Warning! Spoilers ahead! I have not read the book series this show is based on, so this is a highly speculative review and summary. This week's episode was probably the best since the first two as the pace picks up. Quite a bit of information and nuance is given to us as we learn more about the mysteries of the Silo. Only 4 episodes remain and thin...
What I truly enjoy about Black Mirror is it's off the beaten path take on every day life especially concerning technology and the dark side of human nature. Released just 4 days ago, all the episodes of this season can stand alone with nothing tying them together, no central theme or story. Watch in any order you please without worry of spoilers, a...
Warning! Spoilers!
Picard season 3 episode 8 “Surrender” has aired and it does not disappoint. Now, admittedly, I’ve enjoyed all three seasons of Picard despite others having some negative views. Perhaps it is the nostalgia that I enjoy, or perhaps I just like older style sci-fi. Regardless, I’m grateful and glad this show was made as I’ve felt there has been a dearth of good new sci-fi shows since the pandemic. Let’s get to the episode...
Vadic, now fully in control of the USS Titan-A spends most of the episode showcasing her skills as a sadistic menace terrorizing the captive crew while taking away any working ship systems. She even takes it to a new level with crew executions, all for the purpose of obtaining Jack Crusher which has been the target since the beginning of the season.
Riker and Deanna make an escape from Captain Vadic’s ship, the Shrike, to make it back onto the USS Titan-A for a very heartfelt reunion. The crew reunited, easily overcome Captain Vadic and they strategize their next moves just hours before the reunion where all of star fleet and their ships will assemble. The show ends on a cliff hanger as Troi and Jack prepare to open the door that has been haunting his dreams the whole season.
Reminescent of the good old days...
I may be in the minority on this but I have enjoyed this season much more than Mandalorian which also ended this week. This could be the enjoyment of the nostalgia, or it could be the writing.
The final episode culminates in a battle with the arch enemy of the federation, the Borg. As a couple of my friends have lamented, Picard doesnt seem like the Picard of TNG (Star trek, the next generation), because of either his age or the show's writing. However at the beginning of the show he answers with an astounding "What began over 35 years ago, ends tonight!" The solution is to sever the connection from the borg collective to the rest of the fleet. The underlying conflict is if Jack Crusher dies as a result of this.
What Star Trek Picard brings us more than the old Star TreK: TNG is character development and the acting is more subtle, especially from Patrick Stewart but still powerful. The facial expressions from Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker) during this season would have been comical on his younger 30 year old self. The love between Deanna and Riker would have been too cheesy in the old, young versions. But with the older versions of Deanna and Riker, they appear as a quaint happy old couple, like your favorite set of grandparents.
Beverly Crusher is an ace gunman on a starship.
Star Trek Picard Season 3 episode 9, “Vox,” does not disappoint in this penultimate episode. If you are a Next Generation fan and to be honest most people watching this show is from the older generation trying to experience some nostalgia. And nostalgia does this episode bring, with the return of the sinister Borg as the monster behind the red door and their ultimate plans to assimilate humanity during Frontier day.
I enjoyed the explanation of Jack Crusher’s power as well as tying it back with the Irumodic syndrome that Jean Luc Picard was supposedly diagnosed with and mentioned in season 1. As it turns out this is part of long reaching sinister plan all along and we can still see Jean Luc still wrestling with his mental struggle and anguish of having been assimilated. Worse yet, is the toll it takes on his “family” and specifically his son, even if Beverly is more in the background this episode. The biological DNA insertion explanation is a fun scientific explanation as part of the grand plan to assimilate mankind as a whole through whoever happens to be using the transporter. The age limit, dependent on when the brain stops developing around age 25, adds a little twist to create a boomer vs gen-z vibe where the target audience (the boomers) is essentially fighting the gen-z crowd. It it probably unclear if this is the intended interpretation from the authors, but it is a nice little twist.
The show wraps up with a cliff hanger as the borg is set to invade and overthrow Earth.