117. Hide and QFORMULA: Encounter at Farpoint + The Squire of Gothos + Where No Man Has Gone Before
WHY WE LIKE IT: The way Picard tackles the Q's temptation of Riker is classic. And Wesley gets the point.
WHY WE DON'T: Tasha really is an irritating character, and Q is a bit too Trelainesque in this one.
REVIEW: I'm actually a bit surprised I like Hide and Q as much as I did. My memory of its flaws was greater than that of its strengths, I guess. Those flaws remain, of course. For one thing, Q is settling into more of a prankster role and lacks the dangerous edge of his first appearance. The dialogue informs us he's nothing if not imaginative, but imagination is rather sparse. The Napoleonic setting, for example, is strictly TOS-style "surrealism", and the pig-masks don't work any better here than in Journey to Babel. A couple of nice ideas though, like taking Data's place and the penalty box.
Unfortunately, that penalty box leads to one of the worst scenes in all of TNG with Tasha blubbering and then making an awkward pass at Picard. And when I say awkward, I don't mean the character is awkward, but rather that the actress is. At this point, I really think she couldn't have done anything with the character even if she had stayed all seven years. Wesley's also a simpering character, but a least non-fans can cheer at his getting a bayonnette in the back. Troi is out of the picture, you'll note, possibly to remove any emotional baggage she might've brought Riker.
And for all that, I thought Riker's dilemma was an interesting one, and the way Picard let him demonstrate his powers to the crew, a brilliant use of the captain's lawyerly skills (again). Possibly for the first time, Patrick Stewart is in total control of the character (throughout the episode). It's great how each character refuses his gift, showing incredible integrity. Data's refusal is actually moving and very well acted. Geordi also comes out a winner, though his assertion that Tasha is all that beautiful is somewhat lost on me (sorry, Denise). The adult Wesley with the teenage voice is rather silly, but Beverley's reaction to it all is good. "And did you notice you and I are now on a first name basis?" Indeed.
The episode is put over the top by my noticing something new and totally personal about it. As many of you know, I'm a Shakespeare nut. No, I'm not commending the ripping of entire speeches in this episode (they go a bit far). What I just realized, is that Picard's big collected edition is THE SAME AS MINE! I've got that same Globe Illustrated on display in my room! Hey, maybe it's the same one, mine's just not an antique yet ;-).
LESSON: Not to throw that book away.
REWATCHABILITY - High: Might prove that Q episodes are always watchable, and certainly, John de Lancie is pretty entertaining. This isn't the best of the lot by far, but the characters are really starting to gel, and there's a good payoff.
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