Review of the Empress Who Ruled the World Documentary

"Watcher"

Star Expedition: Picard Flavor 2, Episode 4 – Debuted Thursday, March 24, 2022
Written past: Juliana James & Jane Maggs; Story by: Travis Fickett & Juliana James
Directed by Lea Thompson

The season hums along at a fun footstep with "Watcher" delivering on a large mystery while adding more questions and taking some big swings with both the themes of the season and Trek lore.

WARNING: Spoilers beneath!

RECAP

"Who the hell are yous, former human?"

As Jean-Luc and Jurati wait for La Sirena's cocky-repair manner to cease, they take shelter from the cold in the Chateau Picard of 2024. Every bit he tours the decrepit business firm, left deserted since World War II, Picard is haunted past childhood memories and flashbacks of his female parent calming him. Out of communication with the balance of the team, they focus on their simply lead: finding The Watcher. It turns out Agnes' subconscious has been dropping clues that the point of fourth dimension divergence is in but three days, on April fifteen. Combining this with terminal week's coordinates, Picard returns to the ship to beam to LA to find The Watcher, leaving Agnes behind alone with her thoughts—and a Borg Queen who has taken an ominous keen interest in her.

Picard ends upwards outside the x Forward Avenue alley he'd visited in 2401, and he is delighted to run across the bar is still in the same identify back in 2024. He finds a younger Guinan with a whole new look and a more pessimistic view on humanity, consummate with a sawed-off shotgun; this listener has heard plenty from the "pressure cooker" planet and is packing upwards to leave. "They got one tiny ball in the unabridged milky way and all this species wants to do is fight. I've given them long enough," she says. Information technology takes mentioning she is an alien and using her own future words for Picard to trigger her "time sickness" to get her full attention. Convinced she is The Watcher, he tells her she can't run away from time: "This incorrect must exist righted, something which only you can assist me do."

"Why does the past hurt and then much?"

Equally for Rios, he is being held in a cage with others swept up in an ICE raid, and the Starfleet captain soon learns how powerless he is at the indicate of a taser from a racist baby-sit straight out of the cliche handbook. But he does get some time to flirt more with Dr. Teresa, who is still trying to figure him out after he holds back on an equal share of backstory. Different her, he has no papers, and Officer Wiggle was non tickled past Cristobal's completely true account of his state of affairs, correct downwards to traveling through time with a "flesh and blood robot" admiral. So, it's "adios, Juan," and he is loaded onto a transport bus to exist "disappeared."

The good news? Raffi and 7 accept turned their focus to rescue, and afterward a fun and familiar encounter on a jitney and a fruitless attempt to go info from the LAPD, Raffi takes matters into her ain hands past breaking into a police SUV to hack the calculator. Seven is taken aback by Raffi's action merely shortly finds herself backside the wheel every bit a surprisingly skilled getaway commuter in a high-octane chase. Their only existent gamble is Jurati dorsum in France, who finally sorts out the comms, but needs a moment for the wonky transporter—which, if you retrieve, is how this whole Rios situation got started. Afterwards some more than excitement and banter, Agnes finally beams them away (in full view of at least one cop) to a highway to look Rios, kicking off a new contend virtually how many more butterflies they need to beat to go him off that fast-approaching omnibus.

"That is why you are so solitary."

Away from all the LA excitement, Agnes is left to deal with the at present communicative Borg Queen. Her majesty relishes in taunting Jurati, mixing insults and backhanded compliments equally some kind of negging manipulation. It was the Queen that got the transporters working subsequently a broken promise from Jurati to keep the collective-missing Borg company. Through it all, the pair starts to have a sort of macabre chemical science as the stressed scientist parries with the taunting body, possibly bonding over shared loneliness. Jurati may feel she got the upper mitt, but this Queen conspicuously has more Machiavellian moves to brand.

"She is very much going to want to see you."

At 10 Forward, Picard pulls out the big guns, revealing who he is and how Guinan is destined to be his futurity bestie, along with a humanity that is worth the look. And it works, as the (slightly less) jaded alien reveals she actually isn't The Watcher, only she knows where one hangs out. This Watcher, also known as a Supervisor (where accept we heard that earlier?), volition definitely want to encounter Jean-Luc Picard. After showing up at a park, it presently becomes clear The Watcher is no fan of Guinan as a white-eyed, possessed little girl starts issuing threats. The bartender beats a hasty retreat merely convinces the creepy girl (and a sequence of more quickie-possessed Angelinos) to take Picard to The Watcher… who turns out to look exactly similar Laris, sans pointed ears. WTF? Before that tin get sorted, they're transported away, leaving many, many questions.

