Francie

We do. Except if we doubt that it's her. Or, like me at this point, don't care whether it's really her or a changeling. But the point was an internal one -- why on earth wouldn't the crew have thought of that? At least bring it up to explain why it isn't possible. As for that being a pointless thing to show, we had to endure the first episode where we see Beverly send off a comm message, and then watch Picard spend minutes going, "Oh, gee, who could this be?" So these showrunners aren't exactly courteous to the audience like that. We also can't rule out that the Troi being held on the ship is a changeling and that the real Deanna will show up. And that Picard & Co. failed to mention contacting her for the very reasons AllyB proffers (i.e. "BIG reveal!" wait, no, not so much?) You know, someone else point this out elsewhere (so giving credit elsewhere), but it bears mentioning -- is Crazy Amanda just lucky that the one associate of Picard's she picked up -- Deanna -- was the loved one of the one person captured -- Riker. Or did she also have Alexander stuck in a room, too, in case she was able to capture Worf. I would argue there's quite a distinction between actively harming someone physically and choosing to not to abide by another's laws and removing oneself from the situation instead. Yes, in Justice, the crew debated the possible impact their refusal to allow Wesley being executed for falling into a flower bed could cause their society. In both situations, Beverly argued for what she thought was the more ethical stance: innocent people should not be put to death for "crimes" they had no idea they were committing and this was not simply an ethnocentric viewpoint that needed to be put aside to conform with another society's value system; and captured people should not be tortured. This present scenario is much more similar to I, Borg, where Beverly did take a ethical stance against harming Hugh. I just can't buy the argument that a mama bear is against torture, unless her own child is at stake. Then it's "let's waterboard him!" I don't view Beverly's ethics as situational like that. Her own child or not. And I'm also not big on the notion of "a mother will do anything for her child" reason for a woman going against her principles. I'm never going to see Beverly through that prism.

Here's probably the best example of what I was sold, and what I thought I'd be getting this season. Silly me.

It literally was, though. "TNG reunion injects a little fun into Star Trek: Picard’s uneven final season" ~ARS Technica "‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 Finds Its Magic by Reuniting the ‘Next Generation’ Crew" ~Rolling Stone "Star Trek: Picard season 3 reunites the entire TNG cast for the first time in 21 years. It's the franchise's biggest event since Kirk met Picard." ~Screen Rant. "Picard season 3's Next Generation reunion isn't what you think it is" (tagline -- it's more) Terry & Co have been selling TNG cast showing up loud and proud in an effort to get new Paramount+ subscriptions and clicks. I got oversold. That's on me. And caveat emptor, I shoulda read the fine print. I'm not buying anything else Paramount+ is selling. Fool me once and all. But the level of TNG cast involvement in this season was not sold as, "Hey, in the final 2 episodes of this show there'll be a TNG reunion of the OG 7." I got sold something much more than that, and I was specifically told I didn't need to watch Picard 1 or 2, something I was glad to hear. I was to assume I needed to watch DS9 and Voyager to watch a show called Picard? If the show was called Avery or Janeway, I wouldn't have assumed I'd get one stitch of TNG. As to, and We agree on more than we disagree on. I love Patrick, but I fear his ego has been in the way of a lot of good potential content. Oh, and on this, I keep reminding myself of that! I mean, I see what they did to Beverly, and I have to be a little grateful they've kept Spiner's and Sirtis's involvement as low as they have.

Fixed it. :) What plot?

It's a problem running rampant in Hollywood right now. Money is being thrown at known commodities to try to capitalize on the already existing fanbases, because the returns have to be massive in order for a show or movie to be financially successful. And there's just a lack of investment in original storytelling. The selected few men being given reins of projects -- whether it's J.J. Abrams who demanded the reins of Star Trek even though he wasn't a fan, Dan and Dave helming Game of Thrones because David Benioff's dad is a billionaire banker friend of the head of HBO and that got them a lunch with GRR Martin, or now these dudes in charge of Picard -- don't have any original thoughts of their own, and they need the pre-existing characters and universe as some sort of starting block ... or training pants. Just about everything designed for commercial mass consumption is a copy of something before, with Top Gun getting revisited and unnecessary remakes of past successful movies. Anything 'new' has be described in terms of "it's a cross between 'x' and 'x' and 'x.'" But there's no creative vision in any of these new ventures, as the visionaries who created these universes and the characters who inhabit them have passed on or are otherwise no longer involved. Well, except for J.K. Rowling, who seems to be destroying her Harry Potter universe all on her own. Anyway, back to Picard. I just posted in the media thread a quote from Patrick Stewart where he says there'll be a question hanging at the end, that he's not necessarily done with ST, and that he's had a falling out with some unnamed people.

