WHY WE LIKE IT: Been waiting for this since the show started!
WHY WE DON'T: Dr. T'Ana's subplot
REVIEW: Take TNG's Lower Decks episode and reverse it... Seems like it would be a natural Lower Decks episode! Unfortunately, LD episodes are too short for a "day in the life" of each Upper Deck character to be all that substantial, and the effort comes across as especially silly. The writers do connect things together with insectoid invaders who covet the space cows the ship is studying, but there's really no reason for the Clickets to act aggressively towards the Cerritos at all! It's nonsense, not unlike the fact our usual Lower Deckers are never made aware of a shipwide boarding by alien forces (keeping their idea of only Lower Deckers ever seeing action intact), or indeed, how the Clickets are defeated. Their social taboo about being complimented is sold as anger-inducing, but is played as a sort of kryptonite. Obviously, Lower Decks is a comedy, but I think it works best when the plots still make sense and aren't "dumb".
What's amusing in concept is that in almost every case, Lower Deckers save the day in every Upper Decker story, save for Shaxs. He definitely has the best subplot, taking a break to fight an astral battle against his own guilt and rage over what he had to do during the Cardassian Occupation. And when the Clickets arrive, he beats them up while in a trance. It's quite cool. Compare that to Ransom ignoring the crisis, telling exercise anecdotes and falling asleep to manipulate his ensigns into working together and solving the problems. It doesn't exactly show him in the best light. Sure, the Captain's schedule is full of recitals and ceremonies, but that's at least shown to have a positive effect on morale and loyalty, and I think we like her better for it. Meanwhile, Billups has jerry-rigged so many systems, changing a lightbulb in Engineering leads to the discovery of a bunch of crazy problems that almost cost him his life. Good thing he had an ensign there.
The subplot I just can't stand behind is Dr. T'Ana's. She has to be convinced to order more painkillers because she tends not to give out any. Her solution is complete nonsense. She asks her nurse to mutilate her so she can test her own pain receptors so she can empathize with her patients better. My words - it's not explained as well as that, I'm just trying to rationalize irrational scenes. There's a tendency to make her act like a cat for comedy's sake, but this is a case where they go too far with said nurse petting her at the end, in public no less, and calling her "good kitty". Can we at least pretend Caitians are sentients on par with every other member of the Federation?
I guess the real MVP of the episode is Yeoman Stevens. We hadn't seen him in a while and he shows his worth here.
LESSON: It's important to listen during morning briefings.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium-Low: Too thin and silly for a solid recommendation.
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