Picard Season 3

[Ryujin]

While I wish it wasn't the Borg again, as an abrupt episode 9 reveal I think anything else would have just been more disappointing. To me the sin lies with the fixation of serialized television with big mystery box reveals, not in putting the most suitable thing in the mystery box.

Mutated changelings infiltrating Starfleet were more than enough of a threat to fulfill the villain quota here and were being established over the course of the season, but the style of the time is to think viewers need to have a big reveal (which they do when the show has nothing else to offer, but that's not the case here). It doesn't ruin the season for me by any means, it's just unfortunate that the writers felt compelled to do a big mystery, when such things are almost invariably disappointing and primarily serve to get audiences to tune in next week, when most viewers of this season were going to keep tuning in anyway on account of it being actually a good show. The need to end every episode on a cliffhanger (including episodes 7 and 8 infuriatingly using the same cliffhanger) is a related and similar insecurity about the show retaining its audience, and collectively these manipulations out of insecurity are the weakest point of season 3 Picard in my book overall.

Clearly, the writers were cribbing from Kelis the Poet, from season 6 of "Voyager."

"Mistaken identity - a character who is someone else. Discovery - the moment when that identity is revealed. Reversal - a situation that turns from good to bad in a blink of an eye."

 

[Hussar]

Spoiler

As much as seeing the Enterprise D again was wonderfully nostalgic, my main reaction was "oh thank goodness, finally a bridge with adequate lighting."

I had exactly the same thought.

 

[Clint_L]

Just watched episode 2. It was pretty bad. I am trusting you guys that it gets good (liked the first episode okay). I just don't buy what'sherface as obsessed secret agent or whatever - last season she was a grieving captain and 7's lover and I don't even know what is going on or why we are spending so much time with her. Nice to see Worff again, though. I have to say that the new characters are not adding a ton - Picard's son (the most obvious reveal ever) is like they were going for a sort of scoundrel Kirk but with zero charisma, the new captain is just a stock character thus far, and then undercover woman...not interested.

I assume that this is building to reuniting the old gang and I am looking forward to that, but this episode was weak.

 

[Mort]

Just watched episode 2. It was pretty bad. I am trusting you guys that it gets good (liked the first episode okay). I just don't buy what'sherface as obsessed secret agent or whatever - last season she was a grieving captain and 7's lover and I don't even know what is going on or why we are spending so much time with her. Nice to see Worff again, though. I have to say that the new characters are not adding a ton - Picard's son (the most obvious reveal ever) is like they were going for a sort of scoundrel Kirk but with zero charisma, the new captain is just a stock character thus far, and then undercover woman...not interested.

I assume that this is building to reuniting the old gang and I am looking forward to that, but this episode was weak.

For me, Rafi has been easily the weakest link in the cast. I'm just not liking her whole schtick. I found myself wanting to fast forward through her early scenes. Things get better when her story starts linking with the rest, which happens soon.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

For me, Rafi has been easily the weakest link in the cast. I'm just not liking her whole schtick. I found myself wanting to fast forward through her early scenes. Things get better when her story starts linking with the rest, which happens soon.

Raffi is such a bizarre character, she's like an inverted Mary Sue, in that she feels really like a fan-insert character, because she's a horrible mismatch with everyone else, she doesn't even seem like she fits in the Star Trek universe (her whole "I'm poor and hard-done-by" backstory makes absolutely no sense in a post-scarcity society), but she's kind of bad at almost everything, has dreadful flaws and nobody likes her very much, directly inverting the Mary Sue trope.

Also I see from Memory Alpha that she's committed so many crimes (including child endangerment, good god) that it's kind of staggering they let her do anything at all except maybe fly a desk. I mean, there's forgiving, and then there's letting someone with multiple court martials and a drug habit that rehabilitation failed on be in a field intelligence agent position, what is this, is she a well-connected white guy in the 1950s lol? I can buy that she's a good hacker, but she's barely had to hack anything since S1, and I think the one time she tried in S3 she just failed.

Kind of waste of Michelle Hurd honestly, who is an utterly reliable actor.

 

[Zardnaar]

So just watched Episode 9 and enjoyed it. I don't get all the refences as I'm not a trekkie.

But to make good Trek just do Season 8 TNG and lather on the nostalgia and fan service? Borg, Enterprise D, and conveniently the older characters cant be assimilated.

 

[delericho]

But to make good Trek just do Season 8 TNG and lather on the nostalgia and fan service? Borg, Enterprise D, and conveniently the older characters cant be assimilated.

I suspect that works once, but if they did it again it would just fall flat.

(Much the same way as "The Force Awakens" was probably wise to do "Star Wars Greatest Hits", but "The Last Jedi" really had to try something different. While I'm no fan of the specific 'different' they went for, I do appreciate the attempt.)

 

[FitzTheRuke]

So... I normally HATE fanservice. I much prefer telling a new story set in the same setting. I'd be ALL OVER a post-Picard Titan show with much of the same crew, for example.

BUT... that Episode9 got me. To be fair, TNG was, at one point in my life, the only TV show that I was watching (after it ended, it was ER). For someone who watches a lot of TV now, I spent much of my 20's not watching TV at all, aside from those two shows.

So, I guess they can get me here.

Speaking of which: I LOVE old Data. I mean, I always loved him, but every scene he's in gets me in the feels.

 

[Ryujin]

So... I normally HATE fanservice. I much prefer telling a new story set in the same setting. I'd be ALL OVER a post-Picard Titan show with much of the same crew, for example.

BUT... that Episode9 got me. To be fair, TNG was, at one point in my life, the only TV show that I was watching (after it ended, it was ER). For someone who watches a lot of TV now, I spent much of my 20's not watching TV at all, aside from those two shows.

So, I guess they can get me here.

Speaking of which: I LOVE old Data. I mean, I always loved him, but every scene he's in gets me in the feels.

"You can use contractions now!"

"No I can't."

 

[Zardnaar]

I suspect that works once, but if they did it again it would just fall flat.

(Much the same way as "The Force Awakens" was probably wise to do "Star Wars Greatest Hits", but "The Last Jedi" really had to try something different. While I'm no fan of the specific 'different' they went for, I do appreciate the attempt.)

I thought the new super changeling made sense and was a nice follow up with the TNG crew and DS9 plot.

But borg. Didn't they make peace with them season 2 or am I not remembering correctly?.