PATRON TAKES - TNG S6E21
TAKES WILL BE READ 6/9
Comments (65)
I think this one is right up your alley so I expect it will be a fun reaction to watch!
I loved this one. It was like a nightmare you think you wake from, only to find you are still dreaming. Great acting from Frakes as well.
They finally bring ol' "fire first, ask questions later" in to get his head examined, and we're supposed to think that's a bad thing?
They get huge points simply for stepping outside of the usual formula. I especially like how they resist the urge to have some bread crumbs that actually make the solution too obvious. For fear the audience is dumb and easily confused. Season 6 and 7 definitely have some interesting episodes like this, where they're established enough that they can take some storytelling risks.
Rikerception. He has the same hairstyle he had in Schisms so you know something's up. Was Riker truly in a play about madness before going on this mission, or is that simply ... beyond belief?
Have you ever walked out of a mall into a huge parking area and realized, you'd forgotten where you parked your car? Ever gone mountain biking? What do you wanna be when you grow up? What's the right tip? Have you called a plumber to your home lately? How superstitious are you? How much money would it take to make you spend a night in a cemetery? Would you display THIS as a trophy? Do you have a pet? Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you believe in the power of a curse? Have you had your hearing tested lately? Planning a trip soon? Can you remember the tallest man you've ever seen? Do you love to go a-wandering beneath the clear, blue sky? Have you noticed what big stars real estate agents have become? Are you careful with your personal records? Does your computer ever seem to have a mind of it's own? Have you ever visited a Chinatown section in a major city? Have you ever visited a flea market? Have you ever visited a truck stop? Did you ever have a job as a waiter? Have you noticed how many successful restaurants are theme-based these days? Have you ever had the desire to write your initials in wet cement?
I think at some point Jonathan Frakes was like "Hey. I've got acting chops. Let me use 'em." That being said, this mindfuck of an episode gets unintentionally hilarious at spots. Good the first time you watch it for sure. I feel like the writing of episodes like these gets to "infect" later shows of Trek. It's not really a good thing when you have too many mindfuck episodes in a row, imho.
Shouldn't the writers take our brains to dinner before they mind-f**k us like this?
I love this episode. It’s as close as Star Trek will ever get to doing a David Lynch show.
Watching this one makes me uncomfortable, so I don't often rewatch. It is a well acted solid episode that deserves an A grade.
Rikers best episode. I've never been a fan of the Riker character, I find him too arrogant and judgemental and often acts before he thinks "FIRE!" , but the mindfuck they put him through here, its such a trip. Frakes gets to act his ass off in this one.
Time for Johnathan Frakes to Shine. To me, this establishes the sci-fi phycological trope going forward of, "which reality is real!? None of them!" Since then I've scene other sci fi's try and lowkey replicate this type of motif with varying success. Alex/Josh, are you reading this? Or is it just a another layer of psychosis?
One of my favourite TNG episodes, I hope you guys enjoy it as well. Jonathan Frakes is great, and this episode is just as compelling as it is disturbing. And I still find the shattering effect pretty cool.
One of TNG's best. You guys will love this one. Ever since that Remember Me reaction, I've been patiently waiting for you both to give this one a watch.
Easily S for me. There's about 10 TNG episodes that I rewatch often, this being one. Might be somewhere in my top 10 to 15 episodes in all Trek. Two of my favorite TV shows of the 2000s have the same storyline... main character thinks they are in an alternate reality. I've often wondered if they took the story from this episode.
I rewatched this episode for a whole week every day on my VHS and seached for new hints and details. S!
Every once in a while, Star Trek has a psychological horror episode, and this one is done very well. I find myself losing my sanity right along with Riker.
I liked this one more on rewatch than I did originally.
This is one of two Star Trek episodes that had me deeply annoyed when Inception was endlessly praised as being a completely original idea as Star Trek definitely did it first.
This is one of those episodes that hits hardest the first time you watch it. No surprise this was written by the guy who wrote Cause and Effect.
One of my favourite episodes in Season 6 - Frakes is just epic as a man on the edge and the whole thing is disturbing. And I always love a multiple rug-pull.
Uncomfortable to watch. It's good, it's disturbing. But I don't revisit it very often. I like that it breaks the usual mold of TNG episodes. But it's an upsetting one to watch.
One of my favourite Riker lines: YOU BET I’M AGITATED.
AWESOME! I like being as confused as the POV character and it great to spend time with Riker.
I feel this is a better depiction of psychological torture than what was seen in Chain of Command. It gives a sense of unease watching it, as you the viewer don't know what is going on. If you pay attention though, at a certain point, they no longer show shots of the Enterprise exterior after the torture begins as a subtle clue things aren't quite real.
Seems like this episode connected/effected most people more than it did me. For me it was always just "okay"....
One of the best season 6 episodes. It feels like 45 minutes of desperately trying to wake up from a nightmare, without knowing WHICH reality to wake up from. Of course WE know the Enterprise is real, making Riker's struggle with his doubts even more uncomfortable to watch. The literal shattering of the multiple illusions is unforgettable. Easily could have been a top-tier Twilight Zone/Night Visions/Outer Limits episode.
Interesting one kinda, but not sure it's one anyone needs to see more than once though.
