"Mr. LaForge, I accuse you of violating me on the holodeck!"
"I'm guilty of something much worse!"
"Oh yeah? What?"
"Being nice to you!"
"I'm sorry. Can we be friends now?"
..............what???
In this episode we focus on Geordi and that's almost never a good idea. He hasn't had too much character development, and although he is a fine character in any scene with Data or with the bridge crew, he is slightly too 2D to pull of a character episode.
SPOILERS
PLOT
Having used Dr Brahms likeness on the holodeck in an earlier crisis (I will get to that review soon where I will focus on why the computer makes a warm, available and flirtatious creation where there is no need for one and that couldn't have been farther from the truth) Geordi is very excited about the real one turning up. He puts the moves on her but she is cold and hostile. Meanwhile the Enterprise heads straight for an unknown life form and when it defends itself from this menacingly advancing mechanical thing Picard immediately kills it, living in a world where a warning shot appears to be missing from procedures. It turns out the life form was pregnant and Crusher performs a C-section (don't worry, I'll address it). The baby life form sees its dead parent and this weird looking ship that is the only thing around, and instead of thinking "Mayhaps that alien killed me mum, let's get out of here" it declares the Enterprise its new mother (The mother is dead, long live the mother). It latches onto the ship and drains its energy, and the crew try to get it to a energy rich asteroid field where similar creatures appear. Meanwhile Brahms and LaForge duke it out but come to a sort of truce until she finds his holodeck fantasy and goes mental. However, she seems to forgive him after a heartfelt speech and they succeed in removing the baby, reuniting it with its kind.
Things I liked and disliked
Normally I make two sections but there are two sides to many points.
Another reviewer with the amusing pen name planktonrules wrote: "I can EASILY imagine a woman macing a guy like this", talking about LaForges inappropriate tone and behavior. He does come across as a creeper and that's highly unprofessional, but then again so is bitching against him and verbally castrating him as Dr Brahms does.
I like the idea of a real person not living up to holodeck expectations but I dislike a person having them in the first place (expectations based on a fantasy I mean).
I like the idea of the floating alien but the way Picard approaches it a conflict seems normal.
The C-section is utterly ridiculous because the life form is unknown and Crusher has no idea what she's doing.
Guinan is a relief as always, she seems like a much, much better counselor than Troi if I'm honest because she doesn't impose on people, tries to understand them rather than lecturing, and doesn't patrol the corridors of the ship looking for psychoprey.
I like the idea of a asteroid field as a natural habitat but I hated how Data knew where to go "based on the direction the life form was heading" when we encounter it hanging still in space, in orbit around a planet, a planet they completely ignore.
I loved Dr Brahms encountering the holodeck fantasy but I hated how LaForge got away with it but acting like he was hurt. The scene doesn't make any sense. He counters her understandable accusations of holodeck violation with a speech how she's mean to him while he tries to befriend her. Erm...yeah...but dude...the problem is the holodeck fantasy for which you have to answer, not deflect the guilt.
In typical TNG fashion the episode ends on a utterly positive note. Geordi is friends with Dr Brahms, the alien is amongst others of its kind, the crew has rectified murdering a alien in labor, and no one really learns anything and nothing has consequences.
CHANGING THE ORDER OF EVENTS
I think the episode would have been a lot better if Dr Brahms turned out to be every bit as warm and nice in the beginning as she is at the end of the episode, then finds the holodeck fantasy after being creeped out by Geordi, then explode, THEN either not forgive him or achieve success and an uneasy truce. By introducing her as a cold and vile woman you instantly don't care Geordi groped a holocopy of her making her outrage uninteresting. If they had shown her to be nice and likable, then having her turned ugly, it would have made for a better episode.
CONCLUSION
Some people hate it but that's unfair. I admit it brings together Starfleet doing unintentional harm/Geordi strikes out/let's end on a sweet note which often plague TNG seasons, but the episode has an interesting alien life form, some proper engineering work, and some good Picard moments. Part of the problem is Geordi not having enough depth as a character. Imagine O'Brien had worked closely with the holodeck Brahms and Keiko one day discovering this seductive holowoman. that would have made for good television. Why? because O'Brien is a well developed character that is amicable. Geordi is too 2D and a creepy guy the first half of this episode. It also makes his slightly superior attitude towards Barclay at times insufferable.
It's not the best of TNg but it certainly isn't the worst (after all, Tasha Yar isn't in it).
