Comment Stream

Re: DSC S2: The Red Angel

It's not like Discovery had ever made any sense, but this is... wow. Speechless.

Re: DS9 S7: Field of Fire

A watchable episode, but yeah... "they were smiling on photos, that's proof the killer is Vulcan" ...erm, what?

Re: DS9 S6: The Magnificent Ferengi

In another of my totally-not-grumpy-and-waving-walking-stick comments, I have totally missed where this was any funnier or more entertaining than any other Ferengi episode. I chuckled at that scene where Quark and Rom took a wrong turn in the tube and found themselves in Sisko's office, but that's about it. But then, "Let he who is without sin..." made me laugh at one point too. Everything else was just as bad and cringeworthy as usual to me. Again I could list what all I found terrible, but that list can again be summed up with "pretty much everything".

1 star.

Re: DS9 S6: Statistical Probabilities

"Let He Who Is Without Sin..." ...BS episode with no redeeming feature except that it made me laugh at one point. For that I give it 0.5 stars.

"Statistical Probabilities" ...BS episode with no redeeming feature. 0 stars.

It also seems to ridicule mental health patients, so I wish I could give less than 0 stars. Oh wait, I can: -0.5. Worst episode. Of everything.

Re: DS9 S6: Resurrection

Not a neutral episode, just a bad one. The narrative's bad, the soundtrack is bad (how can I evoke emotion and spirituality? ...whatever, just get the pan pipes again!), Mirror Kira is as bad as always. Nana Visitor is great at being Major Kira but she's shit at being mirror Kira. Only Alexander Siddig is even worse at being evil Bashir.

DS9 mirror universe episodes aren't good, and this is no exception. However the others at least had some trashy action stuff - arguably even stories - going in their favour, this episode on the other hand is just pointless BS.

1 star.

Re: DS9 S5: In the Cards

I'm surprised too by the praise this episode gets here. I thought it was solid, competent at what it's doing, but not particularly interesting or funny or anything. I don't see anything standing out in any way, or what's so funny about Geiger and why stupid theory equals hilarious. Star Trek often makes me laugh, but not in this episode. Seeing how people put this on a level with The Visitor makes me wonder if I was watching the same show.

Again, a watchable episode, but for my liking pretty standard and forgettable. 2.5.

Re: DS9 S5: Let He Who Is Without Sin...

I actually laughed when Leeta revealed she was leaving Julian for Rom and Quark gave him that idol thingy and said: "you need this more than I do". But I guess that's the only good thing I can say about this episode.

Re: DS9 S4: Sons of Mogh

A good show until the ending happened. Think about Klingon customs what you will--I think erasing Kurn's memory without consent or even warning, right after he passed out drunk, was more unethical than letting him have his will of being killed by his brother.

Re: DS9 S3: Distant Voices

God what a load of pointless crap. It's rare that an episode has not even a trace of anything interesting going on anywhere. Probably the worst Trek episode since Shades of Grey. Not sure if 0.5 or just 0.

Re: DS9 S1: Babel

"But what's most interesting is the virus itself, which has an inspired, aphasic side effect that causes a breakdown in verbal communication, reducing everyone to babbling incoherence."

I wonder if Geordi and B'Elanna have it too

Re: TNG S7: Sub Rosa

@Springy

I don't actively dislike Beverly, unlike Wes she's not an annoying character. She's one of the prominent faces of beloved TNG, so I do like her, and of course she means something for Picard--but so I think ironically she does more to add some depth to Picard than to have any depth of her own.

On her own she's a pretty bland character, and I'm sorry to say Gates McFadden's acting is pretty poor. Certainly worse than Diana Muldaur as Dr. Pulaski. Beverly always is a character who I feel is underdeveloped and underacted.

I can see what they were trying with Sub Rosa, but it was doomed to failure because the whole episode was incredibly stupid and Gates McFadden was visibly overchallenged with the more eccentric acting it expected from her.

Re: TNG S6: Starship Mine

Didn't recall this episode when re-watching it yesterday, and seeing Tim Russ there, less than two years before Voyager, misled me to think this was a Maquis plot :P

Re: TNG S6: Birthright, Part II

I don't mind Worf's typical remarks about Klingons don't do this and that, honour, Klingons, warrios, Klingons, honourable, etc. too much in small doses, but this is an entire episode where he hardly ever says anything else. I really felt like gimme a break, I'm getting really tired of this Klingon BS.

And you can never be sure if he's not just making stuff up like his earlier "Klingons don't laugh".

Re: TNG S6: A Fistful of Datas

Dreadful epsiode. The only time in TNG I actually loathed Brent Spiner for his painfully unsuccessful attempt at playing that bad guy. Terrible, 0.5 stars.

