Star Trek: Picard – Nepenthe Review

I’ll admit “Nepenthe” was the one episode of Star Trek: Picard that I was the most wary of watching this season, largely because I feared it would just turn into one giant nostalgia bomb – stalling out the plot and making me wish for things (characters, plotlines, more nostalgia) that the series is never going to give us. But, after watching it, I am happy to say that I didn’t drown in the nostalgia that seeped through nearly every interaction. And while, yes, it’s not the greatest hour of Trek (and not the greatest hour of Picard), the episode managed to deepen and complicate several characters while advancing the plot – which, in the grand scheme of Picard to this point, is a hell of a thing to finally see.

It was lovely to see Riker and Troi again, and it was also lovely to get a look into just what their lives have been since we last saw them in the Trek universe. Linking the tragic loss of their son Thad to the end of the synth program was a bit heavy-handed in the plot department, but it did highlight a key point that has been missing so far: stopping the scientific work with synthetics didn’t just end the creation of androids, it also meant that all adjacent research was stopped. The attack on Mars didn’t just make people afraid of androids and artificial intelligence – it stopped all research in the area, including potentially life-saving cures. Like several things that have been touched on in this season, I’m not sure Picard has the time or the inclination to really get into this on a deeper level, but boy does that add another wrinkle to the overarching arc of the season. Starfleet and the Federation may have been justified in ending the advancements in AI, but ending programs that could cure previously curable diseases? Allowing Federation citizens to die because they’ve opted to throw the baby out with the bathwater? That’s another troubling realization about the current state of the Trek universe.

That minor detail also showed us something just as important: not everyone in the Federation is on board with this synth ban. Sure, Troi was incredibly poised when discussing Thad (great work from Marina Sirtis, who was given a heck of a script to work with and really rose to the occasion – it made me wish Troi had been given more to do back in the Next Generation days), but she also made it clear that she thought Starfleet and the Federation acted rashly in response to a single tragedy. While so much of this season has been structured as a race to control Soji (and with her, have the power to return to the synth “home world” and wipe out all the remaining synths), there are a number of more complex issues simmering under the surface, waiting to emerge into the plot. “Nepenthe” introduces some of them (did the Federation go too far, what’s the cost of this decision, what does it mean to be human – which is one of the major plot points of the series as a whole, what constitutes a home and family), but never manages to get deep enough to challenge and explore them sufficiently.

But what the episode does manage to do is provide us with some much needed character development for Picard, Soji, and, thankfully, Jurati. These last several episodes have seen Picard fluctuate as a character, wavering between a man of action, searching for one final mission, and an old man who doesn’t have the time or desire to do what must be done. It’s been a confusing characterization with flashes of greatness (his interactions with Seven, his time with Soji and Hugh). While Patrick Stewart remains one of the show’s brightest elements, the writing of Picard has been scattered at best.

But grounding him in key conversations with both Riker and Troi this week was a brilliant move. Having Troi call him out for how horrifically he was botching his attempts to get Soji to trust him was the best damn part of the whole episode (and having Picard take her suggestions to heart was another great move – Picard was so successful as a Captain because he relied on those around him to check him when he needed it, and I’m thrilled the series remembers that). While Troi was there to remind him of his mission, Riker was there to remind him of his humanity – to let him know that he is still the same principled, strong, great man who inspired many, even when he doesn’t believe it about himself. With a renewed sense of self and a focus on the necessity of his mission, I think we’re going to start seeing a new and improved Picard in these final episodes of the season. I, for one, cannot wait to see him.

As for Soji, pairing her up with Kestra and Troi for much of the episode was a brilliant move on the part of episode writers Samantha Humphrey and Michael Chabon. Kestra was able to appeal to the child within Soji, the girl who feels lost in the enormity of all that has happened to her in such a short time. While she has her own memories of a childhood that never existed, getting a chance to spend time with a child brought out the more innocent elements of Soji’s character and gave Isa Birones a chance to stretch herself a bit more. Both Soji and Dahj have been so closed as characters throughout the series – a necessity when the character is, ultimately, a puzzle box waiting to be solved. Adding more human layers to Soji is necessary to getting us to empathize with her as well as letting the other characters in the story see her as more than a means to an end.

