From: "bernie wong" <bernie.wong@canrem.com>
Subject: Lynch's Spoiler Review: "Chain of Command, Part II"
Reply-To: "bernie wong" <bernie.wong@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: rec
Date: 26 Dec 92 22:05:40 EST

 -=> Timothy W. Lynch babbled to All and look what he said! <=-

 TWL> From our perspective, he's walking out of Gul Madred's torture
 TWL> chamber one minute, and back to normal the next; and that is simply
 TWL> wrong.  I realize that given the intense nature of the torture, there
 TWL> may have been a certain urge to reassure viewers that "yes, don't
 TWL> worry, everything *is* all right;" but that same intensity makes such a
 TWL> flat assurance ludicrous at best.  

I really was not pleased with this.  The whole family was thinking that
Picard would be in some sort of therapy at that point!  He should have
been like Riker right after the operation (when he arrived on the
bridge) in "The Host".

BTW, did you note his short glance at Troi after "I stand relieved" in
CoC Pt. II?  He DID notice the uniform!  :-)

 TWL> On the other, however, I remember the examples of BOBW
 TWL> and "The Inner Light" (among other things), where very real character
 TWL> changes are given token mention later (I'd say "lip service", but in
 TWL> the case of "The Inner Light" it would be a very bad pun, given the
 TWL> recent cameo of the flute) and then forgotten forever.  

Agreed.  I really hate it when the end it like that with a cheesy dark
ending and just leave it at that.  "Inner Light" was nice especially
with that cameo like you noted but there really isn't any way to bring
this one back.  Unless, of course, "Ship In A Bottle" is like "Family"
and really is like a 3rd part.  I'd really like that.  Unfortunately, I
doubt we'd even see a "How are you feeling now, Captain?" let alone
showing Picard in thearpy (mental of course) with Troi.

 TWL> --Given that, however, I have to wonder why Paramount changed the
 TWL> schedule at the last minute, particularly given that CoC2 will be
 TWL> airing in NYC the day after Christmas, which is not a particularly big
 TWL> day for television viewing. Was it just that they wanted to get in a
 TWL> lot of ads for DS9, or was there something more?  (Or did somebody just
 TWL> screw up?) 

Ha!  CoC Pt. II aired ON CHRISTMAS DAY here in Toronto/Buffalo.  I was
damned surprise when the WHOLE FAMILY (extended family et. all) decided
to watch TNG happily with me (my aunt even cried at the end) instead of
"Sister Act" like we had rented.

It turned out to be a very moving and enjoyable Christmas viewing!  Way
to go Paramount!  :-)  However, I do realize make such a drastic change
that could seriously affect many people since many people go out on
holidays at this time was a bad move.

 TWL> --Could someone with a closed-captioning decoder please let me know
 TWL> what Picard's final lines are after "You cannot hurt me!"  I've gone
 TWL> over it several times, but damned if I can make it out...

Didn't he just fall over?  Or was that just in the promo?  I think he
was trying to repeat "6 years old...  only a boy..." or something like
that...  I thought you put that down in your synopsis!

 TWL> Plot:  9.  I have several objections about the ending, but few of them
 TWL> impact 	directly on this episode.

My brother was FURIOUS at Pt. II.  He felt there should have been a huge
rescue mission.  I mean, CoC was SCREAMING for a big Starfleet sting
operation.  The tortue was a beut but the mines were poor...  Can't a
starship have proximity alerts?

 TWL> Characterization:  10.  I could not in good conscience do otherwise.

Gal Gamek sucked.  He was like every other two-dimensional Ferengi,
Klingon, or Romulan when they're mad.  Look at him!  Poorly acted and
the hands spread out on the table to boot (I'm talking about the little
communic).

 TWL> TOTAL:  10.  Very nice, folks; very nice.

I don't know about you but 9, 10, and 10 makes it 9.7...  :-)


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Jason Wong
Calling from Markham, Ontario CANADA.  It's not cold though!  :-)
INTERNET E-MAIL: bernie.wong@canrem.com


... We come in peace, and you BLATANTLY defile that!  Chang
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