One thing I liked about this episode is that I finally saw the old Seven of Nine come out. In Voyager, she was never afraid to challenge the captain and she was almost always right, or at least pursuing the most logical course. It was good to see that again.
Doing Seven's character in a position of authority has truly brought Jeri Ryan's portrayal full circle. When we met her again in Picard season 1, she had so violently rejected (or been rejected by) any real system of authority that she had lost the crispness of action and purpose that she had carried over from her Borg personality. It had been replaced mostly by disappointmrnt and despair. She went through a very thorough exploration of herself throughout the rest of the first two seasons, and by the opening of season 3, Ryan is portraying her as having regained the almost haughty crispness that was one of Seven's hallmarks, but she has regained so much humanity that she can explore a wide range of emotions, from being proud and efficient in a job she's hating, to getting royally pissed off at her friend Picard not confiding in her, to softening her edge with amusement and sympathy when dealing with Ensign LaForge's hero worship, to being able to read Jack well enough to pull off a very nuanced armed confrontation without anyone getting shot. Maybe Seven wasn't ready for Starfleet -- or it for her -- when Voyager returned. But she sure seems to be ready now. Now to convince her of that...
This was a super strong episode. Again the acting was fantastic and they didn’t spell things out for us. They trusted us to see things for ourselves. Especially the scene between Picard and Crusher where everything you needed to know was done with the eyes. BTW did anyone else notice little things in the end credits? Little stuff like Shaw’s performance evaluation and ships at the fleet museum? Maybe it’s nothing.
I don't know, this one felt mostly like connective tissue to me. And I'm still not sold on the "secret Beverly/Jean-Luc lovechild" trope. But I must say, I love Amanda Plummer as Vadic, a scenery chewer in the best tradition of Star Trek movie villains. And kudos to the production staff for letting a middle-aged woman play a greasy, hammy, kind of repulsive scumbag; I doubt that Rick Berman would have let it happen.
I don't think the first two episodes stand alone well. I think they should have been released concurrently. It would have felt like an extended premiere that set everything up and started moving things along. A lot of what happened in this episode is character intro so I think it would have made more sense as part of the premiere. We expect that more in the beginning so we can forgive some extended setup
" And I'm still not sold on the "secret Beverly/Jean-Luc lovechild" trope" I somehow agree on that. It's somehow overused and not really necessary - at least for now. Does every captain now has a lost child in the closet? In ST2 David Marcus had a reason to be in the story: The movie was about Kirk's past mistakes and regrets. I hope they don't just copy this here. And this "Don'T you see it?" trope - sorry, that's not how genetics works. But it's just a minor complaint. Let's see where it goes from here.
I am a huge Crusher fan since TNG originally aired and love the season starting with her. I am also a Crusher/Picard wisher. For that alone this season has me so pumped. I love the season so far overall as well. Can’t wait to see more episodes and keep rewatching the first two.
One part of this episode I really dug was when Jack essentially says to Picard "You think you know Beverly Crusher, but haven't spoken her in how many years? Is there anyone you know who is still the person you knew?" It felt like a well-deserved shot across the bow to the kinds of fans who expect characters to remain static their entire lives, encased forever in a kind of arrested character development that began the moment the audience last saw them
I don’t know, this can come off more as a writer’s excuse then genuine ‘time has changed things’. People grow and change, but they don’t become alien to themselves. That’s why characters are eatablished overtime by things from their past. They also don’t get whole personality transplants between like 30 and 50 and that has nothing to do with time capsuling them. It’s just true that past a certain point your adult self is more set to the general vibe you will likely be for most of your life. Yeah, maybe a few hobbies change or they are a little more or less serious then they were when they were younger. Maybe their perspective on something changes. But for the most part these are minor shifted around priorities. But the essential essence of a person rarely changes to the point of being unrecognizable unless something truly crazy has gone down. The most major time people change is between childhood and adulthood but this crew knew each other well into adulthood where there are less severe personality changes. It’s nothing like knowing someone say when they were a toddler and now they are a 20 plus year old adult. I don’t have any particular issues to point out in regards to this issue, but I think reading Jack Crusher’s statement as ‘true’ is a misread. *He* doesn’t know Picard, his known life has not included Picard so for him that is enough to conclude Picard doesn’t know his mom like he knows his mom. Rather that is true or not.
@@TheDawnofVanlife People change based on experience. The reason there are fewer changes in your later adult life is because people tend to settle into their lives by that age. In early adulthood, many people are starting a career, starting a family, beginning the process of settling down. By your 30s-40s, you're in your career, you've got a family, you've got a stable group of friends, etc. You don't change much because your experiences aren't changing much. But for people like this - adventurers, people who have done a lot of things since we last saw them - their experiences are going to change them. They aren't the same people who traveled around on a starship. The Rikers got married, started a family, retired, lost a child. LaForge has kids. Worf left the Enterprise for a post on a space station, then lost his wife. Crusher had another kid and left the safety of Starfleet to try and help people. Everyone is in a very different place than when we last saw them, so naturally they are going to have had significant changes. Yes, they should still be recognizable, but not identical.
@@TheDawnofVanlife - Change, as with death, is one of the only things we can count on in the universe. I am such a different individual than the person I was just 2 years ago that some of the friends I've known for over 2 decades currently have very little in common with me. I love this, because I stepped willingly into a completely different way of living my life and the changes that were wrought are measurable within and without. For some people, though, this type of extreme growth engenders a state of emotional panic. The idea that things and people can change drastically upends their sense of stability to such an extent that they balk and lament, pretending that such things aren't possible.
I grew up with TNG onward. I've enjoyed Picard, an imperfect but enjoyable show IMO. To me, Picard is absolutely still recognizable as Picard. Yes he's older and different, but in a way I found believable and hardly alien to himself. I'm 40. When I think about myself I'm far more different from myself at 20, than I find Picard-Picard vs TNG-Picard. But what evs, just opinions.
I'm not sure if it was planned or a serendipitous coincidence, but I am so in LOVE with the fact that Amanda Plummer is the villain closing out the final story for the Next Gen just like her father was for the original cast.
Was happy our collective theory that Raffi's handler turned out to be Worf was true. And I understand now why they had to leave out Elnor for this season coz Worf is now in charge of beheading enemies And I am loving Vadic so far. She is able to portray menace without hitting you over the head with it.
I guessed he was Raffi's handler in Ep. 1 "You are a warrior," indeed. I had hopes that his intro wouldn't be his line from the ads, so colour me tickled.
As soon as the contact called Raffi a Warrior over the computer in episode one I knew it was worf but that entrance was fantastic even if I saw it coming.
I've a feeling that Captain Shaw's solution to the Kobayashi Maru Command Test was to not cross the Neutral Zone to help the merchant vessel and stay put, regardless of the pleas from the freighter.
In Captain Harriman's defense, he's more nicer than Captain Shaw was in episode one. He allowed Kirk to offer him any suggestions, and in the comics, he does grow a pair (in a way when dealing with the Klingons in the comics). Also, it was Kirk's choice to save the Enterprise B rather than take command, because he knows it's not his Enterprise. In addition, the Enterprise B is a good ship, but I was pissed that she didn't get enough screen time or the chance to have her own show. I'd honestly take Captain Harriman over Captain Shaw because Harriman is more flexible.
He wanted to know from her, no one else, until that moment he wouldnt even consider it true, even with Riker poking at him. I hunched it right from the start, but "mon ami", it wasn't too hard to suss out. 😁
As an actor in a former life I have always loved performances that use an economy (or complete lack) of words! If you can express something visually do it. When you have 2 great actors with chemistry like Stewart and McFadden it’s just elevated to a another level. So good!
The more I think about it, the more sense Captain Shaw makes. He's basically TNG Picard - convinced that he's right and obsessed with protecting his ship to the point that can get annoying. The difference is that Picard is also there and we're so used to Picard actually being right that we instinctively dislike someone who's doing all of the things that Picard would do.
You know that I really enjoy and appreciate your reviews, powered as they are by your deep love and immersion and joy in Star Trek, but I also want to give a shout out to your reflections on storytelling and your observations about the tools and styles they are using and the pros and cons of the various approaches. Bravo, and thank you
The predicament that the Titan finds itself in reminded me of the episode "Prey," in which a member of Species 8472 is on board Voyager and the Hirogen threaten to blow up the ship if Janeway doesn't hand it over. Honestly, this may be an unpopular opinion, but given that Janeway obviously didn't have any plan for saving the lives of her crew, I've always felt like Seven made the right call in disobeying her and beaming the alien over to the Hirogen. The needs of the many and so forth. The situation felt less cut and dried in this episode, but even though I don't like Shaw and giving up Crusher would certainly have been a dick move, I can't 100% blame him for being tempted to do just that.
I don't think Shaw is a coward....I think something happened previously that caused him to be so adherent to the rules. Cause as soon as Picard mentioned that Jack is his son Shaw relented and gave command over. And the exchange between Bev and JL on the bridge.....that landed HARD!
Wolf 359 happened. Shaw was at Wolf 359. That's why he insists Seven use the name "Annika Hansen", and why he called Picard "former ex-Borg" with obvious anger in his tone of voice.
My biggest issue with Picard. It’s so BLOODY DARK! Not the themes, the lighting. Can we turn on some lights? Arrgh. It’s an unpleasant show to watch just for that. That being said, love Sneed. Nice to see what’s basically a Ferengi Gangster. I like Raffi’s story with her son’s father, great build off of season 1 Raffi. I am still waiting to see how this whole Jack, Beverly, Picard plot lands. I am ambivalent about it.
I'm adoring all the musical nods to the past, on a purely nerdy level and the story is engaging but I couldn't agree more on the lighting. Turn on the lights! I want to see the beautiful sets, heck I'll settle for seeing the face of the actors not dowsed in half shadows. 😁😁 Dark themes are interesting, dark scenes, not so much.
Not saying fighting was the wrong call. Saying "he's my son" being taken as a valid reason by everyone immediately without any push back or pointing out that Picard really shouldn't be giving orders given that is the case is not right.
For me it really took the moral choice out if it in the and and more said that we will risk others to protect you only if you are important enough to someone.
I haven't watched the episode yet and obviously you've seen 6 so far, but the son plot point... this show is going to have to work VERY hard for me not to hate it. And will need a damn good reason for his existence being hidden from his father.
I’m loving it! I felt like this episode had so many echoes of The Wrath of Khan. I loved the Jean-Luc/Beverly moment. Amanda Plummer is picking up where her Dad left off. Worf is glorious. I’m already invested in this season.
I think Shaw was at Wolf 359 and got serious PTSD from it, maybe something worse. That would explain what Vadic meant about him being fit for service (like, barely), why he is so reluctant to engage in combat (his ship is for exploration, he says) and why he has no sympathy whatsoever for the likes of Picard, Riker, and Borgs. Getting serious Sisko vibes from him.
The moment at the end where Shaw says ”goddammit" was just amazing. I'm liking Shaw. It almost overshadowed the wordless moment between Picard and Crusher.
I'm not sure if Shaw has ever heard of a thing called Starfleet before but I remember Janeway, Picard, and Sisko routinely risking their lives and their crew's lives to protect external parties, especially civilians...
