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| Picard turns to old sort-of friend Raffi (Micelle Hurd) for help. |
Original Air Date: Feb. 6, 2020. Written by: Michael Chabon, James Duff. Directed by: Hanelle M. Culpepper.
THE PLOT:
With Starfleet firmly rejecting his request for a ship, Picard turns to an old friend: Raffi (Michelle Hurd), once a lieutenant commander in Starfleet, now reduced to living in a self-described "hovel" in Vasquez Rocks. She resents Picard, blaming him for the end of her career, but she still agrees to find a pilot to take him off-world. That pilot is Capt. Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera), another ex-Starfleet officer who now works as a freighter captain.
Meanwhile, Soji is granted an interview with Ramdha (Rebecca Wisocky), one of the few Romulans to have ever been assimilated by the Borg. The reclaimed Romulans have all been left mentally disturbed, and Ramdah is no exception. She listens to Soji while laying out Romulan cards, in a manner similar to a fortune teller overturning Tarot cards. After drawing a card that depicts twins, she seems to recognize Soji, asking: "Which sister are you?"
Then she becomes agitated, accusing Soji of being Seb-Cheneb - The Destroyer!
CHARACTERS:
Picard: Now that he's set on his mission, his manner has become much more like the Picard of old. After Raffi agrees to help, he calls her to send all the information he has on Bruce Maddox, the former head of Daystrom's Cybernetics Division and the most likely person to have created Dahj and Soji. When she replies (lying) that she has no interest, he ignores her, signing off with a very captain-like "Carry on." He also takes quick measure of Capt. Rios, noting that for all his open disdain for Starfleet, he runs his ship in a way that's "Starfleet to the core."
Soji: Her interest in Ramdah stems from the Romulan's pre-Borg background, as an expert in mythology. She believes that a "shared mythical framework" might help the ex-Borg in dealing with their trauma, aiding their emotional recovery. Ramdah's accusations seem to trigger something, however. She starts to interrogate the Romulan about the assimilation of her and her crewmates, demanding to know what happened to collapse the Borg cube's connection with the Collective - pressing her using details that she hadn't previously been conscious of even knowing.
Raffi: Though she was technically introduced in the previous episode, it's here that we actually start to learn about her. She worked closely with Picard on the planned Romulan evacuation, and was comfortable enough with him to refer to him as "J. L." She was not well-liked by Starfleet Command, however, and it's clear that Picard had protected her from her superiors. His resignation was followed almost immediately by her dismissal, and she blames him for the sharp downturn her life took after that. She readily admits to being paranoid, but Picard claims to value that very quality, an ability to make connections that others don't make - even if he himself doubts a few of her theories.
Capt. Rios: The episode's other major introduction, the beat-up captain of the beat-up La Sirena, the freighter that will carry him on his mission. He runs the ship with the assistance of emergency holograms, all of which are made to look exactly like him but with different accents. Though he shuts down Picard's attempts to "get into (his) head," he does allow Picard to give the order that takes them out, a sign of respect that cuts against his anti-Starfleet attitude.
Dr. Jurati: Officially joins Picard's crew, at her own insistence. She states that he will need her expertise as the leading expert on synthetic life. She claims that she desperately wants to meet the android "miracle" that she has spent her life dreaming of, and to be impressed by Picard's basic decency. All of which is reasonable in itself, and probably true as far as it goes. Still... She arrives at Picard's vineyard exactly in time to save him from a Zhat Vash attack, which I find remarkably convenient. Also, though we see her approached by Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita), the director of Starfleet Security, we don't actually witness their conversation. Put those two scenes together, and I strongly suspect that she'll be revealed to be the Commodore's eyes and ears on Picard's hired ship.
Hugh: Jonathan Del Arco reprises his TNG role as Hugh, the former Borg who is now the director of the Borg Reclamation Project. He has no illusions about the motives of the Romulans in charge of the project, observing to Soji that they see former Borg both as "property to be exploited (and) as a hazard to be warehoused." Even so, he clearly can't resist the chance to help other drones to reclaim their individuality. He is impressed by Soji's respect for the drones and grants her the interview, dubbing it "an experiment."
THOUGHTS:
The End Is the Beginning, as a title, seems to refer less to any specific events of this episode and more to its role within the season - specifically, as the end of the story's First Act and the beginning of Picard's mission. It seems to complete our introductions to major new characters, and ends with Picard having a ship, a crew, and a destination - all things he lacked at the start of the hour. It's a largely transitional episode, and as such is critical to the season... but at the expense of being unmemorable on its own terms.
For the second episode in a row, we open on the attack on Utopia Planitia. The last episode depicted the start of the incident, and showed an AI apparently being hacked just before turning on the humans. This episode shows the reaction of Picard and Starfleet, giving us more details about his resignation. He had used it to try to force Starfleet into approving a backup plan for the Romulan evacuation; he had not expected his resignation to be accepted. Raffi believed the attack was the work of the Tal Shiar, but even Picard couldn't support that theory, finding it unthinkable that Romulan Intelligence would try to stop them from saving Romulan lives. Given the "conspiracy thriller" nature of the main story, I strongly suspect that Raffi will be proved right.
One thing this series has done well thus far is play on nostalgia while still telling its own story. The return of Jonathan Del Arco's Hugh is well-handled. His role works if you never saw I, Borg and Descent, because it makes absolute sense that a former Borg would be involved in the Reclamation Project. At the same time, old fans get a nice little bonus out of recognizing the character.
Then there's the final scene. As La Sirena departs, Rios holds to allow Picard to give the order. Picard lowers his arm, pointing out at the viewscreen, delivering a command he had thought lost to the past. A single word: "Engage." Raffi rolls her eyes, while Jurati grins like a fangirl - and I suspect most viewers, old or new, find themselves grinning right along with her.
OVERALL:
The End Is the Beginning moves us to the next phase of the story. We learn more about the characters and about past events. A couple promising new characters are introduced. By the end, we know what the next destination is and why. All of this is executed competently, and there are several good moments along the way.
Beyond that, however, reviewing this episode is like reviewing a single chapter in a novel. The episode has no individual identity; it's just a 42-minute Act change. It's indispensable within the season - but on its own terms, it's Picard's least interesting episode so far.
Overall Rating: 5/10.
Previous Episode: Maps and Legends
Next Episode: Absolute Candor
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