Tag Archives: Michelle Hurd

Star Trek: Picard – The Bounty – TV Review

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TL;DR – When you explore the past and think about the future, you get a perfect episode of Star Trek

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

The USS Titan-A behind a star.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

When you look back on Season 1 and Season 2 of Star Trek Picard, I loved them, but they did suffer from the mid-season slump. They got lost among the weeds but found themselves in the end. But this is the last ever season, and if you wanted something to land, now would be the time to do it, and I am so glad that is what we are getting.

So to set the scene, at the end of Imposters, we discovered that things were worse than anyone had thought. The Changelings can now replicate internal organs meaning they can pass through all the scanners set up at the end of The Dominion War. Now they have made their way into every part of Starfleet, and the USS Titan-A is now in their sights. How can they prove they are innocent? Oh, just infiltrate the most secure facility in all of the Federation. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Star Trek: Picard – Imposters – TV Review

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TL;DR – Things go from bad to just fundamentally worse, like just about the worst of the worst.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

Two captains and an admiral.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

I need to stop saying that ‘It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn’ because I fundamentally misjudged where the bottom was for the USS Titan-A and her crew. Because … oh wow … we are in a bad place, like fundamentally almost the worst place you want to be.

So to set the scene, after fighting off The Shrike and escaping the nebula, the USS Titan-A limped back into Federation space to make repairs. But while the crew wonders why the Changelings are not reverting to goo, Starfleet shows up. Riker (Michael Dorn) and Picard (Patrick Stewart) did break more than a few laws to save Beverly (Gates McFadden). But when the security crew from the Duderstadt class USS Intrepid arrives, we find the exanimation undertaken by an old friend … or enemy? Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.    

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Star Trek: Picard: Seventeen Seconds – TV Review

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TL;DR – A bit of a rocky episode, but that is to be expected when you are at your lowest point.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

Picard's hand on Riker's.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

As far as we know, Thomas Fuller was the first to write the phrase ‘It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn’. As a theologian, he had a particular view on what he meant by that, and being written in 1650, I am not sure he ever would have thought about how those words would be translated in a cinematic context. But now more than ever, It is always darkest before the dawn.

So to set the scene, a while ago in the past, back when Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) was new to the USS Titan, he sat down [in another new uniform, I weep for the cosplayers] with his old mentor Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart). Deanna (Marina Sirtis) had just given birth to their son Thaddeus, and they were celebrating. In the now, after deciding at the end of Disengage not to hand over Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the USS Titan-A dives into the nebula to avoid detection. Still, not even that may save them from the Shrike and her captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer). Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.

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Star Trek: Picard: Disengage – TV Review

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TL;DR – This episode was full of electric moments that I could not look away from.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

The Shrike comes out from the nebular.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

There are many things I look for in an episode of Science Fiction. Sometimes I am in the mood for an action scene, sometimes, it is a character marching into an entire soliloquy captivating the screen, and sometimes I just want to be shocked by what just happened. Well, today, we get an episode of Star Trek that does all this and more.   

So to set the scene, in The Next Generation, Picard (Patrick Stewart) is almost on his way off-world to spend some time with his love when he gets a message from Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and old friend, an old flame, and someone who he has not talked to in 20 years. But she was in trouble, and with the help of Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Seven (Jeri Ryan) [and no thanks to Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick)], they went past the edges of Federation space to mount a rescue. But when they got there, they found a couple of surprises, including Beverly’s son Jack (Ed Speleers), but also that they might have led the person hunting Beverly right to her. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.    

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Star Trek: Picard – The Next Generation – TV Review

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TL;DR – A beautiful start to the final season.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

Commander Seven of Nine

Star Trek: Picard Review –

I have enjoyed the first two seasons of Star Trek Picard, even though they have been very uneven. But I did have some hesitations coming into Season 3 because it felt like the show was dumping most of its supporting cast to give The Next Generation crew one last run. Was this nostalgia going to be a lovely swan song for the final season or an anchor to drag it all down? Well, this first episode makes it feel like it is not the latter.

So to set the scene, we open in the 25th Century as we zoom through a nebula to the SS Eleos XII, where Captain Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) is under attack from unknown assailants. After dispatching them but gravely wounded, Beverly sends an encoded message to Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), a man she has not spoken to in 20 years. Jean-Luc needs to go help his old friend, but how else are you going to do that by bringing in some help from old friends in the form of Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.

