Along with another great continuity callback! The Parisses Squares uniform Riker's kid is wearing matches this earlier episode where Worf and Tasha have the same blue/black on their way to compete at the starbase.
@@actor_jim I'm assuming you mean since they did the Binar episode? You're proving my point. We had to wait several years, they waited months. Almost a year is still months.
When these originally aired there was a long time between the Minuet episode and this one. I had forgotten her name until Riker said it. So I think this is one of the things that binge watching changes.
He knows the capacity of the best crew in the fleet. If he hadn't been so emotionally unbalanced he would have found it suspicious earlier. Like Scotty, Geordie runs a tight ship literally, keeping Big D in the most efficient state it can be without overworking his team.
The enemies, the boy spoke of was suggested to be the Borg. They were hiding from the Borg and that’s why the Borg ended up in the neutral zone, destroying colonies or outpost on both sides of the Romulan and federation sides of the neutral zone. I read that somewhere.
The producers have said that this was the easiest sell of any episode they were pitched - the writers got as far as "Riker wakes up sixteen years in the future, and he's the captain of the _Enterprise"_ and Michael Piller said "stop - we'll buy it".
It's fun to look back at Seasons 1 and 2 and remember how you guys were trying to figure out, "Are these really bad episodes, or is the rest of the series just so good that these seem bad by comparison?" At this point, into Season 4, I think you guys have found your answer. :D I think part of the disconnect between you both and the fans in the raw novelty. A lot of the fans watching you have seen these episodes many times, and that having that foresight in the viewing alters the experience. For you both, it's all new, and fantastical, and every callback and twist is a treat. It's glorious to watch. You two bring such excitement and enthusiasm to each reveal, it makes the show feel new again. I cheer with each 'S' or 'A' rank I see on your white boards, and I'm finding a new love for plots I'd grown jaded to years ago. Dudes... we love you. We love the show, and we love that you're having so much fun with it. Don't worry about when you and the fans don't agree, it just means you've found gold that old hats like us have forgotten was on the shelf. It's a precious and rewarding thing, and while some of our opinions may differ, we'll eat up every second of it!
As much as i love the "shut up!" part, I really like the "...as in close you're mouth and don't talk!" part. It's like he's explaining what 'shut up' means! Wicked burn! 😆
You are both so dialed into Star Trek, you pick up clues very well. I love that you caught the Minuette clue so early. Also the Beyond Belief reference was great. Keep up the great work.
@targetaudience 🤣 I will try my best, but I can't guarantee that.... TA: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!? ME: I said I cannot.... TA: NO! You said can't. You used a contraction. ME: I can explain. TA: NO! YOU CAN'T, DON'T EVEN TRY! 😅
I really love the Minuet reveal, not only is it a good callback, but it also elevates the Season 1 episode. In Riker's mind Minuet is just as real as any other woman he met and he still misses her.😢 Also that fake out with the Romulans is great too because the episode already draws your mind into that direction by mentioning the Neutral Zone, so you see it and think the mystery is solved only for them to yoink that away from you by revealing it was not them either.
Those moments at the end of the binars episode where that other women looks up and it's not her -- I don't know about you, but I just felt it in my gut. Like, wait, she's just gone? How is it we formed a connection with this women we knew for 15 minutes, and someone nearly identical to here, just as beautiful, is simply not the one we're looking for? We can make a lot of fun of the binars episode but somehow their writing for minuet (and sometimes I think more the acting) endeared her to us.
When i was a kid I figured it out from Min and I was very angry that they gave it away so easily. Now, over 25 years later, im impressed they did such a deep cut.
Man, this whole episode was you guys popping off on scene after scene, it was great! Geordi's eyes, the Ferengi officer, Jean-Luc... There was a part of me, though, that was like, "Yeah, Josh and Alex are all excited now, but come rating time, they'll be like, 'Ehhh, mid!'" But, no! So glad you guys enjoyed it as much as you did. For me, I'd say this is a borderline B/A episode. Solid, very enjoyable, but a notch below my favorites of the season. But, then this is exactly why I love the channel, this episode was like introducing a friend to your favorite burger place. It's not /the/ best in town, but for the price and the quality, it's a damn good burger and burger place... but then when you take your friend to it, they think it's the best burger joint in town. And it's a great feeling b/c as good as you thought, they like it even better. Sure, from time to time, we get the opposite, but that's just how preferences work so it's always an great time wondering which way you guys will fall on any given episode. Thanks, as always, for the reaction, review, re-writes, Patron comments and all ❤
@Alpha-Trion7 I don't know, man, it's your ratburger! Mine is a delicious mix of 80/20 beef and ground pork!, with some sauteed mushrooms, some Swiss or provolone, maybe some avocados... 😋😄
Jonathon Frakes shows has acting chops when he first saw the video of Minuet. We went from satisfaction to "oh sh!t" in all of 10 seconds. Even "Jon Luc" knew something was up and we all know hell was about to brought down on his foes.
I think the kid's species might have been taken out by The Borg. Think about it - it was The Borg that had scooped up the colonies along the Romulan Neutral Zone and that's where this planet is... And the Borg definitely would have wanted that sweet technology.
I read a great comment from someone recently who said that the ending should have had Barash telling Riker that the alien race he was hiding from was called the Husnock, and Riker replies "You don't have to hide from them anymore..."
Of all the various alternate insignia throughout the TNG, DS9, VOY era of Star Trek, it's my least favorite. But at least I appreciate them doing something different and changing up the uniforms a bit. As we've seen already, Starfleet likes to change it up every few decades.
One interesting thing about this episode is that we are introduced to Dr. Crusher’s nurse, Alyssa Ogawa, in the “future” fantasy part but she’s actual crew that we haven’t seen yet (Barash knew to include her in sickbay).
Yep Ogawa's first episode, and one of my favorite recurring characters. In my head cannon, of course Riker was already well aware of Nurse Ogawa; she has normally been on staff with either Dr.'s Hill or Selar (whom we also seldom see), and only recently swapped duty shifts so she's free at the same time as ....... well, we'll let target audience get to that in the course of time.
Just as Yesterday’s enterprise introduced two possible uniform evolutions to connect the TOS movies to the TNG series , THIS series presents an interesting evolution of both the rank insignia and comm badge
What I’m realising watching these reactions is how efficient the storytelling is. These episodes get so much done in what 45 mins or so? A lot of modern writers/directors could take some tips from this era of television…
@@mbcxharm there's a tendency to view constraints as obstacles, but they can also be a huge asset when writing. Having a limited amount of screen time (and production budget) for example forced the writers of The Expanse into writing what is (IMHO) a much cleaner version of their story.
