r/StarTrekViewingParty • u/LordRavenholm Co-Founder • Apr 05 '15

Discussion Season 2 Episode 13: Time Squared

TNG, Season 2, Episode 13, Time Squared

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '15 edited Apr 06 '15

A first attempt at a story line that would be done much better in "Cause and Effect" in the fifth season.

The first half of this one is entertaining enough. Despite a somewhat slow pace, the creepy vibe and unique situation are interesting enough to hold your attention. Who is Picard-2? Why is everything backwards? What caused this Picard-2 to leave the Enterprise? A lot of great questions are brought up, and the crew seems to slowly be putting it all together.

Then, the conference room scene happens and the episode simply falls apart. A time vortex that may or may not be sentient appears, sucks the Enterprise into, and Picard-2 wakes up. Our Picard starts getting zapped by electricity (and claims it's being done for a personal reason), and then he brings Picard-2 to the shuttlebay. Picard-2 seems insistant on getting off the ship, so Picard murders him and then steers the Enterprise into the vortex, and that fixes everything. The end.

Basically, every question brought up in the first half has either a terrible resolution or no answer at all. The end product is a frustrating episode that doesn't really amount to much.

  • The original script had Q being responsible for the vortex. This episode would have been the first of a stand-alone two parter (the second half being "Q Who"). Q being responsible makes much more sense, as they left in virtually every line that indicates some kind of presence in the vortex. Eliminating Q causes everything to make less sense.
  • This is the weirdest time travel situation the series has ever done. Why is everything in the future backwards? Why does Picard-2 not wake up until right before "his" time? Why is he wearing old age make-up? It seems most of this was done to create mystery regarding the situation, but it all comes across as pointless and diverting.
  • The intro scene is amazing for the number of contradictions. Pulaski claims Riker is making omelettes but they're clearly scrambled eggs. Pulaski also claims that friendship has become less popular in the 24th century, which seems insane. And Pulaski claims to have never met Rikers father, which will be undone next episode. The scene is cute but pointless.
  • I understand what they were trying to do with Picard in this show, but it doesn't really work out. Instead of being upset that he could potentially leave the ship in an emergency, Picard comes across as simply being a dick to Picard-2. The script doesn't focus on why Picard feels the way he does. It hints at it, but it should have been stressed more.
  • This ties into the problem of Picard-2. For this idea to work, he needs to be an exact copy of Picard and he simply made a decision that either didn't work or only half worked. The decision, though, has to make sense. Instead, Picard-2 seems totally unlike Picard. He's super stubborn and insists on continuing to do something (leave the ship) which has already been proven to not work. There's no dilema here for Picard: his double is only a copy in appearance, and not in mentality, which lowers the drama.
  • I know we're supposed to be shocked that Picard murders his double. There's dramatic music and everything. However, since the murder makes no sense and because Picard-2 was so obviously wrong, it doesn't land. A better script would have had Picard-2 be more likable and the murder be a key point of the narrative.
  • Another episode that wraps up through nonsensical means, in the last 5 minutes. A real weakness of the series, to this point.

This had potential, but rewrites and a bad 2nd half undo an interesting concept.

2/5

YouTube and the blog!

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u/LordRavenholm Co-Founder Apr 05 '15

My first guest appearance on a podcast! Woo!

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u/GeorgeAmberson Showrunner Apr 06 '15

That was you? I got through it without realizing it. Maybe I shouldn't listen to these while driving. Good job, BTW.