LogFAQs > #969466299

Episode 9: Hide and Q

Our favourite omnipotent returns and he comes bearing gifts. Which means we have some temptation nonsense to deal with.

Picard is far more dismissive of gods than Kirk ever was. It borders on the unwise to mouth off at them so frequently, yet I can't help but admire the audacity and sheer defiance. Tries to keep an air of diplomacy around Q, but gets far too frustrated to make it work. Quite sweet to Yar during her breakdown. His absolute faith in humanity's potential is admirable, but I'm with Q that it's a little too arrogant (and I'm someone who normally admires arrogance) to liken mankind's future to godhood. Has such an air of smugness during Riker's gift giving that I was convinced the two had secretly hatched a plan to embarrass Q. Instead, he's just being insufferable so we can be taught a lesson. Liked that he can barely bite his tongue and sort of sucks his teeth when Riker starts using his first name.

Speaking of Riker, it seems like we have two different characters bearing the same name. The first Riker is much as we know him: mostly jovial and chill, but with a commanding presence when needed. The second is the smug idiot who somehow falls for Q's plan. The issue of whether Riker would be tempted had three potential points it should have ended at before we got to the gift giving: when he literally laughs in Q's face and then has a conversation with him (and said convo is one of the better scenes in this piece), when he promises to Picard he won't use it, or when he honours his promise even when a little girl dies. Instead, he becomes a smug arse and it doesn't seem natural how he got to that point. Frakes tries to sell it as best he can, with the first hint being folding his arms after teleporting everyone to the bridge, but, as fun as it is to see Frakes literally holding his head high and looking down his nose, sudden omnipotence does not justify his out of character behaviour.

La Forge gets to make some amusing, campy dives during the battle. His reaction to having his sight is amazing and I liked his flirting with Yar.

Speaking of Yar, seems quite nasty for her to be the only one put in the penalty box. Her breakdown isn't particularly great either (though Stewart just about saves that scene). She's going for melodrama, which is a valid thing to go for sometimes, but she can't sell it the same way Shatner, Stewart or even Sirtis (all beginning with s, interestingly) can. It's another example of our strong badass female character immediately melting at the drop of a hat and it comes off as chronically sexist. Also, while I can tolerate hearing about her need for a gentle man when she's suffering the alcohol virus, when she's in her right mind it just comes off as nasty. I'm grateful that Q interrupted them.

Worf literally leaping into battle against Q is another daft moment that falls into camp. Loved him defiantly spilling his drink. I can sort of get why Riker is intrigued by his sex life since Klingon habits certainly look interesting to say the least. Seems hes estranged from the rest of his race.

Crusher wisely decides to try to fuck off during the gift giving. Doesn't get much more otherwise.

Troi isn't here.

Data has a great moment when he rejects Riker's offer to make him human. The character might struggle with the human condition, but Spiner has an amazing ability to emote with facial expressions alone.

Wesley gets suddenly included in the plot because it would apparently be rude not to. Usually I don't hate characters, but I definitely got a kick out of seeing him get stabbed. He wasn't too annoying here, I guess. Had a similar thing to Data of wanting to be his true self. Can't take big Wesley seriously.

Q is always a delight. He has such a smarmy charm to him that you cant help but want to watch him. Even this early, deLancie has an amazing double act with Stewart. They play off each other so well and most of the best lines are saved for them. A brilliantly witty character. He truly steals the show. However, I feel that he's slightly out of character here. In Farpoint, Q, for all his rhetoric, ultimately was someone who clearly loved humanity and wanted them to succeed. Here, they've added a fear of humanity's potential into the mix and, though its great to see Q get uncomfortable and slightly angry whenever someone inches too close to his real motives, it just doesn't track for me from what we know about him. The worst part is the ending where he goes from being partly inspired by Trelane to just being Trelane and getting told off by his parents. He be begrudgingly praising humanity, not screaming for another chance. Love his many costumes, though.

The planet set looks not too far from a set from TOS, especially the sky. Little bit cheap. Picard alone on the bridge is quite eerie. The rescue (which gets mostly ignored) is initially shot from a cool top down angle. The dead little girl could not be more manupulative. Some nice close-ups on Riker when he's in godmode. The gift giving goes on for too long, though it at least gives most of the cast a decent character moment.

I don't have much patience these days for temptation plots at the best of times, especially when they're as messy as this. I quite enjoyed the first half of this episode right up to the little girl's death. Aside from being manipulative, once you start suggesting that children dying is tolerable, so, long as humanity continues on its correct path, you lose my sympathy. There is a vast gulf of difference between resurrecting a dead child and literally ruling over humanity, to say nothing of the fact that Riker probably isn't the best character to be doing this plot with. Q has devolved from trickster mentor to basically a demon who loses a faustian bargain and screams about it. Worst part is that the episode is so smug about such an obvious moral.

A lot of good things ruined by a terrible ending.

Haven, next.