2-10. Farewell.

Picard and Q share an emotional farewell.

Original Air Date: May 5, 2022. Written by: Christopher Monfette, Akiva Goldsman. Directed by: Michael Weaver.


THE PLOT:

The Borg Queen-possessed Jurati has gone, departing for the Delta Quadrant in La Sirena and leaving the others on 21st century Earth. They have no way to get home; but with Renée Picard ready to launch in the Europa mission in a matter of hours, at least the future seems to be back on track.

Except for Adam Soong...

Soong remains determined to stop Renée and to secure his legacy as the hero of a dark and twisted Earth. Wielding outsized financial influence like a weapon, he demands "face time" with Renée before launch - a one-on-one conversation that he will make sure is her last.

Picard and Tallinn beam to the launch site to stop him. Meanwhile, the others discover that Soong has a back-up plan: weaponized drones that are set to target the shuttle on lift-off!


CHARACTERS:

Picard: Accompanies Tallinn against her wishes, in large part because of his fear of losing someone else. On that mission, he proves to be approximately as useful as a spare tire with a nail through its center. Thankfully, he gets some good material in the back half of the episode: an emotional final scene with Q, then a return to the Borg confrontation that started all this, with him exhibiting both patience and authority.

Seven: There's a nice follow-up to her conversation with Raffi in the last episode, when she recalled her rejection by Starfleet - something that Picard effectively fixes with a single order. She's open to rekindling her relationship with Raffi. Not that she's blind to Raffi's flaws: When Raffi starts overthinking a kiss, Seven tells her to just "let it breathe" with a mix of exasperation and amusement.

Tallinn: "You won't let me? It's not up to you!" Finally, a spark of Tallinn's original characterization returns when she snaps at Picard after he insists on accompanying her. Not that one can blame Picard for assuming that he has a say in Tallinn's actions, given that Two of One was the last episode to see her do anything other than tag along after him. Tallinn finally comes face to face with Renée, the assignment who has become a surrogate daughter to her, in a well-written and heartfelt exchange. Her final scene with Picard, however, goes on far too long, with (yet another) speech that retreads a lot of the ground as her speeches in Monsters and Hide and Seek.

Adam Soong: He was introduced as a disgraced scientist who was begging for more funding. Um... why? Based on this episode, he must have enough money to make Elon Musk jealous. I'll ignore the military drones, as those presumably came from the Borg Queen - but he's somehow donated enough to the Europa mission to be able to demand "face time" with astronauts, violating protocols that even American Presidents are expected to follow and with not so much as a security escort. In reality, I'd fully expect his demands would end in "face time" with large, uniformed officers walking him to the nearest exit.

Guinan: Whoopi Goldberg returns to bookend her appearance in the season opener. She fills in the blanks for Picard's crew about what happened after they returned home, since she lived through all of it. She also has a good moment when she thanks Picard for "setting (her) straight" in the past when she was ready to give up on humanity.

Q: "Even gods have favorite, Jean-Luc, and you've always been one of mine." If this does end up being Q's last appearance, at the very least the character is well-treated. His interactions with Picard are emotional, but never too emotional for this mischievous god of sarcasm. He refuses to accept blame for Elnor's death, pointing out that he didn't kill the young man; Seven's "idiot husband" from the alternate timeline did. He also cleans up his mess. As was true in Q Who?, he transports Picard back to where he belongs, making sure his old friend is just a little wiser for the experience.


THOUGHTS:

"Must it always have galactic import? Universal stakes, celestial upheaval? Isn't one life enough? You ask me why it matters. It matters to me!"
-Q reveals the very personal reason behind his actions.

There is much that is good in Farewell. The scenes with Q, and the end scenes with Picard dealing with the Borg back in present, are excellent. Character material is generally strong - again, particularly in the second half, once the plot mechanics are out of the way.

Too bad there's roughly half an episode of crap to wade through to get to the good stuff.

Given that the midseason features so much wheel-spinning, why does all of the activity surrounding the Europa launch feel so rushed? It plays very much as if a full episode of material was condensed into about twenty minutes.

