Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyStar Trek Picard
Paramount Plus
Season 2 Episode 2
Penance
Picard finds himself transported to an alternate timeline in the year 2400 where his longtime nemesis, Q, has orchestrated one final “trial”. Picard searches for his trusted crew as he attempts to find the cause of this dystopian future.
The second episode of Star Trek Picard hits the viewer with some hard and provocative moments. Not only does Q seem to be darker in this moment, but there is a revelation that makes the character’s appearance at all more compelling and provocative. Things get more interesting when Q lashes out and shows Picard not only the world he is somehow responsible for, but also the future that he has created. The entire opening of the episode has an immediacy that grabbed my attention and kept me engaged.
After learning of the atrocities he has committed, Q gives Picard an interesting choice. One that makes me interested in both what and why. As he tries to discover more about this version of himself and what he’s done, Picard is reminded that he is going to be attending an event with an ominous name. At the same time, Seven awakens in this new world and also realizes that things are different. I love how Seven is able to prioritize quickly and act swiftly to try to get answers. There is also a great Easter egg in her conversation with her husband that is awesome.
The rest of the Stargazer survivors begin to learn their place in this new world and come together relatively quickly to compare notes. The immediacy of the episode does mean that these moments are too quick to be believable, but they aren’t distracting on a surface level and serve to get all the pieces on the same board thematically. What makes the moment more interesting is that they will have to bring along an unstable element that adds more drama to the events.
With all of the characters in place and the tension growing Picard and his crew have to find a way to escape both a public execution and a hostile planet. The final moments of the episode keep the tension and immediacy of the plot going and there are some great moments of tension between the characters. I like the overarching storyline and how layered it is and the stakes are high which elevates the drama really well. The episode ends on a great cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Star Trek Picard S02XE02
