THE PLOT
Barzan II, a relatively poor world, has made a fantastic discovery: the first-ever known stable wormhole! The wormhole provides the Barzans with their very first natural resource... but they lack the experience and technology to properly exploit it. So they've resorted to Plan B: Selling the wormhole to the highest bidder.
Picard has agreed to host the negotiations aboard Enterprise. But complications ensue. Troi finds herself smitten by Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy), a smooth-talking negotiator representing the Federation's main competitor for the wormhole. The Ferengi arrive unexpectedly, demanding a seat at the table (literally). And when the official Federation negotiator (Castulo Guerra) is struck by a suspicious illness, it falls to Riker to fill his chair at the negotiating table!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Wanting cool heads to prevail, Picard reluctantly allows the Ferengi a seat at the bargaining table. He deals with them with as much patience as would probably be possible, when they beam in demanding he or his "Klingon servant" get them chairs. He effectively assigns Riker to take over for the Federation negotiator, and shows confidence that his First Officer will do a good job - which he does.
Riker: His keen observations about Ral impress the Federation negotiator. This, along with just his rank, makes Riker the obvious choice to succeed him in the negotiations. Riker impresses Ral, who tells Troi that he is "the most dangerous man at that table" to his victory. When Ral tries to bait Riker, first by belittling his choice to settle for being second in command, then by using his relationship with Troi against him, Riker refuses to be rattled. By showing Ral his most laid-back face, he wins the engagement and actually leaves Ral upset.
Troi: I've been mostly pretty merciless to Troi in these reviews, with good reason: 90+% of the time, Troi as a character is useless at best, annoying at worst. That said, Marina Sirtis is not a bad actress, and her performance has consistently improved from the earliest episodes to here. This episode opens with some excellent scenes in which Troi actually behaves as a plausible person. Getting aggravated over not being able to get the computer to simply give her some damn ice cream without jumping through a series of hoops, then trying to duck a reception when all she really wants to do is relax for a few minutes? More scenes like this, please! Sirtis is terrific in these moments, which are written with an authenticity that this character too often lacks. Her relationship with Ral is less convincing, as she becomes ludicrously erotically fixated on a stranger and entangles herself in a full relationship with him over a matter of days. If there were more convincing sexual chemistry, I might be able to believe in their rapid closeness. Unfortunately, Sirtis has no chemistry with guest star Matt McCoy (who is extremely wooden), hobbling her primary material of the episode.
Geordi: Some decent supporting material for Geordi and Data, who volunteer to travel into the wormhole to verify its stability. Geordi shows both his strong character (visible in the previous two episodes) and a refreshing pragmatism. When it's clear that the wormhole is unstable and deteriorating, he tries his hardest to get the Ferengi ship to follow them back. But he doesn't linger in making his own escape when the Ferengi become stubborn.
THOUGHTS
An "A" plot with Counsellor Troi being seduced by an obviously sleazy negotiator (Matt McCoy), and a "B" plot involving the Ferengi. The teaser even offers a mention of Troi's mother. In short, all the ingredients are gathered for a genuinely painful episode.
I have no doubt than in either Season One or Two, The Price would have been sheer torture to watch. It's still one of the weakest episodes of the season thus far. But it is watchable, with some good character scenes and some pretty good visual effects for the wormhole. Compare this against something like Manhunt, and the difference is palpable.
The wormhole plot is, for the most part, rather well-turned. In retrospect, you can see the beginnings of the concept for Deep Space 9 taking shape in this episode, with the various factions coveting a stable wormhole. The negotiation room scenes are also interesting, as Riker discovers that he is really quite a good negotiator. The scene in which Ral tries to weaken Riker's resolve, only for Riker to throw the man's intentions right back in his face in the most pleasant way possible, is a genuinely terrific moment.
Unfortunately, the third strand, the romance between Troi and Ral, is less successful. One problem is that Matt McCoy, a king - or at least a prince - of direct-to-video sleaze in the early '90's, simply isn't a very good actor. His line readings are stiff and wooden, making his would-be seductive interactions with Troi often humorous. This is particularly true in his first seduction scene, in Troi's office. The framing is unfortunate. Close-ups and cutting between his and her face and his fingers would have been far more convincingly seductive as he runs his fingers up her arm or plays with her hair. But the scene plays out in one static shot, which draws far too much attention to him bending awkwardly in order to touch her.
Another problem with this subplot is that much of the dialogue between Troi and Ral sounds like it belongs in a bad romance novel. "I buried my heart," Ral tells Troi, "I didn't want it... A heart can be fatal at the negotiating table. But I never realized how badly I needed it, until I saw you." Gack! That this scene in not far removed from a scene in which Troi and Dr. Crusher discuss how common sense doesn't matter "when your toes curl up" doesn't help.
Such writing, which belongs more in a teen girl's fanfiction than in a transmitted episode, stops a potentially intriguing story (Troi getting blinded by an erotic obsession) from developing any interest. And since Troi's story is the emotional heart of the episode, it kills the episode's chances of reaching its potential.
Overall Rating: 5/10.