No character in this section of the episode faces any serious obstacles. Soong swans around (a startlingly empty) Mission Control like he's Madame Empress, sneering at actual officials for being "disrespectful" and making demands even though he has exactly zero official standing. I'd immediately give this episode two additional points if they'd thrown him out, forcing him to evade security and improvise in order to reach Renée. This would have created some suspense and would have made the worst part of the episode feel at least a bit more convincing... but it also would have taken time; and after deviations like an entire episode devoted to Picard's bad dreams, time is now a luxury the season just doesn't have.

The lack of obstacles applies equally to our heroes. Picard and Tallinn encounter the same absence of security - or any other staff - that Soong does. Tallinn steals a flight suit from one room, then walks right in on Renée in another. Convenience stores do more to guard chocolate bars! The episode at least pretends that it's hard for Rios, Raffi, and Seven to stop the drones... but it's still the work of a few minutes, with Raffi punching some buttons to gain manual control before Rios saves the day by essentially playing a video game.

The showrunners should have cut some of the fat out of the mid-season and used that extra time to develop the Europa launch into a full episode. Then the finale could have just been epilogue, which would have been a match for the premiere being the prologue. The Q/Picard, Seven/Raffi, and Picard/Borg scenes are the bits of the episode that work, so I certainly wouldn't object to there being a bit more of it. Maybe we could check in on Soji, who seemed to have a firm friendship with Jurati in the first episode. It wouldn't even have cost much extra, given that Isa Briones is already in the episode, and this might have shown Jurati's change affecting someone on an emotional level.

Oh, and I will give points to a surprise cameo by a TNG character. I did not see that coming, and I rather liked how this appearance was woven in.


OVERALL:

Farewell is an episode of two halves. The first part is mostly terrible, unconvincing and inexcusably rushed. The rest almost makes up for it with some excellent character material. Unsurprisingly, the scenes between Patrick Stewart and John de Lancie are the highlights, but there are good moments for almost everybody.

This episode is much like the season it closes. There are plenty of elements to enjoy... but enjoying the good requires having a fair amount of patience with the bad. In the end, I'd have to rate both this finale and the season itself as a disappointment.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Hide and Seek
Next Episode: The Next Generation

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2-01. The Star Gazer.

Picard delivers an impassioned speech to a class of Starfleet Academy graduates.

Original Air Date: Mar. 3, 2022. Written by: Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas. Directed by: Douglas Aarniokoski.


THE PLOT:

Picard is back in Starfleet. He is chancellor of the Academy, focusing his energies on the next generation of explorers. The ragtag La Sirena crew members have gone their own ways. Seven is still a Fenris Ranger. Soji is acting as an ambassador for the synthetics. Raffi has taken command of the USS Excelsior, and the recently-graduated Elnor is among her crew.

Capt. Rios is also in Starfleet again, in charge of the USS Star Gazer. Named after Picard's first command, this starship is the prototype for a new class that uses research from the Borg artifact. The Star Gazer is orbiting Delta, where Soji is impressing the local populace, when Rios receives new orders. A tear in space-time has been detected, and he's been ordered to investigate.

The anomaly is emitting a transmission, one which Dr. Jurati is able to decipher. It is a plea:

"Help us, Picard. Help us..."


CHARACTERS:

Picard: No longer the bitter old hermit of early Season One, Picard seems to be enjoying his return to Starfleet. He has purpose again. When he speaks at a graduating class, it is with passion and joy. Despite this, his personal life continues to be barren, something commented on at various points by Raffi, by Romulan ex-spy/housekeeper Laris, and by Guinan. Laris directly expresses interest in him, and he seems to reciprocate... but for whatever reason, he cannot quite make himself close that gap.

Capt. Rios: He's generally informal as he splays in the captain's chair, perpetually chomping on a cigar. This default demeanor makes it all the more effective when he is sharply in crisis mode near the end. When Picard arrives on the Star Gazer, he defers to him without a word of complaint. He remains alert, however, ready to step in to protect Picard or to take over for him.

