Picard season 2 is really kind of terrible (a few minor spoilers)

[Orrex]

The biggest problem is that the 10 episode series has about 54 storylines of which 51 are of no interest to anyone, at least not in such a short season. And they're all but ignoring the one storyline that everyone wants to see.

The biggest offender? Where is Q in all of this? The unprecedented "natural" death of an omnipotent immortal entity is of much greater in-universe significance than Juradi's loneliness issues or Picard's sad boyhood, but Q has had about six minutes of screen time so far.

The second biggest offender? No one gives a shit about Picard's sad childhood flashback. No one. And it's taken up at least 1.5 episodes, with repeated flashbacks to the same boring scenes. And where was Jean Luc's older brother during all of that?

However, credit where due: Picard's catastrophically overlong flashback sequence yields one straight-up fantastic nod to existing continuity, when Picard reflected that he "imagined he'd seen" his mother a number of times in later years. This is a clear, if indirect, reference to ST:TNG's season 1 Where No One Has Gone Before, in which Picard interacts with a vision of his mother when she's much older than her now-revealed age at death. Just when I was about to say "hey, wait a minute," they resolved my objection with a single line of dialogue. That's really solid in-universe writing, and it especially stands out against the general weakness of the series.

I've loved the character of Picard for decades, and Patrick Stewart himself is beyond iconic, so I really wanted to enjoy this series, but it has far too little connection to the overall Star Trek universe and, damningly, far too little real connection to the title character himself.

If it were any other SF series and Stewart weren't involved, no one would watch beyond the first ten minutes of the first episode.

[relayerbob]

1. Um, no

If you don't enjoy it, don't watch it.

[Orrex]

3. That's weak, but go on with your bad self.

[relayerbob]

12. Who forces you to atch the show.

If you don't like it, Change. The. Channel. Others actually like the show. You don't. Who cares?

[Orrex]

13. I missed the part where I said that anyone was forcing me to watch it

If my well-reasoned and sincere critique is so troubling to you, I suggest that you read another thread. To borrow your thinking, no one is forcing you to read or reply.

Your objection is petty.

[eShirl]

2. I think Season Three is supposed to be Season Two, part 2

they filmed the seasons back-to-back, for one
just MHO

[Orrex]

4. Possibly

Is there any truth to the rumors that the bulk of the original TNG cast is returning? I heard an audio trailer that seemed new, but I couldn't confirm it.

That might help to redeem the disaster of season 2, but it's a tall order.

[MuseRider]

5. Sadly I have only seen the first episode

but will be watching the rest soon. I was a bit put off by the first one simply because I could not care less about Picard and who is girlfriend is or watching a romance on the show. That is just me however, I am there for a real space story and anything else but focusing on the romance stuff always turns me off.

I am sure I will love it because it will be gone too soon.

[targetpractice]

6. I'm conflicted... (MAJOR SPOILERS)

It's not the science fiction show that I expected to watch, but there is one main aspect that that really hits home for me...

Picard is having an epiphany about his true nature of his relationship with his father and mother. It seems that in Picard's advanced age he always believed his father was an evil tyrant, and his mother was trying to protect him. During his flashbacks and memories with James Callis, Picard's understanding was upturned. He realized that, in fact, his mother was mentally ill ... and that his father was trying to protect Picard from his mother.

I was always a mama's boy and trusted everything my mother ever said to me as the absolute truth... She long complained that my father was evil. It wasn't until I was in my late 40s (after my father died) that I came to understand that my childhood was a complete fiction, narrated by my mother. Turns out that my mother was a troubled narcissist with borderline personality disorder, and my father wasn't the evil alcoholic she always portrayed him to be. Instead, my father was a high functioning alcoholic, but he was also just trying to keep things stable in our household.

Realizing this late in life is deeply upsetting... Shaking me to my core. But, the realization was necessary for me to grow and move forward.

I've never seen anything like this topic explored in a TV show or movie. So, I find it riveting and embrace it.

Yet, I want MORE ELNOR.

[Orrex]

7. It can really strike a personal chord when a story resonates that way

If they were to explore Picard's story that way, I'm sure that it could be quite powerful, but if that was the intent then they kind of misfired here.

Very little in Jean Luc's story suggests that he's wrestled with childhood trauma, and it's not as though TNG didn't have ample opportunity to explore it. It would be amazing if an offhand observation from Troi back in, for instance, season 2 could have foreshadowed this grand revelation, but of course no one planned for the character to be active four decades later. Or imagine if Picard's brother Robert had made some comment to his (Robert's) wife, causing her to rein him in so as not to hurt Jean Luc.