So ... Jean Luc is the man who sent Jack Crusher on the mission where he was killed, then many years later he fathers a son with Beverly but she doesn't tell Jean Luc, then she names the baby boy Jack. Is that weird?
I have one issue with the revelation that Jack Crusher is Picard's son. According to Wikipedia, Ed Speleers is 34 years old (he was born in 1988). So, assuming his character is the same age, he is too old to have been born post-Nemesis. If he was born while Beverly was at Starfleet Medical (during TNG's second season), when was he conceived? My theory: Picard and Beverly had a makeout session sometime during "The Naked Now" (Season 1).
Ed Speleers might be 34, but why would you assume the character he's playing is the same age? Actors often play characters who're older or younger than the actor themselves. For exampel, Patrick Stewart is 82, but Jean-Luc Picard is 96.
I'm happy, we have finally confirmation that Jack is Picard son. The previous seasons makes me think Jean-Luc will never fathered a child, I'm happy that the Picard line will not end with him. And I'm also happy the way they introduced Worf in this show, despite how violent that scene is. Maybe the reason why Sneed never mentioned the Rules of Acquisition is that maybe Grand Nagus Rom change the Ferengi society so much so that maybe the Rules no longer apply.
Maybe it's just different conditions between last week and this week (though none I could easily point to), but this episode didn't hit as well as last week. The A-plot definitely hewed close to what I'd expected but I think it was done reasonably well and Shaw's coming out as a better character than when he was initially presented last week (a far more reasonable character compared to what Todd Stashwick usually gets to play). Amanda Plummer's villain was...not great initially, but she grew on me, especially in the ending. Jack was fine, his identity was certainly heavily signalled but I appreciate the roguish charm that makes him his own character rather than a combination of his parents (as is so common with legacy kids). He's clearly wanted for more than just killing him, though, otherwise there wouldn't be this standoff, as was pointed out early in the episode - I'm wary about the reasoning, and I hope it's not just a "it's because you're Picard's kid". All the questions stemming from him do make me quite wary, especially with these spinoff rumours you mentioned (not something I'd heard about), as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Next Generation just doesn't sound appealing. The Raffi B-plot, on the other hand, did not work so well for me. One of my biggest problems is Raffi's extreme exposition monologues on La Sirena (some of which is really bad "let's summarize what's already happening" and a lot of it is "let's have a character describe their relationship with another character to that character in a way that's obvious to both of them so the audience is caught up even though it doesn't make sense they'd do this"), though the meeting with her ex didn't quite work for me, nor did her attempt to interrogate Sneed. Part of that is we have too little to go on about her investigation, so everything feels like a baseless hunch with no reasoning - it tracks back to the earliest version of her, with the conspiratorial thinking she's known for, but the problem has always been that it never seemed to make sense how she was connecting things except that she needed to for the plot so she'd just stumble into the answers immaterial of any real effort. The meeting with Sneed was pretty boilerplate, including the far-too-common "I think you're a cop so I'm gonna make you do drugs in front of me" move by Sneed, leaving us with "undercover cop must do drugs to dissuade person from thinking they're an undercover cop", followed by "guy who was a contact reveals for no good reason he killed framed guy". Also, I know that a lot of people called it (and I certainly didn't see any point in arguing the evidence), but Worf being Raffi's handler for Starfleet Intelligence does not make sense to me for many reasons involving his character, and the way he just absolutely slaughters everyone really doesn't jive with Worf (yeah, he killed people, but that was usually more of a necessity thing, and he could've taken the standard Starfleet route of knocking out/disabling people instead). He especially should've captured Sneed alive instead of killing him, that seems like a really stupid move done for no reason at all.
I swear, all I could hear in my head while Vadic spoke was, "You're not supposed to be in the room when this note has been written and placed on the desk! Do you understand me?" So I Married an Axe Murderer is one of my all-time favorites, and I am so here to watch Amanda Plummer chewing scenery again.
There was something that I found interesting in that when they had their first com with the alien ship (Amanda Plummer) the captain of that ship mentioned something about Shaw's past that seemed to me like something that will come back in a future episode.
But you don't think that any one of them could have Maury-Povich'd that plot in half a second to determine that Jack Crusher was Picard's kid? Shaw even questioned whether he was *Beverley's* son and they had her medical information already in the ship's database because they were treating her, and him in the brig so they would have also had *his*. That was sloppy plotting that, by the end of it when they did the wordless "he's YOURRRR'S, Jean-Luc" ;) thing across the room, became evident as to why they bothered with the armtwisting.
I was not expecting to go from “I hope Shaw gets tossed out an airlock” last episode to finding him incredibly sympathetic in this one. I want to learn more about his background… Vadic seems to oddly know quite a bit about Shaw and alludes to his “psychological profile”… hmmm. And Vadic is so creepy! I love her!
….’psychological profile’ comment may allude to Vadic’s access to confidential intelligence and information. Shaw is more interesting and makes me curious about why he is protective and hard nosed.
Yeah I gotta admit while at first I wanted this jackass, irredeemable Shaw to just leave the story by any means asap, seeing him in this episode, being resigned to and accepting the situation, and hearing of potential character plots from Vadic now makes me want to see more of him, learn from history, and hope he'll make out of this final season alive.
@@myriadmediamusings From the very first moment Shaw appeared, I couldn't stand him and that impression hasn't wavered in the slightest. He was behaving like a complete tool well before Riker and Picard even suggested altering the Titan's flight plan. He kinda reminds me of an MLB umpire who's been blatantly calling pitches a foot outside the plate as strikes during the entire game, just relishing the opportunity for one of the hitters to finally complain, so he can quickly eject the player, throwing his weight around and savor the feeling of power he's been given. He's convinced himself that everyone bought a ticket just so they can witness his childish antics and he couldn't be more off-base (pun intended). I'm here to enjoy the dynamic between Picard and Riker, plus other members of the Enterprise D's crew (eventually). Any time spent on Shaw's backstory just feels like a complete waste when there are much more interesting characters available.
@@BCBaron Personally, given that he was at Wolf 359, and all his friends and collegaues were killed because of Picard/Locutus, I can see why he's not the biggest fan of Picard and Riker. Same reason Sisko could barely restrain himself from punching Picard when they met.
I am loving this idea of scenes "speaking without words" in this epsiode. Dave Filoni, in the Star Wars animated shows such as the Cone Wars series ending, or the Episode 3 Season 2 of the Bad Batch, uses this type of storytelling to such great affect. Or even the end to Season 1 of House of the Dragon. The silence combined with the acting and music is more powerful than any dialogue sometimes. Great job to every one working Star Trek Picard! And thank you!
Jessie your nerdiness is slipping you call yourself a trekkie if don't even mention the fact that crusher and Picard having a son and not telling him about it is a total parallel to Kirk and Carol Marcus .in fact so far this whole season plot seems to parallel the Wrath of Khan , I will not be surprised if the real villain is someone or some people from Picard's past .
Not gonna lie I got a little misty eyed when Beverly and Picard saw each other and just knew……with lesser actors this would not have worked I totally agree. Gates is such a great actor and she finally gets to really show how great she is :)
Good episode. Not gonna lie I was afraid to see what they might have done with the ferengi only for me to be happily surprised in that they didn't change it, they just refined it a bit to remove the slight plastic-y look they used to have. Loving our new villain too she is just so weirdly threatening yet enjoyable too. Season 3 is off to a great start.
This episode, like good episodes of Trek before it, actually has a theme shared between its plotlines and I love it. It's about not being able to stand back and watch even when qualified people tell you to. Felt like a very strong episode on its own. And lett me tell you: if this kid is Picard's son, I am here for it. The actor, Ed Speleers, (even though he's a bit too old for the role of a 20-year-old and it shows in some scenes) is clearly the right guy for the role. He very much looks like the image of young Picard we remember from some episodes of TNG, and he's also got that "I am an outlaw, but a noble one, I help people" energy. His witty and snarky acting is qmazing, I want more of this guy, I absolutely loved every scene he was in, same actually goes for captain Liam Shaw (who once again shows himself to be an unpleasant individual but a good captain who actually deserved his chair, because when he says he cares about the lives of his crew I believe him) and what little we got of Sydney LaForge. Ah, and Sneed, oh my god... They made an informed choice here, making him on the surface look/feel/sound like a classic DS9 ferengi with his sincerely sounding laughter, but jthe soundtrack and camera... It just makes him and his scenes feel threatening in an uncanny, cognitive dissonance-inducing way. Ferengi have always been kinda goofy, and Sneed also is, but at the same time very much is not. He's the scariest Ferengi in Star Trek and I love it. The main villain... She's kinda not there fir me yet. I feel like I am missing some significant details about her for her to truly feel scary. For now she just has a really big powerful ship, but big ships are only scary when they have one-of-a-kind genocidal weapons, and we are yet to see this one do stuff like that. I feel like we are getting there with her, though I do love everything about her aesthetics. Also, does that ship have a deflector from a Galaxy-class? Also, just by the tone of ending alone it feels like... I am not sure if the guy is actually Picard's son or not. I am pretty certain he's Beverly's, but then who knows. This might just be a plot twist in the middle/end. I would love it if Picard bonds with the kid and then learns that he's not actually his son, but it doesn't matter at that point.
I'm just thinking, when did Beverly and Jean Luc do it. Hopefully we get an idea when, cause it's also weird that Picard isn't upset or anything, just maybe that strange glance they had between eachother. To me, I think, leading up to the reveal was a bit weird, and a bit obvious. And how come she kept this a secret for a long time. I'm surprised Jack didn't try to find out who his father was, unless she told him that he was dead or something. Last night's episode just felt okay, wasn't THE best.
I'm sure the "when did they do it" was referenced in the first episode of this season, with Laris talking to Picard and saying "You two even tried to be lovers once, didn't you?" With Picard saying "'Tried' being the operative word." I mean, why establish that and then act like it's surprising that Beverly might have become pregnant? After all, as much as making love is so many things on so many levels, that particular act is sort of biologically designed to make her pregnant, after all... 🙂 Certainly, someone of Picard's age and experience knew what could happen if they had unprotected sex... you would think. 😲
Maybe "The Naked Now" ... Beverly left months later to go to Starfleet Medical where she stayed for a year or so. Jack is obviously more than 20 y/o. Perhaps Jack was raised by a stand-in parent in Britain?
Very good episode, I think the series baddie could end up rivalling Khan in terms of most beloved 'villain' of Trek. At the end, I also got some serious Insurrection vibes as they headed into what appeared to be a thick nebula, seemed similar to what happened in Insurrection, but thankfully I actually do enjoy that film!