So this is interesting: Are the "our people" among the showrunners? Are they some of his fellow cast members who want to be done with Star Trek? On the one hand, if Patrick Stewart hadn't agreed to Picard back in 2018, the series never would have happened. So it might seem that whatever he wants is whatever will happen. On the other hand, and I say this as someone's who has been a big enough fan to have seen him on Broadway,* he comes across as awfully frail and weak on the show, and he's just not able to lead a series anymore. *I mean, he's an awesome performer, so I didn't go to 'support' a TNG cast member, I was in New York on a trip, and I knew I would be blown away by a powerhouse performance, and I was.

I don't begrudge Jeri Ryan. And I'm happy that her fans get to see her, whether they either like what storyline she's been given or just like seeing the actress again. I'm calling out the show -- this season, what have you -- for being a bait and switch. Don't invite a TNG trekker to a party and then not throw a TNG party. And don't have the TNG characters resemble pod versions of themselves, like the replacement Captain Picard on Allegiance. There is 600 minutes worth of content, and that would have been plenty enough to incorporate some of DS9 or Voyager characters or elements. There was certainly room for Seven. But the showrunners have squandered all this time on circular mini-I don't even know what to call what this has been. I think the showrunners assumed that viewers of TNG also watched the other shows, and, yeah, I'm calling them out a bit. They thought these fans who were lured back by press coverage would be melting with nostalgic tingles over this reference or that appearance. That's not the case for me, and based on the ratings of the respective series back in the 90s, that wasn't true for a lot of TNG fans. Maybe the show runners were living in a bubble about that or maybe they meant to target only the all-Berman show fans, and to hell with me and my ilk. And if the showrunners were going to tap plot points from other series to create the "plot" for this season, then take into account that any new viewers or TNG-only fans need to be introduced to those concepts - and hopefully in an engaging, interesting way. What made the Star Trek franchise truly a franchise was Star Trek II. If that movie had bombed, Star Trek would have gone the way of Twilight Zone or Lost in Space. And while Star Trek II was based on one specific TOS episode, the re-introduction of Khan for TOS fans and the introduction of Khan to the rest of the population who never knew he existed before that movie was masterful. That sequence on Ceti Alpha V was great great storytelling. No stupid mystery box. We learned who Khan was, why he was angry, we felt his pain (no back story flashbacks, just a tense moment of build up with the perfect touch of overlaid exposition), and we understood the stakes. Now, if the Picard showrunners wanted to tap this Dominion War with the changelings, then they need to lay it out in a way so that those of us who didn't see DS9 would become invested. That is quite clearly far beyond their capabilities. Based on what I've seen and heard, good Lord, why would I subject myself to that? I did watch parts of Nepenthe just before this season premiered. I'll let everyone guess which parts.