I went back one time to actually measure the pacing of the show, and it seriously is literally not one line of dialogue that doesn't advance the story or the character development in the story. It's actually extremely terse writing, and growing up on it (and also a degree in physics where we hope to spend our entire careers coming up with perhaps a 4-letter equation) and people find me to be overly abrupt.
Oddly, the episode was running short, so the scene of Riker and young Jean-Luc was added. It fit perfectly, so no problem, but it’s a surprise they were having trouble making this a full ep considering all the twists and turns.
There was no problem watching old TNG episodes back then. I was recording them (VHS) from the very beginning, and knew every episode by heart because I rewatched them so many times. I think by season 4 Paramount was releasing prior seasons on VHS, and I was starting to replace my own recordings with the official tapes. And then there was a Star Trek TNG magazine (published by Starlog) that came out like every two months, maybe even monthly, right from the very first season. And then everyone where I worked talked about the latest episodes because we were all nerds. So it wasn't the information vacuum you guys seem to believe it was, and everyone remembered Minuet.
I am one of those people who didn't see the original minuet episode and instead saw this one first. I was a little confused when riker figured it out but then after he explained it I felt fine. I didn't really need to see the original episode for me to understand that she was a fictional character from the holodeck because he explains that. Years later I saw the original minuet episode and still didn't put two and two together until several years after that when I finally sat down and watched the entire series in order for the first time ever.
@@Drknnja And he looks to have been the title character in "The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne." Not a famous show, but I feel like I saw a few eps. His last role looks to have been 20 years ago and he basically quit acting it seems.
Kudo to Josh for catching the actor's name in the credits but not spoiling the surprise for Alex. 🙂 Kudos to Alex for for twice carching "hey, wait a second,..." moments. Your Trekker memory/knowledge of the in-universe rules has indeed grown strong. 🙂
This was the first episode to feature Patti Yasutake RIP (Alyssa Ogawa). She was convinced that it would be her only appearance because of the 16 years. Jonathan Frakes told her that she would be back.
Yeah, back in 1990, when we saw Minuet appear on the camera, we squealed. Of course everyone had a crush on Carolyn McCormick anyway. When she got a recurring role in Law & Order, whenever she came on camera we’d say, “My name is Minuet and I love all jazz.“
This is one of my favs….didn’t think you guys would like it as much as me. This is rarely mentioned as one of the best by most people, mostly forgotten, but I put it up there.
One strange part is when Riker sees the kid for the first time. I mean, he hasn't seen his father on his two feet for the last 10 days, and all he can say is "Hey, Dad!" as if Riker just came home after a work day?
@Xerxes2005 Jean-Luc appears to be a teenager, and teens can sometimes compartmentalize traumatic events like a parent being in a coma. It felt consistent to me, but yeah, I see what you're saying.
Also, Barash is pretending to be a human kid, “acting” in universe. Riker might have noticed this if he weren’t already so gobsmacked at learning he also has a son.
Wow, you were right on it with every clue, even if you didn't know the complete picture right away - still impressive! We need you guys looking into the question of are we really living in a simulation! You can crack it!
This is definitely an S for me. One of my favorites of season 4! I've watched it so many times and never get tired of it. Yay that it's an S for you guys, too.
You guys really started something. I have been watching a number of prominent reactors for several years, and since you guys started giving Trek so much attention, more reactors are getting on the wagon. Thank you so much for your service to the Trek Community and our beloved Franchise.
"When one is serving bait, presentation is everything." - Beast Wars Megatron. When I think about this episode, I'm really appreciative to the length it goes to misdirect, but still leave clues. I really like how the show is well put together, from performance to writing to props, everything doesn't feel like an episode per two week format.
The more I look at the list in anticipation of these reactions, the more I think that way. Though who knows? Maybe they'll convince me the season 5 and 6 episodes I think are duds aren't really.
In the 90s, we had the "Nitpicker's Guides" to read about all the Easter Eggs and behind-the-scenes notes :) Anyone else remembers these books? I didn't have cable TV in the early 90s so I didn't actually watch TNG as it was aired (I eventually caught reruns) but this series of books did a fantastic job at giving me a fun resume of each and every Star Trek episodes.
I have both TNG Nitpickers Guides. One thing I remember from one of them is, interestingly enough, a reference to 11001001, and the scene where Riker, on the holodeck, asks the computer for "piano bass and drums, and a 'bone for me", and the book says "luckily the computer knew what he meant and replicated a trombone and not a dog bone."😂
I have the Nitpicker's Guides for TOS and the first 4 seasons of DS-9. Unfortunately, they never published a Nitpicker's Guide for DS-9 Trtekkers: Volume 2.
Yes, reference books, essential guides, TV guide pull-out segments, novelisations, etc etc. On top of this getting into the prime VHS era for rental and home recording. Crazy that people can't even conceive of non-digital solutions these days.
@@Pr0fess0rx29 It's also bringing him back to the kid. The whole reason he's there is to keep the kid company. All the bridge intrigue doesn't help with that.
That's a great point I never thought about (you guys are always in super producer-mode) that they brought back the same actress just to do the family video clip, and she still looked close enough to how she looked almost 3 years earlier. Glad you loved this one.
It's always great when an actor will come back for a moment where it is absolutely essential their character be there even if they're not the center of attention. One of my favorites is the um... how do I say this without spoilers? The character who appeared in this series who appears in another series who gets upset about spreadsheets. Loved that he graced us with his presence in that episode. Very world-building of them. Sometimes these actors get an inflated ego, coughmulgrewcough, and won't show up unless they're top billing, and it always ultimately hurts the storyline.
I love this episode! Even knowing the twist it’s fun to watch and Riker figuring out the first twist is always satisfying. It’s an S tier episode for me.
I remember when this first aired. I didn't recognize the "Min" reference from Troi, and I didn't recognize the actress in the video as Minuette because I had only seen her episode once at that point. Blew me away when Riker put it together for us! Good for you guys catching all of that right away! Also, I really liked the score as Riker says he doesn't want to play anymore. It went from eerie to touching as Barash reveals himself. I remember shedding a tear for that little dude at his loneliness and another tear of happiness for him now that he doesn't need to be alone anymore. I really love this episode and I'm so glad you guys did too.
So many characters come back this season. Lore, K'Ehleyr, K'mpec, Duras, and now Minuet. The most interesting part of this episode to me is of course Minuet. It's Riker's fantasy, it's the alien technology giving him what he wants. And apparently what he wants is not Troi. Maybe if she appreciated his music better, she would've been his wife in the fantasy.
*Riker shouting wildly at everyone* Diana: "Will, I can sense you're angry" Riker internally: Oh damn, that might actually be her, I better dial it back
I've always really loved this episode. I was always under the impression that it wasn't a very well liked episode since I never see it on any lists. Glad you enjoyed it!