Heck, since the Borg Queen used Agnes' inner turmoil to such potent effect during her "assimilation," it would have been easy for the Queen to toss out some zinger at Picard, hinting at what she'd seen in his mind during his time as Locutus.

But of course none of that happens, so it really feels tacked on IMO and--even worse--it has little organic bearing on the story at hand. It doesn't resolve any long-standing conflict in (nor answer any lingering questions about) Picard, it doesn't meaningfully parallel the challenges facing any other character, and the revelation doesn't (as of episode 9) do anything to explain the general arc of season 2. Definitely not in a way that justifies the amount of screen time devoted to flashbacks of murky catacombs.


I'm pleased that you feel such a strong connection to it, and I certainly have no wish to begrudge you that, except to repeat that I think it should have been handled differently.

[targetpractice]

9. I totally respect your opinion...

... And, your very thoughtful reply. Thank you for that. I don't feel begrudged.

My other Star Trek nerd friend (best friend, and super fan who has an entire set of Starfleet dinnerware)... Is also not feeling it, but I told hm about my thoughts on Picard's epiphany, and it gave him some pause and reason to discuss and pay attention to that aspect... However, the personal backstory just came out of the blue for me and struck a chord with me. But, that story could have been told in any other TV show and make me feel the same way. My friend asks the same question you pose... "Why now?" And, I think, maybe like you... It just doesn't fit into the context of the ST universe.

My friend told me that filming this season was difficult for everyone involved... Patrick Stewart is in his eighties (good for him), but that proved to be a challenge for the production.

Who knows what will happen in season 3 with many of the old ST: TNG cast members participating.... Like I said... I really want more Elnor though... Haha.

Oh... And, Gaius Baltar being a "Mister nice Gauis" for a change is fun to watch.

So... Onto "Strange New Worlds"... I look forward to your thoughts about that in the future, Orrex.

[Orrex]

10. Doh! I knew I recognized him!

I didn't get into the BSG reboot but I was sure that Papa Picard looked familiar. Whew--thanks for solving that for me!

[Tikki]

8. My grandson has never been interested in this new series UNTIL.. (spoilers)

The Borg Queen. (Hope everyone who is/will watch it already knows she's out there.)

He finds her interesting and has gone back to past series to catch up with the Borg.

I am looking forward to Strange New World...this coming Thursday (May 5th)
....I am a big fan of Rebecca Romijn and there will be an Aenar aboard..cool.


Tikki

[Orrex]

11. That character is always enjoyable (spoilers)

Played by, I believe, three different actresses, which makes terrific sense since she "manufactures" a new body whenever she needs assume physical form.

It's always great to see her in a story, and she's a solid addition here. Even the major evolution she's undergone this time out feels genuine and a satisfying arc for her character.

I don't have a strong opinion about Strange New Worlds beyond "guess I'll wait and see."

[romana]

14. Jurati

Allison Pill was FANTASTIC this season. Easily the best thing about the show.

Brent Spiner is the worst. I check out every time he is on screen.

[Orrex]

15. She's definitely much *much* stronger this season than last

I have some reservations about the way she's written but no complaints about the performance.

Other than Picard himself, all of the principal characters (including Seven) seem 100% like 21st century characters clumsily dropped into the 25th century. Their mannerisms, their idioms, their body language all of it seems entirely drawn from 2022 social media.

And I'm not talking about "trying to fit into 2024," because they acted this way in season 1 as well. No one is displaying any sort of culture shock or even minimal awkwardness at being dumped into the distant past. Maybe Seven could pull it off, given her Borg history, and Picard as well because he's a devoted student of history. But the rest? At least some of them should have shown a little difficulty in blending in.

This was addressed head-on in STIV: The Voyage Home and STVIII: First Contact as well as a number of times throughout the various series, but here they're all perfectly in their natural element. How readily would you or I fit into 1622 Massachusetts? Would we be able to operate their technology or converse with the locals well enough to pass for natives?

Jurati, through no fault of Ms. Pill, is the worst at this, because everything about her screams "early 21st century fictional thirty-something cosplayer."

This is entirely a failure by the writers and should have been dealt with by now, because every time one of the crew busts out a "we good?" or "you got this," it's a sledgehammer pounding into the viewer's suspension of disbelief.

Having said all of that, I agree that Brent Spiner is hard to watch, especially after his dearly departed Data remains the most sympathetic and relatable character in the TNG franchise. But here he's awful (I almost typed "offal" which would work just as well).

I think that Trek writers in general have gone to the Soong well once or twice too often.