I get you're trying to make an analogy, but I have to point out DS9 was literally a spin off of TNG. They put Bashir in TNG for one episode, took a supporting character, Miles, re-interpreted Ro Laren as a new character when Michelle Forbes didn't accept their offer, and had Picard show up in the pilot to get viewers to watch it. In fact, it feels like 1992 all over again. TNG was a huge success, both ratings-wise and it was becoming a critical darling, and everyone's contracts were set for an 8th season. But Berman pulled the plug and canceled the show a season early to push it aside for DS9 and then Voyager. Yes, TNG got pushed 'upwards,' sorta, but maybe not really, with replacing TOS as a movie franchise. Now, here, this season was sold as TNG reunion, but the show runners immediately pushed that cast aside so that they could express their love and sentimentality for Voyager and DS9. Whether Seven was on the first season of Picard is immaterial to that when this season was sold as all about TNG. She's here in this season because of Terry Matalas's love for the character, not because there's some continuing plot point from the first season of Picard that warrants her continued presence (right? I didn't watch the first season, but she's on a new ship that nothing to do with what happened in the first season of Picard). For me, there's not enough TNG content to amount to a TNG fanfic. Some of the TNG characters - especially Beverly - have been unrecognizable. Whoever expressed above their disappointment in Beverly's choices in this this episode, yes, Beverly's main characteristic was that she was always ethical. Years ago on a TNG panel, the TNG actors were asked to identify their character in one word, and Gates said, "ethical." The balance between ST shows is more tipped in favor of the post-TNG shows that Terry Matalas worked on than the TNG show he didn't. This plotline with this 31 thing and the Dominion changelings or whatever. It means nothing to me. The TNG cast might as well have Darth Vader chasing after them, with ewoks are getting killed left and right, and Jack Crusher being urged to use the force. At least those references I understand. TNG was used as a thin veneer for whatever this show is actually about.

As far as I can discern, this show is a TNG/Voyager crossover show with a DS9 plotline.* *Albeit a 20- to 40-minute plotline spread over 600 minutes. So is Crazy Amanda supposed to be a moustache-twirling, over-the-top can't take her seriously kind of villain, which is how she plays her most of the time. Or is she supposed to be relatable and sympathetic? Or do these modern-day "I learned storytelling from J.J. Abrams Ted Talk on the Mystery Box" writers give every villain get a back story now?

I'd like to clarify that I have nothing against DS9 or Voyager. I just never watched them. TNG came along when I was a teen and ended when I was in college. I didn't watch from the beginning, but rather I happened to catch an episode about midway through that drew my attention. I'm not naturally drawn to sci fi, but I don't dislike it either. The great thing about futuristic sci fi is that it can realize a better world, especially a more egalitarian world. The big negative I find is that it's overrun with horny men (is that redundant?) behind the scenes who take advantage of the futuristic setting for exploitative purposes (I'm side eyeing Roddenberry because both that positive and negative apply to his show and him). When I started watching TNG I was a teen going through some upheaval at home, and a lot of caretaking responsibility for my younger siblings was dumped on me. TNG showed me what a professional work environment -- one I was about to embark on in a couple years -- should look like. Women weren't asked to get coffee and the men didn't belittle them. While the women of TNG were limited to the medical professions, because of the nature of the issues they were dealing with, they were often part of the conversation in that conference room. And, because it was set in the future, there wasn't the 80s/90s kind of sexual harassment that women were considered humorless if they didn't put up with it. I compare it with the other big drama that also ran from the 1980s until 1994, L.A. Law. Even though I eventually became a lawyer, that show wasn't a template for anything for me. TNG was. TNG was a weekly grounding experience. And sometimes, like with a Fistful of Datas, it was a bit silly and made me laugh. And quite often it gave me an entire 45 minute theatrical play that blew me away (Defector, Darmok, Inner Light, Chain of Command, Tapestry, to name a few). And there was a little romance for this teen to ship with Troi and Riker. I was an adult by the time the other shows came around, and I never had the sense that they had the same tone or core philosophy of everyone having respect for their fellow colleagues. So, yeah, it was just TNG for me. Those characters meant a lot to me. So it makes me sad how little the show has taken advantage of having all seven of them back together again. This show had bout 600 minutes of content to fill -- 600 minutes! -- and what they've chosen to do with it is do donuts in the parking lot, killing time with redundant dialogue and scenarios and meaningless forced mini-dramas that amount to nothing. And a lot of references to things that spark no interest for me. We're still dealing with a single plot point: some unidentified something wants to capture Jack Crusher to destroy the Federation. That's the only significant thing that's happened in about 400 minutes of content. This is my long-winded way of saying that, while I will continue to balk and tease and critique the references to these other shows, I know they meant a lot to others and seeing things like that guy, Tupac or whatever, talking with that blond woman was a treat for some of you. And I'm not trying to attack that. For me, though, it was just a guy I didn't know talking to a woman I didn't know, and nothing came of it that I needed to know. And that was another 3 to 5 minutes taken off the clock.

