In the fourth episode of the fourth season of The Next Generation, the crew rescues another ship, only discover that they’ve had a human prisoner for almost a decade. Sort of. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For talk of PTSD, abuse, kidnapping, and Stockholm syndrome
I genuinely did not think this episode would end as it did. “Suddenly Human” is a rough episode to sit through because the subject matter is so intense, but I’m pleased with how this was handled. It could have been a disaster, but instead? It’s a combination of an exploration of cultural identity; a thriller involving diplomacy and family; another chance to make Picard uncomfortable because children are awful; and a tale about trauma and acceptance.
All in one goddamn episode, y’all.
I honestly didn’t know where “Suddenly Human” was going for the first couple acts, though. What kind of story were the writers trying to tell? Was this the whole “human raised by wolves” trope or was it a culture clash story? When it became clear that Jono had been taken from humans, I got a better sense of what the show was trying to do. And I became worried! Granted, the writers had already demonstrated this season (in “Family”) that they could handle a story about transplanted cultures, but “Suddenly Human” was a much more complicated story.
At the heart of it is Jono, who believes utterly and completely that he is a Talarian. No one could convince him otherwise and for good reason! All he’d ever known was this culture since he’d been taken at such a young age. Despite that his parents died, he did have grandparents who were alive and wanted him back.
So what the hell do you do, especially once you find out that his Talarain family wants him back, too? Who does this kid belong to? I think that’s how everyone in the show (except for maybe Dr. Crusher and Deanna) view the issue, and I understand why that is. Jono is very young, and he suffers from evidence of some sort of violence. What if they were returning this kid to his abusive culture or an abusive father? (I was so happy that this was considered and that Dr. Crusher wanted to make sure Picard was aware that this was a possibility.) What if he truly loved the Talarians and didn’t want to go back to Earth?
All of these are valid questions, so I think that “Suddenly Human” ends up feeling satisfying because the majority of them are explored at length. Initially, Jono refuses any sort of cooperation or assimilation, only deferring to Picard out of his belief that women are not allowed to order him around. (Which went largely unaddressed throughout the episode, strangely.) As Picard attempts to make him feel at home and to slowly share with him the culture he was born into, Jono warms up to humans… sort of. He’s never fully interested in this life; he just operates under a general curiosity. But when he begins to have flashbacks to the day he was kidnapped? Well, I think that’s the moment when he’s less certain than ever that he should return home with the Talarians. Had they mistreated him? Had they made him into the young man he was at that point?
I honestly don’t think there was ever an easy answer to this. I don’t mean that in the sense that the plot was complex. (Which it was, for the record.) This is a delicate issue because this young kid had experienced more trauma in his life than most. He was violently torn away from his parents and reliving that. But we learn that his father has been really good to him and that Jono adores him. I think that reveal was the one moment that sealed this for me: Jono would never consider Earth home. Could he accept that he was a human? Absolutely. But Captain Endar had shown Jono life’s possibilities, had taught him love and kindness, and was willing to GO TO WAR in order to save him. I mean, that’s a pretty big demonstration of one’s affection for someone else, no? Maybe?
Therefore, I was initially shocked when he stabbed Picard, but I get it now. Completely. Rather than betray the father who loved him and become someone he was not, Jono was perfectly fine choosing death. He would have rather died than become human. Of course, he misjudged human culture and mistakenly believed he’d be punished with death. But the sentiment was still there. I mean… he also stabbed Picard? And Picard seemed pretty okay with it? SO THERE’S THAT.
I’m glad that Jono got to go to the home of his choice. I think that was the best possible direction for the end of this episode, but I would not have guessed that at the beginning.
The video for “Suddenly Human” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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