We were discussing the DS9 finales in a lower thread. They're almost uniformly great. I forgot about that one. I really need to revisit those earlier seasons before the recaps; I haven't seen them in forever.

Cid — wow, I know the show's not to everybody's taste, but I don't get the hate. Yeah, Brooks is a deeply weird actor, but more often than not it's wildly entertaining. I'd buy his hip-hop album.

OMG that's right. That's a goofy one. But it's totally an extraction operation! I'll have to watch that again.

I love "Yesterday's Enterprise," but I honestly don't rate it as highly as most. Top ten, sure. "Duet" I'll have to watch again. I remember it was damned good, and really set the tone for the series, but I don't recall specifics.

We'll just politely overlook "Move Along Home."

Yeah, Eponymous. Those were ALL freaking great, weren't they? They truly knew how to do finales right. "Tears of the Prophets?" Great final scenes.

And like said drill sergeant, the good intentions don't mean that he's NOT a dick.

Agreed. The "Thine Own Self" A-plot is fine stuff, and it seems to get overlooked.

Horse — the only bad thing people say about "Chain of Command" is that part one isn't as strong. But Prole left it off his short list of "TNG two-parters that worked." An oversight, I'm sure. :)

I think most anyone here DOES agree. We just keep licking our wounds about those movies, decades later. (Though I realize First Contact has its cult, of which I'm not a member.)

I too will stick up for "Gambit." Some good camp there, from Frakes and Stewart. Ludicrous, but tons of fun.

And "All Good Things" isn't REALLY a two-parter, right? Just a Very Special Episode?

The *actual* flute was inside the probe. They find it after Picard wakes up. It's the final scene of the show.

@ Eponymous — well argued. I actually hadn't considered it in that way. I'd have to watch it again to see if there's really that sense of the passage of time. Could it really be meant to take place over months? That in itself would be unusual for Trek. I don't remember getting that sense when I watched it, but it…

…I like that this week's discussion has sort of a Shadow Discussion of "Hard Time" going on throughout it, in multiple threads. (In the same week that we find out we're getting DS9 recaps!) It's some lovely thematic resonance.

@ Eponymous — do you think that "killing your cellmate" thing was PART of the punishment? Like it was programmed in? I just assumed O'Brien did that on his own. Which is horrifyingly dark, but believable. As you said, it was a punishment guaranteed to destroy his humanity.

Yeah. "Call to Arms." Unspeakably bad-ass.

Agreed on "Hard Time." I've said it before. It's a decent "PTSD" episode, but once he doesn't kill himself, he's cured. A bit implausible.

I'm with you, Charles."In the Pale Moonlight" is a fine episode. I like that they were willing to go those places. But it's nothing you haven't seen in plenty of other spy/political thrillers.

Nah, Zack. You had it about right. Data's head is an awesome hook. The show doesn't deliver. And part two is significantly worse.