I mean this in the most light-hearted way possible. Being a TNG fan who eschewed Rick Berman's creations, I comprehend your post like a cat understanding humans: A true Sisko story [incomprehensible] Romulans [incomprehensible]. [incomprehensible] Bashir and [incomprehensible] [incomprehensible] Picard [incomprehensible] Federation [incomprehensible]. Okay, okay, I do get that last sentence -- maybe. But if the final episode it about a Star Fleet officer making a big speech, wouldn't that make it a Scott Bakula final episode of Enterprise story (I'm not looking up his name, but I do know he had a dog named Porthos)? Look, I mention that only because then, maybe just maybe, I'll finally get to see Troi and Riker in the same room. I love political dramas! I don't know what this show is, but I do love political dramas. Yes, but have you ever heard the cast of TNG sing the theme song they made up to it? It's mainly them singing their own names, and it ends with "and sometimes Wil Wheaton too."

On a more serious note, the thing that bothered me about the 17 seconds scene was that the fear Riker had was only for his son. The set up was this: Picard says he heard "the delivery was touch and go." Riker responds that the message he received from sick bay was only, "You better get down here right away." He then says it was the longest turbo ride of his life and that he was, "I thought I was losing him. My unborn son." Why didn't it occur to him that the mother, Deanna, was the one in danger, the one experiencing complications? Maybe I'm supposed to hand wave that future medical advances have rendered maternal maternity obsolete. That's a big ask, though, especially in light of the fact that infant mortality still would have been an issue so as to be the only potential issue on Riker's mind at the time. And given today's culture and climate, where maternal mortality is back in the spotlight in a big way, it seemed liked such an odd concern to leap frog over. I get that this season is focused on fathers and sons. And I like a good father/son story. But with how much Beverly and Deanna have been relegated to breeders, and a nagger, and secret holder in keeping a man's son away from his father, I really wish the show runners had left the TNG cast alone and told this "story," if the thin excuse for a plotline spanning these hours warrants that label, with their own d@mn original characters. In fact, this is my challenge to all who like this season: I invite you to ask yourself, would you like it just as much if all the characters were original ones?

When they titled this episode 17 Seconds, I didn't realize that would also correspond with the length of the entirety of Deanna Troi's screen time in the first seven episodes.

Absolutely agree, though I come to that conclusion from the opposite direction. I have no clue what the Dominion War was all about. I don't know who Tuvak was. Neither has anything to do with TNG. I think of the showrunner as a teen ager asking their parents (Paramount+) to use the car (show) so that he can go to the library (TNG)to study. The teen does swing by the library, but only to pick up his friends and take them to the quarry or arcade or wherever else (all these other Star Trek shows being mined for memberberries). For those fans who enjoyed all these shows, this show is much more designed for you than it was for the likes of me. I just wish the promotional campaign had been more honest about that. But, like I said before, it's been all click bait. I'm sure there's some "pivotal" moment. And then likely relegation to being a potted plant in group scenes. The bar is gone altogether. I have no faith in, or respect for, these showrunners.

I can't seem to set the bar low enough. I think I may have have been subjected to Spock time from Wrath of Khan. When Marina said she spent two months filming this season, she really meant two weeks, didn't she? As a Deanna Troi fan, this show has been nothing more than click bait.

For Will's sake, or rather for the integrity of his character's sake, I hope he realizes it nearly immediately. While I like your version better, the best I can reasonably hope for is that Will will play along with the changeling for awhile (with TPTB trying to lead the audience on) and then reveal that he's known almost immediately.