I think Seven would be the Captain in the "Next Next Generation". Something that stood out to me about the Shrike; it has a secondary hull with a dish. It actually looks strangely similar to the secondary hull of a Galaxy class. Secondary Hulls tend to be a Starfleet thing, especially ones like this. It just kind of hangs under the ship. This definitely makes this ship feel like it is kitbashed together from other ships, possibly built on at least part of the frame of a Federation ship much in the way many of the new era of ships in Starfleet are built on the frames of older ships. I don't think enough of the Enterprise's Secondary Hull could have survived for this to be from the Enterprise (it should have mostly be atomized); but I feel like this had to be intentional. The ship almost looks like it is built out of structure from Federation ships and possibly some of the later Romulan (or even Disco era Klingon). The front/bow even gives slight Marauder vibes. This ship is built from pieces. And it really works. Since Nemesis, Trek has had this issue where the villain needs this massive scarey threat ship that outclasses the hero ship...and it just has not worked. It has always been cringe-worthy. But here it works. Very well. This doesn't feel like some out of place monster ship, it feels like an extension of Vedic. It feels like the two were designed together to fit each other as characters, right down to the way Plummer plays the character. Even the way she presents herself as well as how uncanny knowledgeable she is matches the Shrike seeming to be pieced together, terrifying, and full of knowledge. If it is pieced together; it speaks so much to her knowledge of not just the characters and the Federation; but also so much different technology from across the galaxy. Also; I'm pretty sure Beverly isn't aging and is instead slowly turning into a Gelfling. I can only dream of turning into the kind of sexy Gelfling she seems to be becoming.
Remember the time that Dr Crusher was away and Dr Katherine Pulaski replaced her how long ago was that more than 30 years at least... 2365 ? Chief Medical Officer, U.S.S. Enterprise, under Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (one-year replacement for Dr. Beverly Crusher) So if we are now in the early 25th C. it's around 2402-05, this guy is in his mid 30s, ummm! I mean Wil Wheaton is 50 years so would be Wesley...
1. Shaw is my favorite character of the season so far 2. Now that's how you use a bat'leth! That thing sliced through the gangsters like they were butter. 3. Just because they weren't a proper couple it doesn't mean they never had sex. 4. That said, Beverly could've just used Picard's DNA to produce her son without him knowing. In fact, I just read something on Reddit that supports #4. Jack mentioned that he is from Mariposa, which is the planet with the clones in the TNG 2nd season ep "Up the Long Ladder". They have advanced cloning tech and actually replicated Riker and Pulaski. And finally: Greetings from Costa Rica, Jessie 😄
So Riker and Diana’s wedding is when it happened??? I would imagine that would have been the last time Picard and Crusher were naked together, and it matches up timeline wise.
I like how you say it "could be a jump the shark moment" while I think it totally is and I can literally feel the interest in the rest of the season dying the more I think about this. God, I hope SNW season 2 comes out soon. I want some good, new live action Trek.
The music is a star in itself. I have always loved the understated humor of Star Trek and I felt we had lost a lot of that in the newer trek, but it’s back here.
The humour is definitely a plus, the only other place in modern Trek I've seen it is in Strange New Worlds - good to see it back, was sorely missed in the other incarnations.
I haven't been able to let this go all day. But the idea of Jack Crusher as Picard's son...that was just too easy and fast. Vadic's ship is very similar to the Reman-built Scimitar. Also heavily armed, just like Scimitar. Apparently sporting the type of weapons stolen from Daystrom, exotic enough to have Worf and Raffi aggressively tracking them down. Vadic is also hell bent on capturing Jack. Alive. Highest priority on her list of things to do. I think Jack is another clone of Picard. Sponsored by Vadic and the Remans, as a key strategy to infiltrate the Federation. The same plan that the Romulans had for Shinzon, but later abandoned. But Beverly discovered the plot and kidnapped/rescued Jack. Clever non-verbal dialog at the end of episode 2. Only a look of confession from Beverly to Picard, yet a miscommunication. That would be a really cool parallel to Nemesis. The "Nature versus Nurture" theme. Shinzon was an argument for nurture. Jack would be the counter-argument for nature. Picard was really tormented by Shinzon's personal plight. He wanted to sympathize, and even expressed to Troi something akin to survivor's guilt. Jack would be a very creative opportunity to give Picard a second chance to resolve that. I could see them forming a father/son relationship.
I loved the moment when Shaw finds his courage. To me, it communicates that he *is* a Star Fleet captain in the best tradition. I can see a mini-arc over these first two episodes. The first being Shaw threatened by having two officers who clearly outrank him in seniority and reputation. The second being Shaw insecure at the thought of risking the people under his command, he's afraid, it would be so easy for him to order the Titan back into Federation Space. He was ready for the mission to be part of the Frontier Day Flotilla, not taking his ship into the Unknown without so much as a night to prepare. The third point of the arc comes at the height of tension, Shaw realizes that it's his duty to protect not only "his own" but the stranger who is in peril, even if that stranger is a wanted criminal, even if that stranger got himself into the danger he's in. Shaw finally owns that the Titan is the only ship that can make a difference, and that, though they all might die, he has a duty to go boldly. As Kirk so famously said all those years ago. "Risk. Risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about."
I'm really happy they're not drawing out reveals -- We learn Picard is Jack's dad and that Worf is Raffi's handler in episode 2! Even though these were both pretty obvious, one of Picard's biggest issues in the last 2 seasons, and disco's forever as well, is drawing out these mysteries for way too long. We still don't really know why people are after Jack (just bounties doesn't track) but it also feels like we're making actual progress. I'm happy with this season so far, much much moreso than season 2
This season seems like star trek’s greatest hits in a way, which while unoriginal, has so far been really good. The new characters are compelling and likable, with good writing and good acting; the older characters have good stuff to do like 7 and Raffi, Worf’s intro is freakin awesome 😎 I really hope the season continues this greatness and doesn’t fall off the rails like S2 did. I’m also really looking forward to seeing Geordi, and his interactions w his kids.
Shaw is absolutely right, what did they expect when they sneak around and make Seven break the rules? Sneed was super fun! I love Ed Speleers but I’m still damaged from his role in Outlander 😢 And lastly the emotional blackmail by Raffi’s husband is behaviour that should stay in the 21st century. She shouldn’t have to choose between duty and her child, by working she doesn’t “decide against” her child, this was so contrived.
My biggest fear is that we're 20% through, and aside from the initial flight out, we haven't gone anywhere, and we seem to be setting up another "submarine" episode which are great for tension, but not so good for plot movement. I was excited for the first episode, but this one was a bit of a slow burn. Still good, but with the limited time we have, I would like to see them pick up the pace a bit more. Shaw is really walking the line between asshole you love to hate, and just asshole you hate. They did redeem him a teeny, tiny bit at the end with how he went along with it once he found out Jack was Picard's son. So that's promising. But before that, I was leaning heavily towards just hating him. The difference between him and Jelico is that Jelico was by the books, but he only showed contempt for Riker when Riker pushed back against him. His antagonism towards Riker was earned. Here, Shaw hated - absolutely, visibly hated - all three of our heroes, from before he ever met them. Deadnaming Seven, insulting Picard and Riker by not greeting them or waiting for them for dinner. It isn't just that he disagrees with them, like Jelico. It wasn't a conflict of ideologies or personality. He walked into this with a chip the size of Everest on his shoulder. Amanda Plummer is absolutely devouring the scenery and I adore it! The Rafi storyline, so far I can take it or leave it. It hasn't quite hooked me yet. I can see the potential, but so far I'm still ambivalent. As for Jack, I'd be more excited if they hadn't done the "Captain has a son he didn't know about" story before. The obvious being Kirk, but there were a couple imposter sons Picard has had over the years. Plus the clone of himself which strays towards that same thing. He's a pretty good character so far, but I was really hoping he wasn't. With how obvious they're making their influences and references, I would have liked a bit more subversion of my expectations, and Jack not being Picard's son would have been a good start. Save him because it's the right thing to do, not because he's the son of someone important. Hell, save Picard and RIker because it's the right thing to do, not because they're "legends". It would have gone a long way to humanizing Shaw to have his asshole exterior crack because he sees the right path, instead of just concern over his reputation.
I agree with you about Jack. Picard was already committed to helping him. It just seemed a contrivance to get Shaw to back down (which shouldn’t have worked tbh. Not like it gets his ship out of danger.). Also why would Shaw care more about saving Picard’s son than Beverley’s? And people pointing out how “alike” Picard and Jack are is really just admitting they’re not, at least now how an audience could see on their own.
yeah proof that the accent is hereditary. ;) I will say I AM very much happy to see Worf fight despite the pacifism angle, stories taking it to the extreme of "my morals are more important than other's lives" is enough to kill it for me.
Great Episode, Great Review! Did you notice the "Jarlis Carvel" alias for Jack? That was a 12 Monkeys easter egg for "J Carvel" an alias used by Jennifer Goines
I have a feeling Worf and Raffi's storyline with merge with the main storyline. Shaw feels less Jellico and more like "I follow the rules because they are designed to keep my people SAFE" kind of guy. Jellico just seemed to revel in keeping people in the dark. Felt more like hierarchy for hierarchy's sake vs Shaw's hierarchy protects my people, to me anyways. Shaw also almost feels like he needs the hierarchy not so much for power reasons but for comfort in structure reasons. Shaw has seemed far more malleable than Jellico seemed to be, it has been quite some time since I've seen the Jellico episodes though. Recognized the bald Vulcan from Doom Patrol, they play/ed Hammerhead, one of Jane/Kay's personalities. The actor's name is Stephanie Czajkowski, and I had to look her up cause I had to be reminded of where I remembered them from. (Looked up their Insta and she's posted she/her/they/them pronouns)
I'm calling it now..... there's a hollo projector in the nebula. That's how the ship is armed to the teeth, how we get lore and Moriarty and dare I say how we get Troy with a ship exploding around her AND how Jack has loads of different people including starfleet and not being able to get too far from the nebula.... and how the titan had a ship thrown at it. Any money we see the Doctor because of this.... that is all 😊
I am so loving this season so far! I agree with you about Raffi's story being less interesting to me, although the appearance of, I'll say her handler, to avoid spoilers, has me more excited about her now. I have to disagree with you on one interpretation. When Seven convinced Captain Shaw to do the right thing, I don't think it's because he necessarily was persuaded that it was the right thing. I felt she had made an appeal to his optics, and he really cares about his reputation. That's how I interpreted that. And I just freaking LOVED the captain of the Shrike. So creepy and compelling. Love it!
This kind of review is why I was glad I found your channel. It's not undying love can't do no wrong but its not hate filled destroyed my child hood nonsense either. I enjoy all of Trek but can point out things I'm not crazy about and prop up the things I enjoy too. My fav part of this episode was the unspoken moment between Beverly and Jean-Luc, they had an earned history that it just works even if the situation is a bit cliche, I teared up a little. See you next week.
