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| Data is having disturbing dreams... |
Data is having nightmares. His dream program has suddenly started delivering disturbing images, ones he has difficulty shaking even when awake. Initially, Geordi and the rest of the crew think that this may simply be a part of the program - To more fully experience the human condition, the dream program is designed to occasionally give nightmares.
Then Data begins having "waking dreams," seeing images from his nightmares during his daily routine. When one of these results in him attacking Counselor Troi for seemingly no reason, it becomes clear that something is seriously wrong.
That's when an even more disturbing discovery leads to the realization that what's wrong isn't actually with Data...
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Over the course of his command, he has spent much energy finding ways to avoid the annual Starfleet Admirals' Banquet. This year, he feels obliged to actually be there, as much as he'd prefer to avoid it - and his sense of obligation is only increased when one admiral (Clyde Kusatsu) suspects that the Enterprise'slatest batch of difficulties is really just Picard's latest dodge. This "C" plot provides the bulk of Picard's material until the final Act, but when the situation with Data finally becomes serious, he takes the lead, using the holodeck to travel directly into Data's nightmare to investigate.
Data: That Brent Spiner is excellent barely needs to be said at this point. He was the first of the series regulars to fully find his footing, and he more or less perfected Data well before the end of Season Three (maybe even Season Two). He has taken a character completely incapable of emotion and invested him with a humanity that makes him impossible for the audience not to empathize - all without betraying the emotionlessness that is the core of Data's being. Neither Spiner nor Data really achieves anything in this episode that they haven't already done long ago... It just bears remembering, now and again, just how good he is.
Troi: Gets thrust into the "victim" role this episode. She is the cake in Data's dream and, eventually, the object of his attack in reality. Before that, she attempts to "counsel" Data in a couple of scenes that should be interminable but that manage to play fairly well thanks to the performances of Brent Spiner and Marina Sirtis. It's fair to say that Troi is far from my favorite character on the show (she remains one of my least favorites). But it also bears observing just how far Sirtis has come from her dismal Season One performances. The character remains a weak link, but the actress has proved herself an engaging presence, often in an uphill struggle against weak material.
Geordi: Is yet again tasked with carrying the Technobabble. He does show himself a loyal friend to Data, listening to him as he discusses his dreams and going to Troi to express concern. He also gets lumbered with a tacked-on subplot involving a pretty young ensign (Gina Ravarra)'s crush, a subplot that the episode seems to forget about altogether around the 30 minute mark. Not that I'm complaining about it being a dropped plot, except to wonder why it couldn't have been dropped several scenes earlier.
THOUGHTS
Another reality-bending episode from writer Brannon Braga, Phantasms is neither the best nor the worst of the subgenre. This episode puts Patrick Stewart back in the director's chair, where he makes the most of the script's surreal dream sequences, playing with different angles and camera moves to accentuate the bizarre images. Those images are simple enough for TNG to do well, but also both funny and unsettling: Data, torn apart by odd workmen; Dr. Crusher, sucking fluid from Riker's brain through a straw; the sweets-loving Counselor Troi, turned into a cake, fully conscious as her body is cut into slices with a knife... All good, ghoulish fun.
Less fun are the too-lengthy intervals between dream sequences. The first Act of the episode juggles weirdness and exposition well, but the middle portion slows down with long stretches of exposition. The scenes in which Data seeks guidance first from a holodeck Sigmund Freud (Bernard Kates), then from Troi, may be necessary to the story - but they go on too long, and are not aided by the irritating "Ensign with a crush on Geordi" plot. Dropping that subplot, tightening the Freud/Troi bits, and allowing one more dream sequence into that stretch would have done wonders for the pace.
It picks up again in the final third, as the crew realizes that both Data's behavior and the engine problems are the result of a multi-phasic infestation. This is resolved as it should be: By going back into Data's subconscious and letting his dreams play out, this time with Picard and Geordi as audience. Everything after that point is just mopping up the plot stuff that was the excuse for the fun imagery, and it is dealt with swiftly enough that it doesn't get in the way.
Writer Brannon Braga has done better with this sort of thing. Last season's Frame of Mind was more effective in blurring reality and fantasy, and was better paced and plotted. Still, Phantasms is good fun for what it is. If only the middle of the episode didn't drag so badly, I'd probably rate this a point higher. As it stands, it still gets a high average mark.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Previous Episode: Gambit
Next Episode: Dark Page
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