We're back! With another cerebral, intellectually compelling entry of Star Trek!
Oh wait, this is Star Trek: Picard. Hang on, where's my booze...
Okay, before I scare the readers off with another tirade about why this show freaking stinks... I will say I enjoyed this second episode significantly more than the first. Actual character moments! Interesting scenes that approach genuine tension! Unfortunately, there are other simply terrible elements that drag everything way, way down.
(*Spoilers ahoy!)
There's far more of a forward moving plot in "Penance" and a lot more substance to talk about, which picking up from when the Star Gazer was being taken over by the Borg Queen, begins with Picard mysteriously back in his estate. Then Q shows up. Surprise! Well, not really. Even people not paying any attention knew this show was bringing Q back. Still, it's great to see John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart together on screen again and their chemistry is the best part of anything I've seen in this series thus far. Their banter isn't as sharp as usual, what with Stewart being a bit frail to really snap back with any real vinegar. Kinda feels like Q is just bullying an elderly man at points. Also, Q keeps referencing titles of previous Star Trek episodes for some reason? "This isn't your 'Yesterday's Enterprise?'" "Ah this way, 'Into A Mirror Darkly?'" I'd argue this is some clever suggestion that Q is so omnipotent he's meta-aware of his existence beyond the Star Trek universe itself... except that would imply the people writing this show are clever and hoo boy we know that ain't true!
Basically Q has thrown Picard into some "alternate" timeline where our favourite captain is instead a blood thirsty war general that has brutalized and conquered all the known galaxy. The scene where Q shows Picard his own trophy room with the skulls of his vanquished foes is effectively visual and unsettling... though again couldn't they have thrown some unknown character in there instead of it being just Gul Dukat, Martok, Sarek? Modern Star Trek desperately bends itself so far backwards for previous references it can kiss it's own ass.
Regardless of my quibbles, it's a good setup: Q seems somewhat unhinged, there's a mystery of what exactly his intentions in doing this are, or what past mistake Picard has to atone for (I assume the "Penance" title of the episode refers to that). Lots of potential directions here. Frankly, why wasn't this just the first episode? Why all the useless "re-unite the characters" farting around beforehand? Because the middle half of this second episode just does the exact same thing, only now in a horrible dystopia. Oooooooo!
Lets talk about this dystopia. An alternate universe where our main characters are evil versions of themselves has been done (*cough* "Mirror Mirror" *cough*) so what exactly does this one do differently? ... ... ... ... ... oh sorry I heard some crickets outside. Okay actually, while previous mirror universe episodes would portray villainous reflections of our alien main characters (Goatee Spock is a legend for a reason), this particular dystopian world instead is driven by human superiority above all. An interesting wrinkle. Sigh, and... instead of the Federation, it's called the Confederation! Get it? GET IT??? Geezus, this show is as subtle as a Klingon after a gallon of blood wine.
Argh, so we cut to our other characters (Seven of Nine, Rios, Raffi, Romulan Ninja Guy and Agnes) who sadly don't have the gift of Q's exposition and thus are extremely confused to suddenly find themselves in this brutal and bizarre situation. Seven is the president of the Confederation, married to some generic general character who you instantly know is gonna be the one to figure out something's up (he does). She happens upon Rios and requests to speak to him, rejecting an aide who says Admiral Sisko is on the line.
By the way as an aside, you just know the creators of this show would've loved, or at least considered some kind of Sisko cameo too (that unresolved tension with Picard! Another plot point!). Avery Brooks became a fine arts professsor and barely even associates himself with Star Trek anymore... you think he'd finally return just for a bit part on this crap show? Keep your filthy hands off Ben Sisko!
Anyway... so we get the touching character reunion scenes... again. The Rios and Seven one works (their mutual confusion and fear, then relief recognizing each other are the same... quite touching) but the others just don't. I get how it's a Q concoction but they all just happen to find each other within like four hours? Like literally, they're scattered about the galaxy and are all back together before lunch. Stretch that out maybe a bit? Maybe some separate subplots? Character building? Nah... Picard needs his ragtag crew right away, damnit. The plot has to keep moving, light-years and sense be damned. It's this generation's "The Enterprise is the only ship in range! when they're orbiting Earth" thing. Oh and I was so hoping in vain this Agnes character would not reappear... there are few things less cringe-worthy than a obnoxious babbling comic relief character who is offensively unfunny. She sucks. This could be my least favourite character in ALL of Star Trek and this includes Wesley fucking Crusher from Season fucking 1 of Next Generation.
Positivity time! Lets talk about my second favourite part of the episode: the Eradication Day scene. The atmosphere is genuinely terrifying: while most of this dystopia had felt overly bright and clean, here you get strong dark colours, a rabid murderous crowd, an aura of dread in a violent cruel universe beyond saving. The true naked horror of it all, for all to see. Naturally, because of course it does, the show fucks it up by constantly interrupting with stupid-ass dialogue from characters talking vaguely about their underdeveloped personal relationships while in a critical life-or-death moment... is this just a modern television/entertainment thing? Excessive witty quips in dire situations? I genuinely don't know... please, somebody help me... I've been watching Star Trek: Picard...
Hey also, in their escape Romulan ninja guy kills like three security guards. Remember in "Mirror Mirror" how McCoy actually treated and saved Goatee Spock's life at his own peril? Or Kirk not wanting mirror Chekov executed or tortured any longer despite an assassination attempt? How even in a dangerous, twisted world that is not their own universe, our heroes still fight to hold onto their morality? That is Star Trek, my friends. I'm still trying to figure out what this new, very 'not that' thing is.
Despite the writers hijacking their own tension, I still really like this scene. Seven and Picard nervously but quietly stalling for time, their aides raising an eyebrow and then moving in when Picard dawdles in killing the Borg Queen on stage... it works! You can see on Picard's face that he won't do it, even if part of him (a tiny, tiny part) is the devil on his shoulder whispering to pull the trigger. Great ending and cliffhanger for an episode!
Oh. Right. Last second they all get beamed up (including the Borg Queen, she's the key to something something time travel something something) but then Seven's evil husband catches them, points phasers at everybody, says corny line about killing Picard and that's the end. Oh this show... even when overwhelmingly predictable you still find ways to disappoint me.
"Penance", while overall not good, has enough little nuggets that I'm at least now curious to see where it goes from here. Compare that to when I watched the first episode and wanted to give up after ten minutes... it's an improvement from that. The time travel stuff they suggest worries me and I really only like two and a half of these characters... the others leaving little impression and then one I actively loathe on screen (it's not the actress's fault she's written so insufferably). So that's that! Join me next time for episode 3! Oh no.... seriously where's that bourbon...
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