UNCUT - The Game (TNG S5E6) | Star Trek Journey 213
Comments (123)
It’s not that bad for me. Average. C. Some bland tropes, but some neat shots, and imh the chemistry between Wesley and Lefler was surprisingly believable despite the weak dialogue at times.
My god, that sweater…🤮
I have no idea how to rate this one, the story and message are really bad and cheesy but it’s very entertaining to watch, even for all the wrong reasons. The big exposition dump that had you in hysterics reminded me of that the scene in Troll 2…
This is an A for me, unusually for me to rate a Wesley episode so high. The funny thing is i know Marina hates chocolate, and she has said how when they filmed this she had a bucket next to her to spit it in after each mouthful.
I thought she had to spit it out so that she didn't ingest all the calories!
Pretty awful even TOS would be embaressed by this one
Imagine giving this episode anything less than an S. The insanity of the world these days...
Ironically I had it in quite good memory because Wesley came back - and left again after it! And because of Robin Lefler of course. I was around her age at the time. So...
Having finally seen the reaction, I think it's fine. Lesson learned: always watch the reaction before reading any of the comments...
You can tell these guys are from after the DARE generation when they say it would be better if it were MORE of a direct allegory about drugs.
It's somewhere between a B and a C for me. Some of the writing is is pretty bad, but I still think it's a lot of fun.
And I agree, btw. This easily one of the 10 worst episodes of the series. What a waste of Ashley Judd.
Agreed, same last name. So cheesy. Just infinitely cheesy.
At least its scored worse than Darmok!
I also gave this a D, for me it's everything past them taking out Data the writing taking a nosedive. I do like the shots from a cinematic aspect, I don't mind Robin, and I think it's one of if not the worst post season 2 episode. Maybe they had to make a sacrifice to the writing gods for the next couple episodes. (IMO anyway)
Unification waiting room
I think I liked this. Solid B for me.
Love how Alex wrote his score before the episode was even completely over! LOL
Hilarious reaction to one of the weirder TNG episodes! Agree on the bad writing and wooden acting. I think it was meant to be a metaphor for online porn addiction though, more than drugs or smartphones. If so I give it a point for tackling a subject no other show did, especially back then. It gets another point for being the first I know of to conceive an augmented reality device. And 2 points for Ashley Judd and Troi's chocolate ice cream :D. All told I give it a cheesy but watchable B. On to the next!
A little too early for that...
invasion of the body snatchers epic
Horrible episode but Awesome reaction guys!!! That's one of the funniest ones you guys have had. Keep up the great work!!!
Alex and Josh? More like Ashley and Judd. Hubba hubba!!
Wesley's best episode, imo...but that ain't saying much. I give it a B.
I agree. Wesley was very annoying.
It seems only bad can come of visiting Risa. Idk if anyone ever in star Trek gets to go to that dang planet and just enjoy themselves. I can think of one time it may have almost happened but then a certain SOMEONE had to go ruin it. iykyk
So it's exactly like Vegas
I rated this a B in the poll, but watching again, it does have rather clunky dialogue I'd forgotten about. So I'll give it a C. It is a bit of a goofy episode, yes, but I still like seeing Wesley again showing a bit more confidence and maturity for his time at the academy. I'll agree with you on one thing. I'm 36 and I have no clue what the big deal with Ashley Judd is. Yeah, she's cute, but looking through her filmography I've only seen 1 or 2 things outside TNG that she was in, and neither made an impact for me. But even if I don't think it's as bad as you guys did, I'm glad you at least had some fun with it.
"I have no clue what the big deal with Ashley Judd is" She's related to country music stars Naomi Judd (her mother) and Wynonna Judd (her half-sister)
I have an important question: If you gave the game to the Borg, would the Borg assimilate the game, or would the game assimilate the Borg?
Good question. Nothing wrong about Borg in a state of constant orgasm though.
