THE DRUMHEAD


There was a lot about this episode that was striking, but you know what
struck me the most?  How understated it all was.  Even Picard's big speech
at the end and the woman's rant... it's not that it was lacking emotion,
but it was filmed so casually.  There was no "big conclusion" a la TOS'
"Court Martial", no sudden moment of revelation.  The "Ben Finney" of this
episode didn't have a finally breakdown when he was beaten.  It didn't
reach out and grab you by the gut and hold you for an hour.

But the really remarkable thing is that it still worked.  I think this
was due largely to two factors:

1) The ease with which the woman was able to get her way and start
   interrogating whom she wanted when she wanted.
2) The performances, especially by Patrick Stewart, but also by Michael Dorn
   and the actress playing the Admiral.

These two factors combined to provide just what the episode needed: A sense
that those in power could start toppling lives with just a flick of their
wrist, unless we are very, very careful.  This sense of oppression was made
all the more powerful by the fact that I *did* agree with some of her
statements, especially the one regarding monitoring the doctor's movements.
When you have good reason (as they did at the time) to believe that there's
a saboteur on board, who could risk the lives of the whole crew, I think
putting someone under surveillance is perfectly justified.

The episode did have its flaws, though.  Prime among them was TNG's insistence
not to put too fine a point on the moral issues it's tackling.  While this
episode certainly wasn't nearly as blatant as "The High Ground", it did
have its preachy moments.  No matter how important a point it is, I do get
tired of the "innocent before proven guilty" speech.

BTW, since we've been having discussions about TNG's music lately, I think
this episode is a prime example of the show "missing the boat" with respect to
using the music to support the emotional impact of the story.  It almost
did this as Picard was delivering his final speech, with the violin piece
in the background, but the music meandered around without establishing a
real melody or reaching a peak, and didn't really do it for me.

I also scratched my head when Picard was "subpoenaed" and he DIDN'T get on
the horn to his friends in the Starfleet brass.  At least for advice or to
let them know what's going on.  The admiral from "Conspiracy", at least,
seemed to be a close enough friend that he'd forgive Picard if the call was
a bit premature (I'm sure he'd welcome news through the grapevine, too).
It seems to me that having a little backup would have been a prudent course
of action, but, as my girlfriend pointed out, it would have dampened the
story's "message" of the "powers of right and freedom" triumphing over the
"powers of evil and oppression" (which, actually, is not a bad summary
of the conclusion, IMHO).

I felt that Worf's scenes were generally well-handled.  Many of us, I think,
forget that he's comparatively inexperienced and that he can fall prey to
the speeches of people like the Admiral.  But he's learning.  I would have
liked to have seen the final scene touch a little on my pet theory that
Picard is grooming Worf for a command job, but what we did get was fine.

I was quite impressed with the actor playing the Betazoid, who made both a
good interrogator, and displayed some very convincing reactions as the Admiral
was winding up her career.  On the other hand, I felt the actor playing
the young doctor overdid things a bit.  Nice to see another enlisted man
in Starfleet, though.

The plot seemed solid enough to me, and, except for the moments of preachiness,
I don't have anything more to say about it or the script.

I thought that the Admiral of Security's departure from the room - without
speaking a line - was quite effective.

Riker actually doing something as the doctor's counsel was a nice touch.
("The Seventh Guarantee"? :-)

I also liked the insertion of a little science fiction in the form of the
syringe.  I'm sure there are vast implications for that form of technology
which I haven't thought of, but I like the idea.  (It reminds me of an
old Phil Foglio joke, though.  Anyone remember "Juice sips sink ships"? :-)

All in all, I think this one suffers more from "not being all it could have
been" rather than having some ostentatious crack in the glass.  No, not a bad
episode by any means.

Grade: B+

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+
---
Total Points:  46 2/3
Season Average: 2.222 = C+
(Rise of 0.055 from previous episode)