THE PLOT
The Enterprise deviates from its course to investigate an apparent Class M planet near a nebula. But a nearby unstable wormhole creates a disruption which hurls the ship a full day from its previous position, and which knocks out the entire crew for 30 seconds... the entire crew except for Data.
Upon awakening, they discover that the planet is not Class M at all, and that sensors had apparently been disrupted by the wormhole. Picard acknowledges that it's a "minor mystery... (but) one that has been solved to (his) satisfaction." The mystery deepens, however, when Dr. Crusher comes to Picard with an experiment she was running on some moss spores. Data insists they were unconscious for only thirty seconds. But the moss shows a full day's growth!
Further investigation shows that the ship's chronometer was interfered with. The culprit? Data.
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Somebody, please tell Patrick Stewart not to do fake "Bogart/Cagney" speech in his Dixon Hill scenes. It's much more enjoyable to see him playing Picard as Dixon Hill, rather than doing a poor man's Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Hill. With the exception of that opening scene, Stewart continues to be in outstanding form. At first, the innate trust Picard has developed for Data leads him to accept the android's explanations about the minor mysteries without question. As the mysteries deepen, however, he cannot ignore the evidence. When Data will not reveal the truth, Picard decides to force the issue by doing the one thing Data most opposes - returning to the planet.
Data: Another good showing for Brent Spiner's Data. The thing that really makes Data's evident deception so unsettling is that he doesn't behave at all abnormally. He is still unfailingly polite, even when regretfully telling Geordi or Picard that he cannot answer their questions. The episode's best scene sees Picard directly interrogating Data. Save for refusing to answer Picard's questions, Data is unfailingly honest, which is very effective when Picard asks him what Data would think in the captain's shoes. Most viewers will guess the direct cause of Data's actions (namely, who it was who gave the order) long before it is revealed on-screen, but that doesn't diminish the impact of seeing Data at odds with the crew while still being entirely himself.
Dr. Crusher: Her connection wtih Picard makes her a strong choice to bring the first substantial evidence that they were out for longer than 30 seconds - "a lot longer" - to Picard's attention. She is someone Picard will listen to, and maybe the only person on the ship at this point who has as much of his trust as Data has earned. She also discovers the evidence that the crew must actually have been conscious during the missing time.
Troi: Troi's empathic abilities are drawn upon again, as she experiences dizziness and hallucinations as a result of whatever occurred. This time, though, she is well-used, her predicament not only adding to the mysteries surrounding the lost day but also providing a sense that one of the regular's personal well-being has been affected. I am left wondering, at the end, how they are going to prevent a recurrence of Troi's issues... but that's probably best not lingered on. In any case, this is one of Marina Sirtis' more effective performances this season.
THOUGHTS
Clues was probably a rather inexpensive episode to make. Save for the holodeck scene at the beginning, the entire episode uses standing sets only, and most of its guest stars are members of the recurring cast who were probably already under contract. It has all the earmarks of a budget-saver.
It is also an excellent episode, one of many in what's shaped up to be a very good season.
The strongest element of the episode is the relationship between Picard and Data. Picard trusts Data, and it shakes him to see that trust worn away by fact after fact. The scenes with just these two characters are particularly good, with Picard trying multiple times to give Data an "out," only to see the android respond by stating - quite honestly and directly - that he cannot answer Picard's questions, not even to confirm or deny the captain's suppositions. The reason why isn't hard to guess, but in a way that makes it all the more effective to see Data put so firmly on the spot.
The story is extremely well-paced, the script having enough confidence in itself to allow the mysteries to escalate gradually. It also makes good use of the ensemble. Compare this to Devil's Due. That episode had strong roles for Picard and Data, a passable supporting role for Geordi, and virtually nothing for the rest of the cast. This episode gives moments to everybody: Dr. Crusher, finding some of the more damning bits of evidence against Data; Geordi, confirming that Data altered the ship's systems; Troi, dealing with her hallucinations; Worf, suffering a broken wrist. Riker probably gets the least to do, but he is a constant presence, supporting Picard and seeming increasingly distrustful of Data (almost from the beginning). Everyone is actually a full character in this episode - a relatively rare feat, for TNG!
With typically confident direction by Les Landau, and a nicely-conveyed sense of paranoia creating some decent atmosphere, this is a very strong "little" episode. It was probably a budget-saver. But as was the case with some of TOS' bottle shows, sometimes the best stories are the ones that have the fewest extra resources to rely on.