Good eye on spotting the future commbadge with the rank insignia! The basic plot idea of this one has been done before (TV Tropes calls it 'Faked Rip Van Winkle') but I think the attention to detail and execution here is really good. You are also right that they were taking a bit of a gamble in 1990 to call back to a season 1 episode, but that really added depth to it.
Been a lonnnnnng time since I watched a video with no intro like "Hi we're X doing Y thing. Welcome to the channel!" That takes nards. Good work. Thanks for making this. I miss old Trek all the time.
Glad you guys enjoyed this episode, honestly I was expecting it to get like an A and B from you guys. Glad it got an S, I know they get an eye roll from most people now and days. But Star Trek gave me the love of alternate realities and possible futures and this episode in particular was no doubt a big part of that. Shocked at how fast you guessed Minuet, last episode you had made a callout to Tomalak too, and you have had some other spot on guesses. You guys sure you haven't seen TNG before?
Another hint is when Data shows Tomalak around the ship. He immediately takes him over and says these new sensors can detect cloaked Warbirds even while in warp. That really caught my attention.
No one knows about the enemies the kid is talking about. Best guess it is either Romulans or... the Borg who were also messing around the Neutral Zone back at the end of Season One.
The internet was around at the time, but it was really limited. Browsers for the web were mostly text-only (called Lynx), the new Netscape Navigator was about to come out and it could show Bitmap (.bmp) images, and then .gif images (back then GIFs weren't animated, it was just a way to show color in a somewhat smaller file size than .bmp). Back then the big problem is that we could barely see single images because the file size was so large, and our modems were so slow, and video was really a no-go. Netscape 1.1 was a huge deal because it was the first to show jpg files which were WAY WAY smaller in size (like 30 KB instead of 1 MB) while showing full color. Being able to call up a video of a star trek episode was way off at the time.
The internet technically existed at this time. This episode aired in late 1990. The first commercial ISP started in 1989. On the other hand, it essentially didn't exist at that time. I was an extremely early adopter and I heard about the internet for the first time in 1992, a full 2 years after this episode came out. I was told about it by a friend of mine who had a university account which was the only way in our city to get access to it. I didn't get my own account until around 1993 or 1994. Most people I knew didn't use the internet regularly until 1996 or so. Even then it was mostly only nerds who used it until about 1998-1999 when basically everyone had an internet account.
@@Zamrod I wouldn't hear about AOL until mid way through TNG season 7. I think the internet at this point in time was still essentially dial up message boards.
I knew you were going to LOVE this episode!! You guys are amazing. I wish I had a friend to enjoy Trek with like you have. I rewatch each episode a week ahead to prepare for your episode lol. I have watched literally all of Trek, and TNG about 4 or 5 times lol
I worked at a university, up until 2017, for nearly 15 years. People stayed there so long they had a 40 year club so yea, it’s possible that many are still there.
It's fascinating (raises one eyebrow) as a somewhat older gentleman to hear your comments on growing up with CGI and loving anything practical. It's so different for Gen X as we were naturally impressed as CGI started to come about. In particular I remember The Last Starfighter, was just amazing to us! Although today, I am similar when I see some early CGI characters and how clunky they look
I do vividly remember the commercial for this episode and Riker pronouncing "charade" one way and then for whatever reason there was an ADR of that line in the finished episode and Riker pronounces it differently.
@@jmwild1 Yep. I used to record these episodes directly from the C-band satellite feed... even before the commercials were added. I noticed the "charade" right away.
@@jmwild1 Yeah, I was working as a service technician at a TV repair shop, so I had access to a C-band satellite system and a HiFi VCR, and didn't have to buy either one. 😁 Instead of commercials, those feeds still had 30 seconds of blank screen.
My first thought looking back at this episode was "Poor Will, he's always getting taken for Romulan experimentation," and then I remembered the double-bluff.
@@kojiattwood I feel the same. Season 1 he used several contractions, I think at some point the writers decided to give him that quirk, it wasn't originally in the TNG bible.
This is one of the things that i love about getting to see this with you guys, i honestly had forgotten about this episode until it started. I had forgotten how amazing this episode is and that really goes to show how many amazing episodes there are in all of star trek. God i cant wait to see what you guys think of my favorite episode which i believe is in this season.
Surprised this one got an S! Not that it's a bad episode, just that it's not a super big episode or anything. A lot of fun moments, but I don't think it QUITE holds up on rewatches because you walk in knowing the big twist and suddenly you can notice other things - the pacing of conversations, for instance, is a little slower - particularly between Crusher and Riker. Now you could argue this is just trying to get the audience settled into this concept, but you could also argue, like the "faulty processing attenuator" or whatever, that the alien holodeck is trying to catch up to unpredicted movements Riker makes. Still, the Minuet reveal was phenomenal and well-handled and overall just a good episode. I'd say more B or A tier, though it gains a lot of points for Riker's ranting - "You're INCAPABLE of that level of incompetence!"
I had a B+ on rewatch last week, even knowing the twists. But the TA enthusiasm took me to an A-. Can't see this as S tier, above "Reunion" and "Best of Both Worlds Part II"? Nope.
@@greenbrown7776 I feel Reunion got knocked off a bit because K'eylhar really was a great guest character so they were a bit bummed her second appearance was her last. I am not sure it was a quality thing per se as that they would have preferred to see more with her character. (It is remarkable the character was in just two episodes as in my memory she was like a major recurring character. And in a way she was.) I have seen Trek reviewers also feel like the character got "shafted" or maybe even "fridged" which upset them.
TNG has several of these "time is out of joint / things are not as they should be episodes" and while most of them are pretty good ("Remember Me" is super cool) Riker is my favorite character to see put through that particular wringer, because you can see his professionalism straining to keep up with events until it finally cracks and he enters DGAF Boss Mode.
There are so many excellent episodes to come, they might be giving S to half of the remaining episodes. They might need to recalibrate their rating system.
I know right?! When every almost episode is as good as the best stuff from season 1/2, it's like maybe they'd figure out why we had to readjust our scale.
Really fun episode despite using a very common sci-fi/action TV trope of the time with a character getting amnesia and waking up in an alternate future. This trope probably still had some legs to it in the sci-fi genre since alternate futures are fun and a show like Star Trek can do a lot more with it. Normally the character would be locked in a hospital room until they figure it out but here we get to actually see the alternate timeline. It also helps that the writers understood the trope enough to add some fresh elements, such as not waiting too long to reveal that it's a fake, and the additional level of it just being a lonely alien rather than a nefarious Romulan scheme (typically it's always a villain's plot).
This is one of those episodes that is simply a little better the first time around. But it still mostly holds up even when you know about the double twists that are coming. But you just can't replicate the reveals a second time. I was probably a B+ on "Future Imperfect" before the reaction. Now I'm an A- or regular A. The TA enthusiasm works its magic on me again.
