From: mwasserm@diana.cair.du.edu (MARC Y. WASSERMAN)
Subject: Re: My $0.02 about "Time's Arrow II"
Organization: University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 16:44:45 GMT

In article <1a52e0INNje9@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> rfd@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel) writes:
>
>	(1)  Where did the away team get its period clothing?  They
>clearly had no money (hence the run-in with the landlady over rent).
>If they resorted to the old Kirk/Spock trick of stealing clothes off
>a clothesline, where did Beverly and Deanna get their earrings and
>brooches?  And how did Beverly *also* come up with a nurse's uniform
>and granny glasses?

A point that could have been better explained.  The only thing
I can think of is a) they stole them or b) they bought them by
selling something of value that they had (can't imagine what).
We seem to have lost some time between the two episodes.  That
bothered me.  I would have liked to have seen them arrive.
 
>	(2)  The story shows a *fundamental* misunderstanding of
>the disease cholera.  Cholera is a highly contagious, highly virulent
(some deleted)
True.  But surely Crusher brought some medical stuff along if
anybody caught anything bad.  Probably by the 24th century
it's a pill like aspirin to cure cholera.
 
>	(3)  All the talk of "electrochemical energy is being drained
>from their nervous systems" was pseudo-biological babble of the worst

Basically, they're totally drained of any energy, no biochemical
energy at all, no ATP, what have you.  Not just dead; drained.
I can accept that.

>	(4)  Picard poking an S.O.S. into Data's static RAM is the
>worst deus ex machina device I can think of in ST:TNG.  Only 2 Soong
>androids exist, and nobody knows enough about how they work to build
>any more; yet here is Picard, in the dark, just opening up the lid
>and miraculously finding a 1-key interface into Data's brain.  It's
>completely out of character for Picard--it reverts to the old Kirk
>chestnut of telling all the highly trained technical people how to
>do their jobs.  I could believe him taking a nail and *scratching* a
>verbal message onto a circuit board or something, but not rewriting
>Data's mind!

I'm not sure why this one is so debated.  Picard probably just
put in a binary message.  You know 000001, for A; 000011 for B
etc.  and typed out a message.  That's not so bad.

>	(5)  Data's 500-year-old head was yellowed, dishevelled and
>beaten up.  So why does it suddenly look brand-new when reattached
>to Data's body?  I thought this would be the opportunity to use the
>"deterioration" to let Brent Spiner show his age :)

Good question!!!! Also, 12% deteriotion is almost 1/10 of a mind.
Over 1/10, actually.  So why does Data seem just fine and dandy?
 
>	(6)  Sam Clemens saves this episode.  The actor who played
>him did a great job.

In the first part, yes.  I'm not sure it was accurate for the
sedond part, especially for "Twain" acting like he should have
under the circumstances again.  Why were his books "after"
the adventure pessimistic (as they wer) if he suddenly became
an optimist?  Good actor; bad writing in the lines.
 
>	(7)  The "mystery" between Picard and Guinan is another one
>of those "ho-hum did they or didn't they?" tidbits that the writers
>have lamely tried to tempt us with.  Wil 'n' Deanna, Bev 'n' Jean-
>Luc, Geordi 'n' the holodeck.  If all they can do is tease, then
>they should just forget it.

Oh, just let it be.  I'd rather not know anyhow.

>	(8)  How did Data's body end up back in the cavern on
>Davidia II?  Nobody picked it up and carried it through the
>gateway that I saw...

Blown through in the energy blast.  Watch it carefully.  I
was surprised too but my roommate noticed it.
 
>	(9)  How come Picard defended the Crystalline Entity's
>right to feed off of the terror of dying humans as simple hunger,
>while the Soul Ghouls must be immediately destroyed for doing
>essentially the same thing?

I have no idea.  Bad writing.

>	(10)  We saw Data's head and Clemens' watch explicitly left
>in the cavern.  What about the eyeglasses?  Were they Beverly's?
>You would think that, since they went to such trouble to show
>parting shots of the watch and the head, that they would have done
>the same for the glasses.

They must have been hers.

>	Oh well, *another* failed cliffhanger episode...Now I can
>catch up on all the other SpoilerReviews here to see what the rest
>of you in NetLand think...

Not impressed so far....
Here's to a good season (hoping)...
Marc

>Rich Drushel ** rfd@po.CWRU.edu *** Biology Ph.D. Student ** Cleveland FreeNet
>Co-Sysop, Coleco ADAM Forum --- Assistant Sysop, Science Fiction & Fantasy SIG
>"Solda pung apfashat ro des-marno, / Marn ladir o armag noth yeni arno. / Hell
>miryat it, / Jambo iat it, / Os lasse wei ticip kati baldo." / Old Ennish poem


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				30 Years
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