I cannot wait for the next one though…
Around the time they got Data, I thought “oh man, all those scientists aren’t going to get that survey done after all! Poor guys”. 😁
Guys guys, I think your problem is that you're failing to grasp this episode's deep themes. You see (and follow me on this one), the game... it's a metaphor... for drugs (whoa!) ..and Wesley only doesn't play the game because he's already addicted to the most powerful drug of all: Love (aww) You see? It's a beautiful story I give this episode an A for Ashley
I'll give it a J, for the same reason
A and. J….🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣side-splitting
First half mostly B with some clunky moments; second half mostly C- with some highlights. So, it rounds out to a high C for me. I wonder how much of the "resist the social pressures of addiction" stuff was twiddled with by the studio. It was much more interesting when the recruitment was going on in the background and subtly creeping in. But in the second half, in what feels like the 20-30 minutes it takes Wesley to leave Sickbay, have his meeting with Picard, and reunite with Robin in Ten Forward, it's now everywhere and the crew's openly crazed? It feels rushed and sloppy.
Thinking it over, I think it's the Data stuff that bothers me. Beverly should have stuck him in a closet and had Riker put his combadge in a drawer in his quarters. We waste 5-8 minutes on all the "We sabotaged Data so well, we just can't figure out what's wrong with him" stuff, and it makes Geordi look bad. He's not recruited at that point and is already supposed to meet up with Riker at the end of the day to try the game, so it's not needed as a Geordi hook. Besides, he's the Chief Engineer and Data's bff, he should be motivated enough to find the severed connection, even preoccupied by a big project. Sticking Data in a closet would let Wesley & Robin find him while testing the game in Sickbay. "You work on repairing that connection; I'll go make sure the Captain knows about this. Meet me in Ten Forward when you're done." Works better imo.
Didn't like Darmok or The Game? You guys fell off.
Alex liked Darmok
I compare every bad episode with TOS "And the Children Shall Lead" (nauseatingly atrocious). "The Game" is not as bad as that one...but it's a VERY low bar.
This is one of my mom's favorite episodes.
Dam, this one is certainly not among the best episodes, but you toar it to shreds. I call it a C, maybe C-.
This is a good B episode for me. Some clunkiness but one of the better Wesley episodes. He was not as annoying as he usually was. I like the chase at the end and the shot when they are putting the game on Wesley was great. If you think of the game as giving some kind of hypnotic suggestions, then it makes much more sense. That is if you think of how hypnosis works at least in theory. This one is much more rewatchable than Darmok. I liked Darmok the first time more, but I cannot stand it now. It just drags and I want it to end. The discussion at the end of the episode left a lot to be desired. Just bad reasons not to like the episode. I know you have your opinion, but it seems like it was based upon bad information. And most Star Trek episodes have very hokey dialogue at times. Some of the moral grandstanding and the discussion of the prime directive is cringe. I thought so even back then but now it just seems worse. Such a modern worldview pushed. It did not keep up with the time philosophically speaking. A drug allegory would have been just another episode. Nothing special. There would have been much better TV episodes about drugs. Kind of boring and predictable. This had more excitement. This could have been better if it was not just one episode but was done in little spurts throughout season. At first it would just be some game to fill time in an episode, but it would grow and grow. But having another drug allegory. Yuck!
This is an episode where a tier ranking doesn't even make sense. Because it's an atrocious episode that I know is terrible, yet for some mysterious reason, I love it.
True, could definitely agree with an n/a rating, but imo it gets an E for wasting Wesley’s return. Even though it’s hilarious that this is his return!!
I mean you guys were pretty rough on this ep the had to give wes something to do, it wasnt the best but Id give it a C
I never had an issue with the hypnosis aspect because as far as I'm aware that doesn't mean someone loses their identity or personality, it just means some aspect of their thoughts or feelings has been (theoretically) modified to some extent or another. From that POV, it made sense to me that this game 'programmed' them to have this new mission to spread the game, while also rewarding them with pleasurable feelings as a 'hook' or motivation to play and be enthusiastic about the 'mission'. None of that requires them to lose their whole identity. It's like an extreme version of behavior modification, I think?
Yep.
