Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Chain of Command, Part II"
Timothy W. Lynch
Part II" that the faint of heart may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.
Plot? Again, only in part. Execution? If possible, *better* than in part
1.
My hopes for the Stewart/Warner scenes in particular proved more than
fulfilled. More on that and much more, however, after (ye gods) another
synopsis:
Picard, now heavily drugged, is being interrogated. He answers all questions
put to him as best he can, including giving the names of the rest of his
team; but when Gul Madred asks about the defense plans for Minos Korva, Picard
has no answer. Madred orders the dosage increased and begins again...
Meanwhile, the negotiations are stalling back aboard the Enterprise, and are
only made worse when Gul Lemec raises the issue of Celtris Three. When he is
asked what evidence he has for Picard's team's "attack", he responds that
they have Picard himself, and assures them that, although exactly how is not
known, "we *will* respond." After he leaves, Jellico confirms to Riker and
Troi that Picard and company were sent to Celtris, and that he may well be
captured. He sends Riker in a shuttle to the planned rendezvous point to
pick up whichever team members do return.
Picard is now brought back to Gul Madred, blindfolded. He asks to see a
neutral representative, and is assured that one is en route. Madred plays
the gracious host, removing Picard's blindfold and shackles, and the two then
talk of Cardassian archaeology. When Picard eventually asks to be returned
to his ship, however, Madred chuckles. "My dear captain, you are a
*criminal*. You have been apprehended invading one of our secret facilities.
The least that will happen is for you to stand trial, and be punished. But I
am offering you the opportunity for that experience to be ... _civilized_."
The price, of course, is cooperation with Madred's questioning, particularly
as regards the defense plans for Minos Korva. When Picard assures Madred
that he does not *know* those plans, Madred is skeptical; the Enterprise,
after all, would be the command ship for that planet's sector in the event of
an attack.
Picard is manhandled by the arriving guards and resists. "Wasted energy,
Captain..." says Madred, now approaching Picard with a very sharp knife.
"Are you in good health?" Picard protests that torture is forbidden by the
code regarding prisoners of war, but Madred relentlessly carves off Picard's
clothing. "From this point on, you will enjoy no privilege of rank, no
privileges of person. From now on, I will refer to you only as ... *human*.
You have no other identity." Picard, stripped naked, is shackled at both
hands and feet and left to sleep while stretched vertically like a side of
beef.
When Riker returns with Beverly and Worf (both bruised and scratched, but
intact), Jellico puts Geordi to work analyzing Bev's tricorder readings.
Riker asks permission to prepare a rescue operation for Picard, but Jellico
refuses, saying that under the current circumstances, it would be foolhardy.
"He's _gone_. I'm sorry, Will, but you're going to have to accept that."
Morning arrives for Picard, and with it Gul Madred. "Good morning; I trust
you slept well." Picard is unshackled, but then subjected to watching Madred
cheerfully drink his morning beverage while Picard suffers from thirst.
"Thirsty?" Picard nods. "I would imagine so."
The interrogation begins again, with Madred professing to believe that Picard
knows nothing of Minos Korva. Instead, Madred turns on four very bright
lights behind him and asks Picard how many lights he sees. When Picard,
not surprisingly, sees four, Madred rejects his answer. He calls Picard's
attention to a small device that has been implanted in his chest, which
Madred can use to produce pain in any part of Picard's body at will. When
Picard continues to insist that there are four lights, Madred begins to use
this device...
Picard's initial interrogation is shown to Jellico, Riker and Troi. Picard,
it so happens, is not protected by the Seldonis Four Convention unless he is
officially a prisoner of war; and the only way to establish that is to admit
that he was acting under Federation orders, an admission Jellico is by no
means prepared to make. Gul Lemec, of course, offers an alternate option:
if the Federation withdraws completely from the sector, they will release
Picard and forget the whole thing. Jellico requests a recess to consult his
superiors, and ultimately ends up involved in a shouting match with Riker,
who demands that Picard's life is worth the admission that he *was* acting on
behalf of the Federation. Despite Troi's attempts to mediate, the argument
escalates: "Are you questioning my judgement, Commander?" "As first
officer, it is my responsibility to point out any actions that may be
*mistakes* by a commanding officer, _sir_," snarls Riker. "Then maybe,"
responds Jellico in kind, "it's time you found other responsibilities.
You're relieved; don't make me confine you to quarters as well." Riker
stalks off.
Some time later, Jellico confers with Geordi and Data, who is now acting
first officer. They reason that the Cardassians may have deliberately set a
trap for Picard, and further suggest that it may be to get defense plans for
this sector. They become convinced that the Cardassians are planning an
imminent attack somewhere in the sector, and Jellico orders Geordi to scan
Lemec's ship in an attempt to find out where it might be.
Gul Madred, meanwhile, has a brief meeting with his daughter in Picard's
presence. After she leaves, Picard (now robed) expresses his surprise at
Madred allowing her to see him. He further suggests, upon hearing statements
from Madred that she knows "enemies deserve their fate," that she will soon
learn to devalue those other than the "enemies," perhaps even including her
own parents. This quickly evolves into a discussion of Cardassian history
and what the ruling military junta has done for (and to) the Cardassians.
Madred brags that since the military takeover, feeding the population is no
longer a problem, and that "my daughter will never have to worry about going
hungry." "Her belly may be full, but her spirit will be empty," retorts
Picard. Madred, furious, slugs Picard and begins again. "How many lights do
you see?"
Geordi's scans suggest that Lemec's ship may have recently been in the
McAllister Nebula, a nebula very near the Cardassian/Federation border.