I think so, too. Which means we'll have to wait yet another week, at least, before Deanna Troi actually joins the "reunion." And while I'm telling myself to stop speculating and hazarding guesses, because TPTB (which, now, in my head as to this show stands for The Pakleds That Be) have shown themselves quite limber enough to limbo below whatever low bar I imagine they've set, I'll continue: I think any suggestion of multiple hostages will be a fake out to try to convince the audience that Troi is the real deal, and that there'll be a late reveal of yet another hostage. And I'll hazard a guess that it'll be someone *not* from TNG and that I'll not recognize who it is. So, maybe someone from the first 2 seasons of Picard or that housekeeper/friend from the first episode. In any event, Vegas is *not* taking any bets against Troi being a changeling this upcoming episode. It did set 8 minutes before end credits as the over/under as to how long it'll take the reveal to be. Much better sentence. And I agree about the second point. The manifest line didn't make my ears bleed like so much of the other dialogue. Dorn can put lipstick on the pigs of many of these lines and save the writers from themselves. Not all the time, but they're lucky to have him save them from themselves as often as he does. And I've picked up there's supposed to be some point -- some development -- regarding Worf saying Will instead of Commander Riker. There'll be some point he'll call him Will, to show they're now on a first name basis. But the problem with that is the fact that what Worf called Will was never an issue in their friendship. Will was Worf's best friend while on the Enterprise. Worf was Will's closest friend after Deanna. Besides, what they called each other long after they stopped serving together would be well-settled. There was no reason why this point in time -- season 3 of Picard -- would be the one time Riker would bring that up. They've seen each other, at least occasionally, in the years after Worf left the Enterprise. Worf was at Riker's wedding for [insert Klingon word]'s sake. Just, no.

I'm going to have to disagree with the notion that TNG was always nothing but shit for writing. Seasons 3 through 6, and part of 7, exemplified some of the best television drama ever produced. There's a reason why TNG was finally nominated for best drama at the emmys in the seventh season. And I have no doubt it would have gotten there sooner and Patrick Stewart would have been nominated year after year for best actor if not for two hurdles: 1) the show was syndicated and no had broadcast network support; and 2) science fiction was considered niche entertainment only worthy of technical and not artistic praise. The All Good Things finale is the 17th most watched finale of all time, and it's in an elite class of series finales that hit the mark and did not disappoint. It was a damn good show (quick, company is coming, hide the first season under the sofa cushions). And *that* is the reason why Patrick Stewart was approached about a series and why, after the first two seasons apparently failed miserably, they brought the gang back together. They just forgot to bring all the good writing too.

Update on Ingo's lawsuit. ABC moved for summary judgment. For those in or visiting the Los Angeles area, the hearing will be held next week: 03/30/2023 at 08:30 AM in Department 39 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012; Hearing on Motion for Summary Judgment