Seven of Nine: Has taken command of La Sirena, Rios's old ship. She has not hired a crew, preferring to rely on the Rios holograms. She tells Picard that others feel paranoid about the presence of an ex-Borg. Though she seems reluctant to interact with others, she still insists on helping others - though being Seven, her way of helping tends to involve violence.

Dr. Jurati: Broke up with Rios in the gap between seasons, yet she continues to work with him. They still "read" as a couple, with a distinct flirtatious undertone to their interactions. She continues to carry scars from the events of Season One. When she figures out that a Deltan is interested in her - "This is how really pretty people flirt, isn't it?" - she shoots him down by talking about how alien influence resulted in her murdering her previous ex.

Soji: Is only seen briefly, apparently to write her out. She is confident and charming in her diplomatic relations on Delta. She also retains her friendship with Jurati, which makes me disappointed that this one scene is probably the character's full role for the season. Their friendship is both entertaining and convincing, and I suspect I will miss it in future episodes.

Raffi: She's made sure that Elnor is assigned to her ship, feeling protective of the young man whose "absolute candor can get his ass kicked." Her relationship with Seven is in a holding pattern, and she wishes that there could be something more... which would be a lot easier to care about if their relationship had gotten any build-up at all. As of now, I still can't judge them as a couple, because they've barely exchanged two words in the entire series to date!

Laris: Her husband died between seasons of a terminal case of "Orla Brady has screen chemistry with Patrick Stewart." After Picard fails to act on her overtures, she rejects the suggestion that they continue as they have been. "It would all be too awkward, and I'm too old for awkward." Either they're a couple, or she'll move on.

Guinan: Whoopi Goldberg appears in one very good scene in her old TNG role. Guinan is still a bartender, and she is still ready to serve Picard a drink and listen. She tries to get him to open up about why he has never had a lasting relationship, waving away his attempts to talk about space exploration and Starfleet. But when it becomes clear that he isn't willing to talk more openly, she agrees to just share a quiet drink with him.


THOUGHTS:

"The only place you have ever been afraid to explore, be it flesh and blood or an artificial synthetic, is (the heart)... Your answers are not in the stars, and they never have been."
-Guinan, refusing to accept Picard's reasons for remaining alone.

As a season premiere, The Star Gazer has the confidence to take its time. The episode touches base with the characters and just lets them chat: Picard and Laris exchanging toasts in multiple languages; Jurati and Soji, more relaxed than we've ever seen them as they joke with each other at a diplomatic event; Jurati and Rios, interacting like an old married couple despite their breakup; Picard sharing a drink with Guinan even as he studiously avoids saying anything meaningful. The script centers itself on the characters, only pivoting to a plot focus in the last fifteen minutes.

The writers are clearly setting up a season theme for Picard involving his avoidance of relationships. Multiple characters comment on this. Raffi remarks that she wonders if Picard even gets lonely, and the way Patrick Stewart's posture changes for just a second is all the answer the viewers require. In this one way, he is still - to paraphrase his own words in Season One - not actually living.

I'm not sure as yet how this strand will connect to the external threat introduced at the end, though too much time is given to it for there not be some type of connection. Within this opening hour, I was mainly just pleased to see that the episode didn't try to rush. By putting the characters first, there is more investment when the action finally comes at the end.

I had only one major disappointment with an otherwise highly enjoyable opener. Season One ended with Picard's consciousness transferred into a synthetic body. Even with Dr. Soong's assurances that this body remained his - human and mortal, just minus his illness - I felt that Picard's acceptance of the situation was a cheat. A character-focused Season Two opener provided an opportunity for him to demonstrate discomfort, however private or buried. Instead, the only mention it receives is a quick throwaway line by Guinan. Yes, I thought it was a bad story move - but it happened, so the show really should engage with it.

The opening credits have been retooled, presumably to fit the story and themes of this season. The theme is still recognizable, but it has a darker tone. The visuals now include: the piece of painted glass that Picard looks at early in the episode; the enemy introduced at the end; and the image of an hourglass.

