Attached

DVD, TNG S7 (Attached)

Someone at the Federation fouled up somewhere along the line. I know the point of sending the Enterprise was to see if the Kes were worthy of membership, but they already knew the planet wasn't a unified whole - you'd think unification would be a bare minimum for joining the greatest conglomeration in the galaxy, yet the planet Kes-Prytt III has a cold war of non-communication with each other. Goodness only knows what Kes-Prytt I and II are like. Seriously, why was this Kes-Prytt III? It must be the third planet in a system, or we might have heard about the other two planets. We do get to hear talk of the Federation council and learn a bit more about the procedure of inducting a new member, and even the date of Earth's unification into one government: 2150. So that's only one year before 'Enterprise' and I don't remember them ever mentioning such things. Not that I can remember every detail, that's why I rely on reference books like the excellent Encyclopedia or Chronology (or nowadays, Memory Alpha online).

The aliens were middling variations on a theme, unlike last episode's new race, they didn't have a strong character. I enjoyed Ambassador Mauric's attitude and mannerisms, though I'm not sure why the Kes need an Ambassador if they don't have dealings with their neighbouring country - maybe they have some interstellar relations, which was what made them a possibility for joining the Federation. I would also point out that although this is an episode directed by Jonathan Frakes, Riker featured heavily, so it must have been a heavy workload for him. This may account for the episode lacking the flair that Frakes usually brings. Not that it's done badly, in fact there are some nice location shots with Crusher and Picard struggling through the landscape, but the story lacked the expected tension it needed.

Where connecting two main characters together so each can hear the other's most private thoughts should have led to a rising level of animosity or confusion that might have upped the ante and given the chase by Prytt security more danger, the two of them are allowed time to reflect on the other's thoughts, to reach an understanding of the other that they never knew before. This was the strength of the episode, but it was at the expense of the action. The situation existed solely for Picard and Crusher to read each other and reflect on their history, and could have been achieved without putting them on the run. The difficulty was that they seemed to feel it necessary to give some impetus to the story, but there's very little momentum when all we have to go on is the occasional shot of a Prytt on a hillside, the chase ending with Crusher pushing Picard through a gap in the forcefield. That would have been a more resonant act but for the fact that there was no danger at by then because Lorin orders her people to beam them both up to the Enterprise. It didn't help that the other story is Riker having words with the Kes representative (and I don't think the Federation would look kindly on his action in beaming up Lorin, the Prytt Security Minister, when he'd previously been against such actions for Picard and Crusher).

The other flaw with the story is that the attachment between the two is arrived at without much explanation. There's a reason along the lines that the Prytt were going to be able to read their minds once the tech had connected them to a certain level, but the capabilities and purpose weren't developed enough, leaving elements of the story feeling unfinished. And I don't just mean how it leaves the two officers. It was good that they addressed something that had been hanging around since the early seasons, but it also makes you think it should have been resolved more favourably. The final episode would destroy all hopes, and films were looming in which action man Picard 'had' to be a free agent, but by 'Nemesis' a happier ending wouldn't have gone amiss. I can't help noting again the wonderful tea set that Crusher's still using, which I always admire. And it's nice that they continue to share breakfast, though the episode leaves you wondering if they ever will again as they can't even mention it at that point.

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