Star Trek 124: When the Bough Breaks

124. When the Bough Breaks

FORMULA: And the Children Shall Lead + For the World Is Hollow... + Plato's Stepchildren

WHY WE LIKE IT: Wesley is used to good effect, for once.

WHY WE DON'T: I don't think the focus on family is working out.

REVIEW: If the original series was about friendship, The Next Generation has to be about family. Perhaps it's a byproduct of using an ensemble cast, but certainly having families (i.e. kids) aboard ship will tend to do that. I think there will be some wonderful family episodes, but When the Bough Breaks isn't one of them. It CAN be touching, sure, but its weaknesses far outweigh its strengths.

It does have strengths though, and I should acknowledge them. For one thing, Wesley is well used for once, presented as a sound leader for the children and being smart about what he's doing to get them all back home. Second, the production values are high, with the Custodian room being rather remarkable, for example.

Unfortunately, Wesley isn't really the guy you tune in to watch at this point (or at any point), and the focus on him and a number of children we've never met before saps the episode of any real interest. The plot and its reversals are all too obvious, and the happy ending seems manufactured, with Radu having a sudden and uncharacteristic change of heart. The kids aren't too bad to watch, though they tend to make the episode cloying and sappy overall. I guess Alexandra is supposed to be too cute for words, but let me tell you: a little Alexandra goes a long way. And if Picard's stiffness around children is supposed to be endearing, I don't really get it. I'm more annoyed than anything with everyone chuckling when it happens. Annoyed or very bored (which is often the same thing for me).

LESSON: Humans are unusually attached to their children. So I guess we should be happy to have been born of them.

REWATCHABILITY - Low: Overall, while I think the episode has its heart in the right place, you can't ignore the main cast too much in this series without disconnecting from the audience. The next time someone asks "What about all the families on the ship?", I know what my answer will be.