Overall Rating: 9/10
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| Is Data malfunctioning? |
THE PLOT
The Enterprise deviates from its course to investigate an apparent Class M planet near a nebula. But a nearby unstable wormhole creates a disruption which hurls the ship a full day from its previous position, and which knocks out the entire crew for 30 seconds... the entire crew except for Data.
Upon awakening, they discover that the planet is not Class M at all, and that sensors had apparently been disrupted by the wormhole. Picard acknowledges that it's a "minor mystery... (but) one that has been solved to (his) satisfaction." The mystery deepens, however, when Dr. Crusher comes to Picard with an experiment she was running on some moss spores. Data insists they were unconscious for only thirty seconds. But the moss shows a full day's growth!
Further investigation shows that the ship's chronometer was interfered with. The culprit? Data.
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Somebody, please tell Patrick Stewart not to do fake "Bogart/Cagney" speech in his Dixon Hill scenes. It's much more enjoyable to see him playing Picard as Dixon Hill, rather than doing a poor man's Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Hill. With the exception of that opening scene, Stewart continues to be in outstanding form. At first, the innate trust Picard has developed for Data leads him to accept the android's explanations about the minor mysteries without question. As the mysteries deepen, however, he cannot ignore the evidence. When Data will not reveal the truth, Picard decides to force the issue by doing the one thing Data most opposes - returning to the planet.
Data: Another good showing for Brent Spiner's Data. The thing that really makes Data's evident deception so unsettling is that he doesn't behave at all abnormally. He is still unfailingly polite, even when regretfully telling Geordi or Picard that he cannot answer their questions. The episode's best scene sees Picard directly interrogating Data. Save for refusing to answer Picard's questions, Data is unfailingly honest, which is very effective when Picard asks him what Data would think in the captain's shoes. Most viewers will guess the direct cause of Data's actions (namely, who it was who gave the order) long before it is revealed on-screen, but that doesn't diminish the impact of seeing Data at odds with the crew while still being entirely himself.
Dr. Crusher: Her connection wtih Picard makes her a strong choice to bring the first substantial evidence that they were out for longer than 30 seconds - "a lot longer" - to Picard's attention. She is someone Picard will listen to, and maybe the only person on the ship at this point who has as much of his trust as Data has earned. She also discovers the evidence that the crew must actually have been conscious during the missing time.
Troi: Troi's empathic abilities are drawn upon again, as she experiences dizziness and hallucinations as a result of whatever occurred. This time, though, she is well-used, her predicament not only adding to the mysteries surrounding the lost day but also providing a sense that one of the regular's personal well-being has been affected. I am left wondering, at the end, how they are going to prevent a recurrence of Troi's issues... but that's probably best not lingered on. In any case, this is one of Marina Sirtis' more effective performances this season.
THOUGHTS
Clues was probably a rather inexpensive episode to make. Save for the holodeck scene at the beginning, the entire episode uses standing sets only, and most of its guest stars are members of the recurring cast who were probably already under contract. It has all the earmarks of a budget-saver.
It is also an excellent episode, one of many in what's shaped up to be a very good season.
The strongest element of the episode is the relationship between Picard and Data. Picard trusts Data, and it shakes him to see that trust worn away by fact after fact. The scenes with just these two characters are particularly good, with Picard trying multiple times to give Data an "out," only to see the android respond by stating - quite honestly and directly - that he cannot answer Picard's questions, not even to confirm or deny the captain's suppositions. The reason why isn't hard to guess, but in a way that makes it all the more effective to see Data put so firmly on the spot.
The story is extremely well-paced, the script having enough confidence in itself to allow the mysteries to escalate gradually. It also makes good use of the ensemble. Compare this to Devil's Due. That episode had strong roles for Picard and Data, a passable supporting role for Geordi, and virtually nothing for the rest of the cast. This episode gives moments to everybody: Dr. Crusher, finding some of the more damning bits of evidence against Data; Geordi, confirming that Data altered the ship's systems; Troi, dealing with her hallucinations; Worf, suffering a broken wrist. Riker probably gets the least to do, but he is a constant presence, supporting Picard and seeming increasingly distrustful of Data (almost from the beginning). Everyone is actually a full character in this episode - a relatively rare feat, for TNG!
With typically confident direction by Les Landau, and a nicely-conveyed sense of paranoia creating some decent atmosphere, this is a very strong "little" episode. It was probably a budget-saver. But as was the case with some of TOS' bottle shows, sometimes the best stories are the ones that have the fewest extra resources to rely on.
Overall Rating: 9/10
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