Never really been convinced by this one :ermm:

For one thing the actor playing Jeremy is just fekkin' awful, young though he may be. Wooden and unable to portray any emotions effectively :rolleyes:

The whole death thing is interesting but doesn't w**k as well as it should simply because of the aforementioned weakness.

Can't think of too much else to say tbh, I guess there were a few nice touches:- the Data/Riker talk and even the end bit with Wes and Picard but not enough to rescue the ep for me.

Also seemed a bit weird that the energy species had failed to grasp corporeal death attitudes despite watching a species destroy itself. Okay they weren't human but seemed odd that all it took was a few hours on the Enterprise and they understood everything just fine :shrug:

A bit like Avery Brooks then :p :lol: ;)

Actually I think, considering his age, he does a decent job of conveying some really complex emotions. The one thing I always notice is that he doesn't know what to do with his hands and, as a consequence, he ends up waving them around in an awkward and self-conscious fashion but, apart from that, I think he's fine. I don't know if he's still around as an actor, I can only remember seeing him in one of the Robocop sequels which wasn't too long after this was made :)

This was the speculative story that Ron Moore submitted that resulted in him being brought onto the staff, wasn't it?

I've always thought this one was a bit special. Granted, it is mawkish and sentimental, but it deals with some vital issues, not just in the real world but from the perspective of the show's development as well. It works beautifully as an ensemble, with so many characters involved at a crucial level. It's important to the development of Wesley, and his relationship with Picard, it's important to Worf, particularly with a view towards him being an orphan himself, it's one of the first episodes to explore the implications and fall-out of having families on board a starship, and it also shows why a counsellor is needed to such a degree.

As a result there are some fantastic character scenes herein, particularly between Picard and Wesley, Wes and Bev, Worf and Troi etc. I'm sure anyone who has lost a parent can identify with much of what happens and is said in the episode. This is the first time I've seen it since losing my father and I have to say it hit home quite hard in a number of places, much as DS9's The Visitor does as well.

A vastly underrated episode, imo :)

So not what Dave said then :lol:

Trouble I have with this one is that whilst there may be a good episode in there somewhere, it never manages to surface.

Ultimately for me a good idea badly executed doesn't make a good ep :shrug:

And I'm not even going to dignify the Avery Brooks comment with a proper response :snooty: :p

See, I can't agree with that, cos for me it's a good idea very well executed :)

We'll have to agree to disagree as usual :p