Jellico quickly believes that a Cardassian fleet is hiding in that nebula
until they can attack, and a check of the area suggests that Minos Korva (a
prior Cardassian target) would be a prime location to attack from that site.
Jellico orders the Enterprise to Minos Korva on the double.
Madred, at this point, tries another tactic. He commends Picard as being
remarkably strong-willed: "I see no point in keeping you here any further;
you may go." Picard slowly pulls himself up off the floor of the chamber and
begins to lurch towards the open doors, only to hear "We will get what we
need from the human female." Madred tells him that both Beverly and Worf
have been captured (Worf killed), and that since he proved so unhelpful, they
will have to get their information from her. Picard protests that Bev knows
nothing of defenses; she's a medical officer. "You might be right; I'll have
to determine that for myself." Picard drags himself back to Madred's desk
and sits, offering to stay.
With the Enterprise en route to Minos Korva, Jellico outlines his plans to
hit the Cardassian fleet in the nebula before it leaves it. Despite
objections from crewmembers that his theory is by no means certain, he holds
firm, ordering Worf to prep 500 antimatter mines and Geordi to prepare a
shuttle for the journey. Beverly goes to prepare sickbay for the inevitable
casualties, very bitter at Jellico's attitude.
As morning comes again, Gul Madred shares a breakfast of taspa eggs with
Picard. Picard, finding his egg contains a still-living taspa, eats it
greedily anyway. Madred, amused, talks of eating his first live taspa when
he was six years old, and of having other eggs from the same nest taken
from him forcibly by an older boy. Rather than accepting this, however,
Picard pursues it. "It must be rewarding you to repay others for all those
years of misery."
"What do you mean?"
"Torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is
ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders why it is still
practiced."
"I fail to see where this analysis is leading," says Madred dully.
Picard pounces, despite his tired voice. "Whenever I look at you now, I
won't see a powerful Cardassian warrior. I will see a six-year old boy who
is powerless to protect himself."
Madred erupts into a rage, turning the lights on Picard full blast. "Be
quiet!"
"In spite of all you have done to me, I find you a pitiable man."
"Picard, stop it -- " Madred raises the pain inducer. "-- or I will turn
this on and leave you in agony all night."
Picard laughs. "Ha! You called me Picard."
"What are the Federation's defense plans for Minos Korva?"
"There are four lights!"
Madred, enraged, begins tormenting Picard anew. "There are _five_ lights!
How many do you see now?"
Picard, despite his agony and growing incoherence, manages one final barb
before lapsing into screams. "You are six years old! Weak and helpless!
You cannot hurt me!"
Jellico and Geordi, meanwhile, talk in the newly prepared shuttle of old
piloting runs. When it turns out that Jellico needs the best pilot around to
conduct this strafing run, Geordi tells him that Riker is the best they've
got.
Jellico eventually goes to Riker and asks him to pilot the shuttle, but not
until the two drop ranks and trade barbs. But eventually, Jellico asks Riker
for help. "Will you pilot the shuttle, Commander?" "Yes." Jellico turns to
leave. "You're welcome."
Riker and Geordi swoop into the nebula in their shuttle and plant the mines
on the Cardassian ships. Once they have returned, Jellico signals a very
angry Gul Madred on the Reklar. "I'm not going to argue with you, Gul
Madred. Every one of your ships has a mine on its belly, my finger's on the
button, and you're in a _very_ bad position." After the weakness of the
situation becomes apparent, Madred agrees to all of Jellico's terms,
including the immediate release of Picard.
This news, however, has yet to reach Picard, who finds himself alone and
takes the opportunity to smash the pain inducer, despite the knowledge that
Madred has duplicates. Madred, arriving, tries to break Picard one last time
by telling him that the battle has been won by the Cardassians, that the
Enterprise is burning, and that Picard is theirs forever.
He offers Picard a choice: academic pursuits and comfort, or a continuation
of the days of torture. "It's up to you. A life of ease and reflection and
intellectual challenge ... or this."
"What must I do?"
"Nothing, really. Tell me ... how many lights you see. How many?"
Picard stares at the lights abjectly for a long time. As the guards come in,
Madred urges Picard to tell him before it's too late. "Don't be a stubborn
fool! How many?"
One of the arriving Cardassians, however, is Gul Lemec, who demands to know
why Picard isn't ready for his journey back to the Enterprise. He tells
Picard to go with the guards to get cleaned up and ready for his return.
Picard stands up and screams defiantly at Madred, "There are FOUR LIGHTS!",
then stalks off with the guards, refusing any help with the walk.
Some time later, Picard returns to the Enterprise intact and obtains his
command back from Jellico. His first action as captain, however, is to give
Will the bridge and talk to Troi in the ready room.
"What I didn't put in the report was that, at the end, he gave me a choice
between a life of comfort, or more torture. All I had to do was say that I
could see five lights when in fact there were only four."
"You didn't say it."
Picard tries to reassure her. "No. No." He becomes pensive again, however:
"But I was going to. I would have said anything. But more than that, I
believed that I _could see_ five lights..."
And the Enterprise sails out among the stars.
Whew. It's a good thing we're on winter break this week; just writing that
was work enough! :-) Now, on to some commentary.
The first point, unfortunately, is a negative one. I said in my review of
part 1 that the only justification I could find for sending Picard on such a
suicide mission was if Nechayev was in on setting him up, and that for us to
simply be asked to accept this was a bad move.