It was so much fun watching your faces and being thoroughly entertained. What more could you ask from a tv show? You're hitting some of my favorite episodes of the whole series in season 4 and 5. So excited to watch you react. I appreciate all the thought and analysis you put into Star Trek. Education, Entertainment, Art.
I was quite young when the series started, and didn't watch consistently until Season 3, so I had no idea who Minuet was. But I distinctly remember my Dad reacting to that reveal with surprise, "Wait, that's... she's from..." and I picked up the context that she wasn't really someone Riker would/could have married. Yeah, that kind of continuity without heavy reinforcement was quite unusual for TV at the time.
Great episode and the start of a theme for future episodes, "Let's put Riker through hell." Just a few of these episodes exist, but these pop up occasionally. This is one of the episodes people point to for season 3 being so good. The writers were on top of their game and little call backs to past episodes all make the episodes far more interesting and memorable.
This was the first episode of TNG, in fact of all Star Trek I ever saw, so it was a little confusing in parts, but man was I hooked after this. Great episode!
Funny you should mention not being able to watch something again "for the first time". Many shows and movies have such a profound effect that when I rewatch them, I slip back into the feeling that I already had, and what it triggers is the emotional memory of watching it, and how awesome that was. Sometimes, having seen some fantastic scenes in the theater and also being immersed in the thrill along with 100 other people also gasping or cheering, I get drawn right back to those moments. Examples were, of course, the portals scene from Avengers: Endgame, Thor's return in Infinity War, the first "assemble" in Avengers (especially as a life-long Avengers fan, and the thrill of finally getting to see them all together on-screen - and done WELL), and the reveal of Enterprise A at the end of The Voyage Home (I had to wait 3 years after the Enterprise was destroyed in The Search for Spock, so the "death" of the Enterprise was the only canon). The first ever such experience for me was watching Star Wars (before it was Ep. IV A New Hope) along with a whole theater full of people seeing it for the first time, and the amazing applause and cheer that came up spontaneously when the Death Star exploded will live in me forever. Now, I get to have that fun vicariously watching reaction videos today with you guys and others, and my fun anticipating your reactions to big reveals. Glad you guys are doing this, and with a universe that was essential for me growing up. 🙂 LLAP
I have been waiting for this episode , just to discuss the idea of having Will and beverly hooking up, with Picard and Deanna getting married ….. I know neither of these are even implied in this simulation, but it puts the pieces in the right place for the possibility
Watch our reaction to Minuet’s first appearance in 11001001 - ua-cam.com/video/dM61pi1XF9g/v-deo.html
Along with another great continuity callback! The Parisses Squares uniform Riker's kid is wearing matches this earlier episode where Worf and Tasha have the same blue/black on their way to compete at the starbase.
NOW can you understand why everyone panned the first two seasons when we had S4 on to compare them to?
"Welcome to the Enterprise-D, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa! We're glad you're here!"
Nurse Alyssa Ogawa's FIRST episode!
"No you CAN'T don't even TRY!" My favourite Riker quote. Absolute gold.
Hmm, could those angry quotes be cut together with clips from Beyond Belief? 😂
"Have you ever" "SHUT UP."
So many great lines, actually. Though mine is, "SHUT UP! As in close your mouth and stop talking!" 😆
I love that whole exchange
Couldn't believe you caught the Minuet clue. Well spotted!
Yes. Well-done. It totally flew past me the first time, and I really like "11001001."
Agreed, but keep in mind we had to wait YEARS, them only months... more likely to be recalled.
@@j.rileyindependentproductions It's been almost a year since they did this episode.
@@actor_jim I'm assuming you mean since they did the Binar episode? You're proving my point. We had to wait several years, they waited months. Almost a year is still months.
When these originally aired there was a long time between the Minuet episode and this one. I had forgotten her name until Riker said it. So I think this is one of the things that binge watching changes.
"You are not capable of such Incompetence!" - Wow, what a way to insult and compliment someone at the same time.
That’s is my favorite line. I scream that at politicians on TV daily.
He knows the capacity of the best crew in the fleet. If he hadn't been so emotionally unbalanced he would have found it suspicious earlier. Like Scotty, Geordie runs a tight ship literally, keeping Big D in the most efficient state it can be without overworking his team.
@@tracycampbell4526 challenge accepted!
You know Frakes enjoyed that shut up enormously
Yes, this episode is one of the reasons why Season 1 is not skippable even if the quality is uneven.
@mjbull5156 that's a great point. It's like the seeds were planted, but they need a few years to bear fruit.
And 11001001 was a pretty good episode. The taking of "Min" (not Mindy since there's no Mork either) and twisting her like this is absolutely brill ❤
You could always watch a cultivated version of the season.
The enemies, the boy spoke of was suggested to be the Borg. They were hiding from the Borg and that’s why the Borg ended up in the neutral zone, destroying colonies or outpost on both sides of the Romulan and federation sides of the neutral zone. I read that somewhere.
The producers have said that this was the easiest sell of any episode they were pitched - the writers got as far as
"Riker wakes up sixteen years in the future, and he's the captain of the _Enterprise"_
and Michael Piller said
"stop - we'll buy it".
It's fun to look back at Seasons 1 and 2 and remember how you guys were trying to figure out, "Are these really bad episodes, or is the rest of the series just so good that these seem bad by comparison?" At this point, into Season 4, I think you guys have found your answer. :D
I think part of the disconnect between you both and the fans in the raw novelty. A lot of the fans watching you have seen these episodes many times, and that having that foresight in the viewing alters the experience. For you both, it's all new, and fantastical, and every callback and twist is a treat. It's glorious to watch. You two bring such excitement and enthusiasm to each reveal, it makes the show feel new again. I cheer with each 'S' or 'A' rank I see on your white boards, and I'm finding a new love for plots I'd grown jaded to years ago.
Dudes... we love you. We love the show, and we love that you're having so much fun with it. Don't worry about when you and the fans don't agree, it just means you've found gold that old hats like us have forgotten was on the shelf. It's a precious and rewarding thing, and while some of our opinions may differ, we'll eat up every second of it!
Great post!
I love the part where Riker defines “shut up” to Picard. Always makes me laugh.
As much as i love the "shut up!" part, I really like the "...as in close you're mouth and don't talk!" part. It's like he's explaining what 'shut up' means! Wicked burn! 😆
But even with a holodeck version of Deanna the worst he can get to is "back off" 😂
You are both so dialed into Star Trek, you pick up clues very well. I love that you caught the Minuette clue so early. Also the Beyond Belief reference was great. Keep up the great work.
Is there anyway you could get this message to the rest of our audience 🥹
@targetaudience 🤣 I will try my best, but I can't guarantee that....
TA: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?
ME: I said I cannot....
TA: NO! You said can't. You used a contraction.
ME: I can explain.
