UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek TNG S2E17 - Samaritan Snare
Added 2024-03-14 14:22:49 +0000 UTC
Comments
Ahhhh........fuckin Pakleds. To be fair to this episode, I don't think it's all that bad, especially as S2 episodes go, but I can understand why a lot of people can't stand it. I guess I have a little more tolerance for the Pakled's.....eccentricities than most. Definitely a highlight of the episode was the Picard storyline. Great to get this pivotal chapter of his life explored since we know basically nothing about his life before the Enterprise save for his command of the Stargazer at this point. Nice to see him and Wesley connecting as well, but I hated that whole "you don't like me, I understand" pouting routine from Wesley. Like, grow up, Wesley. I guess it comes across as a little insecure of Picard to be so secretive about surgery, especially since doctor/patient confidentiality is a thing and the only reason the crew found out was because they needed Pulaski and had to contact the Enterprise. Real talk we only see a small part of a huge sickbay complex on the Enterprise. I'm sure they could have sealed off one of the surgical suites and snuck Picard in(site to site transport?). But of course, we'd miss out on the shuttle ride. As for Pulaski, I don't really see a problem with her here. She respected Picard's wishes, and only showed up when it was necessary. What was she supposed to do, let him die? I get wanting Crusher to show up, but that has nothing to do with Pulaski herself. As for the Pakled storyline, the best thing there was vindication for Worf, FINALLY! Worf gets dismissed out of hand for his concerns from the beginning, but in the end he was right, and Riker looked foolish for not listening. The scene where they communicate the ruse to Geordi was pretty funny, but it's pretty pathetic seeing the Enterprise and it's crew backed into a corner but an adversary as pathetic as the Pakleds. Finally, it was nice seeing Gomez back again as a perfectly normal, and competent member of the crew. A bit of redemption for the character for those put off by the whole hot chocolate debacle.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-07-18 04:49:45 +0000 UTCTo save yourself from spoilers in the intro credits, If you're watching this off of disc you're kind of screwed if you're watching this on a PC through a web browser you can get overlay programs that will blur that part of the screen. You would just need to activate it after the theme song for about 3 minutes
harrypothead42024
2024-03-16 20:18:20 +0000 UTCI just think people offended too easily. I never got upset with the initial dismissiveness of Data. If anything, it offered a new element to the cast of characters, and gave her an interesting starting point for a character arc. In reality, back in the 1980s, when I heard that Muldaur was joining the cast back, I had misgivings. I did not like either her character or her performance in TOS's "Is There in Truth No Beauty." But I liked the slight edge she gave to the chemistry of the ensemble. Apparently, the TNG cast was rather harsh to the actress, including Stewart. And I believe Sirtis more than the others. To the point where they left Muldaur in tears. Muldaur has addressed the issue.... and her position was apparently confirmed by at least one director.
Tom Occhipinti
2024-03-16 00:23:39 +0000 UTCPulaski was supposed to be the next-gen McCoy and have a similar relationship he had with Kirk and Spock with Picard and Data. The problem was Data isn't Spock. McCoy and Spock were like two people with valid points sparring, but Pulaski and Data were more like an arsehole kicking a puppy. She didn't challenge his point of view, she challenged his existence as a sentient being. Data's name is a perfect example of this. Imagine McCoy on first meeting Spock mispronounced his name and Spock corrects him his much of a dick would McCoy look if he said “what's the difference?” the way she did. All this to say is yes, people disliked her because she wasn't Dr Crusher, but the writers didn't do her any favours.
A Surprisingly Moist Fart
2024-03-15 21:52:35 +0000 UTCDisagree, from the start she was dismissive, ignorant with Data, condescending, and in this episode Picard adamantly refused to be treated by her, but she does the surgery on him against his request and then stands there smugly with a "you're welcome I saved your life". She is a great actress, but she was written to be abrasive.
A Surprisingly Moist Fart
2024-03-15 21:40:06 +0000 UTCThe only redeeming thing in this ep is the Picard story. It is fantastic in a SH-eye-T ep
Prof Moff
2024-03-15 20:24:06 +0000 UTCNo. the fellas have been far more forgiving than we as were when it was first airing. The "hate" is deserved for the character not the performer. Lay it on Target Audience
Miah1138
2024-03-15 18:16:19 +0000 UTCThe Crusher thing is a thing, but I think we’ve stated our issues beyond that with her character (not the actress) and given credit when it’s earned. I think it’s been fair, but I get what you’re saying.