Part 2 did nothing to assuage my fears on that score. In fact, if anything
it made matters worse by using the justification "well, only 3 *Starfleet
captains* have his kind of expertise on theta-band emissions" [emphasis
mine]. Great. Anybody want to explain why exactly they needed to have a
*captain* rather than a lower-ranking officer trained in special operations
like this? I understand the attempt, but it simply didn't work, and I'm
being asked to believe that the Starfleet top brass is full of fools. (On
the other hand, that point *has* been alluded to before. :-) )
I have one other major objection, but I'll get to it after I talk about all
the good things; and there are *many*.
To begin with, every single hope I had for the high quality of the
Picard/Madred scenes was not only played out, but *surpassed*. David Warner
was allowed to be at his most chilling for the first time in a long time, and
Stewart got to sink his teeth into the meatiest role he's had as Picard since
"The Inner Light", and probably the most anguished portrayal of Picard since
his breakdown in "Family." It's no secret that I consider Stewart one of the
main strengths of TNG, and scenes like the above one of his strengths, so any
show that lets about half of its time be devoted to such things will be all
but guaranteed to captivate me.
(Additionally, I have to say that in the nonverbal portions of Picard's
torture, particularly near the end, I was reminded for the first time on a
long while of Stewart's role as Karla in the BBC adaptations of two John le
Carre' novels. Brief roles, but very nice indeed; check them out if you
haven't.)
These scenes gained additional strength by the fact that they pulled as few
punches as broadcast television would allow (and fewer than network would
have allowed, I'll wager; thank Elath for syndication). Granted, very
little of the torture was as physically *graphic* as it is currently (in
terms of sheer blood, that is); but given four centuries of advances in
technology, I imagine that pain without scars would be easy and preferred by
those species who indulge. And in terms of pain inflicted, this was
extremely intense, made all the more so by Stewart's ability to express it.
(Not an easy thing to do, mind you; take a look at Gates McFadden in "The
Arsenal of Freedom" to see how most people try to get across excruciating
pain, then be glad it wasn't Beverly being tortured.) I'd read that Rick
Berman was considering a parental advisory for this show; given the "Trek
Lite" fare we've had for most of this season before "Chain of Command", that
actually might have been a good idea.
Madred was a far more interesting character than I'd originally expected, due
both to Warner's portrayal of him and by the strength of the scripting.
While the "torturer is really helpless himself" theme is hardly new, it can
be incredibly effective when done well, and this was. (Warner is one of
those actors who can let you physically see his arrogance burst and drain
away when overmatched; he even managed to do it through a couple of pounds of
makeup here, too.) My knuckles were white through a great deal of the last
few torture scenes, particularly the penultimate one -- and yes, I did taunt
the screen myself at Madred calling Picard by name before Picard did. :-)
Enough on that. The Enterprise-based scenes, while clearly subordinate to
the Picard-based scenes both by design and by dint of less powerful
performances, were on the whole quite good. Jellico had me fooled, I'll
grant; while I never felt that Jellico himself was a traitor, I most
definitely *did* feel that he was likely to prove unfit for duty and be
carried off by episode's end. I was wrong; despite his many problems (and
Riker, I feel, was right on target in his criticisms, as was Jellico in his
criticisms of Riker), Jellico proved a very able and confident captain.
Perhaps, as "The Wounded" might also suggest, one just needs to be a little
unbalanced before one can *really* deal with the Cardassians effectively.
The two best Jellico-centered scenes, by far, were the two clashes with
Riker, and the second one worked far better. Jellico, while not particularly
pleasant, is damned good at manipulating people; I think he knew as soon as
he walked through the door to Riker's quarters exactly what he had to say and
do to get Riker to pilot the shuttle, and did not deviate. (Note that he
formally dropped ranks before laying into Riker. I'm not up on military
protocol, but my hunch would be that while rank would need to be dropped for
Riker to *respond*, it would not be for Jellico to say what he said. By
dropping rank, he let Riker let off steam and calm down before asking him to
do the job. Nicely done.) He lost nothing, except a token amount of pride
in going through that door in the first place.
I also thought while watching that the Jellico/Riker exchange there was an
interesting counterpoint to the Picard/Q exchange towards the end of "Q Who".
Both times, a captain has to ask for help from someone he despises, and both
times he gets it. (For that matter, Riker and Q were about equally smug in
their respective situations. Of course, Riker hadn't had the luxury of
setting the situation up in the first place...) At any rate, watching the
grace with which Picard accepts the necessity of asking Q for help vs. the
bluntness and need to get in another barb that Jellico had nicely compares
their two management styles, and it works.
That leads me to the ending, which while praiseworthy also leads to my other
main complaint. As expected, Picard was handed over as part of the
negotiations (though the Federation obtained far more of an upper hand than I
expected), and he regained command of the Enterprise. What I absolutely *do
not* like, however, is how it seemed so effortless to him. From our
perspective, he's walking out of Gul Madred's torture chamber one minute, and
back to normal the next; and that is simply wrong. I realize that given the
intense nature of the torture, there may have been a certain urge to reassure
viewers that "yes, don't worry, everything *is* all right;" but that same
intensity makes such a flat assurance ludicrous at best. We don't even get a
sense of how much time had passed; if it had been a month or something (or
even a fortnight), then I might be able to believe it; but the default
assumption is that we're talking a few hours to a few days, and that is
simply not enough time for Picard to have recovered. This is the hand-waving
ending that hurts characterization time and time again, and taken to extremes
this time. It's the one thing about this entire storyline (which on the
whole was very good, and *stunningly* executed) that had me absolutely
furious.
