15th July, 2022.
Did I say Friday nights are a good night to boil vegetables?
Friday’s a good night to boil vegetables.
Especially is — like me — you like having dinner, occasionally.
At any rate … ?
It’s another Friday night: one with dinner …
And the fourth episode of Star Trek Picard’s second series.
Once I’ve watched Watcher?
I’ll be telling you about it: tomorrow night.
16th July, 2022.
Episode 4 — Watcher — opens with the usual summary of earlier episodes.
Then moves.
To show us Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart) on board the crashed La Sirena: desperately trying ton contact Rios, Raffi and Seven (Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd and Jerry Ryan.)
What he doesn’t know?
Is that the three have (unintentionally) split up.
Or that Raffi and Seven have traced Rios — or, at least, Rios’ communicator — to the clinic: finding out that he’s been captured by the local immigration control.
Back at the La Sirena?
Admiral Picard and Dr Jurati (Alison Pill) have a problem.
They can’t get the ship’s communicators to contact their missing crew-mates.
With a cold night coming in, and the ship’s repair system working very slowly?
The Admiral decides they should stay at Chateau Picard: ruined thought it is, in the 21st Century, it’s still got fireplaces, wood … and a lot of memories.
Especially of a song his mother always played.
When the pair have warmed up?
Is when the Admiral notices something.
Jurati has picked out volume fifteen of the Britannica.
Has picked a 1915 vintage bottle of wine.
Has moved fifteen beads on a toy abacus.
He works out the event that changes the timeline happens on the 15th of this very month.
Given the pair have arrived on the 12th?
The team only has so much time to save the world.
~≈🖖≈~
Now … what did I make of this episode?
You may or may not know it, but I’ve been watching Stranger Things’ fourth series on Tuesdays: having caught recently chapter three, The Monster and the Superhero.
One thing that struck me?
Was that that episode managed to lighten the dramatic load: with moments of light comedy.
Go read or watch the review: that explains it better.
That lightening is needed.
Stranger Things is a horror story, after all.
And, like any other drama, the episode’s comedic touches are useful: to make the darker parts of the episode seem far darker then they may otherwise be.
It’s something Watcher also does.
There’s an extensive car chase that sees Raffi and Seven, desperately trying to find the facility Rios is being taken to … whilst being followed by lord knows how many police cars.
Whilst Raffi criticised Seven’s driving.
It’s loud, fun … and seriously put me in mind of the mall scene in The Blues Brothers.
I could just hear Hurd quoting some of Belushi line in place of the ones she got!
With the added bonus? That Raffi’s flat out “I have no idea how that got here,” line, one reminiscent of some of Stephen Moffat’s lines on Dr Who?
Definitely put a smile on my face.
~≈🖖≈~
I’m concentrating on just one thing, there, aren’t I … ?
When possibly I shouldn’t.
That chase was a highlight.
In amongst many highlights.
The scenes between Rios and Dr Ramirez (Sol Rodriguez)? The almost Faustian scenes with Jurati and Annie Wersching’s Borg Queen?
Picard’s own interactions with a younger Guinan, played by Ito Aghayere?
Are equally as watchable.
Talking of Picard?
We know perfectly well that Patrick Stewart is getting older: at his age, won’t want to be standing up, and running about much.
So it’s nice to see that the shows writers and directors — Jane Maggs, Travis Fickett and Juliana James providing the script and Lea Thompson, directing this episode — manage to accommodate him.
Most of the actions scenes are being done by younger members of the cast.
With Stewart, himself, sitting down for many of his scenes: or leaning against something.
Including in a key scene with Guinan.
It’s subtly done, I think.
Or possibly not: not if I can spot it.
Subtle or otherwise?
It’s nicely done: as it’s keeping the oldest member of the cast — and star of the show! — actively involved, and very productive.
That’s very welcome, I think.
And very watchable.
The one time he is staring up? Is at the episode’s climax: when he finally meets the Watcher of the episode’s title.
That … ?
Is quite a climax.
And one I’ll tell you more about in next week’s review.
Between now and then?
Tuesday, 19th July, will see me watching Dear Billy: the next episode of Stranger Things.
Friday, 22nd July will see watching Fly Me to the Moon, the next episode of Star Trek Picard.
Frankly?
I’d love it if you joined me.
I’ll see you then.
Watcher.★★★★
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