In Review: Star Trek – Picard (S2 – Ep4) “Watcher”

Synopsis: We see Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and the others try to reach the”watcher” that they were told about . . . But there are obstacles in the way, including an unexpected encounter for Picard, that doesn’t appear to turn out the way he had hoped for . . .

Story

We get an almost direct follow on from last week’s episode, “Assimilation”. The focus and tension is on the search for the “watcher”. When we finally see who Picard meets with, there’s is and isn’t a surprise in store. It’s Guinan, it seems . . . That much adds up, really. But the Guinan who Picard meets is young and angry at humanity. She is ready to leave humanity to their fate. This ties in well with the themes of the show, which is humanity’s current state. Now, there is only three dsays left to try and save the future of the species.

Acting

We saw some wonderful acting from the show’s star, (Sir Patrick Stewart). Seeing Picard chat with who he assumed to be Guinan showed us exactly why we love the character so much. Stewart brings real gravitas and screen-presence to the much love character.

CGI & Effects

There wasn’t much by way of CGI, this week. But the story didn’t need much of it. What did work was the feeling that the crew are “Out of time”. It might seem easy to do, but there are considerations, when you set something in the present. Some great visual work, then.

Overall

“Watcher” did a lot in a short time. As mentioned, the episode really began to explore themes, fully. When we think about where we are now, as a species, then 2024 is the perfect time for Picard and the crew to have to rescue humanity from a doomed future. Also, it’s always fun to see. Undoubtedly, many Trk fams will have noticed the bus scene, a greatnod to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1984).