TNG Spoiler: "Dark Page" [poplin]
Jerry Poplin
Review by Jerry Poplin <pop...@mortimer.msfc.nasa.gov
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Note: I've had trouble reaching Mr. Poplin
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Are you afraid of the dark? Are you afraid of *SPOILERS*??
ENOUGH of the dream episodes already, please...
General Comments
----------------
OK, I'll admit it, I went into this week's episode with two biases: last week's
very strong episode and my general unhappiness with Ms. Sirtis. So I'm
trying to be objective. Really.
In short, this episode fell flat. The story was generally indecipherable and
elusive most of the way through, and as soon as it really got going it was too
predictable. The technobabble, which I generally do not mind as long it
is within reason, was not in the least convincing ("psychobabble" I guess).
Disclaimer: my local Fox station had technical difficulties at the extreme
end of the episode, just as Luxwana was talking to Kestra. So, perhaps the
last few seconds of the episode were it's saving grace. But I doubt it, it
had sunk too deeply by then.
Cast Comments
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This was a single-character episode (grrrr), and unfortunately the character
was Troi. She's come a long way from earlier seasons, admittedly. But this
week was standard Troi -and this is not a compliment. The scene where she
was going through her mother's belongings was tender and heart-rendering
though, and for that particular scene she gets a well-deserved pat on the
back from me.
Majel Barret's performance was a little confusing. It was a true departure
from the Mrs. Troi we've always seen. I have always loved her character,
and to see her suffering was depressing. Which I suppose means it was
effective, huh?
The little girl who played Hedril/Kestra, whose name I failed to remember,
did well for being so young. Her father, in his search for words in his
new vocabulary, was interesting, though I got a little tired of watching
him stare at other people when making telepathic contact.
Everyone else was window-dressing. Sigh.
Special Effects
---------------
The creepy lighting and odd lenses used the "dream" sequences were neat,
but I've seen them too many times lately for them to really have any effect
on me anymore.
The arboretum set was nicely done.
The telepathic aliens had nice makeup, as it was very subtle.
Bits and Pieces
---------------
Did they ever explain exactly HOW Kestra died? I assume she drowned, and
Hedril falling in the pool triggered Luxwana's condition. But if this is
true then why didn't Troi's parents have time to save her (do Betazoids
drown extremely quickly?)? Maybe this was explained during my technical
difficulty time.
"Psyche collapsing in on itself" and "neural foundations are crumbling"??
Sheesh. Babble babble babble.
One super-geek comment: wasn't Troi's father wearing the wrong shirt with his
movie-era uniform? The collar was different.
At first, I wondered why the sickbay door wasn't locked, but I guess this
is the one place on the ship where you wouldn't lock the door. :-)
When wandering in her mother's mind, Troi walked through the corridors of
the Enterprise. Maybe this was supposed to be Troi's interpretation of
what she was receiving from Luxwana, but I would have placed her in other
surroundings, perhaps entirely on Betazed. Or, better still, a conglomerate
of places. At least there was one room that was different. Also, when
Troi jumped seemingly out of the Enterprise and into space, what was that for,
other than a good scene for the preview?
The preview for this week didn't ruin the story, but made it seem too closely
linked with the recent deluge of dream episodes. I wish they would have
done this one a little later, after we'd had a chance to get away from the
Data's dream stories. I like the continuity, but this is just too much too
soon.
I get the feeling this script was swiped from an old M*A*S*H episode. Remember
the one where Hawkeye smells something wet and relives nearly drowning as
a child? Voila.
Picard jumped right in and started reading Luxwana's journal and Troi
didn't say a word. After all the talk about privacy, this seemed out of
place.
In Sum...
---------
These episodes are starting to be a little redundant. That is, bad timing
really killed this one. A weak script didn't help. Grade: a generous 3.75.
"Descent Part II" 2.50
"Liaisons" 6.00
"Interface" 4.75
"Gambit, Part I" 5.00
"Gambit, Part II" 7.00
"Phantasms" 9.25
"Dark Page" 3.75
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Season Average 5.46
Next Week
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Beverly by firelight. Mmm-mmmm.
--
Jerry Poplin_____...@trade-zone.msfc.nasa.gov___________Huntsville, AL
Ski Trip Countdown: Crested Butte: 32 days, Utah: 95 days