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-03-15 11:30:04 +0000 UTCDudes, the Pulaski hate is unwarranted. Yes, she's not Crusher. Okay. It's like hating your second girlfriend for not being your first girlfriend. You'd like Pulaski fine if the series STARTED with her.
Tom Occhipinti
2024-03-15 01:36:54 +0000 UTCI remember when this first aired, I kinda thought it would be Crusher saving the day. (Like many, at that time I was unaware of the reasons why Gates left.)
tyranusfan
2024-03-15 01:06:21 +0000 UTCWes looks up to him as his dad give the poor kid a break
Scarpad’s Domain
2024-03-15 00:43:29 +0000 UTCI think it's because she represents Beverly being gone. If they added her as like a guest doctor that shows up in addition to Beverly, I don't think she'd bug them as much. Also, the first impression they got of her was her ignorance on data. I think it left a bad taste in their mouths. I can look past those things, and I don't mind her that much either.
Andrea R
2024-03-15 00:43:19 +0000 UTCThey should have had the pakleds eat him
Scarpad’s Domain
2024-03-15 00:42:18 +0000 UTCI don’t know Pulaski’s been fine you guys really have a grudge against to poor lady
Scarpad’s Domain
2024-03-15 00:39:17 +0000 UTCTroi isnt a bridge officer she was probably doing her counselor duty
Scarpad’s Domain
2024-03-15 00:09:04 +0000 UTCIf it was a Friends episode: "The One Where Riker Should Have Been Court-Martialed"
JGoss
2024-03-14 22:53:30 +0000 UTCIt may sound like a WTF line, but Heart of Glory in season 1 showed a Klingon ship bearing both the Klingon and Federation insignias. They hadn't quite figured out yet what the Klingon alliance was and how it worked.
JGoss
2024-03-14 22:50:45 +0000 UTCScreenwriting 101 - if the plot advances only because your main characters act in an uncharacteristic or negligent manner, then the script needs an overhaul. Picard is dying? Why? The doctor who can save his life can't get there. Why can't she get there? Because the chief engineer is stuck on an alien ship and is also in danger. Why is the chief engineer stuck and in danger? Because Riker ignored the warning signs and acted like a naive, negligent moron. The episode should be scrapped and rewritten.
JGoss
2024-03-14 22:48:48 +0000 UTCI usually don't either but this scene really stood out with that line. Lol
Andrea R
2024-03-14 22:34:09 +0000 UTCThey made it sounds plausible enough to me.
Jovet
2024-03-14 22:14:34 +0000 UTCI only heard Bones's voice in the first episode. I don't think about or compare against TOS since.
Jovet
2024-03-14 22:14:01 +0000 UTCThat's not why people are NPO before surgery. It's so they don't regurgitate whatever is in their stomach and choke to death.
Jovet
2024-03-14 22:09:32 +0000 UTCAs others have commented and pointed out previously, I like this episode for the Picard-Wesley moments and we find out that Picard was the opposite of James T. Kirk. Kirk was a studious cadet who took things seriously (A stack of books with legs. In his class you either think...or sink.) who later became a cavalier womanizer who cheated death many times over. Picard was a wild, somewhat out-of-control ensign who later became serious and a by-the-book officer.
Collin Freeman
2024-03-14 21:51:09 +0000 UTCYou're not wrong. I think he was saying "Follicular Infarction". Sounds cool, but I think it was pure nonsense on the part of the writers.
Collin Freeman
2024-03-14 21:48:28 +0000 UTCNo anesthesia, they put him to sleep with those brainwave things
tyranusfan
2024-03-14 21:37:35 +0000 UTCNo, I heard it, too.
Collin Freeman
2024-03-14 21:08:08 +0000 UTCNausicaä is from the Odyssey she was interested in Odysseus and later married his son.
Philbot
2024-03-14 21:05:33 +0000 UTCIt seems a little weird that they sent Geordie over there alone. Why not send an engineering team or at least Data..
Philbot
2024-03-14 20:56:32 +0000 UTC😂 As allies??
Philbot
2024-03-14 20:55:14 +0000 UTCI don’t know because I’m not a doctor, but all the technical jargon sounds like nonsense to me. 😆 He’s like Facular infarction!