"Your doubtfulness is the loudest vox in your head."

The episode wraps upwardly with a sort of bonus scene featuring Q hanging out at a NASA facility, blending in as a fellow member of the Europa Project. He seems fixated on a young woman who is busy reading an easter egg novel. Out of earshot he talks of losing nerve, fear, and doubt. Once washed with his strange soliloquy, the superbeing deploys his trademark snap… but in that location is something awry. Naught happens, except the woman laughs as she reads away. A confused Q looks at his feckless fingers with bewilderment. "That's unexpected… and about unfortunate." Nope, that's non ominous at all.

ANALYSIS

Taking chances

In "Watcher," Picard sustains the skilful step of the flavour, which remains focused even with storylines diverging forth unlike character paths. The second flavour of Picard also continues to revel in the lore of the franchise with fun Easter eggs and deep dives to tie up some large plot threads. Even within the spaceship-free confines of 2024 Los Angeles, there's still plenty of activeness and even some sci-fi discovery. Where things get less focused is the approach to social commentary, which while welcome and certainly office of Star Trek's Dna, feels a bit scattershot and at times heavy-handed. But Picard should be applauded for having something to say and for taking some big swings.

Ane of the biggest swings was recasting Guinan, with Ito Aghayere stepping in to play a younger version of the iconic graphic symbol. This was a smart and practical selection to keep the character part of the show in the by later on bringing in Whoopi Goldberg to play the 25^th-century Guinan in episode one, where she also cleverly explained how El-Aurians tin alter how old they look. Aghayere did a fine job for the way the younger character was written; however, this more nihilistic version of the more often than not laid-back bartender may take some getting used to. Having the 21^st-century Guinan reacting to the realities of this world fits well with the testify'southward larger themes and messages, but hopefully she tin can besides play more than of a role in the season's story and possibly go a graphic symbol arc of her own. Equally for why she didn't recognize Picard from their 19th-century meet in TNG'due south "Time'southward Arrow," yous can be sure showrunner and time travel vet Terry Matalas has it all mapped out. We volition exist covering this in a future update, and then stay tuned.

While there were also a lot of gimmicky themes in the Rios rescue storyline, the show besides establish some time to add more depth to Raffi's anguish and prove off the keen chemistry between Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd, who could certainly bear their own spin-off, as they jump from quips to action to centre effortlessly. Just how Seven tin can drive like she just walked out of the Fast and Furious franchise is dubious, and indicates a missed opportunity to explain that she got (offscreen) driving lessons from Tom Paris. Only the most intriguing pair on the testify continues to exist Dr. Jurati and the Borg Queen, with Alison Pill and Annie Wersching delivering riveting performances in their weird just wonderful cat and mouse game.

Cue the Watcher

At that place was just plenty momentum for the chief season arc, adding some more than insights into Picard's life story and the history of the family. The mystery of the Frenchman'due south British accent was finally explained; turns out the family escaped from France to England during World War Ii, only returning during Jean-Luc's childhood centuries later. And as a side annotation, Picard answering simply "France" when Guinan asked where he was from was a nice nod to Kirk saying he was from Iowa when Dr. Gillian Taylor asked the aforementioned question in the 1980s in Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home. The episode also showed more of Jean-Luc's troubled youth and the special bail he had with his female parent, which does seem to be leading somewhere with all the talk about how fear has held him back—something Q keeps bringing upward.

Speaking of the superbeing, his brief but fascinating appearance didn't actually feel like function of the episode, seeming more like a postal service-credit scene to set something up for later. But de Lancie'south Q is still riveting, with a new unhinged element. The scene set at NASA'southward Europa Project confirms the importance of this hinted-at mission, with the adult female he was focused on remaining a person of involvement, but Q's loss of powers opens up a whole gear up of intriguing possibilities of how he is likely going to demand help to monkey effectually in the past.

A welcome element of episode 4 was to (mostly) pay off the whole Watcher mystery. After pushing past Guinan equally the obvious red herring, we were presented with Orla Brady as The Watcher, looking a lot like a human Laris. And the Watcher was described equally a "Supervisor" just like Gary Seven from the season 2 Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth," and as well using the aforementioned transported event Gary Seven used. It's good the testify didn't string along this mystery, and tying information technology back into the lore in this way was fun. We still don't know what this Supervisor's mission is, or why she looks exactly like Laris. This can't just be a random coincidence, specially with Picard'southward disability to commit to a human relationship, Laris being a trigger for this whole "fearfulness" theme, and the possibility that this is the reason Q is doing what he is doing… and The Watcher'southward possessed white-eyed minions were wonderfully creepy.