I really enjoyed this episode. The present season of Picard has to be the strongest of the three and it's sad that it'll end after this season, though like you I feel very strongly that they're possibly setting up a spin off with the Titan as the hero ship. It was the strong reaction to the introduction of Anson Mount's Captain Pike and Ethan Peck's Spock that helped spur Strange New Worlds, so it's possibly a strong reaction to Shaw and his crew could lead to a Star Trek: Titan show, hopefully with Jeri Ryan returning to the franchise much in the same way Michael Dorn did for DS9. The fact alone that we're seeing so many sets for the Titan leads one to hope they'll find another use for them since the season completed production instead of dismantling or demolishing them. For me, the fact that Jack was Picard and Beverly son was something I knew heading into the episode. While it isn't explicitly stated until after that exquisitely acted scene between Sir Patrick and Gates McFadden, it was something that a viewer could easily guess with a certain level of certainty. Even without Riker's none too subtle hints at least twice in this episode. Though Picard could easily have been in denial for most of the episode until he saw Beverly on the bridge. Now I know that the Rafi/Worf story line has to eventually loop back to the Picard story line, because we've seen previews of Worf with the rest of the TNG crew in the Titan briefing room, but her B plot is the weaker of the two story lines so far. Granted, this early in the season, the Picard story line on the Titan has to take the lead and be the stronger plot to carry the show. I just feel that without more context its the weaker of the two plots. That said, though, I really enjoyed the introduction of Worf here. We know it's him when people start dying, but that moment when he's revealed with the Klingon theme is superb. "I told you to disengage." I have to say that I loved Amanda Plummer's portrayal of Vadic. Not for its uniqueness, but because it is simultaneously its own excellence and reminiscent of her father's portrayal of General Chang back in The Undiscovered Country. Even her command chair on the Shrike is similar to Chang's in The Undiscovered Country. When the Shrike chases the Titan into the nebula, I could almost hear Christopher Plummer in my head: "The game's afoot." Which, being a line from Sherlock Holmes, would fit nicely with the return of Moriarty in this season. I've probably missed a bunch and I'll wish I said more here later, but I tend to hope directly from watching the episode to watching your reviews. So, yeah, I've probably missed something because I haven't taken the time to think about it yet. Oh well. See you next week.
I did not like the Jack Crusher reveal. I didn't want the obvious to be the truth. [In my head cannon, Beverly is lying to Picard to get him to protect her son. And she isn't technically lying, since she didn't actually say anything.] I like everything else about his storyline. I just really really don't like that Picard needed Jack to be his son in order to try to save him. If he was anyone else's son, would Picard just turn him over? I don't like this.
Interesting parallel in that the guy Picard THOUGHT was his son because of Deamon Bok was a criminal and his ACTUAL son is a criminal. I feel like maybe the writers decided he would be a much more interesting character than if he decided to be prim and proper and upstanding. Diamond in the rough is much cooler.
About Shaw. I like to find ways to see someone in an unbiased way. With that in mind, consider if Shaw had treated Picard and Riker with absolute respect, and had called 7 of 9 by any name she felt most comfortable with, had given Picard and Riker amazing quarters, treated them with respect at dinner... hell... even agreed to go to the system they wanted too... maybe with a bit of disagreement, and suspicion, but agreed anyway... then with that background consider every argument he makes after that... even not being willing to let Riker and Picard take a shuttle, forcing 7 or 9 to intervene... pretty much all the arguments he makes are solid and valid... and once Picard plays the admiral card... in either version of this story, he agrees. Despite Shaws utter disrespect for Picard and Riker, he makes moral decisions based on what he knows. I do think making him an ass hole towards Picard and Riker does make it a bit more interesting... but I wonder if he's got a history... some kind of collateral damage from Picard and Rikers past. Kind of like Sisko. Also, great review as always Jessie :)
Shout-out to Shaw, I totally agree that he's a bit of an (understandable) ass, but as soon as Picard reveals the gravity of the situation Shaw just quietly says "goddamnit" and he gets to work immediately. Probably my favorite moment of the episode!
i think it goes a little deeper than that. in the first episode the "dinner party" boiled down to "you 2 are old cowboy glory seeks (irony) and i am not here for that" then seven points out in this episode that there is glory to be had by saving 2 legends. i think over the course of the 2 episodes he is learning to embrace his inner cowboy.
Excellent part two of the episode! I am loving Amanda Plummer as Vadic. 👍It was great seeing Worf being a badass and decapitating Sneed! Loved the ending between Beverly and Jean-Luc. 😍
These characters have captured me all over again. ⭐️ I saved up watching all your (excellent!) reviews after (finally!) getting to watch the full season. 🖖🏼 Amanda Plummer: fantastic performance!!! ⭐️ Excellent creation. (And it gets much more compelling later!) But of course she is smoking a cigar, and, coincidentally, she does that in my face the very day I pick to quit smoking! She is totally EVIL! 😈😜 LOVED that they used the magnificent classic TMP Klingon theme when Worf shows up. Shaw: not just another obstinate bureaucrat. Goodness knows Starfleet has always been full of them (all admirals except Ross), it’s a trope. But as with Jellico, there’s a reason why. It’s a character flaw for sure, but the eventual explanation will redeem the character. It’s not just obstinacy for its own sake (like Natcheyev). Jack: A TNG season 7 trope was the rediscovered family member (just as season 4 was discarded adoptees). Jack could have been another. I think he will be the one who will break the cycle. They’ll have to. Big risk and responsibility: if the Prime Trek universe ever gets a continuation, it will partly rest on Speleers’ shoulders.
So much great dialogue and clever plotting in this episode. I got quite a laugh out of, "She said, 'Trust no one,' and you brought everyone." I also liked how Jack had his weapon drawn when he materialized on the Titan because he had no way of knowing which ship had managed to transport him first. Overall, this was a fantastic introduction to his character and the actor playing him is really winning me over. I thought I was going to hate it if he turned out to be Picard's son, but you're right; Stuart and McFadden sold the hell out of it. That being said, we now have a previously unknown son of a retired captain and his old flame, and we're about to have a space submarine battle in a nebula against a charismatic villain clearly driven by some kind of personal motive. They're doing a Wrath Of Khan. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I hope they have a reason for it or some specific subversion planned, rather than just doing a Wrath Of Khan because, hey, the first one was fun, right? Either way, I think we can all agree, we're feeling the need for Sneed!
I feel sure Snead is a character name, maybe from Charles Dickens, but I can't recall where I've heard it. So it might be an intentional reference to a greedy or otherwise not-so-nice character. And yeah, good name for character. (Though we do know there are good Ferengi and multiple things going on with them.) -- I haven't watched yet, but will catch up. I'm going to try season 3 and see what I think, since the reviews have been so positive.
Nothing comes to mind from Dickens or literature in general but it does kind of evoke the image of someone like Cyril Sneer from The Raccoons, which is probably what you're thinking of. Or you might be half remembering the Simpsons gag "Sneed's Feed And Seed - Formerly Chuck's"
Vadic's spinning back and forth in her chair reminded me of General Chang in Undiscovered Country, which was likely on purpose due to the family relationship of the actors.
Thanks, good review. I have no doubt Matalas will deliver. Personally, I still have a Michelle Yeoh/Section 31 series at the top of my Trek wishlist, but loving S3 Picard
NGL but the moment that Worf appeared was my personal highlight of this episode. I did a little squeal. It was like very similar to when Lower Decks went to DS9 but in a different way - about the person and not the place. My big, strong warrior dad was back in my life and it made me so very happy. Worf was for a long time my favorite character (Garak won in the end by an inch) but he always remained the character I connected the most with (Kira and Seven being the other ones). I'm not sure why, but I think part of it was that journey of the alien being raised by humans, alone abandoned and scared, and all that struggle between who he is and who he's supposed to be, and figuring out who he wants to be all the while standing his ground and not compromising on anything that was important to him.... (Oh god, this will be another rant, won't it? I'm so sorry...) I didn't know I would be this happy to have him back, but I am. But holy hell, secret services & Worf? WTF happened?! xDDD That's some character development.
Good episode. I'm still a little cautious about the whole "Picard's son" angle. The "universe is so small that everyone has to be related to everyone else" bit basically ruined the Star Wars franchise for me. If Vadic turns out to be the long lost child of Kai Winn and Gul Dukat, I'm out. Good review JG.
I really like that Shaw isn't being demonised by the show. We (as an audience that knows our legacy characters very well and know their motivations and how they care about all living creatures in general) know that they have good reasons to do the things they are doing, but Shaw has no reason to believe them blindly apart from their legendary status in their universe, and so he doesn't. And the show doesn't demonise him for it, on the contrary, they show him in a very human light, giving him plenty of time to explain very clearly his motivations and actions. I'm quite sure that if I was in his position (even if I was someone that had no priority relation to anything that even slightly relates to Picard like he seems to have) I would probably do something very similar to the things that he is doing.
One thing I liked about this episode is that I finally saw the old Seven of Nine come out. In Voyager, she was never afraid to challenge the captain and she was almost always right, or at least pursuing the most logical course. It was good to see that again.
Doing Seven's character in a position of authority has truly brought Jeri Ryan's portrayal full circle. When we met her again in Picard season 1, she had so violently rejected (or been rejected by) any real system of authority that she had lost the crispness of action and purpose that she had carried over from her Borg personality. It had been replaced mostly by disappointmrnt and despair. She went through a very thorough exploration of herself throughout the rest of the first two seasons, and by the opening of season 3, Ryan is portraying her as having regained the almost haughty crispness that was one of Seven's hallmarks, but she has regained so much humanity that she can explore a wide range of emotions, from being proud and efficient in a job she's hating, to getting royally pissed off at her friend Picard not confiding in her, to softening her edge with amusement and sympathy when dealing with Ensign LaForge's hero worship, to being able to read Jack well enough to pull off a very nuanced armed confrontation without anyone getting shot. Maybe Seven wasn't ready for Starfleet -- or it for her -- when Voyager returned. But she sure seems to be ready now. Now to convince her of that...
This was a super strong episode. Again the acting was fantastic and they didn’t spell things out for us. They trusted us to see things for ourselves. Especially the scene between Picard and Crusher where everything you needed to know was done with the eyes. BTW did anyone else notice little things in the end credits? Little stuff like Shaw’s performance evaluation and ships at the fleet museum? Maybe it’s nothing.
I saw it!! I hope the ships at the museum get shown!!!!! One in particular for me! hehe
Highlight of the ep was, of course, Worf’s grand entrance!
literally had to cover my mouth in order not to squeal I love him so much 😭💝❤💖
@@peachgo3 Oh, I did squeal!
My first thought was that after his years on DS9, it must've been cathartic to finally go into into a bar and decapitate a troublesome Ferengi.
I don't know, this one felt mostly like connective tissue to me. And I'm still not sold on the "secret Beverly/Jean-Luc lovechild" trope. But I must say, I love Amanda Plummer as Vadic, a scenery chewer in the best tradition of Star Trek movie villains. And kudos to the production staff for letting a middle-aged woman play a greasy, hammy, kind of repulsive scumbag; I doubt that Rick Berman would have let it happen.
Well, her father _was_ a Klingon!
And she smokes. 🚬🚬🚬
….unless she was a blond with big dual moons
I don't think the first two episodes stand alone well. I think they should have been released concurrently. It would have felt like an extended premiere that set everything up and started moving things along. A lot of what happened in this episode is character intro so I think it would have made more sense as part of the premiere. We expect that more in the beginning so we can forgive some extended setup
" And I'm still not sold on the "secret Beverly/Jean-Luc lovechild" trope" I somehow agree on that. It's somehow overused and not really necessary - at least for now. Does every captain now has a lost child in the closet? In ST2 David Marcus had a reason to be in the story: The movie was about Kirk's past mistakes and regrets. I hope they don't just copy this here. And this "Don'T you see it?" trope - sorry, that's not how genetics works. But it's just a minor complaint. Let's see where it goes from here.
Amanda is almost, but not quite, channeling her father's energy from "Undiscovered County"
Oh yes. I noticed this even forgetting they were related.