The production team appears to have learned its lesson about billing for surprise guest stars. Whoopi Goldberg receives a credit on the front, but another guest appearance is reserved for the end credits to preserve the surprise. Admittedly, that surprise was spoiled by basically every trailer and write-up for Season Two - but at least the show is no longer spoiling itself!


OVERALL:

The Star Gazer is a strong opening to Picard's second season. The character focus is welcome, and all of the actors continue to do good work. I'm not sure yet exactly where the season arc is going, or how the external threat will tie into the personal arc being set up for Picard. Based on this opening, though, I look forward to finding out.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2
Next Episode: Penance

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1-09. Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1

Sutra (Isa Briones) mind melds with Dr. Jurati to view The Admonition.

Original Air Date: Mar. 19, 2020. Written by: Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman. Directed by: Akiva Goldsman.


THE PLOT:

La Sirena's push through a transwarp conduit works: Picard and his team arrive at Soji's homeworld ahead of the Romulans... Well, most of them. Narek followed them through, and immediately attacks. Followed by Seven of Nine, in the commandeered Artifact.

The brewing space battle is interrupted by devices from the planet, which envelop all three vessels and bring them down to the surface. Narek is taken prisoner. Meanwhile, Seven works on repairing the Cube to defend against the oncoming Romulan fleet - which sensors show is made up of more than 200 warbirds!

Picard and Soji lead their team to Coppelius Station, which is populated by sentient androids, alongside their creator, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner). Picard warns them of the imminent attack and offers to evacuate them to safety. But Sutra (Isa Briones), a sister unit to Dahj and Soji, sees another alternative - one that could make the Romulan Admonition into a horrifying reality!


CHARACTERS:

Picard: The terminal illness he's been hiding is discovered after he collapses during the descent to the planet. He deals with this simply and brusquely, telling his crew that they are not to treat him as a dying man. Both Elnor and Raffi become emotional at different points in the show; Picard deals gracefully with Elnor, pointing out that one person never seeing the other again is a possibility any time two people part while also telling the young man how proud he is of him. He is more awkward with Raffi, clearly uncomfortable when she insists on physically embracing him.

Soji/Sutra: Isa Briones gets a dual role, and she does well with both parts. So well that I wish the producers hadn't insisted on making Sutra more visibly artificial with golden skin - Briones' performance does everything necessary to separate Soji and Sutra.  Sutra holds herself with perfect posture, speaking slowly and formally and without direct emotion, all of which shows that she's at a greater remove from the humans and other organics than Soji is or Dahj was. Meanwhile, Soji is an emotional mess. She confronts the captive Narek just to tell him how much she despises him, and later fumes that she should have killed him when she had the chance.

Dr. Jurati: The greater the remove from her exposure to The Admonition, the more she seems like the eager and likable young woman from the early episodes. She regards the androids with genuine awe. The only fear she shows is when Sutra asks to use a Vulcan mind meld to view The Admonition, and it's clear that she's frightened not of Sutra, but of revisiting that horrible vision. She feels tremendous guilt for her actions, making her perhaps a little too susceptible when Sutra and Soong offer her a chance to "make up for it."

Capt. Rios: When Sutra moves toward Jurati to perform the mind meld, he instinctively gets in the way. He steps aside after Jurati tells him that she's willing, but he still he remains close and wary, poised to act if needed. Before he and Raffi return to the ship, he shares a moment with Jurati when he makes clear that he retains strong feelings for her. He also tells her that he doesn't fully trust the synthetics, though she's too starstruck at seeing her lifelong dream made reality to pay much heed.

Narek: Returns to a significant role after being relegated to a nonspeaking cameo in Nepenthe and after sitting out Broken Pieces entirely. Unfortunately, the complex, conflicted man from the first half of the season has been replaced by a one-dimensional baddie. His conversation with Soji should see him torn by the divide between the personal feelings that we saw were genuine and his sense of duty, between guilt and what he sees as necessity. Instead, he ends up screaming threats about how the Romulans will wipe everyone out. I hope the finale restores a little bit of his previous character depth, because this pod-Narek is just plain boring.