Philbot
2024-03-14 20:53:41 +0000 UTCI thought one of them might say that moments before it happened 😁
tyranusfan
2024-03-14 20:17:24 +0000 UTC36:30 Am I the only person that heard Bones' voice in their head for this scene? 🤣 "This man is dying!"
Andrea R
2024-03-14 19:54:09 +0000 UTC9:00 Cringed at Riker's book by the cover ableist comments. I appreciate Worf's comment in response that we know nothing about the species. It was said with defense in mind, but its definitely best to not make assumptions about anyone's capabilities like Riker did. And even data, reminding everyone that language skills does not = intelligence. (Shoutout to people who have difficulty with word recall when they really need it.)
Andrea R
2024-03-14 19:53:53 +0000 UTC3:50 Picard can be downright rude when he's pouting. Seems to me Picard may have taken one look at the woman who spilled hot cocoa on him and realized he was not in the mood for this and walked off before he said anything rude. Lol Luckily everyone understands and finds it enduring. Except possibly Westley in this scene. I also love how Sonya Gomez seems more laid back around Picard like she has lightened up under Geordi's guidance.
Andrea R
2024-03-14 19:53:03 +0000 UTC00:54 Data's word of the day. Perspicuously- plain to the understanding especially because of clarity and precision of presentation
Andrea R
2024-03-14 19:52:25 +0000 UTC"was that before the klingons joined the federation?" lol what
Narnman
2024-03-14 19:47:44 +0000 UTCRiker showing really poor judgement even when confronted with it by the chief of security. Sure Worf can be a little over the line sometimes but in this instance he clearly was taking the only reasonable and responsible stance he could. To not have sent over at least a security officer or two was frankly negligent.
John Deadcorn
2024-03-14 19:45:02 +0000 UTCWe are not strong..
Glenn Johnson Barnes
2024-03-14 19:38:38 +0000 UTC"Are they going to work on his balls"....I laughed for a good five minutes on that one.
Monty Crawford
2024-03-14 17:48:07 +0000 UTC"Worf was Right": The Episode
StonyD
2024-03-14 17:39:54 +0000 UTC46:30 "I thought they were gonna eat him" ROTFL!!!
Jovet
2024-03-14 16:31:15 +0000 UTC13:08 - "There she is, in low quality". That was an effects trick. Since it was a blue screen shot that required a camera move and effects tracking, a tough thing to pull off on a TV schedule, they instead shot it with a stationary camera and an anamorphic lens so it was widescreen and then pan-and-scanned it to create the appearance of a camera move. Since the shot shows less film relative to a full screen shot, the quality is slightly degraded. They use this trick a few times on the show, almost always with people walking on the bridge in front of the viewscreen.
JGoss
2024-03-14 16:30:14 +0000 UTCPrior to the Target Audience beginning TNG Season 2, comments mentioned that the season included two especially poor episodes. The identity of one of these episodes is beyond question. Candidates for the other episode people had in mind include “The Outrageous Okona” and this episode, “Samaritan Snare.” The writers of one of Season 3’s episodes said that it was their strong dislike of “Samaritan Snare” which inspired them to try their hands at writing TNG. One of them stated, “The point at which we became serious about writing a script for the show was about five minutes after watching ‘Samaritan Snare,’ which in my personal opinion was the most abysmal piece of Star Trek ever filmed… I thought the way in which it was plotted and the way it was dealt with was an insult to the intelligence of the people who watched the show and the actors and characters in the show. None of the plot could have happened if all of the characters hadn’t suddenly become morons that week.” The episode’s title uses the word “Samaritan” in its usual sense in modern English, originating from the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), of a person who helps someone else in trouble. The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group who have lived in the Middle East since biblical times; according to Wikipedia, there are only about 900 of them living today. According to the Christian Gospels, Palestinian Jews in the time of Jesus resented Samaritans as adherents of a heterodox version of their own religion. The word “Samaritan” now has such positive connotations that people are unaware that the original point of the story was that the Samaritan was a good man despite being a member of a despised religious minority. If Jesus told the story in the United States today, it may be that 2000 years from now there would be hospitals named “Muslim,” or suicide helplines named “Atheists.” To me and to large numbers of other viewers, the Pakleds come across very strongly as a cruel caricature of developmentally disabled people. Moreover, Data’s line about Troi, “Our Betazoid counselor is often aware of things beyond our perceptive abilities,” is the single clunkiest and most contrived expository line in the Star Trek franchise, although Brent Spiner does his best to make it work by pausing in