From: jal41820@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Smiley)
Subject: Smiley's Spoiler Review: The Quality of Life
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 06:47:23 GMT


The usual format follows: warning, ctrl-L, rating, ctrl-L, spoiler ridden
review.

9.25

It is not often that an episode has me sitting on the edge of a chair 
saying to myself "Holy Sh**". This was one of them.

There were only two and three quarters things that bothered me about the show
(you'll see in a minute how I come up with 2 3/4 :).

1) Dr. Faranan (or however it's spelled. I don't remember it exactly since
I left the VCR over an hour ago). She was all right at first, but she was
just sort of annoying in the discussion of the possibilities of the exocomms
being alive. I guess she just seemed really artificial.

2) I understand Data's approaching Dr. Crusher to talk to her, but I think
the opening premise of the conversation stuck out like a sore thumb. "What
defines life" (prolly not an exact quote, sue me :) coming from Data, who
could look it up in a second, and look up thousands of references on the
subject, just didn't strike me right. I guess if they changed the first few
lines, I would have been all right, but again, that just seemed to stick
out.

2 1/2) When Data performs his test, we get a good view of the exocomm
starting to turn back, but then changing it's mind. Right there, the
viewer knows that it's alive, and that it saw right through the test.
I would have prefered something along the lines of Data looking at a 
computer playback of what occured in the corridor, seeing that, and
combining that with the test results to verify indeed it saw through the
test. How it was made that bit a little predictable.

2 3/4) The technobable was on the level of non-understanding, but
it was minimal, and wasn't essential to the problem that was occuring.
However, I would have liked a little explanation of how the exocomms
developed thought ability. Again, not too big a deal; I just accepted
that they did.

But those are the only problems I had. The direction was a tad less of the
level of Cause and Effect, but still damn good. Although, I could have
guessed Frakes directed it as he was missing from a few key scenes, like
the initiall discussion in the ready room of whether or not it was alive. :)

The ending wasn't too slow, nor was it too fast. Additionally, it surprised
me and kept me in suspense. I wasn't sure how they would handle the
dilemma, and i was almost afraid the exocomms would end up dead. Then I
thought they'd refuse the mission, and something else would have to be
done. But I absolutely loved the idea of them coming up with their own
solution. And then the ending of one staying behind to allow the others
to live seemed the perfect ending to show their actual aliveness.

Basically, I could go on about all the good points, but i think it would
start to get excessive. The main thing that brought my rating down was
the Doctor. Other than that, a GREAT episode.
-- 
        Josh Laff              #     #      
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