Re: TNG S6: Rascals

Amazing how long it took them to find a cure. A few years later, EMH would just have changed their young DNA back to old DNA, problem solved. This may sound nonsensical, but that has never stopped EMH.

Re: TNG S6: Relics

The Scotty plot could have been handled a little better, but mostly I'm fine with it. I got my nostalgia injection, I felt for him and the Scene with Picard was lovely.

What disappointed me most was the Dyson Sphere. What started with mystery and wonder (and--by TNG standards--convincing visuals) turned out to be no more than a tool to let Scotty save the day. I was really hoping to learn more about it in this episode, but no. It feels like a throwaway backdrop and should have been so much more. Still 3 stars.

And well, from the inside it didn't really look like a 200 million km diameter. I mean, you can see the surface curving around from a distance where you can see mountains and cities. It should have been completely flat. But I'm starting to find logical flaws in Star Trek again, always a can of worms maybe better left closed.

Re: TNG S6: Time's Arrow, Part II

"Hardin's portrayal is so endlessly cartoonish and overplayed as to make Clemens an annoying presence throughout."

I agree 100%, I stopped reading his books after watching this

Re: TNG S4: Half a Life

Well, not 3.5-4, granted. In a sober state I give it 3. I still stand by my comments.

Re: TNG S4: Half a Life

And of course, yes that custom is stupid--but that doesn't make it less believable. There's such an abundance of moronic traditions and customs in the actual history of mankind that I don't see why that would be implausible.

Re: TNG S4: Half a Life

Very good episode.

A) because Lwaxana is suddenly - and unexpectedly - not just annoying "comedic" relief, but an actual person with feelings and stuff. I'm thankful for getting to know a very different, much more serious side of her actually. I actually, really, felt bad for her.

B) this drama/conflict between different societies with very different customs (and of course the prime directive). Trek has done it before, and of course this is no classic literature, but it is Trek's best attempt ever at it. Trek has never managed before or since to make it as meaningful on a personal level.

One of the best episodes of this season, in the 3.5-4 range. A thousand times better than pointless crap like The Nth Degree.

Re: TNG S4: Remember Me

Loved this episode. Thankfully, I seem to have missed the "Dr. Crusher disappearing" hint in the beginning the first time. Found it excitingly mysterious and creepy before getting an idea of wtf was going on. Those conversations about people that never existed were chilling.

Watching it again, I dislike the oh-so-deep Traveller BS. But still a great episode.

Re: TNG S3: The Most Toys

This is one of those episodes that leave me puzzled about where the high ratings are coming from.

Fajo's over-the-top cartoon behaviour is something I expect in a SpongeBob episode and don't appreciate in Star Trek. That he turns out to be pretty evil doesn't change anything, I don't understand why that would make everything different.

How Varria quickly reveals to Data that Fajo once severely punished her for disloyalty is just too cheap and convenient for decent story development.

Also, we're back to TOS style costume/effects work. That guy who Fajo shows Data just looks stupid, as does that last-of-its-kind space lizard insect whatever thing.

Then of course Picard and Data acting out of character. Picard is bemusingly insistent on leaving it all behind and not wasting more time investigating the incident, and Data of course attempting to murder an unarmed man (and then lying about it).

Now I'm all for learning a different side to characters if it's well told and to some extent understandable. Here it's just random, implausible, unexplained, and forgotten afterwards in best VOY fashion (like Janeway's attempt to murder a prisoner). Apparently this was the writer's first Star Trek story, maybe that's why she messed with well-established characters.

And finally, reading one sentence of Shakespeare doesn't make your show smart. But to be fair, that's a general issue in Star Trek, and TNG in particular.

Re: TNG S3: The Survivors

I fail to see this episode doing anything really well. It's not terrible either, I just find it an ok-ish episode that doesn't stand out from the rest of early season 3's yawnburger with mayawnaise menu.

Re: TOS S3: Elaan of Troyius

Ah, the good old story of the capricious woman who just needs a strong guy teaching her some manners. Not sure if the magic tears nonsense made this episode better or worse. No rating.

Re: TOS S3: Is There In Truth No Beauty?

Hardly a good episode, but in principle not one of the worst either. What kills it for me is the the sexism, how Miranda is depicted as that stunningly beautiful woman who passively tolerates any lustful advances or downright harrassment, as if that was the way it's ought to be, without any apparent self-consciousness about it in the plot, writing, acting, anything.

Can't get rid of the thought that this reflects the attitude of some people behind the series towards women and casting couches.