TNG – Lonely Among Us

Plot – Whoever is responsible for arranging the quarters on board the Enterprise needs shooting because here they are welcoming two bitter warring rivals to the ship to ferry them to Parliament and their quarters are placed a mere 100 metres apart.

Character – Poor Mr Singh. He barely had the chance to register before being summarily dispatched in this episode. There was a strange roll call of staff in engineering in season one before they finally decided to shove Geordi down there for good. I wonder what happened to Mr Argyle?

How much fun is Data having playing at being Sherlock Holmes? At this point in the shows history he is the one character that is truly having fun and it is a joy to witness. Brent Spiner is too good an actor to have simply play an unfeeling android. Puffing away on his pipe and investigating with arrogance and observation, he’s a delight.

Performance – it does worry me when the writers of TNG try and give Dr Bev something unusual to do. Especially when it comes to behaving as though she has been possessed. Fortunately, Gates McFadden spends much of this show walking around a bit like a zombie anyway so she is well up to the task here. I can’t say it is incredibly convincing but it does mean she is a part of the plot for once. Why is it when people start acting weird on these shows that nobody comments on the fact that they are probably possessed given it is something that happens ever other week?

It's another one of those early TNG episodes where Patrick Stewart looks and sounds highly unconvinced that he should be involved in this project. He plays Picard in a very stiff and upper crust way, almost afraid to relax in case somebody should watch this and think he is not doing everything he can to play it seriously. It’s strange how one actor’s response to a show can determine the entire tone but when season three starts and Stewart starts to lean into the role rather than fight it, and starts to relax, the show really starts to breathe. Strangely, once Picard is taken over by the cloud entity, Stewart finds that he can start having fun with the role. There’s a very bizarre suggestion that once Picard has become one with the energy cloud that the two have a lot in common and that Picard is willingly sacrificing himself so he can travel amongst the stars with the new lifeform. Yeah, I wouldn’t have gone down that route. Far better for Picard to be seen to be acting against his will. It means that he wouldn’t have to have a visit from Counsellor Troi afterwards. ‘So, you want to travel so badly that you were happy to become an energy cloud for the rest of your life…let’s explore that.’

At this point the two most convincing actors on the show are Levar Burton, who I think could fit in to any show with his charisma, and Wil Wheaton, who has won the jackpot, career wise and is clearly having a wonderful time in this strange and exciting new environment.

Great Dialogue – ‘What’s happened to your mind, Doctor?’ Finally, somebody asks Dr Bev the right question.

Production – I really like Ron Jones’ music on TNG. It can be something of a bone of contention because it is 80s synth of the most dramatic nature but I am somebody that was brought up on 80s Doctor Who and that style was all the rage. Ron Jones can underscore when he needs to but in the first season he is spending most of his effort being loud and proud and creating as much atmosphere and suspense as he can. His score here is one of the best things about the episode. It clearly hasn’t been made by instruments but it does add a sheen of style to the piece.

Best moment – The whole subplot surrounding the Selay and the Anticans is marvellously handled. You can tell that DC Fontana has had a hand in this. I could have done with the whole episode concerning itself with this pair of squabbling races and their private hunt on board the Enterprise.

Worst moment – Watch how Geordi tries to restrain Worf. He throws himself on him as though he is making love to him.

I wish they hadn’t done that – I thought humanity was supposed to be evolved beyond the point of having racist opinions. Tasha Yar meets the Selay for less than a minute and suggests that they wouldn’t make very promising Federation candidates. It’s not just her, there are examples of this throughout the first few seasons of TNG.

A very odd moment right at the end of the episode where it appears that one of the Selay delegates has been murdered and possibly boiled alive and Riker interrupts Yar’s report to insist that she welcomes the Captain back. Yes, yes, there might be a diplomatic incident involving murder occurring but please, some courtesy to the Captain before we get to that!

A reason to watch this episode again – I had so much fun with Lonely Among Us when I was a precocious seven-year-old brat. The idea of the lightning creature hopping from person to person was such a visually appealing one that I couldn’t resist. The trouble is re-visiting the same episode as an adult where I can see there is very little story involved and how it makes so many of the regulars act out of character. The trouble with the main plot is that the nature of the cloud creature and its desires are barely explored and the ‘fun’ of the episode is in watching it hop from person to person and seeing how each actor tackles the challenge. As such it remains a bit of a mystery at the end and you’re left wondering what the point of the episode was. The delegates being shipped to Parliament is far more colourful and enjoyable subplot. Unfortunately, it is relegated to a few scant scenes of squabbling and cannibalism. Another disappointing season one entry then, albeit one that is directed with some oomph.

**1/2 out of *****