Seven of Nine: While connected to the Borg, her perceptions widened. She "saw" Picard use the transwarp conduit to reach this planet, then followed to lend aid. Yes, it's a bit of Borg-ex-machina, but that was hardly unheard-of on Voyager either. She and Elnor are firmly united in protecting the surviving ex-Borg, but she shows genuine respect and even deference to Picard in their scene together.

Dr. Soong: Brent Spiner returns, free of his Data makeup, as Altan Inigo Soong, son of Data's creator. He shows a hint of resentment about his father, indicating that the late Dr. Soong valued Data over his own child; still, he also seems to regard the androids as his children, and seems willing to protect them even at the cost of human lives. Spiner is good in the role, creating a character who may physically resemble Data ("if he'd gotten old and gone soft"), but who is very different than the android in temperament.


THE PICARD SLEDGE-HAMMER:

Though we've gotten a few Picard speeches during this season, notably when he tried to talk Seven out of seeking vengeance, this is the first episode that really brings out his full range of rhetorical moralizing.

First he tries to defuse Soji's anger after she confronts Narek. She muses about "the logic of sacrifice." Picard at least temporarily steers her away from that train of thought by pointing out that such logic "depends on if you're the person holding the knife." He's less successful with Sutra and Soong. He calls on the androids to remain peaceful and patient, promising that he will advocate on their behalf to Starfleet... a promise Soong punctures by pointing out that Starfleet didn't listen to Picard when the synthetic ban was put into effect, and that there's no reason to believe that they will listen to him now.


THOUGHTS:

Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 does exactly what it needs to do. Pieces are put in place for the finale, with the regulars all on the same planet. Stakes are raised: A Romulan fleet is soon to arrive. Complications are introduced that pay off elements from earlier in the season while furthering the crisis for the final episode.

There are also several fine character moments. Each regular gets at least one good scene: Elnor's brief but heartfelt talk with Picard; Raffi's emotional reaction to Picard's illness; an early exchange in which Soji indulges Raffi in her paranoia about "homicidal fungus"; and even Picard's nonverbal reaction to an ex-Borg calling him "Locutus." The script may be focused on putting the plot pieces into place, but it doesn't forget the characters.

With one exception: Narek. Earlier episodes showed him to be smart, patient, and a master at connecting to people. None of those traits are in evidence here. He is captured offscreen, apparently without effort. His scene with Soji is the worst-written in the episode, carrying none of the emotional dynamics that are called for. His interaction with Sutra is entirely one-sided, the once-calculating spy never even thinking to probe at her motivations.  Finally, the episode ends with his status having shifted too abruptly... and once again, with key moments occurring offscreen. It's as if the writers knew that they should do something with him, but didn't know exactly what, and this strand throws the final part of this episode off-balance.


OVERALL:

The last ten minutes feels oddly rushed, in no small part due to the perfunctory treatment of the Narek subplot, which blunts the effectiveness of this otherwise well-made installment. Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 mostly does its job of putting plot pieces in place for the finale while still grounding itself in character moments. But the abrupt ending leaves a mixed final impression.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Broken Pieces
Next Episode: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2

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1-02. Maps and Legends.

Picard and Laris search Dahj's apartment for traces of her attackers.

Original Air Date: Jan. 30, 2020. Written by: Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman. Directed by: Hanelle M. Culpepper.


THE PLOT:

Dahj (Isa Briones) is dead, killed in front of Picard's eyes by Romulan agents. Killed while trying to save him, even though he was meant to protect her.

With few immediate leads to act on, Picard and Laris (Orla Brady) - his housekeeper, also a former member of Romulan intelligence - investigate Dahj's apartment. It's been wiped clean, but Laris finds a few traces of Dahj's sister. Not enough to locate her, but enough to show that she is not on Earth.

