Samaritan Snare (⭑)
The yo-yoing inconsistency of the latter part of second season continues, plummeting all the way from the heights of "Q Who" to another low point with this clunker. When I…
Up the Long Ladder (⭑)
The thing about this episode is that—hmm, how can I put this?—it royally sucks. It's a poorly structured mishmash of elements (a thoroughly stereotypical old-worldish colony that's presumably supposed to…
Manhunt (⭑⭑)
I'll say this for this episode: the first time that I watched it after not having seen it in many years, it managed to pleasantly surprise me a bit. Maybe…
The Emissary (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This episode is a strong enough character piece, and does enough other things really well, that it easily earns a four-star rating, even if its main plot is arguably a…
Peak Performance (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Apart from one bafflingly glaring, major plot flaw, this is a wonderful episode whose thematic depth/complexity, sophistication, and sheer enjoyableness surprise and impress me each time I watch it. It's…
Shades of Gray (⭑)
A lot of people slam this episode as the hands-down, all-time worst of the series. I definitely will not go that far, but it is, for sure, an unsalvageable waste…
Evolution (⭑⭑⭑)
With the start of season three, TNG finally attains its full maturity. As with "The Child," I can't really discuss this episode without also offering some broader observations—this time about…
The Ensigns of Command (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
I have always loved this episode. It's a classic Data story, it continues to showcase the show's emergent new style and identity, and the shipboard half of the plot is…
The Survivors (⭑⭑)
This is a really a tough one for me to rate, in that even though it lacks the sort of egregious flaws that normally prompt me to rate an episode…
Who Watches the Watchers? (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
I wrestled with myself on this one for some while before deciding to go with my gut and award it a five-star rating. I've always regarded it as one of…
The Bonding (⭑⭑⭑)
This is a rare instance of an episode that has actually grown on me over time. It's far from perfect, but whereas it once stood out to me chiefly as…
Booby Trap (⭑⭑⭑)
This is another difficult episode for me to rate; it's really on the line for me between two and three stars. I first went with three, then later downgraded it…
The Enemy (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"The Enemy" has proven to be the episode that forces me to define exactly where the line is between four and five stars. I've gone with the lower of those…
The Price (⭑)
This, alas, is one of the few abject bombs of the third season; only one other episode besides it, I think, will warrant a one-star rating. It does have some…
The Vengeance Factor (⭑⭑⭑)
Though not an installment that has ever particularly stood out to me, this strikes me as a solid, watchable, and reasonably entertaining episode. It has some flaws, but it also…
The Defector (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This is the second classic Romulan episode of season three, and like "The Enemy" before it, it's a terrific episode that makes excellent use of everything that is cool about…
The Hunted (⭑⭑⭑)
This episode can perhaps best be described as "routine." Despite a few minor gripes, there's nothing terrible about it...but nothing great, either. That the "promising prospective Federation member world" turns…
The High Ground (⭑⭑)
This episode, while not without merits, is both muddled and deeply problematic. It strikes me, too, as sort of the inverse of the previous episode, "The Hunted," in some respects.…
Deja Q (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This pure classic is unique among TNG's Q episodes in that it's the only one that's actually fundamentally about Q; rather than serving as a foil, a guide, or a…
A Matter of Perspective (⭑⭑⭑)
This represents a sort of archetypical three-star episode and is better than many others to which I've thus far given three-star ratings (often somewhat reluctantly or with misgivings). It's a…
Yesterday’s Enterprise (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
What an absolutely fantastic episode this is! A true classic, beyond any doubt. I almost don't even know where to begin in talking about it. Despite the many cool ideas…
The Offspring (⭑⭑⭑)
Argh. How does one rate an episode that entangles a delightful and moving story with an ill-conceived and irritating one? I so very, very much want to like this one.…
Sins of the Father (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Ah, the first entry in what will develop, via future episodes, into the Klingon civil war storyline! While it's a tad odd structurally, this is a strong character piece for…
Allegiance (⭑⭑⭑)
The thing about TNG's third season is that by this point, the writers had figured out the show and its characters, and mastered the basics of telling a story, well…
Captain’s Holiday (⭑⭑)
Maybe the best way to sum up "Captain's Holiday" would be to say that it represents TNG kind of trying to be something that it's not—and, predictably, failing in that…
Tin Man (⭑⭑)
"Captain's Holiday" may have disappointed me on this latest rewatch, but "Tin Man" is one that I've never much cared for. It strikes me as a bit of a hodgepodge…
Hollow Pursuits (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This is one of the delightful, relatively low-key sorts of episodes (I mean, okay, the ship almost flies itself apart at the climax, but still) that round out TNG as…
The Most Toys (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This is another gem of season three that I've always treasured, even if it is marred by one weird, inexplicable moment near the end. TNG rarely went wrong (past season…
Sarek (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Sarek" was something of a big event for TNG when it aired, and is an episode that I almost reflexively hold in high regard—and yet, if I'm being honest, I…
Menage a Troi (⭑)
This travesty has essentially nothing to recommend it and is, along with "The Price," easily one of the two worst episodes of TNG's third season. Considering that it's both a…