Shades of Gray

DVD, TNG S2 (Shades of Gray)

Commonly considered the worst episode of all 'Star Trek' I would have to agree for the most part. But even at its darkest hour I could find things to enjoy - there are a couple of nice scenes, such as O'Brien joking about Pulaski's fear of tranporters, or Deanna's approach to Riker's side in his time of need, but many more of the scenes come from other episodes, for, yes, this is the one and only clips show. I never understood the point of clips episodes, they are merely a waste of time - literally! We're seeing snatches of other stories, ripped from their context and expected to like it. Now once in a while (and this is rare) clips can be a good source for an episode (there was one in 'Starsky & Hutch' where the clips were used quite effectively and the in-between scenes gelled), but in general they are only produced because the series has to make another episode, but can't afford to ('Stargate SG-1' a prime offender).

Logic would dictate that one less episode is made, thereby retaining the sense of quality of a series, but most people would probably agree that TV companies don't work logically. Watching a barrage of clips, no matter how good they are, is like a reminder that we could be watching a new episode, a 45-minute trailer for the series, maybe even seen as a consolidation, a primer on where the series has come from. But in the main it's a bit dull and the linking material was mostly uninspired - Deanna and Pulaski wittering about what Riker might be dreaming about doesn't make for riveting viewing. So we're left with the only fun that can be eked out of the episode being to see how quickly we can guess the episode in which each clip comes from.

I was surprised to see the exploding head of 'Conspiracy' after the complaints it precipitated the first time around. And how come they could show clips of Tasha Yar after Denise Crosby had left, yet not in the final scenes of 'DS9' for a similar character in that situation? So the episode is not absolutely terrible, but its position as the end to the season magnifies its faults higher than ever. The writers hadn't yet discovered the cliffhanger ending, but to go out on a feeble little laugh when half the cast don't appear, or are only seen briefly would be unthinkable in modern TV.

Dr. Pulaski's last episode of the series at least uses her character (strangely, more than in some of the proper episodes!), but there's no sense of progression or finality. Maybe they hadn't decided she wasn't coming back at that stage? She was one of those one-season wonders that came onboard promising development in interactions with the crew and a rounded character, but it never really came to pass and instead she was hardly used in the last few episodes. She had a few good episodes scattered through the season, but the writers never really got hold of what her character was about. She was meant to have a Spock/McCoy thing going with Data, but it wasn't kept up, and though she could be a thorn in Picard's side, she wasn't for long. As for other members she never had much of a chance to interact with them. Perhaps the continued problems behind the scenes resulted in her casualty and many of the mistakes and dreariness of some episodes.

It can't be denied that Season Two took the series further than One, and at first seemed to have stabilised, but it proved an illusion and as much as so many good things were set in motion at the start of the season, they weren't as much in evidence by the end. The alliance with the Romulans against the Borg hinted at by the last episode of Season One never came to fruition, though we can be grateful at least that the deadly cyborgs did reach the screen. It had the potential to be a stunning season, but though the changes which shook it up at the start breathed new life into the characters, it wasn't quite sustained all the way through thanks to money and behind the scenes production problems. Thankfully it was as loved by viewers as before or it might have begun to decline. Season Three was around the corner and the fortunes of Trek rarely looked brighter, but that was in spite of the shades of grey in which this season hung up its phaser and certainly not because of it.

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