Synopsis:  Geordi gets brainwashed, and nearly gets to unleash all of his pent up hormonal angst on his crew mates.

Memory Alpha Summary:  He must have had a lot of sand in his shoes.

Review:  A vehicle for Geordi while also acting as a bridge to the season finale, this episode works on multiple levels.  We learn that Geordi likes playing trivia games with the computer and chess tournaments on vacation.  The brainwashing he undergoes is fun, especially when he’s asked to kill Chief O’Brien.  I have two squabbles about the episode, though.  As usual, the bad guy is revealed to the audience long before we should know.  It’s unnecessary here and insulting to the audience.  Second, Geordi and Crusher have this intensely stupid conversation about his insomnia.  Crusher asks him if he has something on his mind, and he says, “No, I don’t think so.”  Well guys, how about that impending fall of the Klingon-Federation alliance and the Federation being sitting ducks for the Romulans?  Nah, that can’t be it.  Geordi’s probably just tossing and turning over Leah Brahms again.

I do like the final scene with Geordi in counseling with Troi.  It’s purposeful, poignant, and it shows a vulnerable side of Geordi that doesn’t involve attractive women.

The countdown will be taking a week off as I take off for Vegas.  May the force be with you…or something.

Synopsis:  An entire planet is destroyed, except for one house, which must mean I was playing SimCity again.

Memory Alpha Summary:  Get the bulldozer ready!

Review:  Another solid episode that showed that TNG was coming into its own.  The plot is unique, unpredictable, and quite touching at the end with Kevin Uxbridge’s (played wonderfully by John Anderson) stark admission of sin.  My only quibble is that two species make an appearance—both of extraordinary power—that have never been heard of and will never be heard from again.

Synopsis:  Worf shows his racism while Geordi can’t lie with sand in his shoes.

Memory Alpha Summary:  Seriously, Geordi gets almost perturbed

Review:  I’m baffled that in Roddenberry’s vision of the future, Worf (who was raised by humans) would want every Romulan to die just because one of them killed his parents.  It’s the same attitude (as we later find out) O’Brien holds for the Cardassians.  I do believe it’s realistic (in other words, I’m glad it played out this way in this episode), as I believe humans may only come together as one when we have aliens to fight against.  However, I doubt it will mean our hatred and fears will diminish much.

Back on the planet, I love the interactions between Geordi and Bochra.  Mr. La Forge shows that he can deftly negotiate with humanoids as well as hot holodeck babes.  It’s too bad that good deeds don’t seem to impress the Romulan government, but at least Geordi impressed Bochra.

Synopsis:  Picard runs into his future self and rips him a new one even though he’s catatonic and defenseless.  Oh, and Enterprise esplodes.

Memory Alpha Summary:  You built a time machine…out of a funnel cloud?

Review:  This is our first time loop entry in the series, and it’s a solid start, if a little plodding, what with the middle mostly consisting of endless talking.  Stewart really does a fantastic job at realistically portraying the emotions that would likely show themselves if someone bumped into their future self.  Also, the fatalistic nature of the time loop is foreboding and watching the crew gradually feel helpless is a nice touch.  The conclusion seems of a bit of a cop out, and never really explained, which hurts this episode a bit.

Synopsis:  An ancient Vulcan weapon is found that Gandhi would defeat handily.

Memory Alpha Summary:  Arr, pirates!

Review:  The series’ final two-parter is a little heavy on the camp and a little long on time, but it has many great individual scenes that make up for it.  Killing Picard in the teaser is sort of like doing the “Hey your shoelace is untied” joke, so I’m glad they didn’t wait for part two to show him not-surprisingly not-dead.  Anyway, the great scenes:

–Riker and Troi fighting in the ready room.

–Data (as acting captain) putting the smackdown on Worf.

–Data “playing along” with Riker when he’s on the pirate ship.

Unfortunately, most of the good stuff is in the first part.  And then we have Data acting unethically two episodes in a row, even if for logical reasons.

I didn’t mind the episode’s conclusion and the explanation behind the psionic resonator.  It was very Trekky: hammy, but in a good way.  It just doesn’t make for a powerful episode.

The denouement is hilarious, with Data escorting Riker to the brig.

Synopsis:  A planet that was basically a giant arms dealer but is devoid of life now is not quite done yet showing off its wares to Riker (and no, that’s not a euphemism).

Memory Alpha Summary:  The crew was relentlessly attacked by fleas during filming.  Oh, season one!

Review: Although a bit clumsy, I like this episode for its individual parts.  Riker’s conversation with his old buddy (who turns out to be a hologram) is great, as Riker inform him that his ship, The Lollipop, has just been commissioned.  “It’s a good ship!”  Ha!

Geordi takes over the ship after Picard joins the away team for no significant reason other than to get screen time (after all, he could have sent down some redshirts to risk their lives).  Watching Geordi command is always fun, as he’s always simultaneously excited and nervous (sadly, we’ll never see this again).  Troi also proves herself useful, not by reading emotions, but by counseling Geordi in his new position.  Imagine that!  It’s too bad Guinan will soon take over this role, rendering her completely useless.

