From: rccarm00@nx19.mik.uky.edu (ron c carman)
Subject: Re: Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Rascals"
Keywords: TNG, kids, Ferengi
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
X-Path: nx19.mik.uky.edu!rccarm00
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 05:18:55 GMT

tlynch@cco.caltech.edu (Timothy W. Lynch) writes:

>WARNING:  The following post contains spoilers for this week's TNG episode, 
>"Rascals".  Those not wishing to be exposed to the little rapscallions should 
>probably hold off for now.

[...]

>As in "Man of the People", I have to say that this was better than I'd been 
>expecting from the preview, and I can give you three big reasons:  David 
>Tristan Birkin, Isis Jones, and Megan Parlen.  These three played the young 
>Picard, Guinan, and Ro respectively, and all three were effective enough in 
>their roles to make the show far more amusing and bearable than the plot 
>would otherwise have allowed.

   Well, it certainly could have been worse.  I too was impressed by Birkin
from his role in "Family"; he seemed to do slightly less well in this
episode, but I think that can be written off to trying to fill some *very*
large shoes.. :-).
   Ms. Parlen did an outstanding job of protraying Ro, IMO; I was suitably
impressed.  Something about Isis Jones' voice was quite hard to get used
to for me, and detracted from the first few minutes of her performance,
but after a while one becomes acclimated.  Thereafter,  she seemed more 
than adequate to the task..
   While we're on the subject of the child-officers, I think due credit
must be given to the writes in one respect.  The lines for each of the
four were perfectly in character, especially with regard to Picard.
I could *easily* hear and picture Stewart's voice coming from the body 
of David Tristan Birkin... now if we could just teach them to write
better plots... ;-)

>But for the most part, these two played off each other very well, and proved 
>that TNG can definitely get good young actors when it really tries.  (How 
>Brian Bonsall fits into this picture is, unfortunately, something I've yet 
>to fathom.)
   
   Possibly as an attempt at comic relief? :)

>--Point the first:  there is no way anyone could *ever* convince me that a 
>short leave party would just happen to have Picard, Ro, Keiko, and Guinan on 
>it, with no one else.  So far as we knew before this, Guinan never leaves the 
>ship; and Keiko has a husband and very young child.  I thought to myself 
>before the show started that they'd need to justify the particular set of 
>transformations they chose; and I don't buy their justification one bit.

   I didn't have much problem with this (possibly because it never ocurred
to me until I read it in your post); but to me this is a minor point, 
considering how swiss-cheesed the rest of the plot was.

>--As a more general point, I find it hard to swallow that an energy field 
>appears out of nowhere *just* when the shuttle is in it, yet has no 
>connection to the reason the shuttle's in a hurry.  A few coincidences here 
>and there are okay, but this one's tough to take.

   How do you know the field didn't exist before the shuttle passed that way?
It could be an uncatalogued phenomenon, which is undetectable until you
fall into it...

>--Little Cliche (aka "Molly") O'Brien is *not* that old, period.  "Disaster" 
>was just over a season ago, thus she should be at the tender age of one.  I 
>had the same complaint about Alexander, but at least with him there was the 
>vague possibility of claiming Klingons age differently.  Molly is _fully 
>human_.

   Yep, this is the first *major* problem I had with this one.  This is
just *not* possible, and I kind of got the feeling it was begin used
only as a plot device.. (i.e. You're not mommy, I want mommy..).
Give me a break...

>--"Let's make the crew look like idiots, part one":  since we already know 
>transporter traces were available for these guys (except maybe Guinan), and 
>since we already know genetic damage can be fixed by the magic of 
>teleportation, I think Bev should have realized the solution about thirty 
>seconds after the problem was pointed out; and I know I did.  

   After all, we've already had two other episodes involving transporters
during this season *alone*... not a major sticking point for me, but
now that I notice it, it is a bit like the sand in your shoes after a 
walk on the beach.