I am a huge Crusher fan since TNG originally aired and love the season starting with her. I am also a Crusher/Picard wisher. For that alone this season has me so pumped. I love the season so far overall as well. Can’t wait to see more episodes and keep rewatching the first two.
One part of this episode I really dug was when Jack essentially says to Picard "You think you know Beverly Crusher, but haven't spoken her in how many years? Is there anyone you know who is still the person you knew?" It felt like a well-deserved shot across the bow to the kinds of fans who expect characters to remain static their entire lives, encased forever in a kind of arrested character development that began the moment the audience last saw them
I don’t know, this can come off more as a writer’s excuse then genuine ‘time has changed things’. People grow and change, but they don’t become alien to themselves. That’s why characters are eatablished overtime by things from their past. They also don’t get whole personality transplants between like 30 and 50 and that has nothing to do with time capsuling them. It’s just true that past a certain point your adult self is more set to the general vibe you will likely be for most of your life. Yeah, maybe a few hobbies change or they are a little more or less serious then they were when they were younger. Maybe their perspective on something changes. But for the most part these are minor shifted around priorities. But the essential essence of a person rarely changes to the point of being unrecognizable unless something truly crazy has gone down. The most major time people change is between childhood and adulthood but this crew knew each other well into adulthood where there are less severe personality changes. It’s nothing like knowing someone say when they were a toddler and now they are a 20 plus year old adult.
I don’t have any particular issues to point out in regards to this issue, but I think reading Jack Crusher’s statement as ‘true’ is a misread. *He* doesn’t know Picard, his known life has not included Picard so for him that is enough to conclude Picard doesn’t know his mom like he knows his mom. Rather that is true or not.
Laughing at the felllow who replied to you who went on a tirade that basically proves your point.
@@TheDawnofVanlife People change based on experience. The reason there are fewer changes in your later adult life is because people tend to settle into their lives by that age. In early adulthood, many people are starting a career, starting a family, beginning the process of settling down. By your 30s-40s, you're in your career, you've got a family, you've got a stable group of friends, etc. You don't change much because your experiences aren't changing much. But for people like this - adventurers, people who have done a lot of things since we last saw them - their experiences are going to change them. They aren't the same people who traveled around on a starship. The Rikers got married, started a family, retired, lost a child. LaForge has kids. Worf left the Enterprise for a post on a space station, then lost his wife. Crusher had another kid and left the safety of Starfleet to try and help people. Everyone is in a very different place than when we last saw them, so naturally they are going to have had significant changes. Yes, they should still be recognizable, but not identical.
@@TheDawnofVanlife - Change, as with death, is one of the only things we can count on in the universe. I am such a different individual than the person I was just 2 years ago that some of the friends I've known for over 2 decades currently have very little in common with me. I love this, because I stepped willingly into a completely different way of living my life and the changes that were wrought are measurable within and without. For some people, though, this type of extreme growth engenders a state of emotional panic. The idea that things and people can change drastically upends their sense of stability to such an extent that they balk and lament, pretending that such things aren't possible.
I grew up with TNG onward. I've enjoyed Picard, an imperfect but enjoyable show IMO. To me, Picard is absolutely still recognizable as Picard. Yes he's older and different, but in a way I found believable and hardly alien to himself. I'm 40. When I think about myself I'm far more different from myself at 20, than I find Picard-Picard vs TNG-Picard. But what evs, just opinions.
I'm not sure if it was planned or a serendipitous coincidence, but I am so in LOVE with the fact that Amanda Plummer is the villain closing out the final story for the Next Gen just like her father was for the original cast.
Was happy our collective theory that Raffi's handler turned out to be Worf was true. And I understand now why they had to leave out Elnor for this season coz Worf is now in charge of beheading enemies
And I am loving Vadic so far. She is able to portray menace without hitting you over the head with it.
Elnor deserves more love. Hasn't gotten any real love.
Such a shame that we couldn't see Worf and Elnor in a team up.
@@paulscott2037 I want them to meet and become sparring partners.
Was wondering how Worf was going to get introduced to the season. Gotta say him going full Blade mode wasn't what I was expecting
I guessed he was Raffi's handler in Ep. 1 "You are a warrior," indeed. I had hopes that his intro wouldn't be his line from the ads, so colour me tickled.
As soon as the contact called Raffi a Warrior over the computer in episode one I knew it was worf but that entrance was fantastic even if I saw it coming.
I wasn't expecting it either, but I'm here for it.
What happened to Teaser-Worf, the Klingon Miagi: "Fighting is bad. Somebody always gets hurt."?
@@senecasenior9574 I mean, that's objectively correct. He got involved in that fight, and four people ended up dead. One dude got decapitated.
I've a feeling that Captain Shaw's solution to the Kobayashi Maru Command Test was to not cross the Neutral Zone to help the merchant vessel and stay put, regardless of the pleas from the freighter.
Good episode. Loved when Sneed accused Raffi if being in section 31.
In Captain Harriman's defense, he's more nicer than Captain Shaw was in episode one. He allowed Kirk to offer him any suggestions, and in the comics, he does grow a pair (in a way when dealing with the Klingons in the comics). Also, it was Kirk's choice to save the Enterprise B rather than take command, because he knows it's not his Enterprise. In addition, the Enterprise B is a good ship, but I was pissed that she didn't get enough screen time or the chance to have her own show. I'd honestly take Captain Harriman over Captain Shaw because Harriman is more flexible.
Good episode. Especially the scene between Beverley and Picard when they exchange no words. Only eye contact and Picard knows the truth instantly.
Pircard already knew the truth. He just couldn't hide it anymore and look like a simp in front of Beverly.
He wanted to know from her, no one else, until that moment he wouldnt even consider it true, even with Riker poking at him.
I hunched it right from the start, but "mon ami", it wasn't too hard to suss out. 😁
That wordless exchange between Picard and Beverly was just incredible. True masters of their craft, with a chemistry that can’t be faked.
@@GregNotPaul Yes. The look said. Remember Wesley. DON'T you dare think about letting OUR son get into the hands of a maniac, again.
As an actor in a former life I have always loved performances that use an economy (or complete lack) of words! If you can express something visually do it. When you have 2 great actors with chemistry like Stewart and McFadden it’s just elevated to a another level. So good!
The more I think about it, the more sense Captain Shaw makes. He's basically TNG Picard - convinced that he's right and obsessed with protecting his ship to the point that can get annoying. The difference is that Picard is also there and we're so used to Picard actually being right that we instinctively dislike someone who's doing all of the things that Picard would do.
You know that I really enjoy and appreciate your reviews, powered as they are by your deep love and immersion and joy in Star Trek, but I also want to give a shout out to your reflections on storytelling and your observations about the tools and styles they are using and the pros and cons of the various approaches. Bravo, and thank you
The predicament that the Titan finds itself in reminded me of the episode "Prey," in which a member of Species 8472 is on board Voyager and the Hirogen threaten to blow up the ship if Janeway doesn't hand it over. Honestly, this may be an unpopular opinion, but given that Janeway obviously didn't have any plan for saving the lives of her crew, I've always felt like Seven made the right call in disobeying her and beaming the alien over to the Hirogen. The needs of the many and so forth. The situation felt less cut and dried in this episode, but even though I don't like Shaw and giving up Crusher would certainly have been a dick move, I can't 100% blame him for being tempted to do just that.
I don't think Shaw is a coward....I think something happened previously that caused him to be so adherent to the rules. Cause as soon as Picard mentioned that Jack is his son Shaw relented and gave command over. And the exchange between Bev and JL on the bridge.....that landed HARD!
Wolf 359 happened. Shaw was at Wolf 359. That's why he insists Seven use the name "Annika Hansen", and why he called Picard "former ex-Borg" with obvious anger in his tone of voice.
My biggest issue with Picard. It’s so BLOODY DARK! Not the themes, the lighting. Can we turn on some lights? Arrgh. It’s an unpleasant show to watch just for that.
That being said, love Sneed. Nice to see what’s basically a Ferengi Gangster. I like Raffi’s story with her son’s father, great build off of season 1 Raffi.
I am still waiting to see how this whole Jack, Beverly, Picard plot lands. I am ambivalent about it.
I like Sneed's agricultural supply store, Sneed's Feed And Seed - Formerly Chuck's
I'm adoring all the musical nods to the past, on a purely nerdy level and the story is engaging but I couldn't agree more on the lighting. Turn on the lights! I want to see the beautiful sets, heck I'll settle for seeing the face of the actors not dowsed in half shadows. 😁😁 Dark themes are interesting, dark scenes, not so much.
Yeah what should have happened is:
Picard: "He's my son."
Shaw: "Then you are emotionally compromised. Remove the Admiral from the bridge."
Not saying fighting was the wrong call. Saying "he's my son" being taken as a valid reason by everyone immediately without any push back or pointing out that Picard really shouldn't be giving orders given that is the case is not right.
@@void2258 I don't agree, but you've got a point.
For me it really took the moral choice out if it in the and and more said that we will risk others to protect you only if you are important enough to someone.
I haven't watched the episode yet and obviously you've seen 6 so far, but the son plot point... this show is going to have to work VERY hard for me not to hate it. And will need a damn good reason for his existence being hidden from his father.
Picard's speech to Jack was the first time I felt I was *actually* hearing Jean-Luc Picard
This was the equivalent of a Doctor Who where they run trough corridors the whole time.
I’m loving it! I felt like this episode had so many echoes of The Wrath of Khan. I loved the Jean-Luc/Beverly moment. Amanda Plummer is picking up where her Dad left off. Worf is glorious. I’m already invested in this season.
I love Vadic, the fact she threw a ship at them was as a threat is pure joy.
Legit...how has no other Trek villain thought of that move before? Baller move, imo
I think Shaw was at Wolf 359 and got serious PTSD from it, maybe something worse. That would explain what Vadic meant about him being fit for service (like, barely), why he is so reluctant to engage in combat (his ship is for exploration, he says) and why he has no sympathy whatsoever for the likes of Picard, Riker, and Borgs.
Getting serious Sisko vibes from him.
Yup. It explains why he insists Seven use the name "Annika Hansen", and why he referred to Picard as "former ex-Borg" with anger in his voice.
If Joe Pesci was a Ferengi, he would be Sneed.
Amanda Plummer is amazing. Just love her character so far.
The moment at the end where Shaw says ”goddammit" was just amazing. I'm liking Shaw. It almost overshadowed the wordless moment between Picard and Crusher.
I'm not sure if Shaw has ever heard of a thing called Starfleet before but I remember Janeway, Picard, and Sisko routinely risking their lives and their crew's lives to protect external parties, especially civilians...
He gives me that brash flmaboyant behavior a young picard has...the behavior that caused him to have an artificial heart lol
This is the episode where the show catches up to the audience.
Yeah this is why the last episode didn’t work as a stand-alone and they should have released both together.
So ... Jean Luc is the man who sent Jack Crusher on the mission where he was killed, then many years later he fathers a son with Beverly but she doesn't tell Jean Luc, then she names the baby boy Jack. Is that weird?
Oh god, you're right - that's quite the move from Crusher!
Yes, it's weird. It's very damn weird
Yikes!