The final scene with Troi both helped and hurt along those lines. On the one
hand, it did show that not everything is perfect, and played up the very real
fact that for victims of torture, the problems don't end with release. On
the other, however, I remember the examples of BOBW and "The Inner Light"
(among other things), where very real character changes are given token
mention later (I'd say "lip service", but in the case of "The Inner Light" it
would be a very bad pun, given the recent cameo of the flute) and then
forgotten forever. I remember them, and I realize that this will be no
different. And in that case, that final scene with Troi is almost rubbing
salt in a wound, because everybody knows that *that's all we'll get*. Now,
if TNG surprises me and actually follows this up (if nothing else, Picard
should react *very* badly next time he comes into contact with Cardassians,
or perhaps even if reminded of them), then this scene will be a lovely
lead-in. But if not, it feels vaguely like a slap in the face; and I don't
care for it.
(Along similar lines is that Picard did not react a bit to seeing Bev or Worf
alive. Now, I realize that he very likely didn't believe Madred's story of
their capture; but given the little worms of doubt that clearly creep in, he
should have reacted at least a little. Stewart's more than capable of it, so
Picard was clearly not intended to react. Growl.)
In any case, I shouldn't let that one item get to me *too* much; it's more a
reflection on trends I find upsetting in the series as a whole rather than
something casting aspersions on "Chain of Command" in particular. So, let's
go to some short takes:
--Musical note: As Picard and Troi head into the ready room, if you listen
carefully you'll notice that Jay Chattaway stuck in a very slight rendition
of the original Alexander Courage theme. I'm not sure why, but I like it.
--Note to those who believe every rumour they see: Well, it appears that
Picard did *not* end up on Deep Space Nine at the close of this show. Take
rumours with a minor salt lick next time. :-)
--Given that, however, I have to wonder why Paramount changed the schedule at
the last minute, particularly given that CoC2 will be airing in NYC the day
after Christmas, which is not a particularly big day for television viewing.
Was it just that they wanted to get in a lot of ads for DS9, or was there
something more? (Or did somebody just screw up?)
--Bev learned fast; she hadn't been around Jellico nearly as long as the rest
of the crew, and she *already* loathed him. :-)
--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
several times, but damned if I can make it out...
That should about do it. However, I have one final note before I go into the
ratings.
As "Chain of Command" was at least a meta-lead-in to "Deep Space Nine", this
seems a good time to let you know where I stand wrt reviews and synopses of
same.
Don't expect any. While I intend to watch and tape DS9 regularly (along with
"Babylon 5" once it starts in late February), and hopefully enjoy it, my
teaching duties simply do not allow me the time to do reviews of both TNG and
DS9. At least, not and do it right; and I'd rather do one review right than
two done halfway. Truth be told, I don't really have the time to do the
reviews I'm already doing; but I feel a certain obligation to both you and
myself to see the TNG reviewing biz through to its end, and besides, it's
fun. :-) But unless things change significantly, my reviewing is staying
confined to TNG.
That said, the numbers. First off, my original 9.5 for part 1 is being
downgraded to an 8.5, since the plot problems grew much more intense than I
had hoped. Now:
Plot: 9. I have several objections about the ending, but few of them impact
directly on this episode.
Plot Handling: 10. Bravo.
Characterization: 10. I could not in good conscience do otherwise.
TOTAL: 10. Very nice, folks; very nice.
NEXT: Four more weeks of reruns to let DS9 get going, and I go back to
maintaining net.silence. S'long for now...
Tim Lynch (Harvard-Westlake School, Science Dept.)
BITNET: tlynch@citjulie
INTERNET: tly...@juliet.caltech.edu
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!tlynch%juliet.ca...@hamlet.caltech.edu
"Do you know that in this century you can go into a shop and purchase a
revolver or any firearm, it's perfectly legal, these people encourage--"
"STOP IT!" [slap]
"It's catching, isn't it? Violence."
--David Warner and Malcolm McDowell, "Time After Time"
--
Copyright 1992, Timothy W. Lynch. All rights reserved, but feel free to ask...
Jennifer Lehoczky
(much, much good stuff deleted)
>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
This may be entirely wrong (I haven't got the tape on hand), but
Picard does mumble at one point, and it had me puzzled until I worked
it out. He isn't mumbling.
"Sur le pont d'Avignon
l'on y danse
l'on y danse."
Is that the part you are referring to?
Toby Elliott
Timothy W. Lynch
Lots, including one major error in the synopsis that several people have
pointed out. Please change "Madred" to "Lemec" throughout the paragraph
following the Ctrl-L. Thanks!
Tim
>WARNING: The following post contains intense spoilers for "Chain of Command,
>Part II" that the faint of heart may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.
>Riker and Geordi swoop into the nebula in their shuttle and plant the mines
>on the Cardassian ships. Once they have returned, Jellico signals a very
>angry Gul Madred on the Reklar. "I'm not going to argue with you, Gul
>Madred. Every one of your ships has a mine on its belly, my finger's on the
>button, and you're in a _very_ bad position." After the weakness of the
>situation becomes apparent, Madred agrees to all of Jellico's terms,
>including the immediate release of Picard.
Again, that should be *Lemec* in that situation, not Madred. Carry on.
Tim Lynch
David Wright
In article <1h8f9d...@gap.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
I generally agree with this favorable review. One thing I want to
emphasize, which others have noted well, is that welcome bennefit of
the new captain: he was a breath of fresh air and excitement. Even
though his acting ability is certainly unpolished, and at times seems
forced, he nonetheless did a fine job. He gave me the bizarre feeling
that he was a real captian playing a part, he reminded me so much of
those dry technocrat military people you saw during the gulf war.
