IN THEORY This episode brings to mind a brief comment about "Datalore" I read recently: It "leaves no cliche unturned". This episode was thoroughly, almost painfully, routine, as it lumped cliche upon cliche, leaving this viewer with the sensation that he'd seen this episode a zillion times before on TNG. We can start by pointing out how Jenna looked very similar to Ishara Yar from "Legacy", if mildly more attractive. (And, by extension, she looks quite a bit like the woman who played the female lead in The Terminator and Beauty and the Beast.) Then we can look at the plots. First, Data's romance: This is typical Data stuff. Data "writes a program" to better interact with humans on some specific level. He commits the usual set of faux pas, consults the crew for advice, and eventually realizes that he hasn't gotten much closer to learning what it means to be human. Along the way we're treated to such things as Riker's smirk (in full bloom, too; shit-eating grin might be more like it) and a stellar array of old (and mostly bad) jokes. Ho-hum. There were a few yuks along the way. One was Picard's piece of advice to Data ("I will be glad to give you all the advice I have about understanding women, when I have some."), and the other is this: SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL: The funniest unintentional (I think) straight line I have ever heard on Star Trek (any series): Data to Guinan: "Jenna gave me what I believe could be considered a very passionate kiss in the forward torpedo bay." Think about it. :-) Oh, and the other yuk this episode: Data's cat is named Spot? Riiight... :-) Actually, this plot had definite potential, but they went down the wrong alley. If they'd played it straight, with Data actually being himself as he romances Jenna, then it could have been quite interesting. Probably much harder to develop, of course, and it probably wouldn't have attracted the fans of network sitcoms like the episode undoubtedly did, but still, much more interesting. As it was, we just had a poor vehicle for Brent Spiner's method acting. Perhaps more closely examining Jenna's experience of rebounding from her previous relationship might have spiced things up even more. She was really not much more than a skeleton of a character. (One last bit I liked: The cat jumping on Data's lap at the very end. So sue me. I'm a cat fanatic. :-) As for the other plot, well, this was cliche city as well. Perhaps if it had somehow been meaty enough to flesh out to a whole episode, it might have worked. It did have one chilling moment when we see the ensign stuck between decks (very effective), but otherwise, we've sen it before. In fact, this episode struck me as a redux of "Booby Trap", right down to Picard insisting on piloting the shuttle (and if that hasn't become a TNG cliche, I don't know what has). (How about this for an idea: Jenna could have piloted the shuttle and ended up getting maimed or killed. THAT could have been fodder for an interesting examination of Data's character.) Other cliches that were tossed at us this week: A classical music performance, Data painting, O'Brien and Keiko talking about married life (y-a-w-n), people getting zapped by computer consoles, strange apparitions on the wall (shades of "Remember Me"!), and pseudo-technological puzzles (Trek never seems to have gotten the handle on generating bizarre and eerie puzzles the way Space: 1999 or Doctor Who did). So, this episode just seemed thoroughly routine all around. That would warrant it a C, except that some of the scenes with Data's romance were just SO unbearable (as I said, they seemed tailored to attract the sitcom audience, a member of whom I am most definitely NOT; I don't even like "The Simpsons") that that kicks it down a fair bit. Plus, it had a few good bits (about as many as "Qpid", actually). Watchable, but not very. GRADE: D+ (Gee, what do you know? The same thing "Legacy" got!) SEASON FOUR AT A GLANCE: The Best Of Both Worlds Part Two: C- Family: A- Brothers: B Suddenly Human: C Remember Me: A+ Legacy: D+ Reunion: B Future Imperfect: D- Final Mission: B The Loss: D- Data's Day: B- The Wounded: C- Devil's Due: C- Clues: B First Contact: C+ Galaxy's Child: F Night Terrors: B Identity Crisis: B+ The Nth Degree: C+ Qpid: F The Drumhead: B+ Half A Life: B- The Host: B- The Mind's Eye: A In Theory: D+ --- Total Points: 57 1/3 Season Average: 2.393 = C+ (Fall of 0.040 from previous episode)