Soji (Isa Briones) is a scientist working at the Borg Reclamation Project, a Romulan-controlled facility operating out of an abandoned Borg Cube. Soji's focus is on the removal of implants from Borg drones. She takes her work seriously, regarding it as a duty to free them... but off-hours she is quite playful with her new lover, Narek (Harry Treadaway), a recent arrival who keeps himself shrouded in secrecy.

Meanwhile, Laris informs Picard of the existence of the Zhat Vash, the unofficial, supposedly mythical organization behind Romulan Intelligence organization. The "scrubbing" of Dahj's home leads Laris to believe the Zhat Vash is not only real, but active on Earth. And if Dahj has a sister, that means that the Romulans' work is far from over!


CHARACTERS:

Picard: His on-air denunciation of Starfleet comes back to bite him when he tries to request a ship from Admiral Clancy (Ann Magnuson). Clancy is dumbstruck at the "sheer f***ing hubris" of Picard to ask for favors after shaming Starfleet on interstellar television, and all but tells him to go rot in his decrepitude. Picard, not deterred, draws on other contacts to get into space. When it's pointed out that he will need a crew, he waves off the suggestion of his old shipmates. Data died to save him, and he's been haunted by that for twenty years; he won't put any of his old friends in a similar situation if he can help it.

Soji: The script takes care to make her instantly likeable. When she sees new arrival Naáshala (Chelsea Harris) worrying about working on the Borg Cube, she puts her at ease with reassuring comments and makes sure to keep close during the woman's first day. She also teases Narek for his secrecy in a way that's endearing without seeming mean. Basically, the episode makes sure to make us invested in her well-being so that we'll care when the plot catches up to her.

Narek: Is so obviously a spy that it would have been more surprising if he hadn't turned out to be one. He's on the Cube to draw information from Soji, which he believes is best done with a gentle touch, and he's not above enjoying his work. He is displeased when he's advised that he needs to get results soon, however - and even more displeased when he's not-so-subtly threatened.

Laris: Thus far, I am absolutely loving Orla Brady's Laris. There are shades of DS9's Garak in the character: a former spy now engaged in a seemingly benign job. She isn't a female Garak clone, though. Garak was cold and calculating; Laris is warm and fiercely protective of Picard. Both fence with their Federation counterparts with humor, but Laris's banter is more friendly, even flirtatious. Though she proclaims Picard's plans to return to space are madness, you can see that she enjoys investigating Dahj's apartment and uncovering secrets, as if she's coming a little more to life herself in doing so.

Pompous Earth Bureaucrat of the Week: Admiral Clancy, presented as the soulless face of a Starfleet that has lost its way. She not only refuses Picard's request, but seems to take pleasure in belittling him. Her attitude aligns with that of the previous episode's interviewer: that the Romulans were their enemies and should have ben left to die.  When Picard protests, she directly states that the Federation "absolutely" gets to decide if other species live or die. She tells him that Starfleet "is no longer (his) house... go home," brushing aside his warnings of a larger plot as the ravings of an old man who is "desperate to matter."


THOUGHTS:

"Before the Tal Shiar, there was the Zhat Vash... a term sometimes used to refer to the dead, the only reliable keepers of secrets... That's the sole purpose of the Zhat Vash: To keep a secret so profound and terrible just learning it can break a person's mind.
-Laris fills Picard (and audience) in on the apparent villains of the season.

Maps and Legends opens with a flashback. Remembrance told us about the synthetic uprising on Mars that so changed both Starfleet and Picard. This episode shows it, and does so from the point of view of one of the synthetics that went rogue. We follow F8 (Alex Diehl) through the start of a work shift. He is mocked by the humans he interacts with, but shows no reaction... until one of his eyes changes slightly, at which point he begins reprogramming planetary defenses (and as you may recall from Brothers, androids reprogram computers very quickly). He kills the humans who are present, turns the defenses to fire on the planet itself, and ends by shooting himself.  It's an effective opening hook, one that brings to life events previously just told to us, and that strongly hints that the uprising was not an AI rebellion so much as the result of outside sabotage.