Although I am an offical Troi-hater, I must admit that she also gave a
fine performance, and I quite like the ending scene.
Picard was, as you say, quite excellent. It just shows what you can
accomplish in Science Fiction when you have real talent. His
performance was truly magnificant, and altogether too real. I am
reminded of the new TV-Guide, which ran a blurb on him saying that
Stewart actually went out and interviewd tortured people, and saw
clips. Picard was very convincing at displaying the humility and loss
of control that few actors can achieve.
I was a little disapointed in Riker. His anger seemed fake. I just
wasn't convinced. His actions in the Shuttle were fairly
anti-climatic, but I supposed there was no other way to resolve the
matter.
Well, that's my 2 cents....
--
"There is nothing in the marginal conditions that
distinguish a mountain from a mole hill"
Kenneth Boulding
All comments are mine---(David Wright)
da...@cats.ucsc.edu.
Janet Christian
>Part II" that the faint of heart may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.
>
I have to disagree with Tim's point about the time line/Picard regaining command. *All*
of his wounds had healed, including the bruise area around his mouth and the bruises
on his wrists. We can only assume, then, that some amount of time had passed while
he recovered in sick bay. Also, his face was not longer gaunt, with deep lines and
dark shadows under his eyes. It is still a TV show, and TV time is not real time -
ever noticed that TV "meals" las about 45 seconds? They could have been clearer about
this, even by adding the usual "captain's log so you'll know what's going on" ploy.
However, I do not believe that it was an immediate transfer of command.
Janet
--
Janet Christian jchri...@indetech.com
My boss agrees with everything I say - well, actually, he thinks I'm working.
"Never argue with a Scorpio - it's frustrating and you'll lose, anyway..."
Arthur Tateishi
In article <1992Dec24....@indetech.com> ja...@indetech.com (Janet Christian) writes:
>In article <1h8f9d...@gap.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>>WARNING: The following post contains intense spoilers for "Chain of Command,
>>Part II" that the faint of heart may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.
>
>>
>> [much deleted for space]
>>
>>That leads me to the ending, which while praiseworthy also leads to my other
>>main complaint. As expected, Picard was handed over as part of the
>>negotiations (though the Federation obtained far more of an upper hand than I
>>expected), and he regained command of the Enterprise. What I absolutely *do
>>not* like, however, is how it seemed so effortless to him. From our
[ more stuff deleted ]
>
>
>I have to disagree with Tim's point about the time line/Picard
>regaining command. *All* of his wounds had healed, including the bruise
>area around his mouth and the bruises on his wrists. We can only
>assume, then, that some amount of time had passed while he recovered in
>sick bay. Also, his face was not longer gaunt, with deep lines and
I agree. The line from Troi in Picard's ready room, "I've read your
report." says that some amount of time had passed for his recovery.
Also, the return of command of the E would have to go through Starfleet
after reading his report and debriefing session. If all that time had
passed but he hadn't had a one-on-one with Troi, it was probably a
day or two. The after effects were clear from Picard wringing his
hands and a generally quiet, reflective mood.
--
"The first fact to face is that UNIX was not developed with security, in any
reliable sense, in mind; this fact alone guarantees a vast number of holes."
-- "On the Security of UNIX", Dennis M. Ritchie
Arthur Tateishi ruh...@turing.utoronto.ca
bernie wong
TWL> From our perspective, he's walking out of Gul Madred's torture
TWL> chamber one minute, and back to normal the next; and that is simply
TWL> wrong. I realize that given the intense nature of the torture, there
TWL> may have been a certain urge to reassure viewers that "yes, don't
TWL> worry, everything *is* all right;" but that same intensity makes such a
TWL> flat assurance ludicrous at best.
I really was not pleased with this. The whole family was thinking that
Picard would be in some sort of therapy at that point! He should have
been like Riker right after the operation (when he arrived on the
bridge) in "The Host".
BTW, did you note his short glance at Troi after "I stand relieved" in
CoC Pt. II? He DID notice the uniform! :-)
TWL> On the other, however, I remember the examples of BOBW
TWL> and "The Inner Light" (among other things), where very real character
TWL> changes are given token mention later (I'd say "lip service", but in
TWL> the case of "The Inner Light" it would be a very bad pun, given the
TWL> recent cameo of the flute) and then forgotten forever.
Agreed. I really hate it when the end it like that with a cheesy dark
ending and just leave it at that. "Inner Light" was nice especially
with that cameo like you noted but there really isn't any way to bring
this one back. Unless, of course, "Ship In A Bottle" is like "Family"
and really is like a 3rd part. I'd really like that. Unfortunately, I
doubt we'd even see a "How are you feeling now, Captain?" let alone
showing Picard in thearpy (mental of course) with Troi.
TWL> --Given that, however, I have to wonder why Paramount changed the
TWL> schedule at the last minute, particularly given that CoC2 will be
TWL> airing in NYC the day after Christmas, which is not a particularly big
TWL> day for television viewing. Was it just that they wanted to get in a
TWL> lot of ads for DS9, or was there something more? (Or did somebody just
TWL> screw up?)
Ha! CoC Pt. II aired ON CHRISTMAS DAY here in Toronto/Buffalo. I was
damned surprise when the WHOLE FAMILY (extended family et. all) decided
to watch TNG happily with me (my aunt even cried at the end) instead of
"Sister Act" like we had rented.
It turned out to be a very moving and enjoyable Christmas viewing! Way
to go Paramount! :-) However, I do realize make such a drastic change
that could seriously affect many people since many people go out on
holidays at this time was a bad move.