Yeah, it’s definitely giving a Reddit AITA write in question 🥴🥴🤣🤣
That scene between Picard and Crusher was so good. Gates and Patrick are so incredible. They speak volumes without saying a word.
I think the "bombshell Idea" of P. Stewart - Picard may have been that one..
I have one issue with the revelation that Jack Crusher is Picard's son. According to Wikipedia, Ed Speleers is 34 years old (he was born in 1988). So, assuming his character is the same age, he is too old to have been born post-Nemesis. If he was born while Beverly was at Starfleet Medical (during TNG's second season), when was he conceived? My theory: Picard and Beverly had a makeout session sometime during "The Naked Now" (Season 1).
He mentions time travel.
Ed Speleers might be 34, but why would you assume the character he's playing is the same age? Actors often play characters who're older or younger than the actor themselves. For exampel, Patrick Stewart is 82, but Jean-Luc Picard is 96.
I'm happy, we have finally confirmation that Jack is Picard son. The previous seasons makes me think Jean-Luc will never fathered a child, I'm happy that the Picard line will not end with him. And I'm also happy the way they introduced Worf in this show, despite how violent that scene is.
Maybe the reason why Sneed never mentioned the Rules of Acquisition is that maybe Grand Nagus Rom change the Ferengi society so much so that maybe the Rules no longer apply.
Rules of Acquisition is a basically the Ten Commandments to the Ferengi. They don't need to keep quoting it, when they know it by heart.
this ferengi clearly follows the old ways and probably thinks rom is an idiot
I could see the tumblers clicking over in Picard's head - "Date disappeared - date we had sex... Bingo." All that shown on his face. Brilliant!!!
Maybe it's just different conditions between last week and this week (though none I could easily point to), but this episode didn't hit as well as last week. The A-plot definitely hewed close to what I'd expected but I think it was done reasonably well and Shaw's coming out as a better character than when he was initially presented last week (a far more reasonable character compared to what Todd Stashwick usually gets to play). Amanda Plummer's villain was...not great initially, but she grew on me, especially in the ending. Jack was fine, his identity was certainly heavily signalled but I appreciate the roguish charm that makes him his own character rather than a combination of his parents (as is so common with legacy kids). He's clearly wanted for more than just killing him, though, otherwise there wouldn't be this standoff, as was pointed out early in the episode - I'm wary about the reasoning, and I hope it's not just a "it's because you're Picard's kid". All the questions stemming from him do make me quite wary, especially with these spinoff rumours you mentioned (not something I'd heard about), as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Next Generation just doesn't sound appealing.
The Raffi B-plot, on the other hand, did not work so well for me. One of my biggest problems is Raffi's extreme exposition monologues on La Sirena (some of which is really bad "let's summarize what's already happening" and a lot of it is "let's have a character describe their relationship with another character to that character in a way that's obvious to both of them so the audience is caught up even though it doesn't make sense they'd do this"), though the meeting with her ex didn't quite work for me, nor did her attempt to interrogate Sneed. Part of that is we have too little to go on about her investigation, so everything feels like a baseless hunch with no reasoning - it tracks back to the earliest version of her, with the conspiratorial thinking she's known for, but the problem has always been that it never seemed to make sense how she was connecting things except that she needed to for the plot so she'd just stumble into the answers immaterial of any real effort. The meeting with Sneed was pretty boilerplate, including the far-too-common "I think you're a cop so I'm gonna make you do drugs in front of me" move by Sneed, leaving us with "undercover cop must do drugs to dissuade person from thinking they're an undercover cop", followed by "guy who was a contact reveals for no good reason he killed framed guy". Also, I know that a lot of people called it (and I certainly didn't see any point in arguing the evidence), but Worf being Raffi's handler for Starfleet Intelligence does not make sense to me for many reasons involving his character, and the way he just absolutely slaughters everyone really doesn't jive with Worf (yeah, he killed people, but that was usually more of a necessity thing, and he could've taken the standard Starfleet route of knocking out/disabling people instead). He especially should've captured Sneed alive instead of killing him, that seems like a really stupid move done for no reason at all.
I swear, all I could hear in my head while Vadic spoke was, "You're not supposed to be in the room when this note has been written and placed on the desk! Do you understand me?" So I Married an Axe Murderer is one of my all-time favorites, and I am so here to watch Amanda Plummer chewing scenery again.
There was something that I found interesting in that when they had their first com with the alien ship (Amanda Plummer) the captain of that ship mentioned something about Shaw's past that seemed to me like something that will come back in a future episode.
Cowardice at Wolf 359, perhaps, or recklessness that led to him being cautious now.
But you don't think that any one of them could have Maury-Povich'd that plot in half a second to determine that Jack Crusher was Picard's kid? Shaw even questioned whether he was *Beverley's* son and they had her medical information already in the ship's database because they were treating her, and him in the brig so they would have also had *his*.
That was sloppy plotting that, by the end of it when they did the wordless "he's YOURRRR'S, Jean-Luc" ;) thing across the room, became evident as to why they bothered with the armtwisting.
ITA. I kept thinking this every time someone questioned his identity. Just run a DNA scan.
I was having this exact thought! How long would it take to check? 30 seconds if you stopped for a cappuccino on the way?
I was not expecting to go from “I hope Shaw gets tossed out an airlock” last episode to finding him incredibly sympathetic in this one. I want to learn more about his background… Vadic seems to oddly know quite a bit about Shaw and alludes to his “psychological profile”… hmmm.
And Vadic is so creepy! I love her!
….’psychological profile’ comment may allude to Vadic’s access to confidential intelligence and information. Shaw is more interesting and makes me curious about why he is protective and hard nosed.
Yeah I gotta admit while at first I wanted this jackass, irredeemable Shaw to just leave the story by any means asap, seeing him in this episode, being resigned to and accepting the situation, and hearing of potential character plots from Vadic now makes me want to see more of him, learn from history, and hope he'll make out of this final season alive.
@@myriadmediamusings From the very first moment Shaw appeared, I couldn't stand him and that impression hasn't wavered in the slightest. He was behaving like a complete tool well before Riker and Picard even suggested altering the Titan's flight plan.
He kinda reminds me of an MLB umpire who's been blatantly calling pitches a foot outside the plate as strikes during the entire game, just relishing the opportunity for one of the hitters to finally complain, so he can quickly eject the player, throwing his weight around and savor the feeling of power he's been given.
He's convinced himself that everyone bought a ticket just so they can witness his childish antics and he couldn't be more off-base (pun intended). I'm here to enjoy the dynamic between Picard and Riker, plus other members of the Enterprise D's crew (eventually). Any time spent on Shaw's backstory just feels like a complete waste when there are much more interesting characters available.
@@BCBaron Personally, given that he was at Wolf 359, and all his friends and collegaues were killed because of Picard/Locutus, I can see why he's not the biggest fan of Picard and Riker. Same reason Sisko could barely restrain himself from punching Picard when they met.
Brilliant review Jessie! I agree on pretty much all points. These episodes have improved SO MUCH!
I am loving this idea of scenes "speaking without words" in this epsiode. Dave Filoni, in the Star Wars animated shows such as the Cone Wars series ending, or the Episode 3 Season 2 of the Bad Batch, uses this type of storytelling to such great affect. Or even the end to Season 1 of House of the Dragon. The silence combined with the acting and music is more powerful than any dialogue sometimes. Great job to every one working Star Trek Picard! And thank you!
Love the directness of the question about Beverly and Picard🤣🤣🤣
Jessie your nerdiness is slipping you call yourself a trekkie if don't even mention the fact that crusher and Picard having a son and not telling him about it is a total parallel to Kirk and Carol Marcus .in fact so far this whole season plot seems to parallel the Wrath of Khan , I will not be surprised if the real villain is someone or some people from Picard's past .
Not gonna lie I got a little misty eyed when Beverly and Picard saw each other and just knew……with lesser actors this would not have worked I totally agree. Gates is such a great actor and she finally gets to really show how great she is :)
Good episode. Not gonna lie I was afraid to see what they might have done with the ferengi only for me to be happily surprised in that they didn't change it, they just refined it a bit to remove the slight plastic-y look they used to have. Loving our new villain too she is just so weirdly threatening yet enjoyable too. Season 3 is off to a great start.
This episode, like good episodes of Trek before it, actually has a theme shared between its plotlines and I love it. It's about not being able to stand back and watch even when qualified people tell you to. Felt like a very strong episode on its own. And lett me tell you: if this kid is Picard's son, I am here for it. The actor, Ed Speleers, (even though he's a bit too old for the role of a 20-year-old and it shows in some scenes) is clearly the right guy for the role. He very much looks like the image of young Picard we remember from some episodes of TNG, and he's also got that "I am an outlaw, but a noble one, I help people" energy. His witty and snarky acting is qmazing, I want more of this guy, I absolutely loved every scene he was in, same actually goes for captain Liam Shaw (who once again shows himself to be an unpleasant individual but a good captain who actually deserved his chair, because when he says he cares about the lives of his crew I believe him) and what little we got of Sydney LaForge. Ah, and Sneed, oh my god... They made an informed choice here, making him on the surface look/feel/sound like a classic DS9 ferengi with his sincerely sounding laughter, but jthe soundtrack and camera... It just makes him and his scenes feel threatening in an uncanny, cognitive dissonance-inducing way. Ferengi have always been kinda goofy, and Sneed also is, but at the same time very much is not. He's the scariest Ferengi in Star Trek and I love it.
The main villain... She's kinda not there fir me yet. I feel like I am missing some significant details about her for her to truly feel scary. For now she just has a really big powerful ship, but big ships are only scary when they have one-of-a-kind genocidal weapons, and we are yet to see this one do stuff like that. I feel like we are getting there with her, though I do love everything about her aesthetics. Also, does that ship have a deflector from a Galaxy-class?
Also, just by the tone of ending alone it feels like... I am not sure if the guy is actually Picard's son or not. I am pretty certain he's Beverly's, but then who knows. This might just be a plot twist in the middle/end. I would love it if Picard bonds with the kid and then learns that he's not actually his son, but it doesn't matter at that point.
I'm just thinking, when did Beverly and Jean Luc do it. Hopefully we get an idea when, cause it's also weird that Picard isn't upset or anything, just maybe that strange glance they had between eachother. To me, I think, leading up to the reveal was a bit weird, and a bit obvious. And how come she kept this a secret for a long time. I'm surprised Jack didn't try to find out who his father was, unless she told him that he was dead or something. Last night's episode just felt okay, wasn't THE best.
Apparently everything will be explained.
I'm sure the "when did they do it" was referenced in the first episode of this season, with Laris talking to Picard and saying "You two even tried to be lovers once, didn't you?" With Picard saying "'Tried' being the operative word." I mean, why establish that and then act like it's surprising that Beverly might have become pregnant? After all, as much as making love is so many things on so many levels, that particular act is sort of biologically designed to make her pregnant, after all... 🙂 Certainly, someone of Picard's age and experience knew what could happen if they had unprotected sex... you would think. 😲
Maybe "The Naked Now" ... Beverly left months later to go to Starfleet Medical where she stayed for a year or so. Jack is obviously more than 20 y/o. Perhaps Jack was raised by a stand-in parent in Britain?