the middle. The line is even worse than Star Trek’s former worst line of exposition: Pike’s comment, “Sorry, Number One, with the little information on this planet, we’ll have to leave the ship’s most experienced officer here covering us,” from “The Cage.” That line, at least, had the excuse of appearing in a pilot episode. I understand that episodic television series must take into consideration that any episode might be a viewer’s first, but Data’s line is spectacularly pathetic writing. As with “The Icarus Factor,” fan consensus is that this episode’s redeeming feature is its B story (in which Wil Wheaton gives one of his best performances in TNG so far), and specifically the scene in which Picard tells Wesley about his youthful encounter with the Nausicaans. It is at this point that I must address a subject which I have been avoiding in these comments until now: the influence of Japanese anime on TNG. I am aware that this revelation will expose me as a cultural philistine (another word with a modern sense derived from its biblical one), but I know nothing about Japanese anime and manga and am not interested in learning more about them. The only anime I have seen was the first few episodes of "Bleach," which were good but did not capture my interest sufficiently to compel me to continue watching. I feel like a hypocrite admitting this, because there are other aspects of culture about which I care deeply and in which large numbers of people are uninterested. For example, most Americans know nothing and care less about opera. I know that anime and manga are such vast and influential elements of culture that my lack of interest in them is a major intellectual blind spot, but this does not motivate me to seek out a greater knowledge of them. All this is relevant to TNG because the TNG staff were huge anime fans, and references to anime series and characters appear throughout TNG as Easter eggs. The anime franchise which TNG references most heavily is "Dirty Pair," but the name of the species to which Picard’s assailants belonged comes from another franchise, more familiar to the American public: Hayao Miyazaki’s manga series and feature film, "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind." Media critic L. I. Underhill has a detailed and heartfelt essay on the Eruditorum Press website exploring the thematic resonances of the TNG writers’ choice of the name “Nausicaans,” in which they point out that Patrick Stewart was a member of the voice cast of the 2005 American dub of "Nausicaä." I am aware that, due to my ignorance of anime, there are subtleties in TNG that I cannot perceive, just as someone unfamiliar with Christianity cannot fully understand C. S. Lewis’ Narnia books. Nonetheless, I remain uninterested in repairing this deficiency in my knowledge. I predict that Alex and Josh will not recognize the actor playing his second alien starship captain on TNG this season: Christopher Collins (Grebnedlog) previously played Kargan, the Klingon captain in “A Matter of Honor.” He was also the original voice of Mr. Burns and Moe on "The Simpsons"; Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria, respectively, replaced him in those roles during the show’s first season. Stage, TV, and film actor Daniel Benzali plays Picard’s surgeon on Starbase 515. Benzali later starred in the TV series "Murder One" but left that show after its first season. Steven Bochco, the co-creator of "Murder One," later stated that he fired Benzali because he was frequently late to the set and would not leave his house before completing his morning bowel movement! For viewers such as Alex and Josh who have not seen the episode trailers in advance, TNG’s format allows it to include surprise character reveals when they happen in the cold open, as with Q in “Q Who.” TNG can also surprise viewers with significant character appearances using archive footage, as with Tasha in “The Measure of a Man,” since the guest cast credits do not need to include such appearances. Unfortunately, TNG is unable to pull off a surprise appearance within an episode’s narrative, such as Alex and Josh would have liked to see with Dr. Crusher in this episode.
Anthony Bernacchi
2024-03-14 16:08:59 +0000 UTCthere was an actor in DS9 who specifically asked not to be credited...
Ee'char
2024-03-14 16:07:13 +0000 UTC21:15 Picard shouldn't be eating before major surgery........?
Jovet
2024-03-14 16:05:54 +0000 UTC20:18 Wouldn't you always want the sensors at maximum sensitivity ?
Jovet
2024-03-14 16:04:57 +0000 UTCHey I forgot that for once, Worf was spot on with his warnings!
Joe Concepts
2024-03-14 15:30:29 +0000 UTC'We are not smart' We laugh, but would the world be a better place if we could admit this about things we don't know about 🤔
SinocTheHodgeheg
2024-03-14 15:08:29 +0000 UTCPicard recalling his youth is probably the best part of this episode. The rest is just funny as Hell. It's such a weird episode to have right after such a high watermark episode like Q Who... But life is like episodic television, you never know what you're gonna get!
Steven Johnson
2024-03-14 15:03:13 +0000 UTC