TA: NO! YOU CAN'T, DON'T EVEN TRY!
😅
@@targetaudience I agree with everything, except the incessant references to Beyond Belief. I REALLY wish you guys would get over that.
Bro Picard referenced it not us! 💀
@@davidmeadows5627 You want them to stop referencing Beyond Belief?
Jonathan Frakes: Not this time!
I really love the Minuet reveal, not only is it a good callback, but it also elevates the Season 1 episode.
In Riker's mind Minuet is just as real as any other woman he met and he still misses her.😢
Also that fake out with the Romulans is great too because the episode already draws your mind into that direction by mentioning the Neutral Zone, so you see it and think the mystery is solved only for them to yoink that away from you by revealing it was not them either.
Well said.
Those moments at the end of the binars episode where that other women looks up and it's not her -- I don't know about you, but I just felt it in my gut. Like, wait, she's just gone? How is it we formed a connection with this women we knew for 15 minutes, and someone nearly identical to here, just as beautiful, is simply not the one we're looking for? We can make a lot of fun of the binars episode but somehow their writing for minuet (and sometimes I think more the acting) endeared her to us.
It’s hilarious how the old trailer voiceover guy says “Staaaarrrr Trek” 😂
That's been consistently funny for 30 years.
And the fact it gives away one of the big reveals, but at least not the second big reveal.
The great Ernie Anderson… the voice of ABC TV for years and of the Loooove Boat
@@MsAlexisPiazzaThen stay tuned for an all new MacGyverrrrrrr
"Next time, on Staaaar Trek: Thenextgeneration..." The sound of my childhood.😅
TA: We got time travel!
Me: no we dont!
When i was a kid I figured it out from Min and I was very angry that they gave it away so easily. Now, over 25 years later, im impressed they did such a deep cut.
Man, this whole episode was you guys popping off on scene after scene, it was great! Geordi's eyes, the Ferengi officer, Jean-Luc... There was a part of me, though, that was like, "Yeah, Josh and Alex are all excited now, but come rating time, they'll be like, 'Ehhh, mid!'" But, no! So glad you guys enjoyed it as much as you did. For me, I'd say this is a borderline B/A episode. Solid, very enjoyable, but a notch below my favorites of the season.
But, then this is exactly why I love the channel, this episode was like introducing a friend to your favorite burger place. It's not /the/ best in town, but for the price and the quality, it's a damn good burger and burger place... but then when you take your friend to it, they think it's the best burger joint in town. And it's a great feeling b/c as good as you thought, they like it even better. Sure, from time to time, we get the opposite, but that's just how preferences work so it's always an great time wondering which way you guys will fall on any given episode. Thanks, as always, for the reaction, review, re-writes, Patron comments and all ❤
@Alpha-Trion7 I don't know, man, it's your ratburger! Mine is a delicious mix of 80/20 beef and ground pork!, with some sauteed mushrooms, some Swiss or provolone, maybe some avocados... 😋😄
Jonathon Frakes shows has acting chops when he first saw the video of Minuet. We went from satisfaction to "oh sh!t" in all of 10 seconds. Even "Jon Luc" knew something was up and we all know hell was about to brought down on his foes.
I think the kid's species might have been taken out by The Borg.
Think about it - it was The Borg that had scooped up the colonies along the Romulan Neutral Zone and that's where this planet is...
And the Borg definitely would have wanted that sweet technology.
I read a great comment from someone recently who said that the ending should have had Barash telling Riker that the alien race he was hiding from was called the Husnock, and Riker replies "You don't have to hide from them anymore..."
@@masere That would be cool...even better would have been if the kid WAS a Husnook- the last of his kind.😲
@@jasoncaldwell5627 He didn't seem violent, and you'd think someone who makes up all these fantasies would appreciate a good Dowd.
@@benspratling9041 It would be cool to see some of the boy's species all Borgified.
The rank being combined with the comm badge in this is an interesting touch that I've always liked.
Of all the various alternate insignia throughout the TNG, DS9, VOY era of Star Trek, it's my least favorite. But at least I appreciate them doing something different and changing up the uniforms a bit. As we've seen already, Starfleet likes to change it up every few decades.
One interesting thing about this episode is that we are introduced to Dr. Crusher’s nurse, Alyssa Ogawa, in the “future” fantasy part but she’s actual crew that we haven’t seen yet (Barash knew to include her in sickbay).
Sad that actress passed away recently.
I didn't realize we hadn't seen her yet! But in universe it's easy to believe she was on the ship already and we just haven't seen her.
@@prion42 Like Chekov in Space Seed.
Yep Ogawa's first episode, and one of my favorite recurring characters. In my head cannon, of course Riker was already well aware of Nurse Ogawa; she has normally been on staff with either Dr.'s Hill or Selar (whom we also seldom see), and only recently swapped duty shifts so she's free at the same time as ....... well, we'll let target audience get to that in the course of time.
Just as Yesterday’s enterprise introduced two possible uniform evolutions to connect the TOS movies to the TNG series , THIS series presents an interesting evolution of both the rank insignia and comm badge
Rank badge!
What I’m realising watching these reactions is how efficient the storytelling is. These episodes get so much done in what 45 mins or so? A lot of modern writers/directors could take some tips from this era of television…
Oh yeah ! Shows today drag.
@@mbcxharm there's a tendency to view constraints as obstacles, but they can also be a huge asset when writing.
Having a limited amount of screen time (and production budget) for example forced the writers of The Expanse into writing what is (IMHO) a much cleaner version of their story.
I went back one time to actually measure the pacing of the show, and it seriously is literally not one line of dialogue that doesn't advance the story or the character development in the story. It's actually extremely terse writing, and growing up on it (and also a degree in physics where we hope to spend our entire careers coming up with perhaps a 4-letter equation) and people find me to be overly abrupt.
Oddly, the episode was running short, so the scene of Riker and young Jean-Luc was added. It fit perfectly, so no problem, but it’s a surprise they were having trouble making this a full ep considering all the twists and turns.
I knew you guys would like this, but I didn't think you'd both give it S Tier level. I'm happily surprised that yall loved it so much!
There was no problem watching old TNG episodes back then. I was recording them (VHS) from the very beginning, and knew every episode by heart because I rewatched them so many times. I think by season 4 Paramount was releasing prior seasons on VHS, and I was starting to replace my own recordings with the official tapes. And then there was a Star Trek TNG magazine (published by Starlog) that came out like every two months, maybe even monthly, right from the very first season. And then everyone where I worked talked about the latest episodes because we were all nerds. So it wasn't the information vacuum you guys seem to believe it was, and everyone remembered Minuet.
I am one of those people who didn't see the original minuet episode and instead saw this one first.
I was a little confused when riker figured it out but then after he explained it I felt fine. I didn't really need to see the original episode for me to understand that she was a fictional character from the holodeck because he explains that.