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Star Trek: Picard – Farewell and Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A season mixed with highs and lows, but at least started and ended on a high note.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

Jupiter

Star Trek: Picard Review –

We have reached the end of Star Trek Picard’s second season, and as I look back on what has come, I can see great heights and deep valleys. While there were some frustrations, when the season worked, it was some of Star Trek’s best. With that in mind, what we will do in this review is look at how the second season charted its way through and then how it landed with the finale episode, Farewell.

To set the scene, at the end of Hide and Seek, the crew of the La Sirena are no longer the crew of the La Sirena because Raffi (Michelle Hurd) did a deal with Queen Jurati (Alison Pill) where she traded the ship for Seven’s (Jeri Ryan) life. However, before Queen Jurati left, she gave the team a clue about how to save Renée (Penelope Mitchell) and their timeline. The only question is how many more sacrifices will Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew need to make to end this final game of Q (John de Lancie). Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Picard – Penance – TV Review

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TL;DR – Every moment, the tension is ratcheted up perfectly, so much so that I gasped when it cut to black and the credits rolled.  

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

Star Trek: Picard – Penance. Image Credit: Amazon Prime.

Star Trek: Picard Review –

One of the most dangerous times for a narrative is when you are setting it up because people have to buy into it or not. Many stories have never gotten out of the gates because they stuffed up those opening moments, too little or too much information, and it all falls apart. Today we get an episode of Star Trek that can perfectly weave the narrow ledge between those two extremes.

So to set the scene, at the end of The Star Gazer, almost the whole team ended up on the USS Stargazer just as the Borg Queen transported onboard and started taking over the ship. Using the ship as a beacon to capture the entire fleet, Picard (Patrick Stewart) had no choice but to set the self-destruct. But then, he did not die. Instead, he woke up back on Earth, at his château, dressed in black with an odd symbol on his chest. This is bad, but what was worse was when he turned around and discovered Q (John de Lancie) standing there. Earth is the head of a great Confederation in this world, and it is Eradication Day. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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TV Review – Star Trek: Picard – The End is the Beginning

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TL;DR – We have a crew, repeat we have a crew, this is not a drill

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Star Trek: Picard – The End is the Beginning. Image Credit: CBS Studios.

Review –

Okay, if I am going to be honest, if there is one thing that will always sucker me into a show, it is a group desperate people coming together to form a crew. Well, today, we get to see Picard (Patrick Stewart) do it all again and I am here for it.  

So to set the scene, in last week’s Maps and Legends we learned a couple of important things. First, there is either a Romulan mole in the midst of Starfleet in the guise of Head of Starfleet Intelligence Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) or the head of Starfleet Intelligence is like just kill with Romulan assassin squads romping around Earth … I’m not sure which is worse. Also secondly, we discovered that Picard or JL to his friends has burnt all the goodwill he had left in Starfleet. Well, what do you do when all your options are closed, well it’s time to wing it Picard style. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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TV Review – Star Trek: Picard – Maps and Legends

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TL;DR – Here we get to see the drive of the season and some moments that really show who this current Federation is

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Star Trek: Picard – Maps and Legends

Review –

After the excellence of the first episode, the next question is can you keep that momentum moving which is a whole new problem all in itself. But if the first episode Remembrance framed this new world, Maps and Legends gave it context as we deal with its fallout.

So to set the scene, we go back in time to the fateful day on Mars when the synthetics attacked. We had seen part of this in the Short Trek Children of Mars, but now we get to see what happened on the ground as the synthetic F8 (Alex Diehl) is hacked and turns on his crew and assists in the destruction of the planet. Meanwhile, Picard (Patrick Stewart) begins his search in earnest to find Dahj’s (Isa Briones) twin sister Soji (Isa Briones) who is currently serving on a derelict Borg cube called ‘The Artefact’. Here he tries to go through the right channels only to get that thrown back in his face. Now we will be looking at the episode as a whole so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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TV Review – Daredevil Season 2 Full Review

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TL;DR – A solid season of TV, a little stodgy in the middle but it does pick up into the great end because of the amazing character and fantastic action sequences.

Score – 4 out of 5 Stars

Review –

So we are at the end of the second season and besides getting used to the fact that a whole season of a show just dropped at once, and given what we have seen, it is time to reflect on the full season of Daredevil, did it hold up over the full run? Well yes, mostly. Now of course since we will be discussing the whole season the only practical way to do that is with full Spoilers engaged, so warning Spoilers ahead, it is advised that you don’t read this until you have watched the full season.

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