There's a deep cut returning character in episode three of "Picard" where the pace slows a little but the plot takes some major strides forward as Picard leaves
With Starfleet unwilling to support him, Picard (Patrick Stewart) calls on his old friend Raffi (Michelle Hurd) to help him find a willing pilot. She eventually points him in the direction of Starfleet dropout, Chris Rios (Santiago Cabera) who's only friend appears to be the ships medical hologram, who looks exactly like him. The Romulan hitsquad is close on his trail though. Meanwhile on the Borg ship, Soji (Isa Briones) is making an impression on the management team.
So again, the basics are all covered off nicely. Performances are good, visual effects are good and there's a return for Jonathan Del Arco playing the recovered Borg Hugh, as he did in TNG a few decades ago. This one's a little slower than the previous two as the focus is just to get his small crew together before they set off to hunt down Bruce Maddox. Bit of a shame that his Romulan home help aren't coming along for the ride, particularly as they're so physically capable. I don't feel like the show benefits from Picard being involved in such physical scenes though, as I worry that he's going to break a hip as he (or rather, the Stuntman) dives for cover behind a sofa. I also didn't care for Jean-Luc having "J.L" as a nickname either, it doesn't seem like something that Picard would tolerate and Raffi said it way to often in the flashback scene.
Not the best episode, but probably a necessary one to move the plot on.
