QPid is about as close to failure as you can possibly get — which is downright tragic considering just how good the episodes featuring Q have been thus far. It’s a terrible concept that was executed extremely poorly. And but for a couple of humorous lines (mostly from Worf), this episode would have been a complete and utter failure.

This episode sees the return of Vash, the ethically-challenged woman who caught Picard’s interest in Captain’s Holiday. As I mentioned in that review, but for Picard’s reactions toward her, the character of Vash was hardly engaging. Her appearance on the Enterprise (as a participant in an archaeology symposium) is notable for the discomfort it causes Picard — as well as the raised eyebrows of Riker and Dr. Crusher as they finally learn a little more about Picard’s previous vacation on Risa. But again, Vash’s character gains most of her value from the reactions of the other characters, rather than through anything she does on her own.

And then we have Q show up. Seems Q has a bit of a conscience and he wants to repay his debt to Picard who protected him during Déjà Q. Picard wants nothing to do with Q, but after witnessing a spat between Picard and Vash, Q decides he will help our captain realize and understand his greatest vulnerability: women. And so, in proper Q fashion, we are transported off of the Enterprise and all the way to …

Sherwood Forest.

Really. Is that the best the writers could come up with? Jean-Luc Picard as Robin Hood? I suppose in the spirit of a Q episode one could go along with it. But it makes no sense within the context of Picard’s character to have him masquerade as Robin Hood. If the rumors of a planned Camelot setting for this episode are true, with Picard as King Arthur, that would at least have been a much better fit thematically (though it would still be insufferably garish). But the setting was changed to Sherwood Forest to capitalize on the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and thus TNG dates itself and sacrifices its story for an illusory benefit.

And so Picard and the badly-costumed-crew go through the motions of saving Maid Marian (Vash) from the Sheriff of Nottingham: Q. It’s cliché, dull, and plodding. And the harebrained rescue sequences were so mired in mediocrity (from script to choreography to dialogue) that I am forced to wonder just what on earth the writers were thinking?

Oh. And the costumes. Was there any reason for the costume department to resort to using cheap Halloween outfits from a bargain store? And to make matters worse, in spite of how pathetic they looked, they all kept wearing those stupid hats throughout the entire episode. Yes, I’m talking about the costumes and the hats. Why? Why not? They don’t look funny as in “ha-ha” … they look funny as in “ridiculous. ” And they represent just how the episode misses the mark on nearly every volley from its imitation bow.

As I said initially, it isn’t all bad. And what saves this episode is its humor. And in one perfectly symbolic moment, Worf expresses exactly what the audience is feeling: LaForge is strumming some guitar-type-thing (mandolin) when Worf walks over to it, rips it out of his hands, smashes it against a tree, and hands it back to him with a simple “sorry.” If only we could have done that to the episode itself.

QPid is an overblown mess that is an abject embarrassment. And it perpetuates one of the worst stretches of episodes for the series as a whole. Season four started with a great deal of promise. But it has descended into a black hole. Fortunately for the series, the past few episodes are not representative of seasons five, six and seven.

Topics: Q
Filed under: TNG Reviews