Eye of the Beholder is another attempt at a paranormal “ghost story” type episode. And like the previously horrid Sub Rosa, Eye of the Beholder does not handle the genre very well. In fact, it often resorts to bag of overused, unsophisticated devices in order to generate the suspense and drama that the story is otherwise lacking.

The episode opens with a heretofore unknown Lieutenant about to throw himself into a plasma stream.  Riker does his best to save the crewman, but he jumps anyway — much to the extreme frustration and disappointment of Riker.  It also leads to a horribly contrived scene in which Data and LaForge discuss suicide.  It’s the episode’s “moral lesson” moment and it is so blatant that it comes across as little more than moral preaching.

Discussing the incident, Picard wants to be able to offer the Lieutenant’s parents an explanation of sorts, so he asks Troi and Worf to investigate the matter.  The pairing of Worf and Troi leads to the episode’s highlight — their growing relationship.

Hearkening back to Worf’s realizations, and subsequent overtures, as a result of the events in Parallels,  the two characters are slowly becoming closer.  For much of the first part of the episode, it’s a natural, and plausible, tension.  This leads to the episode’s best scene, one in which Worf tries, unsuccessfully, to ask Riker’s permission to date Deanna.  It’s not that Riker refuses, rather Worf simply cannot bring himself to ask the question.  Quite amusing.

The investigations of Worf and Troi lead to the “paranormal” story line.  We learn that the deceased Lieutenant, Kwan, was partially telepathic.  While investigating the scene, Troi approaches the plasma conduit and is suddenly overwhelmed by telepathic images.

*** Keep this moment in mind for later.  ***

Troi sees images from the Utopia Planitia shipyards where the Enterprise was constructed.  She sees a laughing couple, a horrified woman, and a shadowy image of a man.  And she has all sorts of really, really bad feelings, too.  It isn’t a particularly well done scene, but at least Troi’s hysterics have been taken down a level or two.

What we’re left with is a kind of ghostly “imprint” of an event back on Utopia Planitia.  Troi even discovers the bones of a human buried in a bulkhead.  She discovers the victim’s identity, as well as that of her possible killer: Lieutenant Pierce .  As it turns out, Pierce is also telepathic.

At any rate, while the investigation is taking place, Worf and Troi’s relationship really takes off, and they end up spending an entire evening together.  The next day, Troi becomes increasingly jealous of a medical Ensign, to the point where she barges into the Ensigns quarters — only to find the Ensign and Worf locked in a passionate kiss.  Upon being discovered, the laugh at Troi who promptly picks up a phaser and shoots and kills Worf.

Huzzah.

Distraught, Troi runs through the ship back to the plasma conduit.   But just as she is about to throw herself into it, Worf pulls her back.  And it turns out that everything that happened after she first approached the conduit and was overwhelmed was, in fact, a hallucination.

Huzzah.

It turns out that the events she experienced were the telepathic after effects of a murder suicide back on Utopia Planitia.  Because Pierce, who committed the murders and then committed suicide, was telepathic, some sort of telepathic residue was left behind.

Eye of the Beholder is notable for the initial development of Worf and Troi’s growing relationship.  The episode returns to this dynamic at the end, when Troi hints at her true feelings for Worf.  But the final scene is handled in the same poor manner as the rest of the episode.

Filed under: TNG Reviews