LogFAQs > #973511049

Episode 8: Attached

Tin foil hats aren't paranoid enough.

Picard is more than a bit distracted at breakfast, but he's at least honest about it. Uneasy about the strange politics. Both he and Crusher handle the sudden telepathy with a fair amount of maturity. Lies through his teeth about not loving her. It's a nice role reversal that he wants a relationship, despite their positions, whereas she doesn't, but I'm never happy with this sort of cowardly teasing.

Riker holds onto diplomacy. Increasingly annoyed by everything. Glad to see the latest idiots prepare to go. Like a stern father when he's dressing them down and gets in some delicious threats.

Worf has a flash of panic when Picard and Crusher go missing. Seems fed up with everything.

Crusher indulges in some gossip and tries to reassure Picard. It's fun seeing their dynamic, with all the concern and switching of optimism. McFadden does her best, but I don't think she's quite able to sell the love confession scene. I'm not seeing any good reason for her to not want to be with Picard.

Troi tries to be reasonable.

Data does his job.

I refuse to regard the ambassadors as characters. I'm just so sick of having to watch the crew babysit idiots.

Cool long shot of the table. Always enjoyed the shadows and lighting in prisons. They actually outrun an explosion. Wow. The way they first show how the separation leads to nausea reminds me of children's shows and not in a good way. A very cinematic view of the landscape, with appropriate music. The campfire scene is a very standard "will they or won't they?" scenario.

I'm not sure if I want Picard and Crusher in a relationship. Part of the problem is the difficulty in seeing Picard as a romantic or sexual figure, but an additional wrinkle is the existence of Jack and how he creates a pretty token love triangle arrangement. Considering the problems Crusher has in actually being allowed to be a character, the dead husband's best friend angle can be quite concerning. I've never enjoyed "will they or won't they" scenarios much either. Similary to teasing a relationship with the guest star of the week or threatening to kill a main character in a mid season episode, the actual drama is completely undercut if the audience has any media literacy whatsoever (Yar works (for a generous definition of the word) because its expected that she would be safe). So, while there's some good discussions on how a platonic relationship can still be fairly intimate, the decision to not explore their feelings barely feels like a decision at all and more like kicking the can further down the road.

A relatively mediocre start to my return.

Let's hope the next episode is a Force of Nature.