PIC] Season 3, Episode 10: The Last Generation
Rating: –
Read more at Memory Alpha
Unburdened with the need to spin wheels and force conflict, the last episode of Picard is the strongest of the season, and the crew all being together and actually doing stuff, even if it could be a lot better, is enough to probably make it the best episode of Picard in general.
The emotional stakes of the episode are tied up with Jack, Picard, and the Borg, and that element is pretty whatever. The show continues First Contact’s reimagining of the Borg as seducers rather than consumers, something I’m not that into. This puts the conflict into the arena of Jack’s internal decision and willpower. Can Picard tell him stuff that will be potent and convincing enough for Jack to overcome the Borg programming? Let’s look at Jack’s face and see. Perhaps if Jack’s powerful desire to “belong” had been articulated convincingly in the series this would land.
The rest of the episode is built with more meat and potatoes action, which has the usual holes in logic and some goofy overextensions in tone and spectacle, but it’s all still pretty fun, and like I said, the crew is together and doing stuff – on the (best) Enterprise – so I’m feelin’ good.
The last chunk of the episode is split between letting us spend some last moments with our favorite crew and, somewhat surprisingly, explicit set up for a spinoff series.
The spin off stuff first: Seven has settled into a better position than in previous seasons, so seeing her captain a ship seems like it has potential. I like the supporting crew, I hate Raffi, I like the ship design, and Ed Speleers is charming enough I’m hopeful they can find a good rhythm for Jack if they do a whole show. In my mind Q’s story ended too well in TNG for him to keep turning up, but also I love John de Lancie and it would be nice if he got a better send off than in season 2 of Picard, so I’m open to him having a Jack story. Even if Q needs a stodgy guy like Picard to play off for the dynamic to make sense, and Jack isn’t like that at all.
The crew send off was very indulgent but I ain’t complaining really. They do play poker for a very long time though. The real highlight was Picard’s Shakespeare-quoting toast, a Julius Caesar passage that was well selected and very easily felt more like TNG than anything P+ has ever done.
For me the real measurement of the final episode is if it could give us something at least better than the dreadful Nemesis, and I think it achieves that.
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