No one. No one talks like that. I especially cringed at the "William Riker" reference. Oh good gracious, is that what they were supposedly going for? If so, I don't have to wonder hard which scenario is closer to the truth: Scenario 1: Writer uses 'burgle.' No subsequent 'joke.' A Power that Be reviews it and is all, "Hey, love that you used that word! I know! We'll have someone comment how great that word use is. We can have Riker say it and it'll be all like he's breaking the tension. We are so awesome at the writing and the stuff. Scenario 2: "Hey, we have a great deal of built up tension here. We need some comical relief to break that tension."/"Well, actually, in terms of tense moments in this episode, I don't think that makes even the top 10."/ "Are you crazy? It's *so* tense here. We really need a joke. Anything will do."/"Well, we can have Riker say a stupid line about Picard's word choice. I mean, he used to have a really good sense of humor and maybe we can capitalize on that."/ "Done and done." Sorry to harp on the writing. And this is all just my opinion and all that. But this dialogue writing is awful. Painfully awful. And, I live by TWOP's motto: spare the show, spoil the network. Torture/Interrogation plot point. Here's another situation that played like a $3,500 independent film where $3,400 of the budget went to "crafts services." I found the scene of Crazy Amanda questioning Riker not well thought out. My biggest critique is that, having watched TNG, I know from Chain of Command, as of 35 years ago, drugs existed that cause the injected party to reveal information. Effective and reliable sodium pentothal, if you will. The Cardassians had it, and certainly these creatures of PicardS3 would have it too. So, this whole "try to get information out of Riker" scenario shouldn't exist. Use the drugs. Get the info. Be done. But this 'enhanced interrogation tactics' scene does exist. For other reasons, as explained below. Riker is captured. He's going to be interrogated. My question is this -- was this a tense situation where we are actually supposed to ramp up the adrenaline watching? Or is this like an 80s A-Team or Dukes of Hazzard episode where the violence is over the top and non-serious and you're not supposed to get worked up and nervous about it? Because, on the one hand you had the interrogator being threatened with her very life if she doesn't elicit this information. She kills two henchpeople on the spot to communicate how serious she's being. OMG, Will's in danger, right? But then, what do we see in the form of interrogation tactics. A 70-year-old man being face slapped as he defiantly says he'll never give up the information. He's 70, for goodness sake. Make him stand without access to a bathroom for 2 hours and he'll tell you anything you want to know. It's Will Riker -- just don't allow him to lean and he'll crack in 8.65 minutes. If the harm posed to Will was supposed to be great, and it's supposed to read as a tense situation, don't play the violence at a daytime soap level. Instead, have Crazy Amanda walk over to him and poke out an eyeball. Then ask if he'd like to keep the other. Because Crazy Amanda's very existence is on the line, right? Why would she wait around for the light pummeling (if nothing's broken and teeth aren't coming out, it's a light pummeling) if she really needs to figure out a way to elicit the information from him right away. Why not proceed directly to showing him his wife? Why waste your personnel resources as some sort of ominous sign? I mean, Riker's already supposed to know she's dangerous and deadly. She smoked a cigar, for goodness sake! I get why each beat happened. The TPTB wanted a 80s style beat up. They loved that moment, I'm sure. They wanted Riker to be seen as tough as faithful. That they loved "giving him" that moment is something else of which I'm certain. They wanted to have the cake and have eaten it too, so they think they can ratchet up the tension. They loved killing off the back up personnel and thought doing so made the scene more "impactful." Uh huh, yeah, suuure. And they loved the Troi reveal. So who cares about what a well-plotted, actually gripping drama would dictate. They're happy with their "beats" and their "moments." Meanwhile, I'm miserable, thinking -- and again this is my own, personal experience -- thank goodness they have only four hours left with the characters I grew up with and truly, actually adore. Because I have no trust with them in this TPB's hands. And, sadly for me, these are also characters on a top 5 all-time favorite tv show of mine. So I'm going to watch over them as much as I choose to, and call out when I think they're being subjected to a disservice. Again, if you spare the show, you spoil the network.

What I'm seeing on twitter is a bit different than what you're describing. I'm seeing over-the-top accolades for the writing and "story." On top of that is the near-deification of Matalas. It's like the show is non-existent or it's an "11" on a scale of 10. There's no in-between. Many, if not most, of the viewers who are bathing in the warm milk of nostalgia seem to be Star Trek universe (Berman edition) fans. Two points seems to hit with viewers this week -- 7 of 9 waxing nostalgic about the voyager ship and Geordi's return. That's fine if this season was sold as Voyager-Deep Space Nine-The Next Generation revisit. For this TNG fan, anyway, I've never seen Voyager or Deep Space Nine, and those moments are as dull as watching painting dry. I've see a lot of disappointment by my fellow TNG (first or only) fans who were lured back by all the press by the 7 TNG cast members. There's frustration that, for some of these returning characters, it's been nothing more than glorified cameos. For other characters, it's been bizarre character choices that don't ring true. And, for all of those seven characters, there's annoyance at the verbal atrocities they've had to spout as dialogue. I'll give one example. Riker telling Picard "that's an EXCELLENT use of burgle as a verb." What a stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid line. Whenever you have a character say some version of "Good one, Sir," that's supposed to say something about the character saying it. Smithers saying it to Burns on the Simpsons means he's a suck up and brownnoser. Niles on the Nanny saying it is supposed to show his contempt for whatever character's been insulted. But here, it was just supposed to mean that Picard said something clever. And that's for the audience, and not Riker, to decide. Having Riker say that line just masturbatory on the writer's part -- and on the show runners' part for allowing it. They were patting themselves on the back. They were taking a bow for doing nothing more than not using one of the 100 most commonly used words in the English language. What a fucking low bar they have set for themselves.

