{"id":4643,"date":"2015-05-04T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4643"},"modified":"2015-04-26T14:37:46","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T21:37:46","slug":"mark-watches-the-next-generation-s02e02-where-silence-has-lease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/05\/mark-watches-the-next-generation-s02e02-where-silence-has-lease\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Next Generation’: S02E02 – Where Silence Has Lease"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second episode of the second season of The Next Generation<\/i>, THIS IS FUCKING HORRIFYING. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch The Next Generation<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of murder, racism.<\/b><\/p>\n

So, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m writing this review while attending Penguicon for the first time. (It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a lot of fun so far, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got most of my panels later today. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m writing this on Saturday morning!) I had someone last night ask me an interesting question while I was in a room party: Has my audience adapted to my taste? It perplexed me at first because I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand what they meant. But since a lot of the shows and books I have chosen to read were based on fan interest, they explained that they wondered if people recommended I read things because<\/i> they knew I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d enjoy.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s definitely been the case for a ton of shows I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve watched. Veronica Mars <\/i>and In The Flesh<\/i> are the two I think of instantly because it was clear those shows would appeal to me for VERY OBVIOUS REASONS. I imagine that this is the case with Star Trek<\/i> for fan favorite episodes I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen already and the many that are coming up. (I also know that about half of this fandom is eager for me to watch Deep Space 9<\/i> because apparently I will love it intensely??? WE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122LL SEE.) But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to think that over the course of these reviews, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all can get a good sense for what tropes or archetypes I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll lose my shit over. This particular one at the heart of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where Silence Has Lease\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is one Star Trek<\/i> has used before, and I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T CARE. I LOVE IT. THIS EPISODE RULES SO MUCH, AND I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M FUCKED UP<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s discuss.<\/p>\n

The Holodeck<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m slightly perplexed by the cold open of this episode, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all to consider that a negative thing. Looking back on this episode, I think I have an idea why<\/i> this was placed within the story. First of all, I like the concept of Riker trying to learn more about Worf by sharing a personal experience like this with him. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t imagine that Worf has<\/i> ever brought anyone into his life like this. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also responsible for character building for Worf. Through that violent scene, we understand his intensity better. We understand why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so eager to be defensive. And that matters when Data first discovers the hole in space because it informs Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear over the Klingon legend.<\/p>\n

However, I wonder if there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another<\/i> reason this episode starts with a Holodeck scene: misdirection. During the final act of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where Silence Has Lease,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I started to suspect that all of the manipulations of matter and reality weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happening. What if the entire thing was a Holodeck simulation<\/i>? I admit I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have been as satisfied with this story if that had been the ending, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t turn out that way.<\/p>\n

A Hole in a Space<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to do something as weird<\/i> as this is, then commit to it. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I like this episode. The writers had no problem not only dropping us and the crew into a hellish, ambiguous nightmare, but they stuck with it. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a slow burn of a thriller, one that methodically escalates until this becomes HORRIFICALLY NOT OKAY. I always find myself slightly shocked at the lack<\/i> of shock on this show, though. I mean, no one on the crew seemed to all that upset by what was going on around them. However, I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because what they go through while exploring the universe is so different from my conception of what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s surprising or scary. Like, I get the sense that Picard was standing around going, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another nebulous threat to the Enterprise<\/i>, must be Tuesday.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Which means that when they do<\/i> start reacting with horror and shock, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S REALLY UPSETTING.<\/p>\n

Abandoned Spaceships<\/b><\/p>\n

Why do I love this trope? WHY DOES IT ALWAYS MAKE ME EXCITED? No one ever invokes it and does something different with it, at least not in any huge way, and I STILL LOVE IT. Actually, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to think this episode does<\/i> twist the use of this trope significantly, given that the floating Yamato<\/i> ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T ACTUALLY REAL. So bravo, Star Trek<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Rats in a Maze<\/b><\/p>\n

And I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even comment on the use of that kind of trope without talking about how it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s intricately tied to the eventual reveal of what the hole in space actually is<\/i>. I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I suspected the Holodeck simulation answer, because this felt so much like a test. Now, this is not the first time that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen an antagonist like this one in the Star Trek <\/i>universe. Indeed, even within The Next Generation<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/i>s canon, you could categorize the villain in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Skin of Evil\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Q as enemies who torment others just for their own amusement. Nagilum is the same way, though his cruelty is due to his curiosity. Nagilum is detached from their experiments and deliberately remains that way the entire time. Their questions are brusque and mean, often times downright filthy. They have no problem toying with the crew just to see how humans will react.<\/p>\n

And then they have no problem murdering Haskell just to explore the concept of human death. Look, I understand that the scene works so well because<\/i> the escalation of the conflict increases so rapidly. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a way to demonstrate to the crew and the audience that shit has gotten real. It is also egregious to watch the show kill off a black man mere minutes after he appears in an episode. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a reason that the trope of black people dying first in horror\/sci-fi\/practically any<\/i> genre is a thing. It happens disproportionately to them, so much so that I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t unsee it here.<\/p>\n

Auto-Destruct<\/b><\/p>\n

The third act of this episode is just so unbelievably uncomfortable, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed<\/i> to be that way. Is it fair for Captain Picard to initiate auto-destruct to spare the Enterprise<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crew of suffering? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a difficult question to answer, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m very<\/i> fascinated by Nagilum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s choice to try to trick Picard into agreeing to cancel the self-destruct button. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s honestly such a good scene, though it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to parse my feelings for it because it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually <\/i>Data and Troi speaking of death. I should have realized that because Data had<\/i> experienced death, relatively recently. It was out of character for him to ask about it. Still, that didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an effective scene. Troi, begging for a chance to live over certain death? SO GOOD.<\/p>\n

I think the ambiguous end works best here. This show is about exploration, and the lack of closure lends itself to the idea that this is what comes with the territory. The crew are going to come across beings whose understand of other living beings is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, this. <\/i>And they accept that. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what the Federation is there for, at least for the most part. BUT SHIT, THIS EPISODE WAS MESSED UP.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where Silence Has Lease\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K., and Ireland. Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
\n– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running,\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
\n<\/a>– Please check out the\u00c2\u00a0 MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"