What I’m Watching: Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard: Season 1, Episode 7 “Nepenthe” (B+)

I’ll go ahead and say that this was my favorite episode of this show yet. The introduction with Agnes being approached by Commodore Oh was extremely intense, explaining why it was that Agnes would be working to sabotage Picard and the search for Maddox because she was totally convinced of the disastrous implications of synths. It’s still not clear what her mission is, and poisoning herself just as Cris was sure that Raffi was the one working against them is a strange and disconcerting development. Things did not work out well for Hugh when Narissa came in to clean up after her brother, and Elnor did his best to protect him up until the very end. Fortunately, Picard got to have a reunion that I’m sure delighted fans of the original series, and I’m pleased to report that I recognized both Enterprise crew members, both by character and cast member name. Riker and Picard really did seem like old friends, able to pick up exactly where they left off, while Troi was able to see the situation a bit more objectively and try to steer Picard and Soji on the right course. Kestra and Soji really bonded, and hopefully she was able to show Soji that she can trust certain strangers who just have her best intentions at heart. There’s still a lot to be discovered about who she is and what she can do, and having her feel comfortable about those around her will make that a lot easier.