Very good episode, I think the series baddie could end up rivalling Khan in terms of most beloved 'villain' of Trek.
At the end, I also got some serious Insurrection vibes as they headed into what appeared to be a thick nebula, seemed similar to what happened in Insurrection, but thankfully I actually do enjoy that film!
Yes! I thought wow this feels like what Star Trek used to be.
Have you noticed the sound effect when the Titan goes into the clouds at the end ? A subtle nod to V'ger in the Star Trek The Motion Picture, I think.
I think Seven would be the Captain in the "Next Next Generation".
Something that stood out to me about the Shrike; it has a secondary hull with a dish. It actually looks strangely similar to the secondary hull of a Galaxy class. Secondary Hulls tend to be a Starfleet thing, especially ones like this. It just kind of hangs under the ship. This definitely makes this ship feel like it is kitbashed together from other ships, possibly built on at least part of the frame of a Federation ship much in the way many of the new era of ships in Starfleet are built on the frames of older ships.
I don't think enough of the Enterprise's Secondary Hull could have survived for this to be from the Enterprise (it should have mostly be atomized); but I feel like this had to be intentional. The ship almost looks like it is built out of structure from Federation ships and possibly some of the later Romulan (or even Disco era Klingon). The front/bow even gives slight Marauder vibes. This ship is built from pieces.
And it really works. Since Nemesis, Trek has had this issue where the villain needs this massive scarey threat ship that outclasses the hero ship...and it just has not worked. It has always been cringe-worthy.
But here it works. Very well.
This doesn't feel like some out of place monster ship, it feels like an extension of Vedic. It feels like the two were designed together to fit each other as characters, right down to the way Plummer plays the character. Even the way she presents herself as well as how uncanny knowledgeable she is matches the Shrike seeming to be pieced together, terrifying, and full of knowledge. If it is pieced together; it speaks so much to her knowledge of not just the characters and the Federation; but also so much different technology from across the galaxy.
Also; I'm pretty sure Beverly isn't aging and is instead slowly turning into a Gelfling. I can only dream of turning into the kind of sexy Gelfling she seems to be becoming.
Jack Crusher, Crash Laforge, Keska Riker-Troi, I'm sure they can create a couple more. Star Trek Gen Z
Alexander, Soji, at a stretch Molly O'Brien?
Remember the time that Dr Crusher was away and Dr Katherine Pulaski replaced her how long ago was that more than 30 years at least...
2365 ? Chief Medical Officer, U.S.S. Enterprise, under Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (one-year replacement for Dr. Beverly Crusher)
So if we are now in the early 25th C. it's around 2402-05, this guy is in his mid 30s, ummm!
I mean Wil Wheaton is 50 years so would be Wesley...
1. Shaw is my favorite character of the season so far
2. Now that's how you use a bat'leth! That thing sliced through the gangsters like they were butter.
3. Just because they weren't a proper couple it doesn't mean they never had sex.
4. That said, Beverly could've just used Picard's DNA to produce her son without him knowing.
In fact, I just read something on Reddit that supports #4. Jack mentioned that he is from Mariposa, which is the planet with the clones in the TNG 2nd season ep "Up the Long Ladder". They have advanced cloning tech and actually replicated Riker and Pulaski.
And finally: Greetings from Costa Rica, Jessie 😄
Surely Mariposa is a reference to Teresa and Rios's Doctors Without Borders-style organisation?
Great episode, always here for your commentary, so nice to see Worf again - and I'm happy to see you happy and smiling 💙✨
So Riker and Diana’s wedding is when it happened??? I would imagine that would have been the last time Picard and Crusher were naked together, and it matches up timeline wise.
I like how you say it "could be a jump the shark moment" while I think it totally is and I can literally feel the interest in the rest of the season dying the more I think about this. God, I hope SNW season 2 comes out soon. I want some good, new live action Trek.
The music is a star in itself. I have always loved the understated humor of Star Trek and I felt we had lost a lot of that in the newer trek, but it’s back here.
The humour is definitely a plus, the only other place in modern Trek I've seen it is in Strange New Worlds - good to see it back, was sorely missed in the other incarnations.
I haven't been able to let this go all day. But the idea of Jack Crusher as Picard's son...that was just too easy and fast.
Vadic's ship is very similar to the Reman-built Scimitar. Also heavily armed, just like Scimitar. Apparently sporting the type of weapons stolen from Daystrom, exotic enough to have Worf and Raffi aggressively tracking them down.
Vadic is also hell bent on capturing Jack. Alive. Highest priority on her list of things to do.
I think Jack is another clone of Picard. Sponsored by Vadic and the Remans, as a key strategy to infiltrate the Federation. The same plan that the Romulans had for Shinzon, but later abandoned.
But Beverly discovered the plot and kidnapped/rescued Jack. Clever non-verbal dialog at the end of episode 2. Only a look of confession from Beverly to Picard, yet a miscommunication.
That would be a really cool parallel to Nemesis. The "Nature versus Nurture" theme. Shinzon was an argument for nurture. Jack would be the counter-argument for nature.
Picard was really tormented by Shinzon's personal plight. He wanted to sympathize, and even expressed to Troi something akin to survivor's guilt. Jack would be a very creative opportunity to give Picard a second chance to resolve that. I could see them forming a father/son relationship.
I loved the moment when Shaw finds his courage. To me, it communicates that he *is* a Star Fleet captain in the best tradition. I can see a mini-arc over these first two episodes. The first being Shaw threatened by having two officers who clearly outrank him in seniority and reputation. The second being Shaw insecure at the thought of risking the people under his command, he's afraid, it would be so easy for him to order the Titan back into Federation Space. He was ready for the mission to be part of the Frontier Day Flotilla, not taking his ship into the Unknown without so much as a night to prepare. The third point of the arc comes at the height of tension, Shaw realizes that it's his duty to protect not only "his own" but the stranger who is in peril, even if that stranger is a wanted criminal, even if that stranger got himself into the danger he's in. Shaw finally owns that the Titan is the only ship that can make a difference, and that, though they all might die, he has a duty to go boldly.
As Kirk so famously said all those years ago. "Risk. Risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about."
Shaw is someone I hate but have to love too. He is trying to what is best for his crew and you have to respect that. 🖖
I'm really happy they're not drawing out reveals -- We learn Picard is Jack's dad and that Worf is Raffi's handler in episode 2! Even though these were both pretty obvious, one of Picard's biggest issues in the last 2 seasons, and disco's forever as well, is drawing out these mysteries for way too long. We still don't really know why people are after Jack (just bounties doesn't track) but it also feels like we're making actual progress. I'm happy with this season so far, much much moreso than season 2
This season seems like star trek’s greatest hits in a way, which while unoriginal, has so far been really good. The new characters are compelling and likable, with good writing and good acting; the older characters have good stuff to do like 7 and Raffi, Worf’s intro is freakin awesome 😎 I really hope the season continues this greatness and doesn’t fall off the rails like S2 did. I’m also really looking forward to seeing Geordi, and his interactions w his kids.
Shaw is absolutely right, what did they expect when they sneak around and make Seven break the rules? Sneed was super fun! I love Ed Speleers but I’m still damaged from his role in Outlander 😢 And lastly the emotional blackmail by Raffi’s husband is behaviour that should stay in the 21st century. She shouldn’t have to choose between duty and her child, by working she doesn’t “decide against” her child, this was so contrived.
The choices they have made for Raffi are so uncomfortable for me
@@revjospa same here, it feels like her character is being punished for no reason.
Shaw is great, I hope he and Seven get their own spin off show.
Ed Speleers is a good actor, but I have a big problem buying him here after Outlander and You. Also - is Jack supposed to be 20?
My biggest fear is that we're 20% through, and aside from the initial flight out, we haven't gone anywhere, and we seem to be setting up another "submarine" episode which are great for tension, but not so good for plot movement. I was excited for the first episode, but this one was a bit of a slow burn. Still good, but with the limited time we have, I would like to see them pick up the pace a bit more.
Shaw is really walking the line between asshole you love to hate, and just asshole you hate. They did redeem him a teeny, tiny bit at the end with how he went along with it once he found out Jack was Picard's son. So that's promising. But before that, I was leaning heavily towards just hating him. The difference between him and Jelico is that Jelico was by the books, but he only showed contempt for Riker when Riker pushed back against him. His antagonism towards Riker was earned. Here, Shaw hated - absolutely, visibly hated - all three of our heroes, from before he ever met them. Deadnaming Seven, insulting Picard and Riker by not greeting them or waiting for them for dinner. It isn't just that he disagrees with them, like Jelico. It wasn't a conflict of ideologies or personality. He walked into this with a chip the size of Everest on his shoulder.
Amanda Plummer is absolutely devouring the scenery and I adore it!
The Rafi storyline, so far I can take it or leave it. It hasn't quite hooked me yet. I can see the potential, but so far I'm still ambivalent.
As for Jack, I'd be more excited if they hadn't done the "Captain has a son he didn't know about" story before. The obvious being Kirk, but there were a couple imposter sons Picard has had over the years. Plus the clone of himself which strays towards that same thing. He's a pretty good character so far, but I was really hoping he wasn't. With how obvious they're making their influences and references, I would have liked a bit more subversion of my expectations, and Jack not being Picard's son would have been a good start. Save him because it's the right thing to do, not because he's the son of someone important. Hell, save Picard and RIker because it's the right thing to do, not because they're "legends". It would have gone a long way to humanizing Shaw to have his asshole exterior crack because he sees the right path, instead of just concern over his reputation.
Honestly this episode crawled.
I agree with you about Jack. Picard was already committed to helping him. It just seemed a contrivance to get Shaw to back down (which shouldn’t have worked tbh. Not like it gets his ship out of danger.). Also why would Shaw care more about saving Picard’s son than Beverley’s?
And people pointing out how “alike” Picard and Jack are is really just admitting they’re not, at least now how an audience could see on their own.
I LOVED that Picard ended the episode returning Shaw's double shoulder tap (that he gave to Will) to him...
yeah proof that the accent is hereditary. ;)
I will say I AM very much happy to see Worf fight despite the pacifism angle, stories taking it to the extreme of "my morals are more important than other's lives" is enough to kill it for me.
Great Episode, Great Review! Did you notice the "Jarlis Carvel" alias for Jack? That was a 12 Monkeys easter egg for "J Carvel" an alias used by Jennifer Goines
Ohhh did miss that one!
I have a feeling Worf and Raffi's storyline with merge with the main storyline.
Shaw feels less Jellico and more like "I follow the rules because they are designed to keep my people SAFE" kind of guy. Jellico just seemed to revel in keeping people in the dark. Felt more like hierarchy for hierarchy's sake vs Shaw's hierarchy protects my people, to me anyways. Shaw also almost feels like he needs the hierarchy not so much for power reasons but for comfort in structure reasons. Shaw has seemed far more malleable than Jellico seemed to be, it has been quite some time since I've seen the Jellico episodes though.
Recognized the bald Vulcan from Doom Patrol, they play/ed Hammerhead, one of Jane/Kay's personalities. The actor's name is Stephanie Czajkowski, and I had to look her up cause I had to be reminded of where I remembered them from.