Think you guys will really like the fact that we get a really good Riker episode as he’s been pretty background now for quite some time
Top 3 favorite episode in all of TNG for me. Someone asks me for what episodes to watch to see if they like the show and can get into it, this is 100% an episode i recommend.
What if I’m still dreaming?
Great episode that leaves you questioning the reality of what is happening. I think you guys will dig it, and Frakes knocks it out of the park here!
This one put me in a really bad mood the first time I saw it back when I was a kid. I used to skip it during my rewatches. I'm not sure if it's due to how good Frakes portrays the "frame of mind", or the constant shattering of realities making me really uncomfortable..
It's kind of like Star Trek meets Shutter Island. Obviously you know they're not going to make the whole show a delusion in Riker's head, but it's still a good watch.
This episode wrecked me as a teenager. I'm still creeped the hell out about it even now, namely because my biggest fear is losing control of my own mind. There are plenty of challenges and enemies in the world, but how do you defeat insanity? If your own brain betrays you... that's it. There's no solid ground to brace against. No way to truly know if it's happening. Horrifying. Worse than any demon or monster. At least you can feel and see that enemy. But EXCELLENT acting by Frakes. This and his performance in Ethics prove he's an S-tier actor, but he isn't often given much in terms of the writing budget.
WHO ARE YOU?
David Lynch did so grea…. Wait…. What do you mean not Lynch?!
Great acting from Frakes. The only redeeming factor. It’s just weird, hard to follow, trippy and bizarre. Probably one of the most Marmite episodes out there, most either love it or hate it. My bet is you’ll enjoy it more than me!
I give "Frame of Mind" a big old F for Fucking Tedious! I love Frakes but this episode is tough for me to watch. The paranoid confusion gets old quick and the aliens are one of the less interesting designs. I usually skip this one.
Now this is controversial. This episode grips me because of how unsettling it is, and Frake's great acting means my immersion remains intact the whole way through.
One of my least favorite TNG episodes. I generally can't stand the trope of having most/all of what I'm watching be events where the character doesn't know what is and isn't real (versus 'just' in their head) like this. It just kills my investment. While obviously every episode is fictional, I still want to feel like what I'm watching is "real" in order to give a damn or to feel any stakes. Dream sequences can be interesting and serve a point, but I generally feel like less is best, and that it's better when it's clear what is and isn't 'real'. When it's done the way it's done in this episode, I'm usually just feeling very checked out and it feels tedious.
Love this episode!
Another Trek episode I think of whenever someone wants to talk about how creative "Inception" was. I love this episode, it's creepy and grim as heck, and it left me unsettled after my first watch. Frakes has kinda been in the background, but he shines here.
It’s a good episode, but not one that I’m fond of.
Have your heads stopped spinning yet? This episode really had me going.
Riker is my favorite character, and this is Frakes's acting at his absolute best. I was moved by performance throughout filled with absolute passion in trying to keep his sanity. I feel like Riker gets shafted alot, and is just there with everyone else in alot of episodes so when you get a Riker episode so rare, it just slaps that much more.
Yeah... you guys are going to like this one.
Love this one, Frakes does a great job. Easy S tier for me. Everything clicks, directing, acting, music and the story
Frakes is amazing - and the storyline continues to confuse me, in a good way
I think this will be your favorite Riker episode... till next season.
Nothing tops this for me. Riker doesn't have very many good episodes in my opinion but this is the best.
I’m not the biggest fan of what I call “Head Trek” where the story almost entirely takes place in someone’s mind. That said, this is the best version of it. B for “broken screen effect”
I'm not a fan of these episodes where a character can't tell what is real either. But I have to disagree about this being the best of them. There is a much better one out there. But you have to look much further than the stars to see it.
It’s like they’ve polished the “Ship in a Bottle” script. How do you feel about so many episodes with a theatre / concert scene?
This one gave me the creeps. Somehow in a good, fun way.
This is perfectly executed, but stays in A territory for me over S because I find the ending mildly disappointing. It all being fantasy kills some of the rewatch value. Still beautifully directed and acted, though.
Is this one of TNG's greatest storytelling achievements, in style, direction, and story format? I come back to this episode every time present-day Frakes tries to put down his own acting performances in TNG.
I've always found this episode difficult to follow, but I guess that's sort of the point. it's definitely trippy in the night terrors and schisms, vein of episodes.
I’ll be shocked if you guys don’t vibe with this one. It’s a fantastic mind bender and finally gives Frakes something to sink his teeth in to. It’s not my cup of tea, especially with the cheesy screen shattering effect but I hope you get a kick out of it.
As others have mentioned, you are going to shit your pants and love this episode, it's a weird mind screw episode focused on Riker. What more could they give you, excpet bringing Key'lar back?
I absolutely love this which isn't a hot take. Wondering though: given how amazing season 6 is top to bottom, how fucking out of place does Aquiel look? It's like a symphony orchestra but where one drunk guy is playing a kazoo for the very first time.
To me Aquiel gives TNG season 7, a sign of things to come lol.
You guys are going to fucking love this episode 👍
I usually skip over this one when I rewatch the show. It's a "fly over episode."
Trippy! I really enjoy that throughout the episode, we don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. It makes each twist and reveal all the more shocking. For that reason I predict you will enjoy this one.