Episode Four is in the books. You can catch our previous reviews here…

Episode One earns a 10/10 – It’s Star Trek. It’s more modern, slicker, but still Star Trek. I’m glad it’s back. I’ve really, really missed it.

Episode Two earns an 8/10 – Picard’s second outing is a solid half of an episode, that itself is only an okay one-tenth of a story. I need more.

Episode three earns an 8/10 – The show’s third episode ends the storyline’s first act. We’re through the looking glass; now we see where this story is actually going.

*****

Absolute Candor refers to a cultural philosophy where the adherents, in direct opposition to typical Romulan style, speak openly and honestly without any pretense or hidden meaning. It’s a clever idea and might’ve made a fun backdrop for a TNG planet of the week.

It’s also the philosophy I will adopt for the remainder of this review.

Here are my thoughts, presented in a concise, numerical format, as compiled while I watched the episode in real-time, and given in absolute candor…

(1) This episode sucked. There were sparse moments I enjoyed, but mostly it just sucked.

(2) Watching the “previously on” montage only highlights just how dense the plot of this season is…but then I think about the typical TNG episode and how it would have packed four Picard episodes into a single forty-five-minute runtime. More on that in a sec.

(3) “Even fourteen years ago” the Picard we see is very different from the Picard we last saw on the bridge of the Enterprise at the close of Nemesis. This Picard is affable, relaxed, even dare I say…grandfatherly. It’s strange. It’s not necessarily wrong; it’s just I haven’t been shown the in-between years to make for a smooth transition between “stern and stoic Picard who hates children” and “quippy and snarky Picard who hugs kids and just loves him some adventure.” That being said, Picard did have his Dixon Hill escapades back in the day so maybe he’s just more comfortable letting his proverbial hair down 24/7 now that he’s retired.

(4) Johnathan Frakes is my favorite Star Trek director. More than Nimoy, more than Meyer, more than Bole. Frakes is the best because he knows the characters, knows where to put them to maximize their strengths, and knows how to balance humor and drama.

(5) Rios made a very brief reference to Klingon Opera and it only raises more questions. I might be the only person interested in finding out more about this guy. I think it’s obvious he has a backstory and it’ll be revealed throughout the season, but I can’t imagine any reasonable theories as of yet.

(6) Two F-bombs in as many weeks, but neither of them felt “in place.” They feel tacked on, try-hard edgy.

(7) Dr. Jurati as the fish out of water works for me as a character trait, but using her as a lazy way to dump exposition kills the show’s momentum. This week we had a five minute straight series of exposition-question-exposition-question-exposition, etc. Parse those out as needed, ‘show, don’t tell’ as much as possible, and do more with Jurati than just have her look dumb and ask “what’s _____ mean?” over and over.

(8) Presumably, Raffi was on the Enterprise-E after Nemesis when a bunch of old-timers like Riker and Data departed/died. Otherwise I can’t imagine how she could have gotten so close to Picard in the time between Nemesis and now. It’d be nice if the show actually explored their relationship but I guess more time was needed with Picard wandering aimlessly around the Romulan refugee planet.

(9) This week’s Borg subplot made me want to gouge my eyes out with a bat’leth. And I could have too. There’s one hanging over on the wall over my head every week. This episode sees our resident Android studying up on the Romulan Miss Cleo she met last week, all the while dealing with high school drama opposite Narek. I can’t stress how little this melodramatic writing is working for me. The nadir (at least I hope it’s the nadir) of the Borg stuff featured an ice-skating scene. I don’t even want to elaborate my thoughts any more on that.

(10) “Man can’t even take a guilt trip without a starship,” is some great writing, right there.

(11) So about this week’s plot. On a surface level, there is one, it just doesn’t offer any meat on the bones and it takes literally half the episode to get around to it. It’s the kind of meandering, piece-moving, set-up hour that works fine when you’re watching a serialized episode during a binge, but when it’s coming out in weekly increments, it’s beyond frustrating. Basically, you can break the episode down to seven simple parts…

>Flashback
>Picard needs help
>Picard goes to flashback planet to ask for help
>Picard gets turned down
>Picard gets into trouble, eliciting sympathy from people who turned him down
>Picard gets help

That’s a plot, sure. But there’s nothing to any of it. The meat isn’t there except for one brief moment when the Romulan Senator gives an impassioned speech about how Picard and the Federation let the Romulans down. That was the true highlight of the episode and, in true Star Trek custom, it ended with the Romulan Senator dying…cause no one has a mortality rate like a Romulan Senator!

(12) Was that a Romulan incest tease between Narek and his sister? If so…that is not the right takeaway to “take away” from Game of Thrones. Serialized storytelling where things of consequence happen every week is what to model after; Sensationalism for the sake of it only draws attention to the bad writing the sensationalism is trying to cover up.

(13) Seven of Nine made her return here and gets the spotlight next week. She was brought onto Voyager to save a show that was free-falling in the ratings. Picard doesn’t have to worry about ratings but no matter: It’s my interest in the show that’s free-falling now. Hopefully Seven can work her magic once again.

5/10 – I really liked that Romulan Senator’s speech and the space battle had some good special effects. Patrick Stewart’s mellowed take on Picard continues to be a surreal spectacle as someone who’s been watching him play the role for as long as I can remember (literally; I’ve been watching TNG since I was in elementary school in the early 90s). That’s about all I liked.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

5 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

KeeperofUnicorns

8 months ago

Was the incest tease meant to be some sort of mechanism to throw us off the real story? It was odd. Their energy definitely had an “incest is best” vibe.

Kkelie

10 months ago

The only part I really liked is that Seven came back. Let’s hope the next episode isn’t as bad. I feel like this episode was just a filler of time. Okay, the speech was good but it wasn’t enough to make the episode enjoyable.

Jordaina

Reply to Kkelie

True story! I thought it was pretty boring minus Seven coming back. I really hope that the next few episodes get a lot better. The first couple were great.

Thatcher

The biggest highlight for me has been watching some of the old cast members again. It’s amazing how little some of them have changed despite the passage of time. Do you have a favourite out of the lot we’ve seen so far?

Reply to Thatcher

I’ve just started bingeing the series since CBS All Access extended the free trial, and so far seeing Jeri Ryan return as Seven has been a big highlight. She looks much the same. I’m jealous at how well the old TNG cast appears to have aged over the years.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Star Trek Picard S01E04 Review: Absolute Candor – An absolute bore

*****

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you