PATRON TIER LIST TNG S5E14

S. Great episode. We get to see how various characters would handle this strange scenario and it's all very believable. Picard is not the type to insist on his authority, he has it because of competence not personality. This episode has a lot of great moments in directing and acting, like the shakey cam right after the mind wipe or how very early on where Riker gives Worf this "I feel like I should treat you normally, but you intimidate or worry me" look.

I had a complete memory loss about this episode. I had to go back and look it up again. It was fun. Not stellar but enjoyable. I very much like the roles characters assumed when they didn’t know their rank. I’d give it a B to C+. It wasn’t good enough for me to remember it offhand, but it was fun.

B, solid episode, good mystery, and Worf just taking command is the best.

Love it, the way Duffman appears and you spend the episode going, who is this dude, where did he come from. All the time Worf is like, I have a big sash I’m in charge! S

Not the best episode but a step up from the last few.

"Clues 2: Conundrum". A fair few major logic jumps and plot holes, but a more enjoyable romp than the last few. Not much mystery though, as you know MacDuff is an op from the start. Come for the plot, but stay for Cmdr Rizzker. B for "Banger" indeed... 😏

So the aliens could insert one of their own into the crew and alter the ship's records and the crew's memories very precisely but they didn't put him in command? Still a fun episode but this always stood out as a flaw to me. B-

Another mediocre episode in a run of them. But eh, it was fun enough seeing Worf and Ro do what they did. And they didn't try to preach like last episode, so I guess 'B'.

Fun episode, but why doesn't McDuff just make himself an Admiral? Redeemed by Captain Worf blasting phasers away into space for the sheer love of the game.

I saw a Youtube comment that just for this episode, to really mess with the audience they should have added "Erich Anderson - Commander McDuff" alongside Jonathan Frakes in the opening credits.

I love this episode, S for me. The crew remains faithful to their moral principles even after having their memories wiped. I put this in my top ten for the whole series.

The crew all have amnesia and it’s up to Riker to pork as many of his colleagues as possible before their memories come back. Will he be able to have his way with both Troi and Ro? Also, some alien dude tries to take over the ship and wipe out another race. Solid S tier

LOVE IT! Best cold opening if you're at all awake. And a great chance to explore the hearts of each character, divorced from their histories, pre-existing responsibilities, and prejudices.

B-Tier... because a lot of fun stuff happens in it. Stupid, but fun. That being said... meh... any degree of mystery or clever misdirection is utterly obliterated by the presence of MacDuff from the beginning. Kinda makes the whole episode feels like a waste. But hey! At least we get a return appearance of GOD from Season One, Episode Eight! ....meh

This was interesting and shows why you will always need a hard copy. I don't recall them explaining how that guy did it, but I guess he did it the way he was accusing them of doing it. You would think that if we can reset a TV to factory settings, they'd have had a way to reset Data

Second shorter comment: I love this episode. S for me. I do love fish outta water episodes. I am pretty confident both Alex and Josh will give this a A or S. If I'm wrong I'll give up trying to predict what they like.

So yes Troi beating Data at chess is silly. Stockfish running on your standard $70 "android" (wink wink) can beat the best grandmasters in the world. But...my head cannon theory that I tell myself is Data turns himself "down" in matches like these to make it more competitive and "fun" for everyone. That is also my theory on Poker (although Poker has a psychological "reading people" component that does matter).

Not the first time the entire crew loses their memories. It's funny when Worf assumes that he's the one in charge, and he's definitely embarrassed when he finds out he isn't. Riker sleeps with another member of the crew...again. We'll see if that goes anywhere or not. Not exactly one of my favorites. I have it ranked as “Time Filler With Good Moments”.

I can't beleive Troi would beat Data over a game of chess. And the four pins of Picard obviously means is on top of the chain. Still an A for me. 🖖

You wanted more Ro! Is this what you had in mind?

This is a wild one to evaluate. Due to the audience being outrageously ahead of the crew, the A plot in itself is kind of a drag - it would probably have made a better movie or miniseries - but it is also completely necessary for the AMAZING interpersonal scenes we get out of it. Triple-A side stories bring this B- up to an A.