TWL> --Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know
TWL> what Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone
TWL> over it several times, but damned if I can make it out...
Didn't he just fall over? Or was that just in the promo? I think he
was trying to repeat "6 years old... only a boy..." or something like
that... I thought you put that down in your synopsis!
TWL> Plot: 9. I have several objections about the ending, but few of them
TWL> impact directly on this episode.
My brother was FURIOUS at Pt. II. He felt there should have been a huge
rescue mission. I mean, CoC was SCREAMING for a big Starfleet sting
operation. The tortue was a beut but the mines were poor... Can't a
starship have proximity alerts?
TWL> Characterization: 10. I could not in good conscience do otherwise.
Gal Gamek sucked. He was like every other two-dimensional Ferengi,
Klingon, or Romulan when they're mad. Look at him! Poorly acted and
the hands spread out on the table to boot (I'm talking about the little
communic‚).
TWL> TOTAL: 10. Very nice, folks; very nice.
I don't know about you but 9, 10, and 10 makes it 9.7... :-)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Jason Wong
Calling from Markham, Ontario CANADA. It's not cold though! :-)
INTERNET E-MAIL: berni...@canrem.com
... We come in peace, and you BLATANTLY defile that! ž Chang
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
--
Canada Remote Systems - Toronto, Ontario
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
Fractalman
> [stuff deleted]
> TWL> --Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know
> TWL> what Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone
> TWL> over it several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>
>Didn't he just fall over? Or was that just in the promo? I think he
>was trying to repeat "6 years old... only a boy..." or something like
>that... I thought you put that down in your synopsis!
Yeah he said 'You cannot hurt me! You're 6 years old, only a boy...'
Basically repeating what the other guy just said. I missed the episode
since I stepped in the house and left 5 minutes later. That sentence
what the only line I caught. :)
=Fractalman
Marguerite Petersen
>In article <1992Dec26.3208.18197@dosgate> "bernie wong" <berni...@canrem.com> writes:
>
>
>> TWL> --Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know
>> TWL> what Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone
>> TWL> over it several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>>
>>Didn't he just fall over? Or was that just in the promo? I think he
>>was trying to repeat "6 years old... only a boy..." or something like
>>that... I thought you put that down in your synopsis!
>
>Yeah he said 'You cannot hurt me! You're 6 years old, only a boy...'
>Basically repeating what the other guy just said. I missed the episode
>since I stepped in the house and left 5 minutes later. That sentence
>what the only line I caught. :)
>
>=Fractalman
I went back through the articles and found the following:
>Date: 23 Dec 92 23:22:02 GMT
>References: <1h8f9d...@gap.caltech.edu>
>Sender: Toby Elliott (93...@williams.edu)
>Organization: Williams College, Williamstown, MA
>This may be entirely wrong (I haven't got the tape on hand), but
>Picard does mumble at one point, and it had me puzzled until I worked
>it out. He isn't mumbling.
>"Sur le pont d'Avignon
>l'on y danse
>l'on y danse."
>Is that the part you are referring to?
>Toby Elliott
I agree with Toby on this as I was quite sure also that this was what
Picard was saying. It is an old French song. The first line translated
means "on the bridge of Avignon". I forget the second line (I don't think
the French is correct above). But part of that line is something about
"dancing" or "dancers". It's been a long time since my early childhood
days in school in Western Canada. :-)
Marg
--
*************************************************************************
"Insufficient facts always invites danger, Captain."- Spock in Space Seed
Marg Petersen pet...@jacobs.cs.orst.edu
*************************************************************************
Richard F. Drushel
In a previous article, tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:
>WARNING: The following post contains intense spoilers for "Chain of Command,
>Part II" that the faint of heart may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.
>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
I don't have a closed-caption recorder, but I did recognize
what he was saying...he was singing in French, the same song he was
singing to himself earlier while reminiscing about his childhood.
I learned this song during a 2nd-grade experiment in teaching
French orally. Having never studied it formally, my spellings are
guesses based upon other French I have had to read in early 19th-century
literature (the English and Americans must have thought it added "culture"
to throw in French words and phrases). So please no language flames :) :)
Sur la pont
D'Avignon
Loni danse, loni danse
(On the bridge of Avignon, people dance, people dance)
French scholars please feel free to supply the remainder of
the song, and to correct the spelling :)
--
Richard F. Drushel ****** Ph.D. in Developmental Biology as of 4:45 PM 9211.20
r...@po.cwru.edu ** Cleveland FreeNet ** Co-Sysop, Coleco ADAM Forum ** Go Z80!
"The bright and blinding sunlight shines so hotly on the trash-heaps that mere
undigested food and snotty Kleenex flow as rivers of milk and honey." - c.5253
Bucky Whaley
In a previous article, r...@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel) says:
>In a previous article, tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:
>>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
> Sur la pont
> D'Avignon
> Loni danse, loni danse
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
>(On the bridge of Avignon, people dance, people dance)
--
bw...@cleveland.freenet.edu "It's funny because it's true."
- Fat Tony, `Bart the Murderer'
Mike Porter
In a previous article, bw...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bucky Whaley) says:
>In a previous article, r...@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel) says:
>>In a previous article, tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:
>
>...
>>>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>>>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>>>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>...
>> Sur la pont
>> D'Avignon
>> Loni danse, loni danse
>
> L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Close... it's "on y danse, on y danse"--no l's. (Now its my turn to get
corrected!)
