7x07 Dark Page

[4.8/10] It’s not “Dark Page”’s fault that it comes so close to two episodes that do the same thing it’s trying to do, only better. “Phantasms” and “Interface” aren’t necessarily beloved by the fanbase, but they do “nightmare sequence” and “gaining closure on a personal loss thanks to sci-fi weirdness” much better than “Dark Page” manages to. The fact that each came out so close to the latest adventures of the Troi family only makes this one look worse by the company it keeps.

To the point, maybe the scenes of Deanna delving into her mother’s nightmarish subconscious, where Lwaxana tries to put up walls and literal defense mechanisms to keep her out, might have more impact if we hadn't just done a similar tack with Data’s nightmares. There, the strange perspective shots and Lynchian weirdness gave his grim reveries an eeriness that elevated the episode even when the plot faltered. But the sequences involving the Deanna seem like the standard Enterprise sets, only with slightly darker lighting, and the occasional wide angle lens or swirling shot. THere’s not as much flourish or flair, which makes these liminal sequences seem pedestrian by comparison.

In the same way, I’m no great fan of “Interface” from this season, but its strongest point is Geordi realizing that saying goodbye to a representation of his mother helped give him closure, even if he knows it’s not the real thing, because it helped him to accept a difficult truth about her death. “Dark Page” effectively redoes that with Lwaxana saying goodbye to her lost daughter, Kestra, in the confines of her mind, with another alien race furnishing the opportunity.

Even apart from the comparisons, “Dark Page” is a dull time on its own terms. I’ll confess, I remembered the answer to the mystery in this one from watching TNG as a kid. I don’t want to discount the possibility that there’s a greater air of ominousness or intrigue if you’re watching all of the build-up to the reveal and don’t know what’s behind the curtain. But if you do know where this is headed, the build feels strangely rudderless, with little in the way of hints as to what the problem with Lwaxana is or why Deanna’s approach might help her.

At best, there’s a red herring with the Cairn, a telepathic species who Lwaxana is trying to coach up for entry into the Federation. In places, “Dark Page” uses lighting and foreboding music to evoke the sense that Maques, the lead representative of these aliens, might be hurting Lwaxana in some way with his psychic powers. Still, it mainly feels like a waste of time detour. The episode spends more time head-faking and wheel-spinning on the way to revealing that Lwaxana lost a child before Deanna was old enough to remember her, rather than actually dealing with that situation.

Once we’re there, the episode isn’t any better though. There’s plenty to unpack in a mother having locked away the loss of a child, because she blames herself for the daughter’s death. “Dark Page” leaves scant few minutes to show Lwaxana working through such things. She just accepts Kestra’s passing, with Deanna’s encouragement, and then seems mostly better for merely acknowledging the loss rather than locking it away. I’m willing to give some leeway to a show delving into pop psychology that fits within the confines of a forty-five minute episode, but it came off rushed even for a “breakthrough” on television.
By the same token, “Dark Page” plays the whole thing as overblown melodrama rather than an intimate, realistic look at a devastating loss. I don’t know if it was in the script, or a choice by First Lady of Star Trek Majel Barrett, or the direction of franchise stalwart Les Landau, but Lwaxana’s confession and reaction are so over the top that they, ironically, have less force than something more grounded. It’s a sorry way to send off one of my favorite recurring Star Trek characters, even if it’s another admirable attempt to give her depth and pathos beyond her initial status as wacky comic relief.

Oddly enough, the oft-shaky Marina Sirtis delivers a pretty good performance in this one! Some of the dialogue still sounds tin-eared with her delivery, but that’s not limited to Sirtis in “Dark Page”, so it seems unfair to pin that on her. More to the point, her nonverbal acting, like the way she responds to her father caressing her cheek while singing a childhood song, or a moment of recognition when she realizes the “Captain Picard” she sees in her mother’s dream isn’t the genuine article is really good, nuanced stuff. Sirtis tends to do solid work on TNG overall, yet falter when the moments get big, but she more than holds her own here.

Sadly, “Dark Page” doesn’t give her much to work with. It is nice to learn a little bit more about the Troi family history and gain insight into Deanna’s childhood. Finding new things for us to learn about familiar characters in a show’s final season is always a worthwhile tack. The details about Kestra would prove relevant to how the franchise would address Deanna’s future in Star Trek: Picard, and meeting her father, even in a dream, helps us to complete the picture of who Deanna is and where she came from.

That is, unfortunately, about the only other trick “Dark Page” had. It’s a rote episode that spends far too much time hemming and hawing about what’s plaguing Lwaxana rather than actually dealing with it. Sure, it’s fun to see a young Kirsten Dunst pop up on the Enterprise, or see one last outing for Lwaxana to try to cajole her daughter into finding a husband. But even at its best, “Dark Page” gives us dream sequences and psychological breakthroughs that the seventh season had preemptively one-upped just a few episodes before. Lwaxana deserved better, and as swan songs go, I’d rather remember her candor and vulnerability with Odo than her theatrical wailing with Deanna.