Years later I saw the original minuet episode and still didn't put two and two together until several years after that when I finally sat down and watched the entire series in order for the first time ever.
Carolyn McCormick, aka Minuet, went on to feature in 87 episodes of Law & Order.
Chris Demetral went on to the HBO series Dream On.
@@Drknnja And he looks to have been the title character in "The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne." Not a famous show, but I feel like I saw a few eps. His last role looks to have been 20 years ago and he basically quit acting it seems.
Kudo to Josh for catching the actor's name in the credits but not spoiling the surprise for Alex. 🙂
Kudos to Alex for for twice carching "hey, wait a second,..." moments. Your Trekker memory/knowledge of the in-universe rules has indeed grown strong. 🙂
Fun fact, this was Nurse Ogawa's first appearance in Riker's vision, and she'll be back a few times.
Obviously Riker would notice the future communicator emblem and suggest that Starfleet adopt it!
This was the first episode to feature Patti Yasutake RIP (Alyssa Ogawa). She was convinced that it would be her only appearance because of the 16 years. Jonathan Frakes told her that she would be back.
Yeah, back in 1990, when we saw Minuet appear on the camera, we squealed. Of course everyone had a crush on Carolyn McCormick anyway. When she got a recurring role in Law & Order, whenever she came on camera we’d say, “My name is Minuet and I love all jazz.“
Except Dixie Land.
Happy to see a "Broccoli" reference for the man, the myth, the legend even when not on screen.
Most important man in Starfleet history is Chief O'Brian. Target audience seems to get this. Second most important person is Broccoli
This is one of my favs….didn’t think you guys would like it as much as me. This is rarely mentioned as one of the best by most people, mostly forgotten, but I put it up there.
One strange part is when Riker sees the kid for the first time. I mean, he hasn't seen his father on his two feet for the last 10 days, and all he can say is "Hey, Dad!" as if Riker just came home after a work day?
@Xerxes2005 Jean-Luc appears to be a teenager, and teens can sometimes compartmentalize traumatic events like a parent being in a coma. It felt consistent to me, but yeah, I see what you're saying.
@@Xerxes2005 Also, in the story within the story, the kid had been carefully coached for 10 days about what to expect when his dad woke up.
Also, Barash is pretending to be a human kid, “acting” in universe. Riker might have noticed this if he weren’t already so gobsmacked at learning he also has a son.
@@idea2go He would still not be so casual about it.
Wow, you were right on it with every clue, even if you didn't know the complete picture right away - still impressive! We need you guys looking into the question of are we really living in a simulation! You can crack it!
I must admit the twist surprised me. The first mention of “Min” went past me the first time I watched it.
@@r.j.sullivan2104 same. I didn't get it until Riker said her name. That means I even missed it when they showed her on screen. 🙄
@@tjkhanks Same. It was a nice callback, as I adore that episode.
This is definitely an S for me. One of my favorites of season 4! I've watched it so many times and never get tired of it. Yay that it's an S for you guys, too.
You guys really started something. I have been watching a number of prominent reactors for several years, and since you guys started giving Trek so much attention, more reactors are getting on the wagon. Thank you so much for your service to the Trek Community and our beloved Franchise.
"When one is serving bait, presentation is everything." - Beast Wars Megatron. When I think about this episode, I'm really appreciative to the length it goes to misdirect, but still leave clues. I really like how the show is well put together, from performance to writing to props, everything doesn't feel like an episode per two week format.
I gotta say I think season 4 might be my favourite TNG season
The more I look at the list in anticipation of these reactions, the more I think that way.
Though who knows? Maybe they'll convince me the season 5 and 6 episodes I think are duds aren't really.
@@andrewshannon4950 I wonder if their reactions will make me like new Trek, since at the moment I despise everything after 'Star Trek Enterprise'
@@zmadhatter2340 Maybe, but if you don't like neither Strange New Worlds nor Lower Decks, it may be you
If either of you has never seen it, you need to watch Where No Fan has Gone Before of Futurama
Frakes delivered that line to Picard as if Riker has been wanting to say that to him for years lol
In the 90s, we had the "Nitpicker's Guides" to read about all the Easter Eggs and behind-the-scenes notes :) Anyone else remembers these books?
I didn't have cable TV in the early 90s so I didn't actually watch TNG as it was aired (I eventually caught reruns) but this series of books did a fantastic job at giving me a fun resume of each and every Star Trek episodes.
I think I still have mine, but I've not read it in 16 years... feels like 47 years, though!
I have both TNG Nitpickers Guides. One thing I remember from one of them is, interestingly enough, a reference to 11001001, and the scene where Riker, on the holodeck, asks the computer for "piano bass and drums, and a 'bone for me", and the book says "luckily the computer knew what he meant and replicated a trombone and not a dog bone."😂
I have the Nitpicker's Guides for TOS and the first 4 seasons of DS-9.
Unfortunately, they never published a Nitpicker's Guide for DS-9 Trtekkers: Volume 2.
Yes, reference books, essential guides, TV guide pull-out segments, novelisations, etc etc. On top of this getting into the prime VHS era for rental and home recording. Crazy that people can't even conceive of non-digital solutions these days.
What, no UPN affiliate in your area?
You guys are brilliant, I never thought of that parisi squares call away being a distraction. But I believe you guys are right about that.
@@Pr0fess0rx29 It's also bringing him back to the kid. The whole reason he's there is to keep the kid company. All the bridge intrigue doesn't help with that.
That's a great point I never thought about (you guys are always in super producer-mode) that they brought back the same actress just to do the family video clip, and she still looked close enough to how she looked almost 3 years earlier. Glad you loved this one.
It's always great when an actor will come back for a moment where it is absolutely essential their character be there even if they're not the center of attention. One of my favorites is the um... how do I say this without spoilers? The character who appeared in this series who appears in another series who gets upset about spreadsheets. Loved that he graced us with his presence in that episode. Very world-building of them. Sometimes these actors get an inflated ego, coughmulgrewcough, and won't show up unless they're top billing, and it always ultimately hurts the storyline.
I love this episode! Even knowing the twist it’s fun to watch and Riker figuring out the first twist is always satisfying. It’s an S tier episode for me.
The kid kept distracting Riker because he was lonely and wanted to interact directly with him. And also start the process of Riker bonding with him.
The clues are so well layered into it. One of my all time faves, seen it many times, and it still holds up great and always new things to notice.
I remember when this first aired. I didn't recognize the "Min" reference from Troi, and I didn't recognize the actress in the video as Minuette because I had only seen her episode once at that point. Blew me away when Riker put it together for us! Good for you guys catching all of that right away! Also, I really liked the score as Riker says he doesn't want to play anymore. It went from eerie to touching as Barash reveals himself. I remember shedding a tear for that little dude at his loneliness and another tear of happiness for him now that he doesn't need to be alone anymore. I really love this episode and I'm so glad you guys did too.
