I finally got around to watching Season 3 of Picard and I’m just over halfway through. I was a bit hesitant to start it given that I heard it was good but the first two seasons left me feeling a bit empty. They were both entertaining but they didn’t stick with you the way the good shows/series do. That said, I’m loving season three so far!

Minor spoilers to follow…

The Good

Jonathan Frakes is so good. He really is Riker and honestly the age only makes the character and his performance better. The scenes where he laid into Picard on the bridge were intense and extremely well done. Riker is at a turning point in the show and I’m anxious to see what happens. I find myself caring more about him than Picard.

The ship design is on point. The refit Titan is beautiful and I greatly appreciate the stylistic homage to the “classic era”. Paraphrasing Jack, “I’m a fan of the classic era design.” The Shrike is a nice scary ship. A bit too much like Shinzon’s Scimitar but still looks menacing.

Worf. Yes, just everything about Michael Dorn. The grey looks good on him and the more mature character feels right.

The villans - thank you for making them scary again. I just hope they get a bit more compelling.

The Bad

Why is it that every person in the Soong dynasty looks the same? Really? C’mon. We all love Brent Spiner, but let it go.

BWAAAAAPP! Yes, the Shrike is scary. Hearing the same sound everytime it appears on screen is obnoxious.

Can someone please turn on a lightbulb on the sets? Why did Star Fleet decide to go from brightly lit ships to dark, brooding, claustrophobic interiors?! In most scenes I can hardly tell what color uniform the characters are wearing! It is possible to have drama and still light the sets; see all pre-Disco series.

This is what, the tenth time that Star Fleet Command is evil? It’s a good trope, but a trope never the less.

Family

Picard and TNG in general has always been about family. That wasn’t as clear in TNG S01, but by Season 3 it was obvious. Continuing that theme has helped. Picard S01 was also family focused in much the same way that Generations was…colored by regret. Much of Picard S03 has been regret focused as well. I get it, it’s a nice dark and broody emotion - but there’s so much more to relationships than just regret! The relationships with Jack and Bev and then Riker & Troi and then Geordi and Sidney all felt similar.

The highpoint of the series for me was the interaction between Geordi and Sidney at the end of S06 when they are fixing the cloaking device. I think all parents can relate to that conversation. I need to watch it again - my heart melted.

Section 31

Oh man. I was such a huge Section 31 fanboy when I was a kid watching DS9. Sloane was a snake and fit perfectly with that series and his interactions with Bashir were some of the best moments of the show. I love how they used the darkness to really test the “perfect” doctor. The little Section 31 episodes in Enterprise were fun. Then Discovery made a mockery of the institution. It seems like by the time of Picard (and Lower Decks), everyone knows and accepts the existance of Section 31. Possibly the media of the time made their involvement in the Dominion War public, but it seems like attempted genocide should have caused more outcry. Hmm, modern life seems to imply not though…

All that being said, I’m really on the fence about them making a Section 31 movie. It’s gonna be dark, and dramatic, and lots of tight close-ups, and big scary moments. I just hope they have a good story somewhere in there that wants to be told.