Family

Stewart gives the best piece of acting in the history of Star Trek in this episode in my opinion. Brilliant

Captain Picard returns home to the family vineyard and Lieutenant Worf receives a visit from his parents.

This is a great reflective and emotional episode with a number of memorable character moments.

The story is driven by the mental state of three characters as we see them helped through the aftermath of traumatic events. All plot threads are done in a fairly slow but touching way by some great interactions with family.

Picard's scenes are the strongest as we witness him in a different environment, a different frame of mind following the events of the past two episodes and also we see him away from the duties of command. His relationship with his brother is less straightforward than the other family situations depicted which is what makes it the most compelling. I love how Picard's life path is heavily contrasted with his brother, both of whom have richly fulfilled lives in very different ways.

Visually it works well, particularly the scenes in France which depicts exactly the place you imagine Picard to originate from.

Patrick Stewart is brilliant, playing very well off Jeremy Kemp and Samantha Eggar. Michael Dorn, Will Wheaton, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis all give strong performances.

For me it is an 8.5/10 but I round upwards.

This story was PERFECTLY timed for a release after the Borg crisis. It reminded us of humans' and klingons' superiority over the Borg in the form of three dimensional, sentient beings who aren't under the thrall of collectivized thinking. It also connected us even further into Worf and Picard's backgrounds. Patrick Stewart delivered a convincing and passionate note of closure (until "First Contact") about his traumatic Borg experience, which his character needed desperately and is probably why he visited his family in the first place.

Every every actor who was involved with this episode delivered well, including the guest actors who played Worf and Picard's relatives.

It's definitely a great start to season four.

In the quality of a weekly hour long TV show, addressing that most complex of human interaction, family. I expected something good but not this good. As I push 70 all that really seems to matter is family, the one that was, and those who are ongoing and even appearing. The depth of emotional commitment is not optional which is a reason life and an accurate play of life, as in this show, is so plaintive and compelling.

Following the narrow defeat of the Borg, the Enterprise is docked for urgently needed repairs while most of the crew engage in some much needed shore leave. Picard revisits his estranged brother's vineyard in France, Worf welcomes his adoptive parents on board the Enterprise and Wesley receives a holographic message from his late father.

A noticeable change of gear for the show, following the explosive events of the previous two-parter. Narratively, it is needed but it feels like a collection of short stories woven together into a fairly meandering episode. I enjoyed Picard's frosty relationship with his luddite brother but Worf's step-parents felt like uncomfortable Jewish caricatures and the message from Jack Crusher isn't given enough time to develop itself. Some good performances, particularly from Stewart, but the episode is much slower and less sci-fi than almost any other in the series.