The entirety of Troi's dialogue being "Oh, Will" sent me back to the 1960s. Quite a feat, as I was not alive then.

I just came here after seeing the twitter reaction. It's bizarre. I know there's a lot of paid guerilla social media marketing out there, and I have to wonder if that's what's going on here. It's either that or a niche of fans who are banging drums loudly so as to drown out any criticism or even thoughtful discussion. So much of the twitter "buzz" is all about Paramount Plus giving Matalas the reins -- and tons more money -- to produce even more Star Trek. It's an interesting common refrain. For every 2 "I Ioved this episode!" there's as least one "Give Matalas a new show or "sign this petition for more Matalas-produced ST.". Meanwhile, Matalas is on twitter mocking fans and correcting their spelling. Whatev, dude. The other thing I can't get over is how sophomoric the writing is. When it's not glib, it's superficial. And when it's not glib or superficial, it's just someone repeating the obvious. Or repeating what someone else just said. It is truly some of the worst dialogue writing I've ever seen written, let alone produced (let alone produced with a huge budget).

Am I the only one when Picard kept yelling "Ro! Ro!" to remember the fact that Laren is her first name, not Ro? I mean I suppose Jean Luc intended to call out to her by her last name. But, if it was Will Riker in that shuttle, I'd think he'd yell out, "Will! Will!" and not "Riker! Riker!" I'm not enamored with the running theme of this show revisiting characters from Jean Luc Picard's past only to kill them off. Q. Hugh. Now Ro Laren. This show certainly is in service to Patrick Stewart's vanity and his grappling with his own mortality. I prefer to leave Q as immortal and Ro Laren as the strong-willed renegade with a purpose who left us all in TNG's penultimate episode. Her death was senseless. The plot of this season is too light to have been served by it. And it remains to be seen if any information she transported was actually vital (and thus, did serve the "plot"), or if the information dump was just for show in this episode ("Look, everyone, her death served a purpose because we have all these graphics of information!" ... then, nothing that that they didn't already know or suspect). Wake me up when Troi and Geordi arrive, and then again when more than three of the magnificent seven that made up the core of TNG show up in the same place and actually interact face-to-face.

Wow, I thought I could do this -- watch the show. I honestly thought I might enjoy this. I couldn't help but feel that way. TNG is among my all-time top 5 shows. I didn't watch seasons 1 or 2 of Picard for a variety of reasons, although I did watch the Nepenthe episode recently to gear up for this season. I greatly enjoyed the scenes set on Nepenthe (the rest was meaningless to me). But having watched parts of this first episode, I'm gobsmacked at how amateurish the dialogue is. It's like reading a college freshman's first attempt at script writing. This passes for professional writing nowadays? Jokes about Enterprise-D models being unwanted because they're too fat ("You better leave the bottle"), and publicly shaming Geordi's daughter at work to make a crash joke (let me guess, there'll be payoff later on). It's all glib and superficial. It's all wink-wink. Overall, I hate, hate, hate, hate hate JJ Abrams' type "mystery box" writing -- dropping clues to whet the viewers' appetites, with no actual enjoyable plot. All set up and introduction and no realized arc from beginning to end of a single episode. There's no good reason to watch this episode, in and of itself. I compare these 45 minutes to, say, the 45-minute episode of Survivors from season 3 of TNG. That ending literally took my breath away, both when I first watched it as an adolescent and even on revisit. I walked away from that Survivors episode with something to contemplate, and it was the story that gave me feels. Meanwhile, with all this introduction signifying nothing, this first episode of Picard reminded me of season 8 of Game of Thrones. And the last thing I ever need to be reminded of is Season 8. Maybe I'll catch you all again around Episode 6. The only positive of this episode is that it killed my excitement and will no longer be a distraction. I got up extra early to watch this first episode. I couldn't help but be excited, even with some critics naysaying. My expectations are now tempered. The best bright side -- my love for TNG came flooding back these past few weeks, and going down that memory lane was thoroughly enjoyable.