The third consecutive episode to which, based on what I’ve read elsewhere, I think I react somewhat differently than many other fans, this one is admittedly kind of a “turn off my brain and be entertained” scenario. Little about it really makes much sense, it’s minimally pointful, and it probably doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, per se—but there’s nothing really terrible about it, either, and a fair portion of the shenanigans are genuinely funny. It’s basically a holodeck malfunction story transplanted to a mysterious alien planet instead of actually using the holodeck for its pretext. I can’t honestly say that I don’t kind of understand why some fans don’t think much of it—but to me, it’s the sort of “silly fun” episode in regard to which one’s reaction pretty much comes down to individual taste.
There are, however, a couple of problems that I do think warrant comment. First, when the away team enters the Hotel Royale, they lose communications with the Enterprise. Data immediately advises going back outside, but Riker overrules him and decides to look around a bit first. A short time later, up on the ship, Picard comments to Troi that it’s “unlike” Riker to violate protocol, and that he should have headed back outside to check in as soon as communications were lost. Thus, when the ship manages to restore communications, Picard asks Riker why they haven’t left the building, and Riker explains that it’s because they’re trapped inside. This, as it happens, is true—but they’ve only just discovered it; they had no idea that it was the case when he actually made the decision that Picard is questioning! I really don’t think that the writers intend to make Riker seem incompetent, dishonest, or mildly insubordinate here, but that is more or less how he comes out looking! Secondly, I rather think that the episode doth protest a bit too much about how poorly written and riddled with cliches the fictional novel The Royale is. I know that, for the most part, the writers are going for laughs, but it sort of comes across as an excuse being offered up against potential audience impatience with the whole scenario. Also, it invites uncomfortable comparison to the quality of the writing in too many of the show’s own previous episodes…
Otherwise, I’ll give some modest credit where due for the sort of spooky coolness of running across the remains of a long-lost Earth astronaut, and also note that the teaser scene in which Picard talks about Fermat’s Last Theorem plays as a more successful version of the similar scene at the start of “Loud as a Whisper”—another attempt at showing the captain as a scholarly, intellectual kind of guy, but this time making a bit more sense (notwithstanding the meta-level irony that the centuries-old mathematical puzzle involved was actually solved, in real life, a few years after this episode was made). The scene is also at least tenuously connected thematically to the rest of the episode this time, with Picard referencing the theorem again in his wrap-up log entry at the end. Beyond that, there’s not a lot more to say here. I wouldn’t tolerate episodes of this sort cropping up too often, but I bear this one no particular ill will; it’s silly, but fun.