Data asks Geordi and Troi, as best friend and counselor, presumably the friendliest audience possible, to come be the first to see his facial hair. Neither of them can keep a straight face, particularly surprising for Troi. Someone asked me yesterday who was my favourite character on Next Generation and I said Troi. She was and I suppose she still is. You can talk to me all day about what a great performance Patrick Stewart gives or all the nuances Data episodes explore about what it means to be human. At the end of the day, Troi is a pretty lady and I'm always going to prefer her company.
It's rare for her to have much to do besides say something like, "I sense something, Captain." That, of course, is sexy, but it's not much. In this episode, it's at least valuable for her to be consulted as Data's personality is overcome by that of a dead man. I feel like the eulogy he gives to the dead man ought to have raised some red flags for everyone, though.
"Unbridled modesty" has become an instant favourite phrase of mine. I dimly remember enjoying it all the way back in 1989, actually, when this episode first aired. The subtle contradiction between the adjective and noun is just so keen.
Again, it plays much more like a parody than a straightforward episode.
X Sonnet #1914
An endless loading time defined the night.
A rage of snacks descends as crispy rain.
A sound like hale pervades the metal site.
The plastic shades about were weak to pain.
In fear, the human Silly Putty merged.
The species ball eclipsed the honest moon.
But on the putty's flank, a map emerged.
The shapes of craters spelled a circle doom.
As questions swirl, the devils reap the dust.
Unchallenged hair was just a style dream.
The hues of tea were paired with darkened rust.
From dunking coffee, elves removed the cream.
Concluded wars were tales in children's books.
Across the room, a canny serpent looks.
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