S4E2 Family

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GMGERRYMANDER
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S4E2 Family

Post by GMGERRYMANDER »

What a wonderful episode.

Three different versions of families. All of them about love.

At first, Worf's parents were difficult to watch, but the scene where they show how much they know him and what he needs was priceless.

And Picard/Robert was just a kick in the feels. So good.

Crusher. meh. not bad. not great.

But the scars from Season 3 are here and they are healing.

Loved this one.
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pksullivan
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Re: S4E2 Family

Post by pksullivan »

Again we see Picard being a huge nerd, his interest in his friend's project shows he's got interests outside of Starfleet which we never saw with Kirk. For a guy who doesn't like kids and isn't good with them, Picard does a good job with his nephew.
dnaphil
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Re: S4E2 Family

Post by dnaphil »

This episode was selected because we see the more personal sides of a number of characters.

For Picard, I like that they extended the trauma from Best of Both Worlds, and we see his healing in his own Sector 0.0.1; home. We also see that his older brother had to live in Picard's shadow. But for me, the best part of this arc is when Picard breaks down crying after the fight, and we see that there are a unhealed wounds from his ordeal.

Worf is one of my favorite characters and it is largely the dichotomy of his Klingon and Human backgrounds. At different times we see the human side of Worf that flavor his stoic Klingon exterior. His love of Prune Juice as an example. In this episode we see him struggle with having his parents aboard, but in the end after his discomendation, seeing his parents helps.

The last arc with Wesley and Jack is touching and a bit of a heart breaker. I love that he gets to see his father in the holodeck and the message is sweet, especially when Jack mentions that Wesley may want to wear the Starfleet uniform, and Wes looks down to his own.

This is a great episode and one that builds a number of characters and was an easy pick.
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RobAbrazado
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Re: S4E2 Family

Post by RobAbrazado »

I will cop to having skipped this one for Watch Club. The episode doesn't live large in my memories of TNG, and I tend to skip this one on rewatches. Reading what y'all have had to say, though, makes me want to go back and revisit. So thanks, Watch Club!
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RobAbrazado
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Re: S4E2 Family

Post by RobAbrazado »

Update: I watched it, and I have no regrets. Strong acting by Patrick Stewart, plus always good to have a glimpse into Picard's "casual" wardrobe.

Also, no spoilers, but this rewatch was the first time I ever noticed that a guest actor on this episode comes back on a much later episode. Ordinarily I turn my nose up when a series brings back a guest actor to play a different character, but...in this case it was a goddamn brilliant piece of casting, it turns out. :lol: And it was something I never knew until y'all convinced me to give this episode another chance! So thanks again, Watch Club. :D
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JimLikesGames
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Re: S4E2 Family

Post by JimLikesGames »

Good character episode, and as a Wesley defender, I'll put it up as a great example of the way that having him there brought out aspects of life in the future we'd never otherwise see.

In general, I always wish the show did much more to examine how folks feel about death in a post-scarcity universe where most of the immediate concerns about survival have ostensibly been addressed. This episode actually gets at that. Everyone's fed and clothed and has shelter, but problems of pride and trauma will plague us forever.

(This is also among the handful of episodes that also make essential prep for watching Picard.)
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Jared Rascher
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Re: S4E2 Family

Post by Jared Rascher »

This one is rough to watch, in hindsight, but I'll leave off that for now.

Love Worf's parents in this one especially.

I also really appreciate that after the momentous buildup we had for Best of Both Worlds, we didn't get the usual episodic "and now back to work" feeling. Instead, we got an insightful look at people healing from various scars, not just Picard, but also Worf's ongoing pain and the long-standing feelings Wesley has yet to resolve about his father.

I honestly think you almost have to watch this one after Best of Both Worlds to get the full effect of what the show was going for with those episodes.
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