"You know, Sam, maybe you shouldn't try so hard with Riker." Says the junior female medical officers during a poker match. It's stuff like this that makes me feel tired when I try to watch this series.
Once again, original Star Trek was a plot driven show where Kirk and crew addressed malefactors that caused huge problems in society. Star Trek The Next Generation used plots as background story to explore character interactions.
In this way Star Trek The Next Generation, minus the jokes, had a Situation Comedy format in that that's what sit-coms explore; relationships and conflicts between and among characters, notably family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.
And that's what makes this show so bad, and why old school fans like me hated it, and quite frankly still do.
This was probably the next to last episode I ever saw, only like some of the other episodes I had this on in the background, but tried to pay attention while I did things around the home. Trying to watch it again via BBC America I understand why I disliked this series so much.
The stories plot again serves as a background for the examination of character interactions. It's a "let's talk about our feelings" kind of deal, and where 1960's Star Trek had some of that, it was essentially part of the background material; i.e. Spock and McCoy arguing to add some humor. But here the characters are the focus, as opposed to the objectives the characters are forced to meet.
In this episode we examine the junior officers serving the senior officers, and their relationships with one another. It's tiring stuff.
The plot boils forth towards the end, and hinted at throughout the episode, but you have to wade through another volume of examining feelings and relationships ...
So why did I keep watching? Because I'm stupid. Like I said in other reviews regarding this show, I kept hoping for actual plot and action oriented episodes, but instead got a very soft peddled therapist's office in space, complete with a counselor stationed on the bridge with some psychiatric powers.
The junior officers talk to one another, confide and discuss their feelings and relationships, and how to properly act on those feelings. This is the show's emphasis, and so the plot doesn't into focus until the third act. And even then you get more "here are my feelings on the matter" dialogue before the action comes into play.
Looking at some of the reviews by fans they seem to rate it somewhat high, but not very high. A kind of above average score. Well, both show and audience are very different from the fans and show I grew up with.
Reader; you should know that Hollywood is ruled by sociologists and other behavioral scientists; psychologists and so forth. So, it doesn't matter how good a story you have, the powers that be want to teach the audience about whatever it is they deem important. And so it is that Star Trek The Next Generation was an is an instruction in relationships as opposed to focusing on what and why ship and crew are in space.
So, to me it's puzzling that people give this episode praise, but dismiss or give poor reviews to episodes that are more plot oriented. But then I remind myself that this is a different show, and knowing the criteria for it makes me shrug my shoulders.
The truth is it angers me because it's more bait and switch; i.e. Slap the Star Trek label on something and then take away everything that made the old show so fun.
In the end the junior officers discuss the outcome of evaluations, and one other event happens that adds some emotional weight from the plot's events. But, again it's soft lighting, soft music, you never see the action just the results, and all of the episode are characters talking.
So, if you like that, this is the show for you.
Once again, original Star Trek was a plot driven show where Kirk and crew addressed malefactors that caused huge problems in society. Star Trek The Next Generation used plots as background story to explore character interactions.
In this way Star Trek The Next Generation, minus the jokes, had a Situation Comedy format in that that's what sit-coms explore; relationships and conflicts between and among characters, notably family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.
And that's what makes this show so bad, and why old school fans like me hated it, and quite frankly still do.
This was probably the next to last episode I ever saw, only like some of the other episodes I had this on in the background, but tried to pay attention while I did things around the home. Trying to watch it again via BBC America I understand why I disliked this series so much.
The stories plot again serves as a background for the examination of character interactions. It's a "let's talk about our feelings" kind of deal, and where 1960's Star Trek had some of that, it was essentially part of the background material; i.e. Spock and McCoy arguing to add some humor. But here the characters are the focus, as opposed to the objectives the characters are forced to meet.
In this episode we examine the junior officers serving the senior officers, and their relationships with one another. It's tiring stuff.
The plot boils forth towards the end, and hinted at throughout the episode, but you have to wade through another volume of examining feelings and relationships ...
So why did I keep watching? Because I'm stupid. Like I said in other reviews regarding this show, I kept hoping for actual plot and action oriented episodes, but instead got a very soft peddled therapist's office in space, complete with a counselor stationed on the bridge with some psychiatric powers.
The junior officers talk to one another, confide and discuss their feelings and relationships, and how to properly act on those feelings. This is the show's emphasis, and so the plot doesn't into focus until the third act. And even then you get more "here are my feelings on the matter" dialogue before the action comes into play.
Looking at some of the reviews by fans they seem to rate it somewhat high, but not very high. A kind of above average score. Well, both show and audience are very different from the fans and show I grew up with.
Reader; you should know that Hollywood is ruled by sociologists and other behavioral scientists; psychologists and so forth. So, it doesn't matter how good a story you have, the powers that be want to teach the audience about whatever it is they deem important. And so it is that Star Trek The Next Generation was an is an instruction in relationships as opposed to focusing on what and why ship and crew are in space.
So, to me it's puzzling that people give this episode praise, but dismiss or give poor reviews to episodes that are more plot oriented. But then I remind myself that this is a different show, and knowing the criteria for it makes me shrug my shoulders.
The truth is it angers me because it's more bait and switch; i.e. Slap the Star Trek label on something and then take away everything that made the old show so fun.
In the end the junior officers discuss the outcome of evaluations, and one other event happens that adds some emotional weight from the plot's events. But, again it's soft lighting, soft music, you never see the action just the results, and all of the episode are characters talking.
So, if you like that, this is the show for you.