Riker and Troi's relationship is long iced... but will they ever pork again after this??

Bro but the Riker Rizz! 🤣🤣🤣 no memories, Rizz at 100🤣🤣🤣🤣 Still an A for everything else for me !

I’m here for Captain Worf and the Ro Riker hookup. S

Worf is Captain because he wears the most bullshit on his face and costume.

A lot of fun moments in this one, an enjoyable watch, but I can't get past the logic flaw at the core of the story...why wouldn't MacDuff just make himself the captain instead of XO? Makes no sense.

Okay, this is more like it, after the last five "not terrible, but pretty bland" episodes. I do have to suspend my disbelief, but once I do that, it's pretty fun, and I liked having Ro and Riker get some chemistry. How do you think this will change the way they see each other moving forward?

Not as good as clues, but still loved this episode almost as much as clues, the Mcduff reveal who the f is this guy? Captain worf, temporarily getting to deny Picard I think is hilarious for all the times he gets denied, time for pay back. Riker banging Ro after all the previous hostility towards her, Bartender data all good quirks to the episode. Plot wise fairly middle of the road so B for me

Love this one. Perfect example of the weird and unique situations I love to see the crew dropped into. Love the mystery and the way they just plop McDuff in there for the audience to wrestle with. You DO have to suspend disbelief a little that a society that is so far behind the federation tech-wise would have such a powerful and oddly specificly-working weapon, but the episode is so fun that I don't mind. I give it one of my rare S's.

I like the mystery aspect of the episode. As ever, that bumps it up a little higher for me, so I'm calling it an A.

I kind of like this episode except for 1 major flaw in my mind: how can a society that is so advanced that it can selectively erase humanoid and computer memories not be advanced enough to invent some weapons that can take out their enemy that they need the Enterprise to do it for them? Doesn't make sense to me.

This episode is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. What happens when you remove the memories of our beloved characters? The Actors and writing really show where everyone's priorities lie, whether it be obvious or not. It still gives me a chuckle to this day.

Pretty cool idea to explore the characters' personalities without their memories and seeing how they play off of one another. I don't remember this episode being outstanding, but interesting and entertaining enough to give it a B prior to rewatching.

I love the interplay between Riker and Ro. Even though normally they hate each other… you never know with memory loss whom you hate and why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qHg8rOMTMo When I grow up, I'm going to have so much amnesia!

A great concept for this episode, and also pretty well executed. I like that they just put MacDuff in there without comment, trusting that the audience knows he's not supposed to be part of the crew. If this were season 1, there'd be a scene at the end of act 1 where MacDuff puts in a call to his superiors and with an evil grin says, "It's going exactly as planned."

For most, this episode is the end of a string of mediocre episodes. Alex has probably thought the dream of Trek was dead after such a stretch. I think though, because the audience is ahead of the characters in this one, Alex might still be waiting for a return to form. A for me. Who knows for you guys?

Finally the run of mediocrity is over. B.

Nice action story. The Riker-Ro-Troi triangle was fun. The big space station is a re-use of the model of the Edo “god” in season one’s Justice. It was mostly seen in shadow back then.

An interesting take on a stereotypical 80s trope: amnesia! It is fun seeing the characters switch roles, even if only temporarily. Riker and Ro having the hots for one another is fun to see. The plot about the war is meh and I’m not convinced that Picard would charge into battle in this situation. B for “bangin-2-chicks Riker”

There's a meme that replaces the drones with Tie Fighters, and the Enterprise blasting them into pieces. Federation over the Galactic Empire any day.

Funny part is Riker walks into Ten Forward and sees Ro and Troi talking. The dread in his face speaks volumes.

Even a 21st century chess computer is a billion moves ahead of any human player, but Troi knows a move that's never been heard of before?

I enjoyed seeing the crew act without knowing their own histories. This is a great episode to discuss nature versus nurture. For example, Worf is very Klingon and militaristic e.g. nature. Ro, without her backstory, is much less aggressive e.g. nurture. My favorite scene as at the very end of the episode with Riker, Ro, and Troi talking in 10 Forward. You know Ro and Troi were comparing notes about Riker's performance in bed and Troi's facial expression and the line "If you're still confused you know where my office is." speaks volumes about how mad she is, but she knows she shouldn't be.