We’ve seen hints of who Soji was prior to her activation, and while this is certainly a terrifying time for the character, we lost a lot of that humanity when she lost the original version of herself. Talking to Troi, having someone genuinely listen to her fears and anger without judging her or telling her she was wrong (or demanding that she trust them), was just what Soji needed to begin to truly grow as a character. The woman who left Nepenthe was far more secure in herself and what she wants to do. And, for a change, it seems that Picard will also be taking the wants of those around him – particularly Soji – moving forward. Sometimes all you need is the sage advice of those removed from the situation at hand to gain perspective and ground yourself in what must be done.

And then there’s the major, earth-shattering plot reveal of Jurati’s true reasons for joining the mission. I’ve been wondering for weeks what convinced Alison Pill, a great actress, to sign onto the series, and here it is. I have to admit, I never suspected Jurati might be the spy, but it makes perfect sense. Out of all the members of the motley crew, the Tal Shiar would absolutely try to manipulate the weakest of the bunch. Terrifying her with a fire and brimstone future should the synths gain control of the universe was the perfect tool to appeal to Jurati’s own personal fears. While she wasn’t the scientist who created the synths who attacked Mars, she absolutely feels a degree of guilt and responsibility for what happened. She was so intertwined with Bruce Maddox that she also sees herself as an extension of his actions. And she is a people-pleaser – she wants to be on the side of good in this fight. Why not trust Starfleet?

But what makes the Juarti twist work is how the reveal impacts the character. This isn’t a case where we are told something new late in the game and it only impacts the plot of the episode at hand. Sure, Narek chases them through space and makes Rios suspicious of Raffi (something that could have had long-standing repercussions had Jurati not taken steps to take herself out of the game), but it told us far more about Jurati and how this mission has changed her. The woman who gladly took the tracker when Starfleet asked has had her eyes opened in more ways than one over the course of the series. While it’s an open question now if she believes the vision she was shown in the mind meld (she clearly killed Maddox because of it, but it seems she’s now hip to the fact that Starfleet has been compromised by the Romulans), she doesn’t want to see any harm come to Soji – or her crewmates. The scared, timid scientist we met at the beginning of the season has grown into a character that would willingly put herself in danger to protect those around her. She killed the Tal Shiar guard at Picard’s vineyard out of a sense of self-defense. She killed Maddox to save the universe. She took steps to neutralize the tracker within her – potentially killing herself in the process – to save her colleagues. That’s quite the journey to take.

Final Thoughts:

— RIP Hugh. While the character never really got to do much, it was a nice way to draw a clear line from Locutus to Picard today. Hell of a move by Narissa to fake out Elnor and take the shot.

— Speaking of Narissa (the Lieutenant Formerly Known as Rizzo), she’s a force to be reckoned with. She more than held her own against Elnor in hand-to-hand combat and is willing to do things that our more noble characters wouldn’t dream of. While Narek is still a bit of a wet blanket, Narissa is homed in on her goal and will do whatever it takes. That’s the kind of villain I like.

— A tip of the hate to Jonathan Frakes as well. He’s gone on the record stating that he was nervous about stepping back in front of the camera and back into Riker after all these years (Frakes is now an accomplished director, and has directed a number of Trek episodes over the years), but he gave a great performance. He showed how Riker has mellowed over the years, how the death of his son devastated him (and Troi), and that he’s now in a position to be the one to offer his former Captain the necessary advice. What could have been a bit of fan service was deepened by the work of Frakes and Sirtis.

— And, in case you haven’t read any of the recent Jeri Ryan interviews, Seven will be returning to Picard sooner than I thought. Elnor activated a beacon at the end of the episode to call her and her Rangers to his aid.