>--An energy field which turns shuttle hulls into styrofoam (virtually) 
>happens to affect humans *and* plants in such a way as to de-age them?  This 
>deterioration starts by taking away only those genetic sequences which 
>control physical maturity, in several species at once (plants, humans, 
>Bajorans, and Guinan's race)?  I don't think so.

   This was the second major problem I saw.  If that energy field
could turn the 24th century's equivalent of solid steel (duranium?)
into a substance you can crush in your hand, there's just no way
a human could survive it...

>--"Let's make the crew look like idiots, part two":  Let's see, the 
>Enterprise breaks orbit and prepares to return fire.  Next thing we know, 
>they *still* haven't fired and have been on the receiving end of several more 
>shots.  Sheer tactical wizardry, clearly.  (I also find it highly unlikely 
>that two old Klingon ships, even souped-up, could take on a fully powered and 
>fully armed Fed flagship.)

Actually, I think we should call this section "
   "Let's make the *writers* look like idiots" 

   This is, IMHO, the biggest problem with the entire episode.
Do the writers actually expect us to believe that the same
Galaxy-class starship which maintained its shields and its
life-support through and extended encounter with a *Borg cube*
could be disabled in a matter of moments by two Klingon 
cruisers crewed by *Ferengi*?????

>--"Let's make the crew look like idiots [writers], part three":

>                                           But Worf getting off the 
>first shot on a *Ferengi*, of all species, and _still_ getting beaten?  Not 
>unless one makes a deliberate effort to call Worf incompetent; and that's a 
>charge I don't enjoy.

   This was the last major sticking point for me (and it's a big one).
What is unbelievable to me is that Worf could get off the first shot
and *miss*!  It just seems totally implausible.  And did anyone else
notice that the Ferengi in question seemed to *dodge* the phaser blast?
If this wasn't just a trick my mind played on me, that's another point
to add to your list of plot-holes.

>That includes Picard's method of getting to Riker.  Yes, it made sense.  Yes, 
>Picard himself found it distasteful.  That doesn't alter in the least the 
>fact that *I* felt absolutely no reason to watch it, and indeed was ready to 
>switch away if it had gone on too longer.  Having the goal of making the 
>viewers wince is, in general, a very *bad* idea unless it's for a short time 
>and for a very good reason.  This seemed neither.

   I think the principle to apply here is "virtually anything in moderation
is acceptable and/or enjoyable".  The scene of Picard throwing a tantrum
was good.  The scene of Picard hugging Riker when he first enters the
conference lounge is necessary.  But Picard and Riker embracing just before
Picard returns to the school-room was pushing things just a bit too far...
That last bit did indeed make me wince.

>However, the show itself had a few other snappy (or otherwise clever) 
>bits of dialogue.  Although most of them came from Ro, there's one set of 
>lines which I'm sure was definite, and which had us reacting quite strongly.  

   Yes, the writers must've spent their entire time on dialog, and none 
on plot, because the dialogue was better than I've seen in some time (with
the exception of Troi's last few lines before she exits Picard's quarters).
My personal favorite:
                     
            "That's the great thing about crayons.
             They can take you lots of places a starship can't."

>At any rate, the show had definite moments, and was certainly better than I 
>expected.  But the biggest question running through my mind was "Why do 
>this?", and I've yet to come across an answer.

   A cute piece of fluff, with some sharp dialogue, and not much else.
Too bad.

>So, the numbers:

>TOTAL:  5.  I'm giving a lot more of those than I used to; it doesn't bode 
>well.

   That sounds about right.  

>NEXT WEEK:

>The Wild West comes to the final frontier.  

     Yet another episode which *could* turn out to be a real stinker.
     Too bad we don't have any Saurian brandy to dull the ache... ;-)

RC Carman

--
/=======================================================================\ 
|     Ron C. Carman          ||  Quantum physicists get all the girls.  |
| rccarm00@mik.uky.edu       ||  Al.  Is he live, or is he a hologram?  | 
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