But how many of the other? Spoilers.
I have a suspicion that this is going to be a season of television that will work best binging through it at the end. It’s actually the most serial of any Trek series to date – even Picard Season One had some ‘down episodes’. This season is all escalation and build up so far. While it’s hard to know in the moment, it might need a little bit more dynamic range, maybe something lighter?
It would also be nice to see a bit more from Q – maybe that is being saved for later in the season, but maybe just drop a few more hints here and there? And I’d have thought a genius and a trans-dimensional being could come up with a more sophisticated plan than ‘run the astronaut over with a car’.
Still greatly enjoying the Jurati/Queen storyline. They’re managing to play both sides as intelligent and engaged, it feels like a worthy battle. And they’re avoiding recycling, the story is constantly evolving. Too often these kind of ‘hidden possession’ stories hit the same beats over and over.
My only down note this episode is the final scene. I really hope that the next episode is more interesting than ‘here’s some previously unmentioned childhood trauma for Picard’.
Quick hits:
– Oh no, ’34 minutes earlier’. The laziest heat in all of script writing, the in media res followed by a flashback.
– The portrayal of depression/anxiety with Renee Picard is very realistic and well researched.
– Turns out the Borg Queen is a great wing person.
– While ’34 minutes earlier’ is lazy, repeating it through the act breaks is a nice structural trick I haven’t seen before.
– Jurati/Borg Queen can sing! Actually Alison Pill singing too. It is quite silly that the band just plays along.
849 down.