Fun episode, does a lot of cool things. The one by one "recruiting" of Riker, Troi, Beverly I like a lot because it's just implied. The Picard reveal that he's also under it's control is a cool scene. There some clunky expositional dialogue that really spells things out but that's not the end of the world. I mean, at this point.. c'mon. S tier episodes have clunky dialogue too at times. Totally disagree that a drug allegory would somehow make this better. That's about as paint by numbers as you could possibly get. The fact that the addiction is hypnotizing without being debilitating so they can still function perfectly well to accomplish the take over and possess others is really not that far out the realm of possibility, we literally JUST saw Geordi placed under mind control on a very similar level by Romulans. You guys seemed to have a blast though, hardest laughs since Private Little War... and yet E and D. alright guys lol, if you say so ;)... onto the next!
Yes, I think they seem ignorant of some basic facts here. Maybe they have seen too much TV. One of my down sides to this issue is that some of the crew are acting like they are high. I think they should have had them act more normal but also playing the game. Much more like the bridge crew.
I have no love (or hate) for this episode but when it comes time to rank S5, we should all rank this as our number 1 just to fuck with them.
I am here for this ...
its a C-
I actually agree. It wasn't insanely cringe, but it was just weak.
Well TA, you just lost The Game. Remember when Josh thought Darmok wasn't great? Along comes "The Game" to kick ya back to reality.
well for me as a kid i found this episode both terrifying and arousing. Doesnt hold up but the "invasion of the body snatchers" vibe plus the idea of a super enjoyable techno drug being the thing that gets you, when i was 11 and had no idea what drugs were like, freaked me out. Its worth noting this during the "DARE" era where every tv show had this anti drug message that basically made drugs look like they turned you into mindless zombies. What I didn't know at the time is that many of these animators being forced to do these went intentionally over the top ridiculous. This wasnt the case fot this episode but the climate helps, and I also think its important to understand when this came out the expositroy dialgoue was maybe necessary because the public knowsledge about nero science was extremely lacking. This did get kicked around a bit from the initial concept of "tetris is addicting, maybe we could do a sci fi thing" to braga getting his first script and going in a "wesley comes home and his family comes out to get him" and they basically knew this one was kinda corny and campy but they thought the only way to do it was to go all out.. like if you didnt just accept those elements, it wouldnt work. I do feel that tis one has aged really badly, elements that seemed fresh and relevant and "advanced" at the time now seem goofy and obvious. I think its also to be remembered that the intention of wesley was as a character younger fans could relate to in a "mary sue" way so it wasnt just older fans of the original series, and having a wesley plot, like really the whole episode, it was one that was probably aimed at the younger side of the demographic while hoping the adults would dig it if it just went all it on its weirdness, which is kind of how it was received but as i said has just aged very badly.
the chocolate scene was this intentional thing to introduce this idea of pleasure, and its supposed to be ironic its the adults addicted and teens who are fighting it.. or something. But yeah, there was a lot of "pleasure/seduction" stuff in the direction which was suposed to be edgy because it was like, acknowledging that this was very enjoyable while the shif to the bodysnatchers plot sort of came on a bit too fast in terms of transition, but as a kid, again, when they caught wesley, i was trying to imagine myself in the situation, and data's resuce was bad ass and out of nowehre, because werent clued in via the in screen dialogue that wesley was actually just a diversion, for data to fix the problem while we were supposed to think he was desperatelt the last "human" who hadnt been addicted body snatched.
I think this was a filler episode. There are some GREAT episodes coming up and the writing staff was busy with them. So everyone had to pass the script around and give it 15 minutes before getting back to real work. I give this episode a D-
This was a high C for me. Great premise, horribly executed. (This was when Ashley Judd was palatable.) But it's TNG and I still love it.
I kinda thought you guys would like this. Also I didn't love it but thought it was a bit better than you guys thought.
If someone was going to bring a dangerous sex toy back to the ship, it was always going to be Riker.
Eh, I don't think Riker is any more likely to be court martialed than Geordi was in The Mind's Eye. This technology was potent enough to indoctrinate every member of the crew(except Data), including Picard. There was no real precedent to look out for this kind of thing.
Wow, my all time favorite Star Trek episode! I can't wait to see what the guys think about it!
(¬_¬)
To me, an “E” should be for something you would never want to watch again. You had so much fun with this episode that it should have been a “C” at least.
Agreed.
This script would be more at home in season 1 or 2.
But it took time for Riker to become infamous for being insatiable!