--
Cheers, Mike
Bill Wadge
Actually, it *is* "L'on y danse, l'on y danse" because it is an old
song in old French. Nowadays, one would say "On y danse".
"(L')on y danse" means, literally, "One danses there" but a more idiomatic
rendering would be "that's where we danse" or "people danse there".
Bill Wadge
--- the empty .sig ---
>Cheers, Mike
Mike Porter
In a previous article, wwa...@csr.UVic.CA (Bill Wadge) says:
>aa...@Freenet.carleton.ca (Mike Porter) writes:
>>>In a previous article, r...@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel) says:
>>>>>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>>>>>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>>>>>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>>>> Sur la pont
>>>> D'Avignon
>>>> Loni danse, loni danse
>>>
>
>>corrected!)
>
>song in old French. Nowadays, one would say "On y danse".
>
>"(L')on y danse" means, literally, "One danses there" but a more idiomatic
>rendering would be "that's where we danse" or "people danse there".
>
>Bill Wadge
Interesting... I had learned the song in modern French, I guess. So, it
appears, had Jean-Luc Picard, because in CoC II he leaves out the "l" in
the one line from the song that he got out. Check the tape!
...Nice to hear from a fellow hoser, Bill! How's the weather out in Victoria?
--
Cheers, Mike
Sylvain Chamberland
>
>In a previous article, tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:
>
>>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>
> I don't have a closed-caption recorder, but I did recognize
>what he was saying...he was singing in French, the same song he was
>singing to himself earlier while reminiscing about his childhood.
>
>to throw in French words and phrases). So please no language flames :) :)
>
> Sur la pont
> D'Avignon
> Loni danse, loni danse
>
>(On the bridge of Avignon, people dance, people dance)
>
> French scholars please feel free to supply the remainder of
>the song, and to correct the spelling :)
Well, I'm not a French scholar, but as a French-speaking person, I can say it's
Sur le pont
d'Avignon
l'on y dance, l'on y dance
But I can't remember the rest! (I can memorize the weight of chemical
elements, all the phone numbers of friends I haven't seen in years, the social
numbers of all members of my family, but impossible to remember words of a
song! Maybe I should try memorizing ascii numbers instead... ;-) )
>Richard F. Drushel ****** Ph.D. in Developmental Biology as of 4:45 PM 9211.20
>r...@po.cwru.edu ** Cleveland FreeNet ** Co-Sysop, Coleco ADAM Forum ** Go Z80!
>"The bright and blinding sunlight shines so hotly on the trash-heaps that mere
>undigested food and snotty Kleenex flow as rivers of milk and honey." - c.5253
Sylvain Chamberland
202...@saphir.ulaval.ca
Sylvain Chamberland
>> Sur la pont
>> D'Avignon
>> Loni danse, loni danse
>
> L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Of course!!!!
In my previous post, I typed the English spelling for "dance". It should be as
it was written in the original post...
Mea culpa... :(
>bw...@cleveland.freenet.edu "It's funny because it's true."
> - Fat Tony, `Bart the Murderer'
Sylvain Chamberland
202...@saphir.ulaval.ca
Sylvain Chamberland
>>> Sur la pont
>>> D'Avignon
>>> Loni danse, loni danse
>>
>> L'on y danse, l'on y danse
>
>Close... it's "on y danse, on y danse"--no l's. (Now its my turn to get
>corrected!)
Well, what poor French-speaking I am!
Of course, now that I think of it, you are right...
(Well, put my mistakes on the fact that I just spent 1 year in an English-
only environment... right now I'm so mixed up I almost only think in English...
I have to translate what I have to say in French from English!!! :( )
>--
>Cheers, Mike
Sylvain Chamberland
202...@saphir.ulaval.ca
John C. Hansen
Tim Lynch writes:
> TWL> --Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know
> TWL> what Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone
> TWL> over it several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>
> Didn't he just fall over? Or was that just in the promo? I think he
> was trying to repeat "6 years old... only a boy..." or something like
> that... I thought you put that down in your synopsis!
> Jason Wong
I haven't seen any posted answers to this question, so here goes mine
(or, actually, my wife's):
Sur la Mon D'Avignon
Oni(?) Danson(?) .... (this is all Picard gets out...)
Oni(?) Danson(?)
Sur la Mon D'Avignon
Oni Danson Tu ta round. (Pardon my french... :-)
This is in a class with Frere(?) Jacque.
I had no idea what he said and when I asked Carol if she understood it,
she came out immediately with this song.. How she understood it is
beyond me... But I think she's right.
John Hansen
--
John C. Hansen
han...@logdis1.hq.aflc.af.mil "... I am working on
cse...@wsu.bitnet a suitable quote..."
cse...@desire.wright.edu - John Hansen
Michael Chance
>Spoilers for CoCII
>In article <1992Dec24....@indetech.com> ja...@indetech.com
(Janet Christian) writes (commenting on Tim Lynch's review):
>>
>>I have to disagree with Tim's point about the time line/Picard
>>regaining command. *All* of his wounds had healed, including the bruise
>>area around his mouth and the bruises on his wrists. We can only
>>assume, then, that some amount of time had passed while he recovered in
>>sick bay. Also, his face was not longer gaunt, with deep lines and
>I agree. The line from Troi in Picard's ready room, "I've read your
>report." says that some amount of time had passed for his recovery.
>Also, the return of command of the E would have to go through Starfleet
>after reading his report and debriefing session. If all that time had
>passed but he hadn't had a one-on-one with Troi, it was probably a
>day or two. The after effects were clear from Picard wringing his
>hands and a generally quiet, reflective mood.
