Now with more robots! "Maps and Legends" Worldbuilding: Last week was a strong pilot, re-introducing us to Picard as if we could forget and updating us on his tea preferences, safety-deposit box status, and 24th Century media bias. Sure. Fine. Not bad. I watched it twice. This week zooms out a little and gives us what we want: More robots and more Borg. And no, they're not the same thing. We flashback to 14 years ago, in future-history time, and get a glimpse of the Robot Revolution on Mars (they're called Synthetics here, not to be confused with what your nephew smokes in his grandma's basement while trolling Flat-Earthers). They all look a little like bald Datas until they suddenly go murder-happy. The attention to detail is good here and the world feels pretty lived in. You can't go wrong adding more robots to a story, and this is an important establishing scene because all the ubiquitous worker-bots they said last episode were made illegal had never really been seen previously or mentioned in The Next Generation timeline. Data was always one of a kind (one of three, technically, and then he had that daughter once for an episode, but who's counting?). So this sorta scene tricks us into retconning them into our memory of the future. As for the Borg, some random leftover cube is floating in Romulan space, as cubes are wont to do, and various alien tourists and scientists are hanging out there, helping the cyber-zombies return to their previous identities. And occasionally boning. Female Object of the Plot #2 (the twin sister of last week's Object of the Plot) hooks up for some casual sex with the allegedly hot Romulan (kinda scruffy-looking if you ask me, but you didn't) who turns out to be a spy and the girl is his mission. This is what makes her an Object of the Plot. I look forward to her making choices later maybe and joining the growing cast of characters. Special shout out to the "Days Since Last Assimilation" sign. Also Picard is in this episode. He makes an Admiral drop the F-Bomb (the Federation's Utopian days are long gone, my friend). Also, he's dying. This must be the fourth terminal condition he's got over the course of the show (Irumadic Syndrome, Shalaft's Syndrome and a double fake-heart transplant in case you question my count). The writers should just start reusing them. Heck, maybe this'll turn out to be one of those, still, but they don't name it. We just need to know it's dire and there are stakes. Mostly Picard and his Romulan immigrant maid talk ghost stories about double-extra-secret spy agencies that she knows a convenient amount of detail on and he tries to get a ship but no one will help. Conclusion: And then it's over again. These episodes feel so short it's kinda hard to watch them one at a time. It'll make for a great binger when it's finished though. I love the pacing and the naturalistic drama, I just wish we were getting bigger chunks at a time. Right now it feels like trying to watch a film late at night and your kid wakes up and you have to quick turn off the screen or they'll start begging to watch Peppa Pig and if you don't let them watch at least two episodes -- No Five! -- they'll be screaming their over-tired tantrums on the floor till you lay with them in bed for an hour wondering who was that chick at the end Picard brought the wine for and how come he has so many old friends who are young. I guess I'll have to wait till next week... Don't Forget to Like or Retweet!
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