Monday, July 29, 2013

Star Trek TNG: Episode 118 - The Outcast

"Riker falls in love with an androgynous person after rescuing some others trapped in "null space."

This was a great episode, it had solid acting by Frakes and Melinda Culea as well as a very interesting plot. Riker falls in love with a man/women ... or neither?? I actually have no idea what an androgynous person is. Although this episode was a sort of brave, attempt at bringing attention to LGBT issues and all, it does strike out in many ways. For one, I'm pretty sure Melinda Culea was a model at one time, so trying to play her off as a sexless Soren is just dumb ... obviously a female. The did try to make her look like Marcy Darcy but I for one have always been attracted to Marcy so yet again, fail. AND we find out that even though her race is androgynous, she is in fact female. So basically Riker falls in love with a female and this female falls for a man. Hardly groundbreaking stuff right there. The climax of the episode (rapidly raising and lowering eyebrows) is in the end (rapidly raising and lowering eyebrows) when this race finds out that Soren considers herself a woman, they send her to get some sort of lobotomy or something. An excellent scene is when Soren is in front of court and gives a speech about human rights ... and her right to be straight?? I guess. Anyway Riker risks his career to save her but it's too late, she has been "fixed". If I remember correctly, at this point Riker smothers her with a pillow and then tosses a gigantic sink through a window.

117 down 62 to go

7 comments:

Donald said...

This is one of those episodes where I bet the original script was brilliant and groundbreaking, but after the network read it they were like, "change it to Riker banging a sexy chick."

I mean, I dunno if I'd go so far as to say she was sexy, but she was clearly a woman, so the whole thing just didn't work.

Enterprise later did an episode with a similar plot to much better results, which is weird because Next Gen was a way better show than Enterprise. Progenitor, I think it was called. Something like that.

Mugato said...

Yes, that Enterprise episode worked out much better than this. ...also, I kinda did find this "woman" sexy. I really like girls with short hair.

capt.naps said...

ha i remember this episode. they should have had the lady bang ricker and show full penetration

Mugato said...

I picture Riker as more of a power top

Capt.B.A.Napps said...

hey she was the girl from the first two seasons of A-Team.
She was cute.
I don't know why they got rid of her. I understand people didn't want a girl on their manly A-Team show but really...the show was better with her on it.

Anyway...A-Team....why would anyone ever need to hire the A-Team???

Donald said...

There was a girl on the A-Team?

capt. naps said...

the girl on the A-Team was like their pimp. When someone wanted to hire them she would bring them to the A-Team.

She really didn't have much to do but i feel the show wasn't the same after she left.