On paper this is a good episode and is not even executed poorly. It was an average effort. It's just that Wes doesn't work as the main antagonist. Being the wiz kid sounds nice but doesn't make a great character in practice.
Wes isn’t the antagonist. He’s the protagonist.
Either you two were playing 'the game' or that Klingon Kush hit extra hard! so many laughs! (some odd audio problems though, hissy until you talk)
I wish we smoked before this
The Troi scene with the chocolate was supposed to be a moment that tied in/set up the whole pleasure/addiction thing. Kind of like the painting scene at the beginning of Matter of Perspective, except that episode was actually good.
heh. That gave me the idea of a version where instead of addicting to you it, the game addicts you to what you already like, and troi winds up addicted to chocolate and wearing a fat suit while riker is inappropriately trying to bang every woman on the ship. That would be a much worse/better episode
This episode gets an "S" for "Shit-Tier."
Bahahahah
I love this episode, and I also love that you both hated it. I think it needs to be accepted as canon that Wesley's birthmark is on his cock now.
As an adult, D. 10-year-old me who first watched it, S. (I averaged them for a B). This reaction, S
Ah dumb fun. It’s nice to see Wesley and all but the frightening ease the Enterprise is taken over is borderline comical especially with such a weak villain. Plus we have the “Wesley saves the day” trope that made him so hated in s1 (ok I know it’s ultimately Data but still). Overall It’s C for me, it’s fun if you just go with it. I don’t think it’s the worst episode of the show, it’s not even the worst of s5.
I think this episode's greatest sin is that it has absolutely nothing to do with Star Trek whatsoever. By that I mean that it's not about anything. There's no commentary, no idea, and no message. As you said, The Host is actually about something. It's execution of that idea is pretty wacky, but it's exploring the real idea of how does love actually work. I agree that this episode would have been WAY better if they removed the whole external villain aspect and made it an episode about addiction. Especially considering that according to season 1, this is supposed to be a society that has absolutely no experience with addiction unless you grew up on a colony like Tasha's. Instead we got this
I think the message is that anyone can become addicted and thus controlled by something.
At least in this episode, Troi shows Riker that she has moved on and she doesn't need him or The Game to have a good orgasm-like experience. Just a big bowl of chocolate. I can relate.
One silly detail stuck in my head when I first saw this episode. Etana had the pupils of a goat. Theyed never used make up effects like that before. At least as far as I recall. Gave the episode a B by the way.
This episode has always been a soft spot for me, as it's one of the first episodes I ever saw, when I was very little, just out of random chance. It's not gonna be remembered as one of the best Star Trek episodes of all time, but I don't think it's QUITE as bad as your initial thoughts. It definitely serves as a good example that even in its best seasons, TNG can still serve up a clunker or two.
20:46 Actually, life is always fair.
Skipping this episode and reaction. One of the worst TNG episodes.
Worst is in S7! This is the definition of a "C".
I absolutely love this episode. I'm really baffled by your hate for it, it's got all the things that I loved about TNG. It also could be, this was before the videogame 'panic' of the 2000's when they decided all of us gamers were potential mass-shooters or some crazy thing, maybe it just doesn't read right to you because as a society we've had this whole conversation to death.
The premise was the best part. Not sure if you watched the discussion, but we explain our thoughts quite thoroughly. Glad you enjoy the episode 👍🏻
This is what my mom and dad thought would happen to me if I had a video game system as a kid. They were correct
They were so distracted by what video games would do to us that they were blindsided by what Facebook would do to them
OMG... whether you love or hate this episode (I'm not a fan...D for me), this is probably your most entertaining ST reaction to date! I laughed my ass off with you guys.
I missed what they were laughing hysterically at.
All the cool kids are doing it.
*kewl
I can never hate this episode simply because I laugh my ass off every time just like you did on first watch. Think about that. I've been watching TNG for almost FORTY YEARS and I still crack up. EVERY. TIME. The definition of so bad it's good. God bless raunchy Riker and his butt-headed pirate paramour.
Dont watch the Startcredits for the next episode, if you havent allready.
We’ve watched through episode 9 and Star Trek VI
This is one of many terrible episodes of Star Trek written by Brannon Braga... who failed his way to the top and eventually became in charge of the entire franchise.
