There are some things on TV that are worth viewing many times. For me, this is one of them. Paul Winfield plays an alien, a Tamarian, that comes from a culture whose language has evolved into metaphor. Without some sort of Rosetta Stone, for more conventional speakers, this is incomprehensible. This wouldn't be a huge problem if other alien races weren't fearful of these people. If they are seen as threatening, the ability to circumvent a confrontation is diminished. The Enterprise finds itself in this situation, not knowing if they have encountered a friendly or bellicose force. Picard and Dathon, the Tamarian commander, find themselves in survival mode on the planet, having been beamed to the planet. They begin trying to communicate and are really frustrated with one another. They are also attacked by a creature that fades from corporeality to invisibility. This creature becomes critical in the entire scope of the episode. The efforts made by the two men to aid each other and to come to some sort connection lead to one of the most interesting relationships this series ever saw. On board the Enterprise, the crew goes into war mode because they feel the Captain is in mortal danger (which is true but for different reasons). Aside from the plot itself is the language that defines the Tamarians. This is one of the most creative pieces of science fiction I've encountered (and I have read voluminously). See this if you haven't already.
