Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyStar Trek: Picard
Paramount Plus
Season 2 Episode 8
Mercy
With time running out before the launch of the Europa Mission, Picard and Guinan must free themselves from FBI custody. Seven and Raffi come face-to-face with Jurati and the horror of what she’s become.
The episode begins with an interesting flashback that will definitely pay off later as the story returns to Picard and Guinan being interrogated by a government agent who has evidence of Picard transporting into the city. The scene has some interesting and entertaining moments that are punctuated by Guinan’s insights which serve the episode really well.
At the same time, Raffi and Seven continue to hunt for Jurati/The Borg Queen in the aftermath of her actions after the party. Seven has to tap into her time with the collective in order to think like her prey and it is good to finally see both Seven and Raffi deal with some of the tension between them, especially Raffi’s guilt. The pair finally track down Jurati and discover what she’s trying to do, but the scene ends with a moment that was ridiculously handled from an action perspective.
Rios is continuing to deal with his feelings for Ramirez which is the weakest of all the plot lines. They have a connection, but they never have any conversations substantive enough to make that connection believable. Kore (Isa Briones) finally learns the truth with the help of Q and rebels against her father. The scene was good and had some interesting character moments that probably deserved more fleshing out.
Guinan and Picard are separated and Q finally makes an appearance. The scene showcases what is happening to the character and does a great job of showing him as more complicated than an average villain. There is a vulnerability that is on display that makes you feel for the character while also not completely trusting his motivations. Something I have wanted to see from Q this entire season. I also really enjoy the desperation in the character and what it means for the story.
Eventually the Borg Queen in Jurati’s body finds an unexpected ally and uses his connections to the government to assemble a new kind of collective that she plans to use to take over. That scene embodies the tension I have been hoping for all season that the previous episodes have nibbled at but never managed to get to. Unfortunately, with the series coming to an end after two more episodes, I don’t think it will get explored the way it should.
Star Trek: Picard S02XE08