Actually, probably more like 2 weeks to a month, minimum. The mission
to the Cardassian outpost clearly took more than a few days (including
the time after Picard's capture until his return). Writing up a full
mission commander's report is going to take several days, then the
debriefing from Starfleet (at least 2-3 days). Plus, as soon as
Starfleet found out that mental and physical torture was used, Picard
would have been placed in to immediate psychotherapy, and not
returned to duty until cleared by a Starfleet HQ psychologist.
They may have radically accelerated the physical healing rates, but
healing mental injuries takes lots of time and patience.
Michael A. Chance
--
Michael A. Chance St. Louis, Missouri, USA "At play in the fields
Work: mc3...@sw1sta.sbc.com of St. Vidicon"
Play: bq...@cleveland.freenet.edu
mch...@nyx.cs.du.edu
Stephen Dennison
>Spoilers for CoCII
>In article <1992Dec24....@indetech.com> ja...@indetech.com (Janet Christian) writes:
>>In article <1h8f9d...@gap.caltech.edu> tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:
>>>WARNING: The following post contains intense spoilers for "Chain of Command,
>>>Part II" that the faint of heart may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.
>>
>>>
>>> [much deleted for space]
>>>
>>>That leads me to the ending, which while praiseworthy also leads to my other
>>>main complaint. As expected, Picard was handed over as part of the
>>>negotiations (though the Federation obtained far more of an upper hand than I
>>>expected), and he regained command of the Enterprise. What I absolutely *do
>>>not* like, however, is how it seemed so effortless to him. From our
> [ more stuff deleted ]
>>
>>
>>I have to disagree with Tim's point about the time line/Picard
>>regaining command. *All* of his wounds had healed, including the bruise
>>area around his mouth and the bruises on his wrists.
24th century medicine works wonders... remember O'Brien's broken arm (oops,
an alien healed that, didn't he... er, well, I *know* serious injuries have
been healed quickly by some strange device Beverly uses. Only Wesley had to
use that exerciser on his bum arm at Starfleet Academy, and *that* was only
so Wil Wheton could show off his biceps. :-))
>We can only
>>assume, then, that some amount of time had passed while he recovered in
>>sick bay. Also, his face was not longer gaunt, with deep lines and
I *swear* I saw dark rings that *had* to be make-up. Stewart isn't sick or
anything these days, is he ?
>
>I agree. The line from Troi in Picard's ready room, "I've read your
>report." says that some amount of time had passed for his recovery.
>Also, the return of command of the E would have to go through Starfleet
>after reading his report and debriefing session. If all that time had
>passed but he hadn't had a one-on-one with Troi, it was probably a
>day or two. The after effects were clear from Picard wringing his
>hands and a generally quiet, reflective mood.
What about those dark circles under his eyes ? Did I just *imagine* those,
or did he look pretty dragged out in that scene ? I tend to think that, in
typical Picardian fashion, he banged out the report immediately, Bev ran
her `Bruise-o-Matic' over his wrists and face, and he bulled his way back
into command right over the top of any Starfleet protestations. Sorry, I
saw it the way Tim saw it.
-- Stephen
{Experimental .sig # 30245/T}
Humans --
Beings stupid enough to create their own monsters, and then
curse their luck when they run into them.
Roger M. Wilcox
> ...
>They may have radically accelerated the physical healing rates, but
>healing mental injuries takes lots of time and patience.
NEW! And coming soon to a Federation outpost near you!
***** INSTA-PSYCH!!!! *****
Yes, it's INSTA-PSYCH!, the Wonder Drug from the same people who brought you
Crack Cocaine and Tricyclic Antidepressants! New INSTA-PSYCH! can double,
triple, even quintuple the rate of psychological healing!
Tired of taking personal responsibility for your life? Too scared to release
your pent-up emotions? Think its terribly unfair that only your ECONOMIC
responsibilities should be cured by technology (i.e. replicators)? Then pop
a few tablets of INSTA-PSYCH! and get Emotional Health the Easy Way!
[This product may not be available in all parts of the Federation due to our
previous mishap with that Cancer Cure that wiped out 95% of the taker's
brain cells.]
--
Roger *M.* Wilcox (aka Jeff Boeing)
tra...@majestix.cs.uoregon.edu
Aleph null bottles of beer on the wall, aleph null bottles of beer, ...
Durand Martin
>
>In a previous article, tly...@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) says:
>>--Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know what
>>Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!" I've gone over it
>>several times, but damned if I can make it out...
>
> I don't have a closed-caption recorder, but I did recognize
>what he was saying...he was singing in French, the same song he was
>singing to himself earlier while reminiscing about his childhood.
>
> I learned this song during a 2nd-grade experiment in teaching
>French orally. Having never studied it formally, my spellings are
>guesses based upon other French I have had to read in early 19th-century
>literature (the English and Americans must have thought it added "culture"
>to throw in French words and phrases). So please no language flames :) :)
>
> Sur la pont
> D'Avignon
> Loni danse, loni danse
>
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
The correct english translation for this verse (forget the measure & rhyme,
please...)
On the bridge of Avignon
We are dancing, we are dancing
On the bridge of Avignon
We are dancing a round
Hope this arouse your curiosity about this great language that is called French!:-)
Martin Durand (dur...@ere.umontreal.ca)
U de Montreal, Quebec
Student, master's degree, film studies.
Oh, by the fact, the captain's name is Picard, not Piccard... :-)
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------/\/\artin Durand
Internet, Universite de Montreal
E-mail adresse: dur...@ere.umontreal.ca
Student, master's degree in film studies