THE MIND'S EYE Ooooh. It doesn't get a whole heckuva lot better than this! To make this grade report a sort of inverse of the one I did for "Qpid", let me start out by enumerating the three things about the episode I DIDN'T like: 1) The title seemed rather irrelevant, as far as the plot went. Surely they could have come up with something better. 2) They investiage Cargo Bay 4 and don't dust for fingerprints. (Or was LaForge wearing gloves? I didn't notice at the time.) 3) Data WALKING to the Bay when he determines that he has enough proof that Geordi is the snake in the grass. Doesn't anyone run on this show? This episode definitely gives "Remember Me" a run for its money as my favorite of the season. And they have one big thing in common: Both episodes used to entire regular cast to good effect, from Picard through Geordi down to Troi. (Yes! Even Troi!) This episode was also an acting delight: I didn't see a weak performance in the hour (though, of course, roles like the governor aren't too tough to play, but heck, who cares about that!). Highlights of the episode for me: - The direction. Some very, very nice shots here. The last shot of Geordi in the brainwashing chair was quite effective, as was the similar shot of him walking out of the turbolift en route to kill the governor. The other shot that REALLY stood out for me was the pan from Geordi to the dead replica of O'Brien in the Romulan 'holodeck'. THAT'S the sort of cinematography I've been waiting to see more of in TNG! - Superb pacing. They managed to pack a lot of events into the first half hour, and it flowed quite smoothly. I was stunned to see my clock read "9:32" when the Klingon ships showed up. - The Federation, Klingons and Romulans all in one episode! What more can you ask for as a background? (Different transporter effects for all three, too.) - And everything ties together! No parallel plots BS! See? It's amazing what you can accomplish when you pick a single, worthwhile goal and pursue IT for fifty minutes, rather than jumping back and forth between two and dividing your efforts. (Looking back, almost all of my favorite TNG episodes are single-plot ones. The divided storyline episodes seem to fare rather poorly in my eyes. Notable exception: "Family". But even that had strong thematic links between the plots.) - The interaction between Worf and the Klingon official was very nice. It seems only natural that SOME in the Klingon Empire are going to have some second thoughts about his discommendation after his actions in "Reunion", especially since he was directly responsible for putting Gowron in power. It doesn't matter that the official was a Romulan spy (though it lends some support, I think, to my theory, below); Gowron supporters are likely to regard the man who put their man in power with a friendly eye (as friendly as Klingon eyes get, anyway). I think I see a set-up here for the events in "Redemption", assuming that that story is about WORF'S redemption. - Geordi chumming around with Data and Troi. Very realistic, AND very entertaining, especially the bit with Troi. ("You don't really want to hear about that," says Geordi. Ironically, of course, at the end of the story, she DIDN'T want to hear about it.) Gee, could TNG be learning how to do humor? (Famous last words, no doubt. :-) - Picard's heated confrontation with the Klingon governor. ("You swear well.") The official's comparatively jovial presence was a nice underscore of the tension in that room. - So the official from the council was a Romulan spy. (Nice bit of casting to have him resemble the late, benevolent K'Mpec so closely.) Does this mean that there must be VERY high people, probably on the council, who are in league with the Romulans? I'd almost be willing to lay down the green stuff that Gowron (the current leader of the council, unless events have changed since "Reunion") is in with them. That could make the upcoming "Redemption" a VERY powerful and interesting episode. (I wonder if the working title for "Redemption" was "The Shit Hits The Fan"? :-) - Data's detective work was very nice. I can see him waiting until he's absolutely sure that Geordi's the snake until he acts (the wonders of AND gates :-). Of course, he also didn't know that there was any imminent danger. - And speaking of imminent danger, I was on the edge of my seat when Worf went to apprehend LaForge. The guards grabbing him was quite natural (I enjoyed the 'biff' sound offscreen as he decked one of them :-) and his cry of "LaForge" 0.5 seconds before Picard grabs Geordi's hand was cutting it TOO close. Whew! - The last scene with LaForge and Troi was just too cool. I'm not Levar Burton's greatest fan as far as his LaForge role goes, but he was really, really good here. First with his contortions while being brainwashed, and later with his look of confusion, frustration and helplessness in the final scene. And he was good elsewhere, too. Nice cut to the Enterprise at the end, as well. Reminiscent of "Conspiracy"'s last shot. - Lots of nice characterization bits, most of which I've already discussed (Geordi, Worf, the official, Troi). Picard was largely in his "diplomat" mode, but his coming close to losing his cool with the governor spiced up that old chestnut quite nicely. Dr. Crusher and Riker had perhaps the most minor roles in the episode, but even so, they seemed quite passable. Crusher's bedside manner was refreshingly pleasant here, and Riker demonstrated that he seems to keep on top of everything like a first officer should. Even the music was not too bad. I still wish they'd develop some definite themes that they could repeat, but the meandering stuff they had here did at least seem to fit the moods of the scenes, if not significantly enhance them. On the whole, this was a GREAT episode, at least the first time through. Very reminiscent of "Reunion", of course, but IMHO much stronger largely because all major plot points are wrapped up by the end of the episode. I'll wait until I see how it stands up in reruns (which is something I should have done with "Remember Me"; I was young and foolish beck then), but for now I award it the following very strong grade: GRADE: A SEASON FOUR AT A GLANCE: The Best Of Both Worlds Part Two: C- Family: A- Brothers: B Suddenly Human: C Remember Me: A+ Legacy: D+ Reunion: B Future Imperfect: D- Final Mission: B The Loss: D- Data's Day: B- The Wounded: C- Devil's Due: C- Clues: B First Contact: C+ Galaxy's Child: F Night Terrors: B Identity Crisis: B+ The Nth Degree: C+ Qpid: F The Drumhead: B+ Half A Life: B- The Host: B- The Mind's Eye: A --- Total Points: 56 Season Average: 2.333 = C+ (Rise of 0.072 from previous episode)