Picard with his leg up for once on the console instead of Riker 😄
So many characters come back this season. Lore, K'Ehleyr, K'mpec, Duras, and now Minuet.
The most interesting part of this episode to me is of course Minuet. It's Riker's fantasy, it's the alien technology giving him what he wants. And apparently what he wants is not Troi. Maybe if she appreciated his music better, she would've been his wife in the fantasy.
Oh, snap!
*Riker shouting wildly at everyone*
Diana: "Will, I can sense you're angry"
Riker internally: Oh damn, that might actually be her, I better dial it back
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Riker was actually incorrect too in stating Tomalak was a Captain. He was a Romulan Commander.
Romulans have a different ranking names. Romulan commanders are equivalent to Federation captains.
@@Retrovorious Yeah, if Tomalak was the Starfleet equivalent of a commander, he'd be a sub-commander.
He’s in command of a ship, so you can refer to him as captain regardless of his actual rank.
@@richdurbin6146 Also true.
I've always really loved this episode. I was always under the impression that it wasn't a very well liked episode since I never see it on any lists. Glad you enjoyed it!
Just got here. Confused at first, and then I was reminded of "previously on Gargoyles" where it's a scene from multiple episodes back. nice.
I used to be able to tell exactly which episode of Gargoyles it was going to be, just based on the "previously" bit.
Good eye on spotting the future commbadge with the rank insignia! The basic plot idea of this one has been done before (TV Tropes calls it 'Faked Rip Van Winkle') but I think the attention to detail and execution here is really good. You are also right that they were taking a bit of a gamble in 1990 to call back to a season 1 episode, but that really added depth to it.
Alex and Josh @42:00
The rest of us: Just wait guys,....just wait. Hee, hee, hee. 😃
You mother effers. I totally thought my phone froze 😂
Been a lonnnnnng time since I watched a video with no intro like "Hi we're X doing Y thing. Welcome to the channel!" That takes nards. Good work. Thanks for making this. I miss old Trek all the time.
Glad you guys enjoyed this episode, honestly I was expecting it to get like an A and B from you guys. Glad it got an S, I know they get an eye roll from most people now and days. But Star Trek gave me the love of alternate realities and possible futures and this episode in particular was no doubt a big part of that.
Shocked at how fast you guessed Minuet, last episode you had made a callout to Tomalak too, and you have had some other spot on guesses. You guys sure you haven't seen TNG before?
The "SHUT UP" bit was actually ghost written by Wil Wheaton.
Another hint is when Data shows Tomalak around the ship. He immediately takes him over and says these new sensors can detect cloaked Warbirds even while in warp. That really caught my attention.
No one knows about the enemies the kid is talking about. Best guess it is either Romulans or... the Borg who were also messing around the Neutral Zone back at the end of Season One.
It was the Pakleds.
I always thought the Min twist in this episode was great, and Riker’s reaction afterwards!
The internet was around at the time, but it was really limited. Browsers for the web were mostly text-only (called Lynx), the new Netscape Navigator was about to come out and it could show Bitmap (.bmp) images, and then .gif images (back then GIFs weren't animated, it was just a way to show color in a somewhat smaller file size than .bmp). Back then the big problem is that we could barely see single images because the file size was so large, and our modems were so slow, and video was really a no-go. Netscape 1.1 was a huge deal because it was the first to show jpg files which were WAY WAY smaller in size (like 30 KB instead of 1 MB) while showing full color. Being able to call up a video of a star trek episode was way off at the time.
Remember "Real Player" that buffered half the time?
@@floydlooney6837When clicking on a video was a commitment.
The internet technically existed at this time. This episode aired in late 1990. The first commercial ISP started in 1989.
On the other hand, it essentially didn't exist at that time. I was an extremely early adopter and I heard about the internet for the first time in 1992, a full 2 years after this episode came out. I was told about it by a friend of mine who had a university account which was the only way in our city to get access to it.
I didn't get my own account until around 1993 or 1994.
Most people I knew didn't use the internet regularly until 1996 or so. Even then it was mostly only nerds who used it until about 1998-1999 when basically everyone had an internet account.
@@Zamrod I wouldn't hear about AOL until mid way through TNG season 7. I think the internet at this point in time was still essentially dial up message boards.
@@Zamrod I got internet in 1992, $99 a year. My modem was only 33.6 though
I knew you were going to LOVE this episode!! You guys are amazing. I wish I had a friend to enjoy Trek with like you have. I rewatch each episode a week ahead to prepare for your episode lol. I have watched literally all of Trek, and TNG about 4 or 5 times lol
Well now you have 2 friends to enjoy it with 🙌🏻
@@targetaudience Thank you very much! I appreciate it!! Already looking forward to the next episode
I worked at a university, up until 2017, for nearly 15 years. People stayed there so long they had a 40 year club so yea, it’s possible that many are still there.
The only thing better than a Star Trek "Twist" .... Is a "Double Star Trek Twist"!
It's fascinating (raises one eyebrow) as a somewhat older gentleman to hear your comments on growing up with CGI and loving anything practical. It's so different for Gen X as we were naturally impressed as CGI started to come about. In particular I remember The Last Starfighter, was just amazing to us! Although today, I am similar when I see some early CGI characters and how clunky they look
Yeah, everybody went nuts about Jurassic Park.
I do vividly remember the commercial for this episode and Riker pronouncing "charade" one way and then for whatever reason there was an ADR of that line in the finished episode and Riker pronounces it differently.
I think he even pronounced it that way in the initial airing. I remember at the time it sounded weird.
@ryanb7649 no he definitely pronounced it differently. I recorded the original airing on a VHS cassette.
@@jmwild1 Yep. I used to record these episodes directly from the C-band satellite feed... even before the commercials were added.
I noticed the "charade" right away.
@@MrDeathpilot Lucky! I would love to have had that kind of access. I was pretty good at recording while watching and pausing during commercials.
@@jmwild1 Yeah, I was working as a service technician at a TV repair shop, so I had access to a C-band satellite system and a HiFi VCR, and didn't have to buy either one. 😁
Instead of commercials, those feeds still had 30 seconds of blank screen.
My first thought looking back at this episode was "Poor Will, he's always getting taken for Romulan experimentation," and then I remembered the double-bluff.
Data also said "I'm"
Still, it is easily explained that 16 years of upgrades could have "fixed" his contraction problem.
@@brauliob I know it's an endearing quirk, but the whole notion of Data not being able to use contractions rather silly.
@@kojiattwood I feel the same. Season 1 he used several contractions, I think at some point the writers decided to give him that quirk, it wasn't originally in the TNG bible.
