The Perfect Mate

I think this is one of those episodes that speak very deeply, provided that you are at the moment receptive to it. The Tapestry can influence you deeply when you are at the crossroads; this one can speak to you when you have been alone for a long time.

I apologize in advance that this will not so much be a review of this episode, as it is my opinion of what is wrong with the way many seem to be watching and rating TV shows and movies nowadays.

As for the episode itself, it was better than I expected from the single-sentence summary I read before watching it. The story has a tragic aspect to it, because it involves a woman who was specifically raised with the sole purpose of being nothing but a gift, to be handed over during the signing of a peace treaty. The story ends with a rather unexpected twist that makes it all the more tragic. What makes the episode particularly nice, is that it gives us a more personal look into Picard's personage than we're generally used to. Despite the serious subject matter, there are quite a bit of humorous scenes to lighten it up. Highly recommended.

Now, as I stated before, my only expectations of this episode were based on a single sentence that summarizes the plot. For the rest I know I am watching an early nineties show with a mid-sized budget and a tight schedule. I am fully aware it is not as refined as present-day shows written by people who studied all the flaws in all older shows in televised history. Therefore I do not expect the same rigor. There was a particular moment in this episode where I thought: "boy, that is some poor security for a 24th-century space ship." However, it was obvious that this part of the story was completely secondary to the main subject, therefore I immediately ignored it under suspension of disbelief. When going through the other reviews however, I find another recent one that completely disses the entire episode just because of that exact same shortcut in the plot.

Yes, a Ferengi simply walking into a cargo bay that was earlier on explicitly requested to have increased security, is sloppy writing. But no, this does not break the entire episode as the reviewer insinuates. Maybe if this episode would have been released today this would be unacceptable, but it is 24 years old. If you're going to apply present-day expectations to something from a quarter century ago, it may be better not to watch it at all.

This is not the first time I bump into a review like that. Even beyond TV and movie reviews I notice this same kind of behavior being on the march: creating completely unreasonable expectations based on either incomplete information or inappropriate frames-of-reference, or both; and then being extremely disappointed when those expectations are not perfectly met. That is one sure way to be disappointed with pretty much everything. If you want to go back to enjoying things, make minimal assumptions about them. Take things for what they are, not what you thought them to be based on whatever rigid models or misleading advertisements (like movie trailers, which I avoid if I can). Of course, whoever wants to turn themselves into a complete sourpuss, is free to ignore this advice, but I would appreciate it if one would not try to spread this kind of acidity across the world.

A "metamorph," who is someone groomed from childhood to serve a purpose, arrives on the Enterprise. She is to mate with a representative of a planet that is trying to avoid war. She is a gift. Two Ferengi nincompoops trying to kidnap her. knocking over her stasis chamber, forcing her to involve herself with the crew before she is really ready. She has the incredible ability to bond with men by being whatever they want her to be. It's very sexy and a bit dangerous. Riker is immediately taken in (surprise, surprise) but manages to keep his distance. Even Worf growls when she growls at him. Picard, doing everything he can to avoid interaction with her, becomes her soul-mate. He has such character and purpose that he is able to overcome his baser instincts and resist her. Still, they have encounters where he tries to let her know that as a sentient being, she should have rights. She tells him that this is her reason for existence. The scenes between the two of them are wonderful, tension abounding. Sadly, the guy she is to hook up with is a self-centered bureaucrat with no sentimentality or joyfulness. The Ferengi, in their efforts to do business with the escort/negotiator, almost kill him, and Picard must carry on the encounter with the two forces. I found this a very thoughtful episode with sad implications.

She really is the perfect mate, able to sense a man's feelings and mold herself uniquely to him. But she's also been bred for the sole function as a gift in a treaty ceremony. Naturally, questions of bondage crop up, not to mention attracting every man she comes in contact with . To makes this work, you need an actress of magnetic attraction (the alluring Famke Janssen, check)

. . . as well as that Starfleet office who's duty-bound to resist her appeal. This is a Picard episode if ever there was one, and it's a great character study that focuses on the man and not the Prime Directive-citing Captain we're used to. Their scenes together are amusing and warm, heartfelt and melancholic. The guy's restraint is a testament to his oath of diplomacy.

8/10

This episodes starts off on a bad foot, with goofy Ferengi shenanigans, Riker the Lothario making another appearance, and some cringy "humina humina awoooga!" performances from some extras, but then it settles into an interesting character study and brings with it a fantastic Picard performance.

This episode initially tackles some familiar ground of Trek, with the crew coming to grips with "draconian" rules of an alien society while their own notions contrast with it, but it also shows a new kind of challenge for the crew and why Picard is the man that he is, and why he's the perfect captain for the Enterprise.

This episode is on the better end of the spectrum of "filler" TNG episodes.