Instant reactions: Nepenthe

As always, SPOILERS!

1. I accept and respect that TNG fans need and deserve a nostalgic episode where their favorite characters get to spend some quality time together. (For me, Riker is warmer and more endearing than I used to find him, and Troi is even less. But these have always been some of my least favorite ST characters, so.) But this season is chugging to a close a mere three episodes from now, and there's a lot of plot to wind up, so I can't help resenting this long detour away from the main story. Also, it doesn't really do Picard any favors that his first thought when on the run from the most dangerous secret police in the galaxy is to hide out at the quiet, bucolic home of his dear friends and their sweet kid. Yeah, Picard's arrogance is a thing in this series, but I don't think the writers were entirely conscious that this choice would make Picard look so much worse.

2. HUUUUUGH!!! Honestly, I enjoy a heart-wrenching character death as much as the next person, but really, this was a waste. If it had happened in Picard's presence, so that we could experience his reaction and see the effect on him, that would have been something. But with Elnor? They only just met. Worse, there's this weird vibe that we're supposed to feel like Hugh and Elnor became deeply bonded in, like, ten minutes, so we're meant to think Elnor was profoundly traumatized by this. But...nope. I got nothing, except for the sense that I really wanted to see more Hugh, and now I won't.

3. So Agnes -- not a synth (that's me wrong, yet again), but shown a synthpocalypse by Oh that freaked her out enough to just swallow a tracking thingy. Not that I can really blame her. A mind-meld apocalypse must feel like -- well, an apocalypse. But what is that vision? Is it a real future? Did some time traveler give the Zhat Vash future intel, which the ZV have dedicated themselves to preventing, like ENT's Sphere Builders did to the Xindi? Or is it a mythical future, some kind of prophecy? Narissa refers to ZV operatives all across the galaxy, so presumably, that includes Oh. Anyhow, I'm glad Agnes redeemed herself, even if she had to put herself in a coma to do it. OK, maybe "redeemed herself" is a little strong, given the whole killing Maddox thing. But then again, we don't know that Maddox wasn't going to cause a synthpocalypse, so maybe Agnes did the right thing? But is it ever right to kill someone to prevent a future event that might not happen? Paging Chidi Anagonye.

4. Did Rios really suspect Raffi, or did he suspect Agnes, and he was trying to get her to confess to being the one with the tracking device? I prefer to think the latter, but it's probably the former. Poor Raffi can't catch a break -- everyone is shitty to her. Also, if you suspect someone on your ship is being tracked by someone who's trying to destroy you, wouldn't you try to do something more effective than have a chat about it?

5. The best part of this episode: Soji. Her reactions and feelings seem authentic and really touch me. So it turns out Maddox probably did make her, and others, on the planet with two red moons. (In my previous speculation, I'd dismissed the idea that Maddox actually made Soji and Dahj because I neglected to consider that he'd been missing for a long time, and he would have had ample opportunity to continue his work after leaving the Daystrom Institute. Still, it's pretty crazy to think he made a lot of them. Why? Did he have an ulterior motive, or was it just because he could? Was he the one who gave them the false memories and let them think they were human? Isn't that unethical? Paging Chidi again.) So Soji is in a sense Data's "daughter." But was Dahj so strongly imprinted on Picard that she sought him out without even knowing him, while Soji remains suspicious? Is it just because Soji is more traumatized?

6. I'm starting to get the feeling that the Borg/synth connection isn't going to be some clever plot twist, but just a loose thematic parallel, more's the pity. Still, there must be a reason why the Borg can't successfully assimilate Romulans, and it must have something to do with why Ramdha called Soji the Destroyer. Mustn't it?

7. Can we pleeeaaaaase get Rios' backstory now?

Ten great things in Picard's "Impossible Box"

"The Impossible Box" is an instant Star Trek favorite for me. It’s about people trying desperately to connect with each other because of, in spite of, and through pain; about finding truth inside lies and honesty inside secrets; about imperfect healing, the nobility of perseverance, and the way suffering makes us human. It advances characterization and plot without a whole lot of unnecessary verbiage (kudos to writer Nick Zayas), and it’s beautiful to watch (ditto director Maja Vrvilo).

I was inspired to rewatch – twice – and make a list of ten things I especially loved about "The Impossible Box":

1. Picard’s PTSD: The amazing thing about Patrick Stewart’s performance is that he makes you feel what it cost Picard to keep functioning all those years with all that locked inside, and how the frailty of age makes it so much harder to keep battling the demons.

2. Elnor’s searing honesty: He tells Jurati that Picard “can’t see you’re also haunted by something you’d like to forget.” Later, to Jurati and Rios: “The obvious tension between you makes me uneasy.” Everyone treats Elnor like a child who is too naïve to understand what the grown-ups are talking about. But his lack of artifice gives him insight everyone else lacks, because he is so authentically present. OK, that sounds like self-help psychobabble, but fuck it, it speaks to me. “Was I in-butting?” “That time, yes.” I <3 Elnor.

3. The Rios-Jurati hookup: It’s incredibly refreshing to see two adults be fairly honest about what they want, and then just do it. Also refreshing: Writers not falling back on the cliché of dragging out sexual tension for a zillion hours on the theory that delayed gratification is good writing. Yes, I realize that Jurati is hiding a lot (like a murder and its motive), and Rios isn’t exactly an open book, either, but this encounter feels remarkably genuine. Given all that baggage, kudos to Cabrera and Pill for pulling it off. (Bonus: Cabrera showing off his actual soccer skills. Be still my heart.)

