First things first, can we please dispense with this “Previously on…” habit that Paramount+ keeps perpetuating? These podcasters understand there are legitimate reasons these recaps exist, but they’re kind of getting in the way. Why not make them optional? It’s likely most people will be marathoning the show, making them redundant anyway.
Okay, on to the show.
Synopsis of Picard 203 “Assimilation”:
Picard and the crew travel back to 2024 Los Angeles in search of the “Watcher,” who can help them identify the point at which time diverged. Seven, Raffi and Rios venture out into an unfamiliar world 400 years in their past, while Picard and Jurati attempt to gather information from an unlikely, and dangerous, ally.
Riding high off the adventures of episode 2, these podcasters went into episode 3 with a great deal of enthusiasm and optimism that Star Trek was, in fact, back. This episode doesn’t necessarily detract or dilute that enthusiasm, but there were some elements that seemed unnecessary and downright frustrating.
Let’s start with Raffi… These podcasters don’t have a great deal of reverence for the character of Raffi. From her first entrance in the first season, she’s felt like a fifth wheel. Or is it the third wheel? Redundant is what we’re trying to say.
A character needing something to do, granted these aren’t high marks for one of the main characters, but her actions in episode 3 exemplify these traits well. So, Elnor dies, and Raffi is particularly devastated, even more so than Picard, which is a bit odd.
Picard knew this kid from his childhood and Raffi went positively ape-s**t compared to him upon Elnor’s death. Her place as a surrogate mother feels sudden and narratively convenient.
Raffi’s subsequent reaction was to lash out at Picard, blaming him for Elnor’s death and basically accusing him of conspiring with Q in dangerous antics. This is falsehood #1 driving her irrational outburst, a falsehood she would know not to be true from her adjacency to Picard all through his later years at Starfleet.
Falsehood #2 is that Picard chooses to save the Borg Queen over Elnor, an obvious falsehood that even in the throes of grief one should realize as untrue.
It’s likely her grief will provoke a rash action or decision in future episodes, and there’s nothing wrong with a character making irrational decisions while struggling with a loss. But why not just make her plain mad instead of using a writing crutch to justify irrational and dangerous behaviour?
Aggie assimilating into the Borg Queen was the most engaging element of this episode. It was a fun new glimpse into the inner workings of the Borg and promises to deliver some interesting dynamics between the two characters considering the Queen’s cliffhanger quip to Aggie.
What leaves these podcasters most curious is what type of legs will be afforded to the Queen since she’s asked for them.
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Picard airs on Paramount+ in the United States, and on CTV Sci-Fi Channel and Crave in Canada. Outside of North America, the series is available on Amazon Prime Video