(Looked up their Insta and she's posted she/her/they/them pronouns)
I'm calling it now..... there's a hollo projector in the nebula. That's how the ship is armed to the teeth, how we get lore and Moriarty and dare I say how we get Troy with a ship exploding around her AND how Jack has loads of different people including starfleet and not being able to get too far from the nebula.... and how the titan had a ship thrown at it. Any money we see the Doctor because of this.... that is all 😊
8:34 Don't deny it. You totally are interested. And that's why we keep coming back. Cheers!
I am so loving this season so far! I agree with you about Raffi's story being less interesting to me, although the appearance of, I'll say her handler, to avoid spoilers, has me more excited about her now.
I have to disagree with you on one interpretation. When Seven convinced Captain Shaw to do the right thing, I don't think it's because he necessarily was persuaded that it was the right thing. I felt she had made an appeal to his optics, and he really cares about his reputation. That's how I interpreted that.
And I just freaking LOVED the captain of the Shrike. So creepy and compelling. Love it!
This kind of review is why I was glad I found your channel. It's not undying love can't do no wrong but its not hate filled destroyed my child hood nonsense either. I enjoy all of Trek but can point out things I'm not crazy about and prop up the things I enjoy too.
My fav part of this episode was the unspoken moment between Beverly and Jean-Luc, they had an earned history that it just works even if the situation is a bit cliche, I teared up a little.
See you next week.
I really enjoyed this episode. The present season of Picard has to be the strongest of the three and it's sad that it'll end after this season, though like you I feel very strongly that they're possibly setting up a spin off with the Titan as the hero ship. It was the strong reaction to the introduction of Anson Mount's Captain Pike and Ethan Peck's Spock that helped spur Strange New Worlds, so it's possibly a strong reaction to Shaw and his crew could lead to a Star Trek: Titan show, hopefully with Jeri Ryan returning to the franchise much in the same way Michael Dorn did for DS9. The fact alone that we're seeing so many sets for the Titan leads one to hope they'll find another use for them since the season completed production instead of dismantling or demolishing them.
For me, the fact that Jack was Picard and Beverly son was something I knew heading into the episode. While it isn't explicitly stated until after that exquisitely acted scene between Sir Patrick and Gates McFadden, it was something that a viewer could easily guess with a certain level of certainty. Even without Riker's none too subtle hints at least twice in this episode. Though Picard could easily have been in denial for most of the episode until he saw Beverly on the bridge.
Now I know that the Rafi/Worf story line has to eventually loop back to the Picard story line, because we've seen previews of Worf with the rest of the TNG crew in the Titan briefing room, but her B plot is the weaker of the two story lines so far. Granted, this early in the season, the Picard story line on the Titan has to take the lead and be the stronger plot to carry the show. I just feel that without more context its the weaker of the two plots. That said, though, I really enjoyed the introduction of Worf here. We know it's him when people start dying, but that moment when he's revealed with the Klingon theme is superb. "I told you to disengage."
I have to say that I loved Amanda Plummer's portrayal of Vadic. Not for its uniqueness, but because it is simultaneously its own excellence and reminiscent of her father's portrayal of General Chang back in The Undiscovered Country. Even her command chair on the Shrike is similar to Chang's in The Undiscovered Country. When the Shrike chases the Titan into the nebula, I could almost hear Christopher Plummer in my head: "The game's afoot." Which, being a line from Sherlock Holmes, would fit nicely with the return of Moriarty in this season.
I've probably missed a bunch and I'll wish I said more here later, but I tend to hope directly from watching the episode to watching your reviews. So, yeah, I've probably missed something because I haven't taken the time to think about it yet. Oh well. See you next week.
Shaw may be a complete tool, but he certainly took the words right out of my mouth upon the revelation of who Jack really is.
I did not like the Jack Crusher reveal. I didn't want the obvious to be the truth. [In my head cannon, Beverly is lying to Picard to get him to protect her son. And she isn't technically lying, since she didn't actually say anything.] I like everything else about his storyline. I just really really don't like that Picard needed Jack to be his son in order to try to save him. If he was anyone else's son, would Picard just turn him over? I don't like this.
Interesting parallel in that the guy Picard THOUGHT was his son because of Deamon Bok was a criminal and his ACTUAL son is a criminal. I feel like maybe the writers decided he would be a much more interesting character than if he decided to be prim and proper and upstanding. Diamond in the rough is much cooler.
About Shaw. I like to find ways to see someone in an unbiased way. With that in mind, consider if Shaw had treated Picard and Riker with absolute respect, and had called 7 of 9 by any name she felt most comfortable with, had given Picard and Riker amazing quarters, treated them with respect at dinner... hell... even agreed to go to the system they wanted too... maybe with a bit of disagreement, and suspicion, but agreed anyway... then with that background consider every argument he makes after that... even not being willing to let Riker and Picard take a shuttle, forcing 7 or 9 to intervene... pretty much all the arguments he makes are solid and valid... and once Picard plays the admiral card... in either version of this story, he agrees. Despite Shaws utter disrespect for Picard and Riker, he makes moral decisions based on what he knows. I do think making him an ass hole towards Picard and Riker does make it a bit more interesting... but I wonder if he's got a history... some kind of collateral damage from Picard and Rikers past. Kind of like Sisko. Also, great review as always Jessie :)
Shout-out to Shaw, I totally agree that he's a bit of an (understandable) ass, but as soon as Picard reveals the gravity of the situation Shaw just quietly says "goddamnit" and he gets to work immediately. Probably my favorite moment of the episode!
i think it goes a little deeper than that. in the first episode the "dinner party" boiled down to "you 2 are old cowboy glory seeks (irony) and i am not here for that" then seven points out in this episode that there is glory to be had by saving 2 legends. i think over the course of the 2 episodes he is learning to embrace his inner cowboy.
Excellent part two of the episode! I am loving Amanda Plummer as Vadic. 👍It was great seeing Worf being a
badass and decapitating Sneed! Loved the ending between Beverly and Jean-Luc. 😍
Sneed was a Simpsons reference. "Sneed's Feed and Seed (formerly Chuck's)"
These characters have captured me all over again. ⭐️ I saved up watching all your (excellent!) reviews after (finally!) getting to watch the full season. 🖖🏼
Amanda Plummer: fantastic performance!!! ⭐️ Excellent creation. (And it gets much more compelling later!) But of course she is smoking a cigar, and, coincidentally, she does that in my face the very day I pick to quit smoking! She is totally EVIL! 😈😜
LOVED that they used the magnificent classic TMP Klingon theme when Worf shows up.
Shaw: not just another obstinate bureaucrat. Goodness knows Starfleet has always been full of them (all admirals except Ross), it’s a trope. But as with Jellico, there’s a reason why. It’s a character flaw for sure, but the eventual explanation will redeem the character. It’s not just obstinacy for its own sake (like Natcheyev).
Jack: A TNG season 7 trope was the rediscovered family member (just as season 4 was discarded adoptees). Jack could have been another. I think he will be the one who will break the cycle. They’ll have to. Big risk and responsibility: if the Prime Trek universe ever gets a continuation, it will partly rest on Speleers’ shoulders.
So much great dialogue and clever plotting in this episode. I got quite a laugh out of, "She said, 'Trust no one,' and you brought everyone." I also liked how Jack had his weapon drawn when he materialized on the Titan because he had no way of knowing which ship had managed to transport him first. Overall, this was a fantastic introduction to his character and the actor playing him is really winning me over.
I thought I was going to hate it if he turned out to be Picard's son, but you're right; Stuart and McFadden sold the hell out of it. That being said, we now have a previously unknown son of a retired captain and his old flame, and we're about to have a space submarine battle in a nebula against a charismatic villain clearly driven by some kind of personal motive. They're doing a Wrath Of Khan. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I hope they have a reason for it or some specific subversion planned, rather than just doing a Wrath Of Khan because, hey, the first one was fun, right?
Either way, I think we can all agree, we're feeling the need for Sneed!
I feel sure Snead is a character name, maybe from Charles Dickens, but I can't recall where I've heard it. So it might be an intentional reference to a greedy or otherwise not-so-nice character. And yeah, good name for character. (Though we do know there are good Ferengi and multiple things going on with them.) -- I haven't watched yet, but will catch up. I'm going to try season 3 and see what I think, since the reviews have been so positive.
Nothing comes to mind from Dickens or literature in general but it does kind of evoke the image of someone like Cyril Sneer from The Raccoons, which is probably what you're thinking of. Or you might be half remembering the Simpsons gag "Sneed's Feed And Seed - Formerly Chuck's"
Amanda Plummer was living her best life as an actor in this episode, and it's always fun to see how Frakes clearly still loves playing Riker.
Was Sneed's establishment called "Sneed's Feed And Seed - Formerly Chuck's"
Vadic's spinning back and forth in her chair reminded me of General Chang in Undiscovered Country, which was likely on purpose due to the family relationship of the actors.
Thanks, good review. I have no doubt Matalas will deliver. Personally, I still have a Michelle Yeoh/Section 31 series at the top of my Trek wishlist, but loving S3 Picard
What's the betting that the Shrike's unknown weapon is a photonic cannon?
NGL but the moment that Worf appeared was my personal highlight of this episode. I did a little squeal. It was like very similar to when Lower Decks went to DS9 but in a different way - about the person and not the place. My big, strong warrior dad was back in my life and it made me so very happy. Worf was for a long time my favorite character (Garak won in the end by an inch) but he always remained the character I connected the most with (Kira and Seven being the other ones). I'm not sure why, but I think part of it was that journey of the alien being raised by humans, alone abandoned and scared, and all that struggle between who he is and who he's supposed to be, and figuring out who he wants to be all the while standing his ground and not compromising on anything that was important to him.... (Oh god, this will be another rant, won't it? I'm so sorry...)
I didn't know I would be this happy to have him back, but I am.
But holy hell, secret services & Worf? WTF happened?! xDDD That's some character development.
I jumped out of my seat when I first saw Worf's sword
Love the uniform jessie.
The cadence is frakkin eerie and methodical and supremely arrogant and PERFECT for a Trek villain.
The Klingon theme rocks.
Good episode. I'm still a little cautious about the whole "Picard's son" angle. The "universe is so small that everyone has to be related to everyone else" bit basically ruined the Star Wars franchise for me. If Vadic turns out to be the long lost child of Kai Winn and Gul Dukat, I'm out. Good review JG.
I really like that Shaw isn't being demonised by the show. We (as an audience that knows our legacy characters very well and know their motivations and how they care about all living creatures in general) know that they have good reasons to do the things they are doing, but Shaw has no reason to believe them blindly apart from their legendary status in their universe, and so he doesn't. And the show doesn't demonise him for it, on the contrary, they show him in a very human light, giving him plenty of time to explain very clearly his motivations and actions. I'm quite sure that if I was in his position (even if I was someone that had no priority relation to anything that even slightly relates to Picard like he seems to have) I would probably do something very similar to the things that he is doing.
I mean, he's clearly a survivor of Wolf 359. He's got some pretty good reasons to be wary of Picard & Riker and their "legend."
Beverly Crusher's daughter?! Oh, Jack's a transbian, I see.
That clap was an epic transition
Good episode. If episode 3 and 4 maintain or improve further then it's already much improved to S1 AND 2