Not a bad episode. Not great, but not bad.
When Enterprise answers a distress signal and finds a completely destroyed colony planet except for an elderly couple in a house all by themselves, freaking alarm bells should have rung loudly. Instead, it took multiple visits, a couple of bouts of tea, space battles with a weirdly acting alien warship, and a telepathic attack on Troi before Picard figured out that the human couple weren't what they appeared to be.
"Kevin Uxbridge" was an immortal creature of immense power who fell in love with a human woman fifty years ago, and decided to marry her. It was certainly cool that Kevin was an extreme pacifist and chose to be a noncombatant, because hey, with that much Q-like power, he could have practically destroyed the galaxy. The thing is, I don't know why a being that powerful couldn't find another way to save those 11,000 colonists without hurting anyone, including the Husnock. Instead, in a fit of rage in response to the death of his wife Rishon, Kevin obliterated the Husnock species in its entirety.
I'll give the writer a lot of credit for creating an interesting and insoluble dilemma, though, and even more credit for having Picard decide to just leave "Kevin Uxbridge" the heck alone in the end. What could Picard have done with him? Put him in the brig? Taken him to the nearest space station for trial? Did the Husnock deserve it for destroying an entire human colony? What sort of beings were the Husnock? What if they had a terrible militaristic dictatorship and most of them were oppressed pacifists?
The Troi subplot wasn't a strong one. Kevin apparently used Rishon's favorite music box to keep Troi from sensing his true nature, and in the process, he nearly drove her insane with the universe's most annoying earworm. I also thought it was sort of snotty that Picard didn't tell his bridge crew what he had guessed. Although I suppose it was in character. Picard loves mysteries.
At least Troi got a new and very pretty aqua pseudo-uniform to emote in. Plus Riker was suspended upside down by one leg, but still managed to keep his composure. And Worf's reactions to Kevin and Rishon were fun.
Bits and quotes:
-- Stardate 43152.4. One very nice white house on the colony planet Rana IV.
-- Did it bother anyone else that Picard and Worf just walked into the Uxbridge house without knocking?
-- It's an interesting coincidence that the Wayward Pines episode I reviewed this week, "Choices," also featured a deadly music box. What are the odds?
Worf: "Sir, may I say your attempt to hold the away team at bay with a non-functioning weapon was an act of unmitigated gall."
Kevin: "Didn't fool you, huh?"
Worf: "I admire gall."
Worf: "Good tea. Nice house."
Two out of four nice cups of tea,
Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
I quite like this one. It's reasonably intriguing, and throws up some interesting ideas. Also it deserves a whole extra point for 'Good tea. Nice house.'! (It's all in the delivery...)
ReplyDeleteI agree - great comment choices Billie!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, this one. What a dilemma for our crew! I quite like it, and the moral position it puts the entire situation in. I like the design of the Husnock warship too.
ReplyDeleteWorf was great here, he's come so far from season one, and Michael Dorn is killing it. I do like Troi, but have to agree that I wish they'd handle her character and situations better.
It has a very Outer Limits or Twilight Zone feel to it too, which I appreciate, as I saw those original shows on TV as a kid as well.