However, there are two major plot holes in addition to other problems.  First, Riker and  Tasha refrain from jumping into the pit to meet with Picard and Crusher because it’s too far.  Data does so, because he’s an android.  If he’s that strong, why doesn’t Data offer to catch Riker and Tasha if they jump?  Second, when Picard succeeds at shutting down the defense system, why doesn’t the drone attacking the Enterprise also shut off?  There’s no explanation.

Also, Logan, our 20^th chief engineer so far, first yells at Geordi to abandon the away team in the name of safety.  Then, when Geordi decides to run away, Logan rails on him for abandoning the away team.  Make up your mind, you pompous prig.  Worse yet, Geordi makes an official log entry in which he laments his conflict with Logan off-handedly.  How inappropriate!  I do feel for Logan, though.  He outranks Geordi (as do many others on board) but Affirmative Action for blind people allows this contrivance, or something.

Despite these missteps, the two climaxes save this episode.  Vincent Schiavelli is perfect as the peddler.  I only wish Picard and Crusher could have had more screen time together in the pit.  It seems a writer left the show after this episode because he said Roddenberry discouraged character development.  Well, Roddenberry died and this scenario would be much better explored in Attached, during season seven.

Synopsis:  Troi becomes a Romulan, and unfortunately, doesn’t stay that way.

Memory Alpha Summary:  Meet the Tal Shiar, a more galactic KGB.

Review:  So during this episode we wind up on the Romulan border.  In the previous episode (Aquiel), we were on the Klingon border.  Two episodes before that (Chain of Command) we were on the Cardassian border.  Does the Enterprise ever stay in one place?

Anyway, Troi finally gets an episode about her that doesn’t suck.  Her empathic skills are put to good use and her ability to improvise in a terrifying situation is fun to see and gives her character more depth, and strength.  My main quibble is that Spock’s cowboy diplomacy is now obviously including kidnapping and murder.  Picard seems to dismiss a little too easily that Spock’s guidance led his own officer to be terrorized in the name of long-term benefit.  I would imagine he (and the rest of the crew) wouldn’t be so immediately delighted at the end about obtaining the defector.

Synopsis:  Another egocentric scientist nearly destroys the federation by making everyone die of old age in a few days.

Memory Alpha Summary:  Dammit, Picard, I’m a doctor, not a one-season replacement!

Review:  Seriously, go away mad scientists!  The plot about genetically created children (Darwin Station…groan) is rather exploitive and the technobabble deus ex machina is laughable.  But this episode is really about the relationship between Pulaski and Picard and it’s written wonderfully.  It’s nice to have someone who will actually stand up to the captain yet still respectfully.  They’ve already made Pulaski more interesting than Crusher in just seven episodes (and that’s being generous to Crusher).

Though, I guffawed when Picard said, “let me finish my sentences,” as if he hasn’t been interrupting people since day one.

Synopsis:  Picard outsmarts some Romulans by playing with colored shapes.

Memory Alpha Summary:  It’s nice to know Sesame Street is around in the 24th century

Review:  A solid episode marked by a couple of storytelling issues.  The Yamato, which we saw a fake version of a few episodes back, is seen for real this time before blowing to smithereens within a couple minutes.  Neither the crew nor the audience know why, so Picard downloads the logs of Yamato’s captain and listens to a whole bunch of them, one right after another.  It’s exposition that would make a Bond villain blush.  Then, Wesley comes in, talking and talking and talking before finally spewing his inability to cope with people dying in the space military.  Thankfully, Picard can’t even finish his “there, there Wesley” speech before his replicator gives him a potted plant to eat with his crumpets.

This plodding section aside, the story is quite sound.  A lot of humor is injected with all the malfunctioning systems, culminating with Riker asking for some rocks to use as weapons.  And down on the Iconian planet, Picard engages in some quick-thinking by warping himself onto the Romulan ship to save himself.

This marks the first of several times the Federation goes out of their way to save Romulan lives without receiving any love in return.  You’d think after a while it would lighten them up.

Synopsis:  Enterprise, meet Borg.

Memory Alpha Summary:  They can’t be bargained with.  They can’t be reasoned with.  They don’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear.  And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are assimilated.

Review:  While this episode does an excellent job at introducing the Federation’s most feared enemy until the Dominion, it is weakened by Q popping up constantly like a VH1 video.  His comic relief doesn’t fit with the ominous nature of what they’re encountering, and it leaves a weird taste in my mouth.

I do like Sonya Gomez, and wish she had become a recurring character.  Geordi also shines again in his new leadership role while handling her anxieties.

Also, the Borg use a “laser beam” to cut the Enterprise?  It’s well-established in this series that lasers are a very weak weapon.  Someone in the technobabble division must have been asleep that day.

Picard saves the day once again by showing restraint and humility rather than posturing.  Good job captain.  Unfortunately, this episode feels more like a tease than anything.