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| Picard begins a relationship with one of his officers (Wendy Hughes). |
When Picard meets Nella Daren (Wendy Hughes), the ship's new head of Stellar Cartography, he is instantly smitten. Her intelligence and strong-willed nature match his own, and her love of music allows him to explore his own joy in music with a partner - a rarity for the very private captain. Their private music lessons quickly develop into a full relationship, one which his most trusted officers encourage.
Picard makes clear to his officers that Nella is to be given no special treatment. This dictate becomes difficult for him to follow, however, when a crisis emerges on the Federation colony at Bersalis III. A severe firestorm is approaching the colony, and the evacuation will require specialized work with a grid of thermal deflector units. It's a job Nella is the most qualified person to supervise, making it Picard's responsibility to order her into that situation - one which could easily result in her death!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: His experience in The Inner Light did have an impact on him, one that he has largely kept private. He has continued to practice with the Ressikan flute, but has not shared his music with anyone prior to Nella. The music ends up being the vehicle which develops their relationship, a shared interest which allows him the freedom to open up to her in a way he has not done with others. He does feel some discomfort at entering into a relationship with a subordinate, and these feelings come to a crisis when he is forced to order her into a dangerous situation in the course of his duty.
Riker: Though he is supportive of the captain's relationship, it does cause some discomfort for him as the person in charge of ship's resources. When Nella asks for further time with the ship's sensor array, or pushes for a transfer to her department, he feels put on the spot a bit. He deals with this in suitably professional manner, airing his concerns to Picard and getting confirmation that he should continue to do his job as he sees fit with no special treatment given.
Dr. Crusher: Becomes very cool toward Nella as soon as the relationship blossoms, reminding viewers of the unresolved attraction between her and Picard from earlier seasons. She remains professional, but it's clear that she's protective of the captain and not entirely pleased to see him in a relationship with somebody else. Note the conference room scene at the two-thirds mark. When Nella speaks, Crusher looks deliberately away from her, as if to shut her out of the conversation as much as possible.
Hot Space Babe of the Week: Television veteran Wendy Hughes is a perfect choice as Nella Daren. She's very attractive, but mature enough to make a suitable romantic partner for Picard. She has the presence to convey Nella's strong will, but enough softness to do so without coming across as bitchy, even when she bickers with Riker about her department's scheduled time for use of the ship's sensor array. And, simply put, she's a good enough actress to work as a screen partner for Patrick Stewart, matching his typically fine performance with excellent work of her own. The result is that a character who might have come across as a fanfiction creation instead actually works, far better than she probably has a right to.
THOUGHTS
Romance is not generally a genre that Star Trek does well. Season Four's In Theory managed to overcome this by framing its relationship story around Data's state as an unemotional being - as such, turning it less into a romance and more into a story about Data. Not quite two seasons later, Lessons also manages to make a relationship story work, again by making the story about more than just the romance itself.
A key to the episode's success is that the romance does come across well on-screen. Patrick Stewart and Wendy Hughes are both strong performers to start with, and they do "fit" as a couple: Two mature, intelligent, strong-willed adults. Developing the relationship through their shared appreciation of music is a wise approach by writers Ron Wilerson and Jean Louise Matthias, particularly when the music theme opens the door to revisiting Picard's experiences in The Inner Light.
The first half shows a romance convincingly developing between two mature, professional adults. The second half develops this further by showing convincing complications, given Picard's position as captain and Nella's as a department head. Each complication is believable: Picard's initial reticence to have his crew see him in a relationship with a crew member, Riker's discomfort at either approving or declining Nella's requests as a department head... Each of these is portrayed in a way that's not melodramatic and is entirely consistent with who these people are.
There is, of course, a Third Act crisis to speed this relationship on its way to its doom. Thankfully, the Bersallis firestorm subplot is well-executed. It doesn't feel shoehorned into the episode, nor does Nella's role in the subplot feel forced. The script has been carefully structured so that the crisis is an organic part of the episode, furthering the already-developing conflict by putting Picard's role as captain in conflict with his relationship. It's all extremely well-done, avoiding the pitfalls that snare most episodes of this type.
A good script is enhanced by Robert Wiemer's highly visual direction. Of particular note is the scene in which Picard and Nella practice their music in "the most acoustically perfect spot on this ship" - an engineering junction in a Jefferies tube. As Picard and Nella play, Wiemer does a slow pullback through the tube - a simple enough device that gives an already good scene that tiny extra push to turn it into something special.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
Previous Episode: Starship Mine
Next Episode: The Chase
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A good episode. My only quibble is how amazed Picard is at the sight of the folding piano. Sure, we can fly through space but a piano mat is 'remarkable' in the 24th century!
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