4. The whole Narek-Narissa thing: Now that is a new twist on the old UST trope, and I love it. Playing the sexual tension inherent in sibling rivalry is bananas ballsy. “That’s mine. Give it back. You’ll break it.” The banality of that line, which could be from any family sitcom, but is instead spoken by an adult brother to the adult sister who keeps coming on to him – soooo creepy. And then there's the sensual way Narek shows her how to play with his Romulan Rubik’s Cube, like the sex toy/murder weapon it is. Delightfully perverse.

5. Raffi’s bluff: In the midst of a bender, Raffi holds herself together to pull off the perfect con. It’s a work of art, both on Raffi’s part and Michelle Hurd’s. It’s all the more painful to watch because we, the audience, know why she’s hurting so bad, but no one in the scene does. So painfully relatable. And then she falls apart; watching her face collapse the moment the call ends is a gut punch. Picard’s applause – how clueless can he be? It’s Rios who tenderly tucks her in, hears her pain, takes her hand, and delivers real empathy: “No one gets all of it right, Raff.”

6. Soji frantically dating her possessions: Such a simple and devastating way to discover that everything you believe about your life is a lie. This happens to be a sci fi trope I love, because it’s so terrifying: the sudden realization that your reality is not real.

7. Hugh, Hugh, Hugh: His sincere affection for Picard. His instant willingness to help. His tenderness toward the ex-Bs. The fact that, other than Elnor, he’s the warmest, most open character in the entire series so far – and he is ex-Borg.

8. Picard’s realization that the Borg are victims: This is his Kirk Undiscovered Country moment, and it’s freaking beautiful. As much as we owe Roddenberry for creating Star Trek, he couldn’t see that having your protagonists realize they were wrong is the most powerful way of making a moral argument. It’s probably because Picard was too perfect in his original run that his revelation is so moving here. And it’s a powerful message at this moment in history, when we’re all wondering how we’re ever going to forgive the brainwashed masses.

9. Narek as Judas: He betrays Soji (human, but not human) with a kiss, tells her she’s not real, and weeps as he leaves her to die. Does that make him any less of a monster? Did Judas throwing the silver into the Temple absolve him of his sin? Something to chew on.

10. The Picard-Elnor reconciliation: “Elnor, I will not leave you behind again!” “It fills me with joy to hear you say that. Now go.” SOB.

The mystery of Agnes Jurati

"Agnes Jurati" is an unusual name. But is it a clue?

Certainly, Agnes Jurati is a secret wrapped in an enigma. As of “The Impossible Box,” she’s had a mysterious meeting with Commodore Oh, conveniently shown up to help Picard when Romulans attacked, wormed her way into his mission without a security check, and slept with Rios. And, oh yes, murdered Bruce Maddox. That seems important.

Does “Agnes Jurati” tell us anything about all of that? Definitely maybe.

Just to get this out of the way: It’s possible Agnes is a synth whom Oh activated to kill Maddox. Or she’s not a synth, but whatever Oh told her compelled her to action. Either way, Agnes Jurati (like Soji) is bound to a destiny the truth of which has yet to be revealed.

But anyway, back to the name. A quick search reveals that jurati is the genitive form of the Latin word juratus, meaning “one who swears an oath.” Yes, like that other familiar word: juror. From Elementary History of England:

“When the king’s judge went round to hold the assizes, or law courts, in each county, he was helped in trying prisoners by a body of men belonging to the neighborhood who swore that they would tell the truth as they knew it. They were called a jury, from the Latin word jurati, which means sworn men.”

Certainly, Agnes’ killing of Maddox implies that she is carrying out someone’s orders, possibly as judgment or punishment. Clearly, she’s bound (by oath, or the synth equivalent, programming) to some mysterious cause. But why? On whose behalf? Is she trying to help or hinder Picard? Is she on the side of whoever activated the Mars synths and scuttled the Romulan rescue, and therefore presumably part of an anti-Romulan conspiracy? Or is she working to bring that side to justice somehow? (And relatedly, which side was Maddox on?) And how do the Borg figure into it? It sure looks like the Romulans had something to do with the creation of the Borg eons ago, and something about the tech being harvested from ex-Borgs now is related to that history.

So, Jurati. An oath sworn, a mysterious allegiance to an unknown cause. (And if so, a contrast to Elnor, whose oath of allegiance is sworn in absolute candor.)

And the name Agnes? A famous poem by John Keats, The Eve of St. Agnes, is based on a folk myth that, on that one night of the year, a young woman's dream may reveal her future love. In the poem, a young woman awakens to the sight of her admirer, who has snuck into her room. Seeing in him the figure of her dream, she decides, despite her terror of the unknown, to run off with him.

Or in the Picard version:

Rios: “Sorry. Did I wake you? Can’t sleep?”
Jurati: “Why do you like it out here?”
Rios: “In space?”
Jurati: “It’s cold, and empty, and it wants to kill you.”

And off they go together, for one of the most surprisingly simple, honest couplings in Star Trek history. In this telling, Rios doesn’t so much represent true love as, well, truth itself, to judge from his idea of light reading, Miguel de Unamuno’s Tragic Sense of Life: “The truth is that reason is the enemy of life.” Put another way, life is short. Sleep with the hottie now.

And then there’s Narek, seeking to unlock the secret truth at the heart of Soji’s dream by means of a Romulan ritual. He gets some truth, but Soji gets betrayed. Is this her eve of St. Agnes? It sure seems like there is a very important link between Soji and Agnes that has yet to be revealed.

And because I enjoy tying myself in knots, I’ll again bring up the fact that Elnor, an exile living the way of absolute candor, is from a planet called Vashti, the name of the biblical queen who was banished from her land for her forthrightness, and who was replaced by Esther, a woman with a secret identity waiting for the right moment to be activated to save her people.

The big open question regarding Agnes is, will Picard pull a Discovery and go with the Evil All Along trope, a la Lorca? I hope not.