Rascals (⭑⭑⭑)
"Rascals" is an episode with a beyond-absurd premise and an insultingly implausible plot, but one that somehow manages to be entertaining enough that I actually don't hate it. When you…
A Fistful of Datas (⭑⭑⭑)
There aren't a lot of TNG episodes that aim almost exclusively for comedy; even "Rascals," the episode immediately before this one, has some non-comedic aspirations, despite its ridiculousness. But "A…
The Quality of Life (⭑⭑⭑)
I've now given three-star ratings to a full two thirds of the nine sixth-season episodes that I've reviewed so far, culminating with this one. This wasn't the first time that…
Chain of Command: Part I (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Reversing the usual trend for TNG two-parters, "Chain of Command" gives us a part one that, whatever its merits, is definitively overshadowed by an absolute standout of a part two.…
Chain of Command: Part II (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This episode is widely regarded as one of TNG's most impressive, and rightly so. The scenes between Picard and his Cardassian torturer, Gul Madred, are disturbing, compelling, and complex, and…
Ship in a Bottle (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This is a unique and fun episode that, while never as impactful on subsequent viewings, is a real mind-bender the first time you see it (or it was for me,…
Aquiel (⭑⭑)
Whatever it was that the writers were going for with "Aquiel," it seems to me that it didn't quite come together. The episode has assorted flaws, but the main one…
Face of the Enemy (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Just a few episodes after exchanging her old outfits for a standard Starfleet uniform, Counselor Troi is suddenly given an episode in which she plays an unprecedentedly serious and substantive…
Tapestry (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Tapestry" may be my personal pick for all-time favorite TNG episode. A philosophical exploration of how our pasts (including the parts of them that we're least proud of) shape us…
Birthright: Part I (⭑⭑⭑)
This is kind of an oddball of an episode. I usually remember it mainly as "the Data dreaming one," probably because that story thread is the one that interests me…
Birthright: Part II (⭑⭑⭑)
Without a doubt, "Birthright" is TNG's oddest two-part episode. Instead of one story split over two episodes because it was clearly too big to fit into a single one, it…
Starship Mine (⭑⭑⭑)
This is another of those relatively rare "fun, but not deep" TNG episodes—a description (not necessarily in those exact words) that I also applied to both "Power Play" (three stars)…
Lessons (⭑⭑⭑)
Sigh. I remember really liking this one years ago. I always had issues with its ending, but I fully expected to be charmed enough by the rest of it, even…
The Chase (⭑⭑⭑)
I can't give "The Chase" more than three stars, but I actually enjoyed it somewhat more than I expected to on the rewatch immediately preceding the writing of this review.…
Frame of Mind (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Poor Commander Riker! Two and a half seasons after "Future Imperfect," he once again finds himself trapped in an illusory scenario that has him running around in reaction-mode for most…
Suspicions (⭑)
This is a bad episode, and pretty much nothing about it works (or even particularly makes sense). There are, alas, worse episodes of TNG, and I even considered giving this…
Rightful Heir (⭑⭑⭑)
You can't help but to admire the ambition of this episode, which plunges Worf into a crisis of faith, then immediately confronts him with an apparent miracle, and has him…
Second Chances (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Second Chances" is, in many ways, my kind of Trek. It starts with an awesomely out-there sci-fi premise (the transporter creates a duplicate of one of the main characters!), and…
Timescape (⭑⭑⭑)
"Timescape" is a pretty solid three-star offering about which I have a few minor quibbles but no major complaints, apart from some very general here's-why-I-don't-enjoy-it-more type observations. For the most…
Descent: Part I (⭑⭑⭑)
And so, we come to TNG's fourth and final cliffhanger season finale. I'll be saving most of my my big-picture thoughts about "Descent" as a two-parter, and its place in…
Descent: Part II (⭑⭑)
Part two of "Descent"—and, by extension/as a result, the entire two-parter—is a mess on pretty much every level. It began (in the first half or so of part one) as…
Liaisons (⭑⭑)
Zzzzzzzzzz--snort-ugh, wha? Oh...uh, is the episode over? Sorry; I must have dozed off. Okay, no, but seriously: Is this one even for real? The writers went back to that lamest…
Interface (⭑⭑)
"Interface" strikes me as a classic case of the writers being hard up for new episode ideas. It is an episode built upon two main "hooks" that want to make…
Gambit: Part I (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This two-parter seems to have significant contingents of both fans and detractors. Count me among the former; for my money, "Gambit" is just pure fun. I'll try to confine myself,…
Gambit: Part II (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Yep...still on board. :) TNG's last-ever two-part episode, while not terribly deep, is a delightful bit of fun that wraps itself up with a suitably Trekkian theme. Admittedly, as often…
Phantasms (⭑⭑⭑)
I'm not sure how much I really have to say about "Phantasms." It's...fine. I mean, it's not too hard to imagine what was going through Brannon Braga's mind when he…
Dark Page (⭑⭑)
TNG's final trip down Lwaxana Lane™ is fairly painless, as these things go, but (surprise) still isn't actually very good. The closest the show ever came to making an actually…
Attached (⭑⭑⭑)
I like "Attached." I always have. I want it to be much better than it is, but even so, I do enjoy it. (I guess you could say that I'm...attached…
Force of Nature (⭑⭑)
The infamous "speed limit episode" was intended, of course, as Trek's contribution to the political and cultural conversation on climate change, which is certainly a worthy enough topic. Unfortunately, pretty…
Inheritance (⭑⭑⭑)
I have very mixed feelings about "Inheritance." On one hand, it's a competently executed and emotionally compelling story that focuses on one of my favorite characters, and it raises an…