Barzan II, a relatively poor world, has made a fantastic discovery: the first-ever known stable wormhole! The wormhole provides the Barzans with their very first natural resource... but they lack the experience and technology to properly exploit it. So they've resorted to Plan B: Selling the wormhole to the highest bidder.
Picard has agreed to host the negotiations aboard Enterprise. But complications ensue. Troi finds herself smitten by Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy), a smooth-talking negotiator representing the Federation's main competitor for the wormhole. The Ferengi arrive unexpectedly, demanding a seat at the table (literally). And when the official Federation negotiator (Castulo Guerra) is struck by a suspicious illness, it falls to Riker to fill his chair at the negotiating table!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Wanting cool heads to prevail, Picard reluctantly allows the Ferengi a seat at the bargaining table. He deals with them with as much patience as would probably be possible, when they beam in demanding he or his "Klingon servant" get them chairs. He effectively assigns Riker to take over for the Federation negotiator, and shows confidence that his First Officer will do a good job - which he does.
Riker: His keen observations about Ral impress the Federation negotiator. This, along with just his rank, makes Riker the obvious choice to succeed him in the negotiations. Riker impresses Ral, who tells Troi that he is "the most dangerous man at that table" to his victory. When Ral tries to bait Riker, first by belittling his choice to settle for being second in command, then by using his relationship with Troi against him, Riker refuses to be rattled. By showing Ral his most laid-back face, he wins the engagement and actually leaves Ral upset.
Troi: I've been mostly pretty merciless to Troi in these reviews, with good reason: 90+% of the time, Troi as a character is useless at best, annoying at worst. That said, Marina Sirtis is not a bad actress, and her performance has consistently improved from the earliest episodes to here. This episode opens with some excellent scenes in which Troi actually behaves as a plausible person. Getting aggravated over not being able to get the computer to simply give her some damn ice cream without jumping through a series of hoops, then trying to duck a reception when all she really wants to do is relax for a few minutes? More scenes like this, please! Sirtis is terrific in these moments, which are written with an authenticity that this character too often lacks. Her relationship with Ral is less convincing, as she becomes ludicrously erotically fixated on a stranger and entangles herself in a full relationship with him over a matter of days. If there were more convincing sexual chemistry, I might be able to believe in their rapid closeness. Unfortunately, Sirtis has no chemistry with guest star Matt McCoy (who is extremely wooden), hobbling her primary material of the episode.
Geordi: Some decent supporting material for Geordi and Data, who volunteer to travel into the wormhole to verify its stability. Geordi shows both his strong character (visible in the previous two episodes) and a refreshing pragmatism. When it's clear that the wormhole is unstable and deteriorating, he tries his hardest to get the Ferengi ship to follow them back. But he doesn't linger in making his own escape when the Ferengi become stubborn.
THOUGHTS
An "A" plot with Counsellor Troi being seduced by an obviously sleazy negotiator (Matt McCoy), and a "B" plot involving the Ferengi. The teaser even offers a mention of Troi's mother. In short, all the ingredients are gathered for a genuinely painful episode.
I have no doubt than in either Season One or Two, The Price would have been sheer torture to watch. It's still one of the weakest episodes of the season thus far. But it is watchable, with some good character scenes and some pretty good visual effects for the wormhole. Compare this against something like Manhunt, and the difference is palpable.
The wormhole plot is, for the most part, rather well-turned. In retrospect, you can see the beginnings of the concept for Deep Space 9 taking shape in this episode, with the various factions coveting a stable wormhole. The negotiation room scenes are also interesting, as Riker discovers that he is really quite a good negotiator. The scene in which Ral tries to weaken Riker's resolve, only for Riker to throw the man's intentions right back in his face in the most pleasant way possible, is a genuinely terrific moment.
Unfortunately, the third strand, the romance between Troi and Ral, is less successful. One problem is that Matt McCoy, a king - or at least a prince - of direct-to-video sleaze in the early '90's, simply isn't a very good actor. His line readings are stiff and wooden, making his would-be seductive interactions with Troi often humorous. This is particularly true in his first seduction scene, in Troi's office. The framing is unfortunate. Close-ups and cutting between his and her face and his fingers would have been far more convincingly seductive as he runs his fingers up her arm or plays with her hair. But the scene plays out in one static shot, which draws far too much attention to him bending awkwardly in order to touch her.
Another problem with this subplot is that much of the dialogue between Troi and Ral sounds like it belongs in a bad romance novel. "I buried my heart," Ral tells Troi, "I didn't want it... A heart can be fatal at the negotiating table. But I never realized how badly I needed it, until I saw you." Gack! That this scene in not far removed from a scene in which Troi and Dr. Crusher discuss how common sense doesn't matter "when your toes curl up" doesn't help.
Such writing, which belongs more in a teen girl's fanfiction than in a transmitted episode, stops a potentially intriguing story (Troi getting blinded by an erotic obsession) from developing any interest. And since Troi's story is the emotional heart of the episode, it kills the episode's chances of reaching its potential.
Overall Rating: 5/10.
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