6/10
"I'm guilty of something much worse!"
"Oh yeah? What?"
"Being nice to you!"
"I'm sorry. Can we be friends now?"
..............what???
In this episode we focus on Geordi and that's almost never a good idea. He hasn't had too much character development, and although he is a fine character in any scene with Data or with the bridge crew, he is slightly too 2D to pull of a character episode.
SPOILERS
PLOT
Having used Dr Brahms likeness on the holodeck in an earlier crisis (I will get to that review soon where I will focus on why the computer makes a warm, available and flirtatious creation where there is no need for one and that couldn't have been farther from the truth) Geordi is very excited about the real one turning up. He puts the moves on her but she is cold and hostile. Meanwhile the Enterprise heads straight for an unknown life form and when it defends itself from this menacingly advancing mechanical thing Picard immediately kills it, living in a world where a warning shot appears to be missing from procedures. It turns out the life form was pregnant and Crusher performs a C-section (don't worry, I'll address it). The baby life form sees its dead parent and this weird looking ship that is the only thing around, and instead of thinking "Mayhaps that alien killed me mum, let's get out of here" it declares the Enterprise its new mother (The mother is dead, long live the mother). It latches onto the ship and drains its energy, and the crew try to get it to a energy rich asteroid field where similar creatures appear. Meanwhile Brahms and LaForge duke it out but come to a sort of truce until she finds his holodeck fantasy and goes mental. However, she seems to forgive him after a heartfelt speech and they succeed in removing the baby, reuniting it with its kind.
Things I liked and disliked
Normally I make two sections but there are two sides to many points.
Another reviewer with the amusing pen name planktonrules wrote: "I can EASILY imagine a woman macing a guy like this", talking about LaForges inappropriate tone and behavior. He does come across as a creeper and that's highly unprofessional, but then again so is bitching against him and verbally castrating him as Dr Brahms does.
I like the idea of a real person not living up to holodeck expectations but I dislike a person having them in the first place (expectations based on a fantasy I mean).
I like the idea of the floating alien but the way Picard approaches it a conflict seems normal.
The C-section is utterly ridiculous because the life form is unknown and Crusher has no idea what she's doing.
Guinan is a relief as always, she seems like a much, much better counselor than Troi if I'm honest because she doesn't impose on people, tries to understand them rather than lecturing, and doesn't patrol the corridors of the ship looking for psychoprey.
I like the idea of a asteroid field as a natural habitat but I hated how Data knew where to go "based on the direction the life form was heading" when we encounter it hanging still in space, in orbit around a planet, a planet they completely ignore.
I loved Dr Brahms encountering the holodeck fantasy but I hated how LaForge got away with it but acting like he was hurt. The scene doesn't make any sense. He counters her understandable accusations of holodeck violation with a speech how she's mean to him while he tries to befriend her. Erm...yeah...but dude...the problem is the holodeck fantasy for which you have to answer, not deflect the guilt.
In typical TNG fashion the episode ends on a utterly positive note. Geordi is friends with Dr Brahms, the alien is amongst others of its kind, the crew has rectified murdering a alien in labor, and no one really learns anything and nothing has consequences.
CHANGING THE ORDER OF EVENTS
I think the episode would have been a lot better if Dr Brahms turned out to be every bit as warm and nice in the beginning as she is at the end of the episode, then finds the holodeck fantasy after being creeped out by Geordi, then explode, THEN either not forgive him or achieve success and an uneasy truce. By introducing her as a cold and vile woman you instantly don't care Geordi groped a holocopy of her making her outrage uninteresting. If they had shown her to be nice and likable, then having her turned ugly, it would have made for a better episode.
CONCLUSION
Some people hate it but that's unfair. I admit it brings together Starfleet doing unintentional harm/Geordi strikes out/let's end on a sweet note which often plague TNG seasons, but the episode has an interesting alien life form, some proper engineering work, and some good Picard moments. Part of the problem is Geordi not having enough depth as a character. Imagine O'Brien had worked closely with the holodeck Brahms and Keiko one day discovering this seductive holowoman. that would have made for good television. Why? because O'Brien is a well developed character that is amicable. Geordi is too 2D and a creepy guy the first half of this episode. It also makes his slightly superior attitude towards Barclay at times insufferable.
It's not the best of TNg but it certainly isn't the worst (after all, Tasha Yar isn't in it).
6/10