@@kojiattwood Yet another stupid idea from season 1/2 they were able to "redeem" in some way to great positive effect.
This is one of the things that i love about getting to see this with you guys, i honestly had forgotten about this episode until it started. I had forgotten how amazing this episode is and that really goes to show how many amazing episodes there are in all of star trek. God i cant wait to see what you guys think of my favorite episode which i believe is in this season.
Barash’s alien suit: I suspect Paramount just dug out a suit from some 50s movie since it was only on screen for about a minute.
6:16 I love this Beyond Belief moment 😂😂
Surprised this one got an S! Not that it's a bad episode, just that it's not a super big episode or anything. A lot of fun moments, but I don't think it QUITE holds up on rewatches because you walk in knowing the big twist and suddenly you can notice other things - the pacing of conversations, for instance, is a little slower - particularly between Crusher and Riker. Now you could argue this is just trying to get the audience settled into this concept, but you could also argue, like the "faulty processing attenuator" or whatever, that the alien holodeck is trying to catch up to unpredicted movements Riker makes.
Still, the Minuet reveal was phenomenal and well-handled and overall just a good episode. I'd say more B or A tier, though it gains a lot of points for Riker's ranting - "You're INCAPABLE of that level of incompetence!"
I had a B+ on rewatch last week, even knowing the twists. But the TA enthusiasm took me to an A-. Can't see this as S tier, above "Reunion" and "Best of Both Worlds Part II"? Nope.
@@greenbrown7776 I feel Reunion got knocked off a bit because K'eylhar really was a great guest character so they were a bit bummed her second appearance was her last. I am not sure it was a quality thing per se as that they would have preferred to see more with her character. (It is remarkable the character was in just two episodes as in my memory she was like a major recurring character. And in a way she was.) I have seen Trek reviewers also feel like the character got "shafted" or maybe even "fridged" which upset them.
I give it an S just for Riker's constant spewing of attitude, and then a few more points for all the good bits in between.
I have not seen anything of this episode yet but I have to say - this is easily in top 5 of this season for me
TNG has several of these "time is out of joint / things are not as they should be episodes" and while most of them are pretty good ("Remember Me" is super cool) Riker is my favorite character to see put through that particular wringer, because you can see his professionalism straining to keep up with events until it finally cracks and he enters DGAF Boss Mode.
There are so many excellent episodes to come, they might be giving S to half of the remaining episodes. They might need to recalibrate their rating system.
I know right?! When every almost episode is as good as the best stuff from season 1/2, it's like maybe they'd figure out why we had to readjust our scale.
very good episode. My first clue was when they told him, he spent 10 days with a fever... "and with the same uniform"
Remember when Uhura lost all her memories and relearned everything in a few hours?
I’ve tried to forget
@@targetaudienceyou used a contraction! It’s THE LORE
“Bluey?”
@russellharrell2747 that pesky android again?
"...as in close your MOUTH and STOP TALKING!!!"
Really fun episode despite using a very common sci-fi/action TV trope of the time with a character getting amnesia and waking up in an alternate future. This trope probably still had some legs to it in the sci-fi genre since alternate futures are fun and a show like Star Trek can do a lot more with it. Normally the character would be locked in a hospital room until they figure it out but here we get to actually see the alternate timeline. It also helps that the writers understood the trope enough to add some fresh elements, such as not waiting too long to reveal that it's a fake, and the additional level of it just being a lonely alien rather than a nefarious Romulan scheme (typically it's always a villain's plot).
This is one of those episodes that is simply a little better the first time around. But it still mostly holds up even when you know about the double twists that are coming. But you just can't replicate the reveals a second time.
I was probably a B+ on "Future Imperfect" before the reaction. Now I'm an A- or regular A. The TA enthusiasm works its magic on me again.
It was so much fun watching your faces and being thoroughly entertained. What more could you ask from a tv show? You're hitting some of my favorite episodes of the whole series in season 4 and 5. So excited to watch you react. I appreciate all the thought and analysis you put into Star Trek. Education, Entertainment, Art.
Pat Stew with his old Lenin look. 😂 He used to play Lenin in a british TV series in the 70s
You 2 always deliver. Best TNG reactors I've ever watched. Keep it rolling!
Love this episode, both for the what-if scenario and the twists.
One of my top ten episodes of TNG right here. Ok now I'm gonna watch the reaction.
Surprised this was a B from patrons. I've always liked this one a lot.
I was quite young when the series started, and didn't watch consistently until Season 3, so I had no idea who Minuet was. But I distinctly remember my Dad reacting to that reveal with surprise, "Wait, that's... she's from..." and I picked up the context that she wasn't really someone Riker would/could have married. Yeah, that kind of continuity without heavy reinforcement was quite unusual for TV at the time.
Internet became available for public use on April 30, 1993. So, 3 years after this.
Great episode and the start of a theme for future episodes, "Let's put Riker through hell." Just a few of these episodes exist, but these pop up occasionally. This is one of the episodes people point to for season 3 being so good. The writers were on top of their game and little call backs to past episodes all make the episodes far more interesting and memorable.
This was the first episode of TNG, in fact of all Star Trek I ever saw, so it was a little confusing in parts, but man was I hooked after this. Great episode!
"..it's almost beyond belief" 😄😄
I never liked grunge or metal, but this theme actually has clear musical motifs. Not bad!
Funny you should mention not being able to watch something again "for the first time". Many shows and movies have such a profound effect that when I rewatch them, I slip back into the feeling that I already had, and what it triggers is the emotional memory of watching it, and how awesome that was. Sometimes, having seen some fantastic scenes in the theater and also being immersed in the thrill along with 100 other people also gasping or cheering, I get drawn right back to those moments. Examples were, of course, the portals scene from Avengers: Endgame, Thor's return in Infinity War, the first "assemble" in Avengers (especially as a life-long Avengers fan, and the thrill of finally getting to see them all together on-screen - and done WELL), and the reveal of Enterprise A at the end of The Voyage Home (I had to wait 3 years after the Enterprise was destroyed in The Search for Spock, so the "death" of the Enterprise was the only canon). The first ever such experience for me was watching Star Wars (before it was Ep. IV A New Hope) along with a whole theater full of people seeing it for the first time, and the amazing applause and cheer that came up spontaneously when the Death Star exploded will live in me forever.
Now, I get to have that fun vicariously watching reaction videos today with you guys and others, and my fun anticipating your reactions to big reveals. Glad you guys are doing this, and with a universe that was essential for me growing up. 🙂 LLAP
I have been waiting for this episode , just to discuss the idea of having Will and beverly hooking up, with Picard and Deanna getting married …..
I know neither of these are even implied in this simulation, but it puts the pieces in the right place for the possibility
"Shut up as in close your mouth!" - Picard still shocked..