Well, that was a ride. The episode draws from a huge amount of Trek backstory and crafts something bursting with emotion. I think that the the view of Picard's face lining up with the classic image of Locutus is one of the most arresting shots ever done in Star Trek.
Patrick Stewart is completely on form throughout, and it's hard to pick one singular moment that stood above the rest. From his anger about the Borg while speaking with Agnes, to his PTSD when first arriving on the Cube, to his genuine happiness at seeing Hugh again and all the work he's doing, this consistently feels like the Jean-Luc Picard we all knew. He's shown first hand that disconnected Borg are not the monsters he had assumed. Small bursts of moments from First Contact were used effectively, including an unexpected glimpse dof the Queen. The terror of what he experienced may never fully go away despite the strides we saw him make over the years, and it rings true.
Other random thoughts:
"It's absolutely essential that I find Soji immediately. But by all means, feel free to give me the VIP tour of the Cube first."
Okay, so maybe it wasn't in the script. But it should have been.
The moment Picard landed on the Borg cube this episode was getting really great. I loved every minute of it.
After #Picard 1x06 I finally understand that Deanna Troi was really essential in TNG. :thinking:
Jean-Luc seems to struggle to register any emotional distress, even among his familiar entourage and therefore frequently behaves like an insensitive moron.
God bless counselor Troi for informing him all these years!
My feelings about this show in general are still very mixed. But the start was certainly more promising than the recent episodes.
Maybe Jean-Luc can't do space anymore?
[6.8/10] I really like the ideas here -- Soji's dreams being a way for her (and Narek) to get after the truth, Picard having PTSD and Hugh helping him recover, Jurati and Raffi each dealing with the after effects of what happened last week -- but man, the dialogue and the writing and even the performances just leave a lot to be desired. That makes it hard for even the best stuff in this episode to land.
But hey! We've got plot movement! Soji knows she's an android! Narek has pulled the trigger on his betrayal! Zhad Vash probably knows where the Synths are hiding! And Picard has found the other Data daughter and wants to bring her to safety! After so much setup, things are finally moving, so huzzah!
I just wish they could move without the 78th "hooray for metaphors!" shot of Narek's Romulan Rubik's cube, or Picard spelling out how the Borg are victims not monsters, or the other clumsily delivered versions of what are otherwise quality ideas for the show.
Watch the show with subtitles on, there's an extra line of dialog that's not spoken right at the end of the episode.
One moment I am on the verge of stop watching (Jurati & Rios; likewise seeing Raffi swinging a bottle of whiskey around the bridge) and the next moment I am fascinated (Picard on the cube) by the writing.
I honestly don't know what do with this show at the moment.
WTF, there’s smoking in space??? Nonsense.
This is not TNG, but Ocean's 11 meets (this old) Indy. Still entertaining though...
Haha, Raffi's "kind" heads-up xD
I wish I could consistently fall asleep within 70 seconds... :)
Seems like Narek planted quite some doubts in Soji's head. It must really be quite unsettling to discover all of this (almost on yor own)!
It also looks like Picard's still severely traumatized from his contact with the Borg. Even the better that Hugh is so nice! He really did help Picard very well and didn't even insist on the many questions he must have.
Soji seeing herself in pieces as a doll must've been the most unsettling. I have no idea how I'd feel about that. It's also quite unfortunate that she likely gave away the location of her home. But I guess they'll still have time to save it :) And luckily Narek really messed up his "goodbye" :D He did so well so far but I feel like he ended it too abruptly. What if they don't find Soji's home based on that information (space is vast) or if the information was wrong? Not sure if it makes sense to risk already killing her. He probably should've put her in stasis instead - ideally without her knowing what he did / what his plans are. And when trying to kill her he should've made sure it's a fast death before she activates (didn't they learn anything from last time?!?).
Anyway, at least Picard did make a very good first impression. He didn't have it easy at all but I think he did really really well and said the right things when he met Soji so that she trusts him enough for the escape.
Seeing that secret Borg room was nice.
Quite a bit of Sci-Fi/technology and action in this episode! :)
"Please, my friends, choose to live."
It seems like this could be slow disclosure. The Taal Ghiar are a real race according to Elena Danaan's book: "A Gift From the Stars, The Book of Alien Races" (2020).
5/10
Meh
So nobody questions THE death on Agus's watch and just take her word for it without any further investigation, yeah right,
Well that just blood sloppy and complete bull-crap.
Yet more brother sister creepy incest interactions going-on's and really not much else worth me commenting on. Nothing makes sense at this point I don't really care, 80 percent of each episode is just filler just to chew the runtime up. Between growing Data's from one cell to Borg transit personal Queen teleporters yeah right this show is definitely on a spiral down fall. It's so not fun are exciting and the story/plot/point is shit along with the writing.
Just going to grind these next 4 episodes out then I can get back to PERFECTION Which is the Masterpiece that is
STAR TREK DISCOVERY
Proper Trek
When you have to face your past
Shout by Why Not Zoidberg?BlockedParent2020-03-01T03:56:05Z
Overall good series so far, but it is pretty sloppy writing, with confusing plot-holes, one-shot characters, and conflicts that are far too easily resolved.
Also, I really dislike Elnor. He is like a Lord of the Rings elf who got lost. His character makes no sense and was basically sitting around doing nothing for a couple episodes with some lame attempts at comic relief.