Brannon Braga is like a mixed bag. Sometimes his style works and we end up getting some interesting episodes, ideas, or even characters. But then other times we get the most laughably stupid Star Trek ever written (at least in the Berman era). Even his absolute worst work looks like gold now compared to Kurtzman's garbage though, so I really can't complain.
Episode: E Reaction: S
Well, that blows my prediction out of the water. Guys, you were laughing at it from the first scene. If you feel like sitting for an hour and trashing something... watch something else. It's unfortunate that the mention of "Risa" generates an "I'm going To hate this episode" reaction. Risa isn't going away. It's in many episodes. And the crappy "Wesley" Season 1 and 2 typical storylines are gone, so if he shows up again, how about drop the "we know how this is going to go" garbage. I can't believe I got up early on my day off to watch you two giggle for 50 minutes.
It deserves laughing at it from the first scene. I've been laughing at it for almost 35 years. And there is no Wesley bashing. Wil was as good as he could be with the dialog he was given, but the writing team wasted his return.
I thought you guys might have liked this one since it's so goofy and has the whole Invasion of the Body Snatchers thing going on. But I totally agree. I get why this is a guilty pleasure for a lot of people, but it's best erased from canon.
there's a "game" reference in Star Trek prodigy so its not. Apparently some version of the game thats not addictive or hypnotic and is actually based on skill then just pleasure, its just a one scene nod
TNG The sex scoreboard Riker gives the big O and has sex Riker 12 new +1 Troi 3 Dr. Bev 3 Data 2 Picard 1 Worf 1 Geordi 1 Broccoli 2 i Chief/Keiko 1 Leffler +1 new Weasely +1 new Extra: My friend Riker has the whole prone bone position all wrong, but clearly wack-a-mole was going on. I love a good chase sex night so this is a solid score for Riker. GOD I HATE THIS. I have to give Weasely a score. And F’in Ashley Judd!!!! I had hoped we could not really find a time off screen but it is clear in the end the limp noodle says goodbye to virginity. For the sex crazed college part of Weasely I give some props. He does a drive by clapping cheeks. Since this is the sex scoreboard that is all that matters here. Last note. Almost gave one to Troi for the scene with the ice cream bowl. Whoa girl
Wesley and Robin definitely porked. And now we know what everyone's O face looks like. Edit: Everyone except Picard's. Stewart did not deign to lower himself to that! haha
This is my guilty pleasure episode, I like plots that have to do with something addicting and looking to remedy it. Good direction, decent character moments, the Worf jumpscare, and the return of Wesley in a sweater make this one entirely watchable imo
This is one of those episodes where you can totally understand why someone would hate it, or love it, and thats OK. You're right its really odd. I gave it a C because Wesley but also because Ashley Judd, so it balances out.
Guys, Wesley would NEVER take drugs. That's Tasha's gretest legacy.
Not Nancy Reagan's?
Gotta say I like this a lot more than you guys, but still not enough to put any effort into its defense. I will say I'm actually a fan of how they cut away from Wesley and Lefler working on Data only to later reveal that they successfully reactivated him. To me, it makes Wesley a little less lame that he wasn't really soloing the whole crew, but just needed to buy time for the actual GOAT. I thought Data's entrance was an effective reveal. I do wish he'd said "I" instead of "we" when telling Picard how he fixed everything. Wesley reactivating Data offscreen was great to me, but pretending he also helped with all that other stuff was too much.
Fun fact: Marina Sirtis couldn't eat chocolate and stay skinny enough to be in her costume, so she had a spitoon next to her so she could spit out the chocolate in between takes when she did the ice cream scene.
That’s what actors do in anything. They talk about a lot on The Office podcasts.
obviously this is just a dream episode, Wesley just fantasying hes saving the ship, there plenty of hints like him being a lady's man at starfleet academy, dream on Wesley dream on
LOL! Fever dream or wet dream?
I gave it a B because there is unfortunately no "so bad it's good" rating in the polls. I like this episode in the same way that I like The Room.
You are so right that this episode should be erased from canon. I barely made it through the episode. A Christmas Whiskey helped.
oh no…
The perfect thumbnail for this episode!
It is a marry Christmas!
ho ho ho