Concluding thoughts

"Watcher" was a strong mix of action, heart, and humor, with some heavy themes that all added upwardly to a solid hr of Star Trek entertainment. Questions are existence answered with more left to come up. Nosotros are close to halfway through the flavor, and then far there are only hints of things starting to drag.

Random bits

Lea Thompson returns to direct her 2d episode in a row. She talked to The Hollywood Reporter most her Star Trek debut.
This episode is the get-go writing credit for Juliana James, Jane Maggs, and Travis Fickett. James joined Picard as a staff writer for season two. Maggs is a supervising producer on The Man Who Fell to Earth, some other sci-fi show executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, and Fickett was a writer and developer for 12 Monkeys, which was executive produced past Picard season 2 co-showrunner Terry Matalas.
For the third episode in a row, Isa Briones (Soji) does non appear and is not credited.
When Picard sorts out the clues about April xv^th, Jurati says to him, "Look at y'all, Dixon Loma," referring to the fictional detective and Picard favorite Dixon Colina.
Later, the adult female Q watches was reading The Pallid Son, a new entry in the Dixon Loma serial "written" past Tracy Tormé, named for the TNG writer of the same name.
Q and the woman were at Jackson Roykirk Plaza, named for the fictional 21st-century scientist behind the Nomad projection from the TOS episode "The Changeling."
Kirk Thatcher reprises his role every bit the punk on the bus in 1986 San Francisco from Star Trek 4: The Voyage Abode. In Picard, he was listening to an updated version of the 1986 song "I Detest You" titled "I Withal Hate You."
The song playing in Guinan's bar when Picard showed up was "And then Good" by Jacopo Tittarelli Rubboli
The Edith Piaf song "Non, Je ne regrette rien," comes up again, with Picard explaining his mother played information technology to him to calm him.
El-Aurians' power to sense changes in time is given the proper noun "Af-kelt," or "time sickness."
Guinan drives a archetype Ford Bronco with license S02 E01, which references how the character was introduced in episode one of season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and as well re-introduced in episode one of flavour two of Picard).
Picard beginning saw evidence that Guinan was still tending bar at x Forrard by spotting a canteen of Saurian Brandy.
The implication of this episode is that Guinan's Ten Forward Bar on the USS Enterprise-D was really named for her original Los Angeles bar.
Jean-Luc tells Guinan he hasn't retired because "afternoon naps and jigsaw puzzles are non quite my speed," only the real Sir Patrick Stewart actually loves puzzles.
"Uncle Dale," who takes the dog Luna for Guinan, was played by Brian "Q" Quinn, mostly known for the hidden camera show Impractical Jokers.
The area outside of 10 Forward is a Sanctuary Commune and Rios was being taken to a different Sanctuary District "on the border." We also saw one of these districts in the previous episode. Sanctuary Districts from 2024 were established in the Deep Space Nine episode "Past Tense."
Simply down the street from the bar is a popup 21st Street Mission charitable giving station, a nod to the mission where Edith Keeler worked in "The City On The Edge of Forever."
Likewise simply exterior the bar is a archetype easter egg starting time seen in a trailer for Picard flavour 2: the 1930s boxing poster from "City On The Edge of Forever," like (and sometimes identical) posters were seen in TNG, DS9, and Enterprise.
Rios said the mean guard had a "face like a Ferengi."
Dr. Teresa's last proper name was revealed as Ramirez.
Seven saying a yellow light ways "become faster" may exist a reference to the 1984 sci-fi picture show Starman.
The coming together with The Watcher was shot in MacArthur Park, which is where Raffi said she had detected an alien signal in the previous episode.
The newspaper Q was reading was dated January 21st, 2024, but Picard and coiffure arrived on April 12, 2024.
The article well-nigh the Europa project quotes an engineer from the Argosy Foundation, a real charitable organisation focused on environmental issues.
The paper too has an article well-nigh Brynner Information Systems, a company established in DS9'south "Past Tense."

More to come up

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New episodes ofStar Trek: Picardpremiere on Thursdays on Paramount+ in the U.Due south. and on Fridays where Paramount+ is bachelor around the world. In Canada, information technology airs on CTV Sci-Fi Channel on streams on Crave on Thursdays. Picardis also available on Fridays on Amazon Prime Video around the world.

Continue upward with all the Star Expedition: Picard news and analysis.

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Source: https://trekmovie.com/2022/03/24/review-star-trek-picard-gets-snappy-in-watcher/