Karnas, leader of some odd planet with a numerical name, has a hostage crisis on his hands, and demands that Admiral Jameson come and negotiate the situation. Apparently Jameson did such a great job negotiating a similar situation four decades ago that Karnas knows he's the right man for the job. So the Enterprise goes to pick him up, and as soon as we see him we know exactly how the rest of the show is going to unfold. The actor playing Jameson is clearly wearing bad aging make up. Obviously we are going to see him get younger, because why else would they have a young guy in old guy make up? Then as soon as he begins acting like a douche and making demands about how the process will go (especially that he must be the one to personally lead the away team), we know that he is hiding a dark secret from his past. The rest of the show is really just filling in the gaps.
When it's time for the away team to beam down, Picard is uncomfortable with Jameson leading the team, so he personally goes with them as well to oversee things. Jameson has them beam near where the hostages were held before. It's an ambush, and a near bloodbath, and Picard ends it abruptly by calling for a beam out. Jameson nearly dies in the skirmish, and now Karnas has decided to start killing hostages if they don't deliver the Admiral to him. So they beam down to Karnas's office, but of course Karnas doesn't believe that it's actually Jameson because he now looks like a very young man. Can someone please explain to me again why Jameson thought overdosing on youth pills would help? They spend an inordinate amount of time convincing Karnas that the douchebag with the MacGuyver mullet actually is Jameson, and then Jameson dies. The end.
This is just Horrible. Bad make up, bad acting, and not a single turn that the viewer didn't see coming. Plus there's just so much that doesn't make sense. Why did Karnas all of sudden demand to see Jameson for retribution on his double cross? And why did he keep the Admiral's secret for so long? Why did Jameson make everything more complicated by taking kooky meds? The sweet wheelchair is the only bright spot in this episode.
Published May 1, 2017
FIX THE EPISODE, BABY!
ReplyDeleteThe Enterprise is told that an admiral that they are unfamiliar with will be boarding to handle a hostage negotiation. They are warned that he is a bit unorthodox and reckless, and that bending the rules of the Prime Directive isn't out of character for him. Picard is in fact ordered to report anything questionable that he sees. They expect to see a young brash officer, but when the admiral beams aboard, he's a very old man. An actual old man, played by an old man. We're going to throw out the whole anti-aging scenario, because it only gets in the way of the story. And we'll replace the actor with someone that has the talent to carry an entire episode. Off the top of my head....Carroll O'Connor? Burgess Meredith? Someone like that. Although the admiral is a bit rough around the edges, the crew finds him completely endearing, and he becomes a beloved and respected man among the crew. In private, he tells Picard that he recently was diagnosed with a fatal disease, and facing his own mortality has dramatically changed his outlook on life. He used to be the brazen man that Star Fleet warned Picard about, but now he regrets much and is willing to atone for his sins and put things right. He knows that Karnas demanded to see him to call him out on the sham of a deal he negotiated way back when, and will probably kill him (this part doesn't change). Jameson is prepared for this fate. When they meet, Picard gives the same speech to Karnas about how he did nothing to end the fighting either, and can't hang this whole thing on Jameson. Jameson shares his story about how facing his death has softened him, and on his deathbed makes a heartfelt plea to Karnas to engage in actual peace negotiations. Satisfied that Jameson has been properly punished by a life of bitterness and regret, Karnas agrees and begins by releasing the hostages. Everyone is deeply saddened and touched by the loss of the admiral.