know some POC are actually sympathetic towards the episode, while many aren't, and it's just such a quagmire of sociopolitics that I just kind of avoid the show. But hey, the battle with the "cactus hands" is kind of cool, and I'll admit that the scene with Lutan and Picard hanging out while trying to out-bravado each other is alright.
- "The Game"...I just can't get over the sight of everyone high as f**k. It's just too silly.
A lot of people feel the need to constantly critique every Trek series, dwelling on what they would do differently, or which seasons are bad, or what the worst characters are. And that's fine. Y'all are welcome to. I may participate occasionally. But I always feel weird in those conversations, because I don't have a lot of negative words to say about Trek at all, unless I'm forced to. I have trouble being objective.
I think the ep was named 'Justice.' It was cringeworthy, yes, but no episode of TV with Brenda Bakke that scantily clad could be the 'worst of anything.' Same with Marta Dubois in 'Devil's Due.' She played Magnum's dead wife Michelle in Magnum PI and the Japanese 'princess' in Tales of the Gold Monkey. Totally babe-alicious.
Don't forget the actress that played Adra. She was pretty gorgeous .
I think you missed his point. Marta Dubois WAS the actress who played Ardra in Devil's Due.
My mistake
Her face prostheses really made her face look alot more angular that it is in reality. I never did find Ardra attractive but Marta Dubois yes.
Beata is a very appealing character, very likeable. She has a job to do but she is no unreasoning dogmatist.
Beata is a very appealing character, very likeable. She has a job to do but she is no unreasoning dogmatist.
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RASCALS. I say RASCALS!! NOTHING IS WORSE.
Based on cringe factor, I'd actually have to put The Outrageous Okona in the number 2 spot. This episode is such an in-your-face example of the trope of "informed attributes" that it's truly childish writing. No, listen, Okona is so cool and here is why, he is all these things you will never see but trust us he really is. Again and again and again and...
But Rascals? Trying to pretend in my head that these kids, who are not such great actors, ESPECIALLY the kid Picard, are the crew and Guinan? Uh, yeah. Sure. It might as well have been the Little Rascals.
I'll watch Code of Honor and even Shades of Grey before those two. Honestly I don't have that big a problem with Code of Honor, I just don't think it's a particularly good ep, but it doesn't repulse me. Shades of Grey isn't really an ep. SubRosa is silly as hell but just because Crusher masturbates doesn't make it worse than RASCALS. Or The Outrageous Okona.
Angel One is considerably more watchable than any of the above. It's only a mediocre episode, but still better than these.
Based on cringe factor, I'd actually have to put The Outrageous Okona in the number 2 spot. This episode is such an in-your-face example of the trope of "informed attributes" that it's truly childish writing. No, listen, Okona is so cool and here is why, he is all these things you will never see but trust us he really is. Again and again and again and...
But Rascals? Trying to pretend in my head that these kids, who are not such great actors, ESPECIALLY the kid Picard, are the crew and Guinan? Uh, yeah. Sure. It might as well have been the Little Rascals.
I'll watch Code of Honor and even Shades of Grey before those two. Honestly I don't have that big a problem with Code of Honor, I just don't think it's a particularly good ep, but it doesn't repulse me. Shades of Grey isn't really an ep. SubRosa is silly as hell but just because Crusher masturbates doesn't make it worse than RASCALS. Or The Outrageous Okona.
Angel One is considerably more watchable than any of the above. It's only a mediocre episode, but still better than these.
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