Honestly, the mystery in this episode is fairly obvious, but I still give it an A, because for me the execution just works, and the character work is fantastic. Everyone still is the same person for the most part, but don't know how they fit into the social dynamic, allowing the actors to play different versions of their character without betraying who they are at their core. A fascinating and difficult acting exercise I'd imagine. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the cast gained some interesting new insights into their characters as a result.

Hilarious episode. Word starts out looking like the fascist lackey as usual but eventually wises up.

This was a fun episode with everyone not remembering stuff and roles being mixed up. The last scene with Troi, Ro, and Riker is priceless.

B for best not think about this one too much but it has got some good in it.

Finally a good episode after a streak of bad ones. You guys don't usually like being ahead of the characters but I think it's well executed in this instance. A tier for me.

I love Worf in command. He is, after all, the most decorated.

A Tier love this episode

Simple, but effective. Though not on my list of favorites, I really enjoyed this one. Seeing how the crew acts without there memories is a hoot, and you have the ever present “Who the f#@k is that guy” mystery waiting to be solved.

It's obvious something is going on with the new guy, but that's only because he happens to be there and we know he shouldn't be. They don't have him just acting like an outright villain from the start. The fun to me is watching him for hints of what's going on, but it takes a while to make it certain.

A for me. The whole Riker / Ro thing is of course fun, but it also doesn't seem unrealistic. Without all of Ro's baggage, she turns out to be fun. And Riker does seem to like strong women, so without any of her back story affecting things, he likes THIS version of Ro.

C at best for me - impossible to get over the question of how can the Satarrans have enough power to effectively take over the Enterprise, but not to defeat the Lysians without their “help”

I enjoy this one a lot. Even without his memories, Picard's moral center is still there, and I love the Riker/Ro subplot. Strong A

Even though we know who the odd one out is throughout the entire episode and that the reality they’re presented with is manipulated, seeing the characters start from scratch is a really unique premise and I thoroughly enjoy this episode.

A for me, I found it fascinating that their amnesia was selective. They had no idea of who or where they were. Yet they new how everything worked. I also liked the way Riker has to deal with Troy and Ro after everyone got their memories back.

S tier for me but then I’m a Ro and Deanna fan, and both have a great episode here along with Riker. Michelle Forbes was a great addition to the supporting cast.

I really like this one, and for me it's a good example of the audience being ahead of the crew about something while still maintaining an element of mystery. We all know right away that McDuff is a plant, but we don't know who he is or why he's there. For me this one hits an S.

I tend to mix this episode up with Clues when I haven't watched the show in a while. It lacks the tension of Data working against the crew, but I think the memory loss being more extensive and affecting everyone opens the door to a more fun episode. I do like that in the end the crew's instincts still led them to do the right thing, even though they didn't remember who they were. Also the Lysian starbase is the same model used for the Edo god from Justice.

S-tier for me in showing us who these people are without their identities. Great character study. Also fun seeing the Edo's "god" from the first season episode "Justice" flipped upside down to become the Lysian space station at the end.

McDuff (really?!) wholeheartedly gives off Starfleet Admiral vibes. Authoritatively arrogant, oozes creepy vibes, clearly trying to get our most heroic crew to do the bad stuff. No wonder people like McDuff and Remmick can slip in to Starfleet's upper echelons so easily.

I forgot this episode even existed. I wish I could have that back.

Generally thought this episode was great quality, and no trick reveals to the audience either which was great. I suppose I could only find one negative and that would be the Guest Star - he would have been more convincing if they allowed him to downplay it more rather than hamfist his portrayal. but that could also be the directors fault.

A solid outing, and nice to see the characters, well, character come through even without their memories. And nice to see that both Ro and Riker realised they're not that dissimilar after all.

This was one of the first episodes I ever saw, so I got the treat of experiencing this not knowing that McDuff wasn't one of the regular crew. It's still a good episode though even knowing that.

My favorite part of this episode is Worf assuming he's in command just because he's got a sash.

A new Executive Officer? When did Picard put in for this McDuff guy? I don’t know if I trust him…