Maps and Legends advances the overall story considerably, giving us more information about the group that attacked Dahj and now watches Soji, while also bringing Picard closer to the main action. It's a considerably better-paced episode than Remembrance, and it handles its exposition more dynamically.  Laris's infodump about the Zhat Vash is intercut with her and Picard investigating, for example, so that the information is imparted even as we see Picard working for it.

This episode builds both the characters of Picard and Soji, the two central figures whose paths are beginning to intersect. Picard is an old man, seen by many as a relic and even referred to at one point as "The Hermit of La Barre." Soji is a vital young woman, doing what she sees as important work and freely and happily interacting with others. They are two very different individuals at very different points in their lives, and in the normal course of events they would never meet unless she was attending one of his lectures.

But they are both bound up in the same conspiracy: Soji as its apparent target, Picard because of the connection to his past. To Picard, failing to save Dahj was like failing to save Data all over again - all the more so because Dahj, like Data, died protecting him. Thus far, the conspirators aren't taking him seriously; like the interviewer, and like Admiral Clancy, they see him as a feeble old man who has spent the past decade "mothballed on that vineyard of his." Still, his doctor (David Paymer) confirms that he has no diminished capacity. He has health issues, including one very serious one - but his cognitive ability is "at or above Starfleet minimums," and his doctor states that "for a relic, (he's) in excellent shape."


OVERALL:

Right now, the threads of the plot are still being woven, and characters are still being established. That said, Maps and Legends is a good second episode, building on the foundations set by the premiere while improving on its execution. 

Hopefully, the payoff will match the setup. Regardless, this is a good episode on its own terms, one that leaves me actively wanting to move forward to the next installment.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Remembrance
Next Episode: The End Is the Beginning

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1-01. Remembrance.

A mysterious young woman turns to Picard for help.

Original Air Date: Jan. 23, 2020. Written by: Akiva Goldsman, James Duff. Directed by: Hanelle M. Culpepper.


THE PLOT:

It's been more than a decade since a group of rogue androids destroyed the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, igniting the atmosphere of Mars and leaving more than 90,000 dead. In the wake of the incident, synthetic life forms were banned throughout the Federation.

Jean-Luc Picard strongly disagreed with that choice and resigned his commission in protest. Now he lives on his family vineyard, filling his time lecturing and publishing books on history. He has no further involvement with Starfleet or with galactic politics.

Dahj (Isa Briones) is a young scientist who is celebrating with her boyfriend after being accepted at the Daystrom Institute, a celebration that is cut short when they are attacked by mysterious hooded figures. Her boyfriend is killed - but when the attackers grab her, she strikes back, dispatching them in a series of rapid movements that should be impossible. A compulsion she cannot explain leads her to seek safety from a man she's never met: Picard.

Picard grants the young woman shelter and a sympathetic ear. It isn't long before the hooded figures prepare another assault, however, leaving him to decide whether he will continue to shut himself away, or whether he will take action.


CHARACTERS:

Picard: The episode opens with him dreaming of being on the Enterprise with Data, an initially pleasant dream that transforms into a nightmare. Still, he tells his Romulan housekeeper (Orla Brady) that he doesn't mind the dreams - What he resents is waking up from them. "Waking up" could almost be the theme of this episode, as Picard seems to slowly stir back to life as the story goes on. After Dahj finds him, he recognizes that he hasn't been living, but rather "waiting to die," hiding away from a universe that he believes has moved in the wrong direction.

Data: Appears courtesy of two dream sequences, the first seeing him playing poker with Picard on the Enterprise and the second showing him working on a half-finished painting. He seems to represent Picard's own emotional state. The shipboard scene ends with Picard drawing out the end of the poker hand, complaining that he doesn't want the game to end... and then he sees Mars out the window, the attack that separated his former life from his present one. The painting dream, which occurs after Picard has met Dahj, ends with Data handing Picard his brush, asking him to finish the work - a sign that Picard's mind is already pushing him to action, and is already making some important connections.

