When Counsellor Deanna Troi wakes up and looks in the mirror she has quite a shock
she sees a Romulan looking back at her! She soon learns, from Romulan officer Sub-commander N'Vek that she is in no danger if she does as he advises. She is to play the role of Major Rakal, a member of the dreaded Tal Shiar secret police, to order ship's captain, Commander Toreth, to take a secret cargo to a rendezvous point where it can be transferred to a cargo vessel before it is taken to the Federation. It turns out N'Vek is working with the opposition and this is all part of Ambassador Spock's plan to establish an escape route for progressive Romulans. It soon becomes apparent that Toreth despises the Tal Shiar but she also fears them so does as 'Rakal' orders her. Meanwhile a disaffected Federation defector who had been living on Romulus returns and tells Capt. Picard that he is working for Spock and that he should head to the Kaleb sector.
This is a top notch episode that sees Counsellor Troi taking centre stage; it was great seeing this rather touchy-feely character being forced to show a bit of steel. Marina Sirtis does a great job making us believe that Troi can pull off the deception. The scenes between her and Carolyn Seymour's Commander Toreth were really good and shone a light on the relationship between the Romulan military and the Tal Shiar. This episode also illustrated that the Romulans aren't as a whole keen for battle and do care about others they are just a little paranoid! Troi's situation keeps the tension high throughout as any slip up could lead to her exposure and execution. There are also moments of excitement when Troi realises that the captain of the freighter can't be trusted then, in the final scenes, where the Romulans contemplate destroying the Enterprise! Overall this all adds up to a top notch episode.
This is a top notch episode that sees Counsellor Troi taking centre stage; it was great seeing this rather touchy-feely character being forced to show a bit of steel. Marina Sirtis does a great job making us believe that Troi can pull off the deception. The scenes between her and Carolyn Seymour's Commander Toreth were really good and shone a light on the relationship between the Romulan military and the Tal Shiar. This episode also illustrated that the Romulans aren't as a whole keen for battle and do care about others they are just a little paranoid! Troi's situation keeps the tension high throughout as any slip up could lead to her exposure and execution. There are also moments of excitement when Troi realises that the captain of the freighter can't be trusted then, in the final scenes, where the Romulans contemplate destroying the Enterprise! Overall this all adds up to a top notch episode.