Dahj: Isa Briones makes a positive first impression as the young woman at the center of events. Her first scene establishes a life that's going exactly as it should be, just before it gets turned completely inside out. She is confused and frightened by what is happening to her, but also intelligent enough to pick up on inconsistencies when she tries to contact someone for help and they know just a little too much. She is slightly in awe of Picard, calling him "the great man" - but after meeting this kind but frail old man, she worries that she's putting him in danger.

Dr. Jurati: Actress Alison Pill's second-name billing indicates that she'll be a regular. Without that billing, I would have assumed that she was just a guest character. A researcher in synthetic life, her role in this episode is largely to provide exposition... Well, that and a continuity nod to Star Trek: Nemesis, when she opens a drawer to reveal the disassembled B-4. She does get one wonderfully human moment, however: When Picard asks if someone could have created a sentient synthetic life-form, she laughs - then, when she realizes that he's serious, complains that she wishes he had come in on her day off.


THOUGHTS:

"Sitting here, all these years, nursing my offended dignity, writing books of history people prefer to forget. I never asked anything of myself at all... I haven't been living. I've been waiting to die."

Remembrance is an atypical Star Trek premiere. Save for the opening dream sequence, it is entirely earthbound. Picard is not an active member of Starfleet, but a retired old man who spends his days wishing he was still in a past that he found far preferable to his present. He engages in no particular heroics. The closest to a "heroic confrontation" that he receives is when he snaps at an aggressive reporter (Merrin Dungey) who has turned a supposedly friendly interview into an ambush. He's involved in a single action scene - one in which he's less than useless, finding himself out of breath after running just a few steps. And his beverage of choice has become "Tea, Earl Grey, decaf."

He retains his sharp mind, however. After he meets Dahj, it doesn't take long for him to start drawing connections. He berates himself for hiding away in isolation - but in truth, he's actively investigating the day after Dahj comes to him, and it takes him very little time to start drawing conclusions about her. Patrick Stewart is splendid throughout, carrying this exposition-heavy introduction with the natural authority he's always had, now infused with a bitter melancholy.

After reading many complaints about Picard being slow, I was surprised to find the opposite to be true of Remembrance. In the course of this episode, multiple threads are established, at least one mystery is answered, two quite good action sequences are delivered, and there's an effective ending visual flourish to provide a hook for the next episode. If anything, a few of these beats felt rushed, with some clunky exposition and rough transitions leaving me wishing it had been a 60 minute premiere instead of a 44 minute one.

On the other hand, nothing set up in this premiere is particularly original. There's not exactly much suspense as to whether Picard will help Dahj: (a) It's Picard; (b) There wouldn't be much of a show if he didn't help. Her secret doesn't even qualify as a mystery, as I can't imagine many viewers didn't guess it almost immediately. I am curious to find out more about the android uprising, and the connection of the hooded figures (whose race at least is revealed - but again, that reveal is anything but a surprise). Even these threads feel likely to be well-worn ground, however, with distinct echoes of Blade Runner and the newer Battlestar Galactica sitting alongside the obvious 9/11 parallel.

Still, Remembrance is a promising start. The story may not feel particularly original, at least not so far, but it is intriguing enough to hold my interest. The episode boasts strong production values, with a cinematic look that's deliberately accentuated by its widescreen presentation. I also like Jeff Russo's score, which mixes traditional Trek beats with more atmospheric tones to good effect.

Most of all, it feels good to catch up with Picard. He's older and it shows, his face heavy with lines and his voice crackling with age... all of which lends a depth to his declarations. When he berates the interviewer for being "a stranger to history," his voice doesn't echo with the Shakespearian timbres of the TNG Picard speeches - but I think the denunciation is all the more effective for the weary rasp in which it's delivered.


OVERALL:

Remembrance is perhaps overburdened with exposition, and I suspect an extra 10 - 15 minutes might have done wonders for its pacing.  Still, the good outweighs the bad so far. Though there were no real surprises in this episode, I am interested to see wher the story goes. Most importantly, I'm enjoying seeing Picard twenty years later, and am eager to follow his journey.

Oh, and that closing visual? I don't think the episode could have asked for a better final image...


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Next Episode: Maps and Legends

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