TNG: “Manhunt” and “The Emissary”

Date: March 25, 2020

Season 2, Episodes 19 and 20

Setting the Stage: I watched both episodes, via Netflix, over the last two days. Technically I just finished Season 2 tonight, but I do not have it in me to write about four episodes. Yesterday I had sloppy joes for dinner and had a wonderful girls night via Hangouts with my two best sorority sisters. Tonight I made salmon cakes with mac & cheese and there are only two people on the planet who know the hilarity that ensured while trying to make the cakes. We also finally finished the rice pudding, so it might be time to order more Chinese food soon. The county I live in NC is also moving toward “shelter in place”, so I’m starting to get a little more nervous and a little more stir crazy, how are you all doing? Tonight I’m back to listening to my random instrumental mix on iTunes.

Favorite Quote from “Manhunt”:

Riker: So what did you think of the Antedeans, Wesley?

Wesley: They are rather strange-looking, Commander.

Data: Judging a being by its physical appearance is the last major human prejudice, Wesley.

Picard: Your point is well taken, Mr. Data. I’m sure that to the Antedeans, we are equally unattractive.

Data casually throwing out a tidbit and Picard softening the blow a little.

“Manhunt” has two Antedeans, who look like fishy frost giants, beam aboard the Enterprise in a weird frozen stasis coma because it is their preferred method of travel. They are heading to a conference and are the ambassadors of their people. A smaller vessel begins to hail the Enterprise and to everyone’s surprise Lwaxana Troi is beamed aboard as the ambassador for Betazed, along with her trusty Mr. Hom. She is the worst and I love her, but poor Deanna – it’s hard when your mom is that embarrassing. Lwaxana throws a dinner party but Picard realizes too late that it’s dinner for two. Thanks to some quick thinking on his part, he is able to use his cunning and intellect to find a way to invite Data as a welcomed third wheel.

Apparently Lwaxana is in the Betazoid version of menopause which puts her sexual energy into overdrive, oh my! Mrs. Troi has chosen to focus all of her energy on Picard who she would want then to be her husband. Picard decides to become Dixon Hill again and hides in the holodeck, but he runs into too many issues and has to continually reset the program until he decides to take his secretary out for a drink. Mrs. Troi meanders around the ship looking for her next target and she identifies Riker as her future husband. Data and Riker join Picard in the holodeck because whatever is happening there must be safter than Mrs. Troi on the prowl – I mean thank god she had the good sense to leave Wesley alone. She finds her way onto the holodeck and falls in love with the NPC bartender and is so embarassed she forgets that she wanted to get it on with anything that moves. Just as she’s about to beam down she exposes the Antedeans as assassins and chides Picard a bit before departing for the conference.

I absolutely love how outlandish Lwaxana Troi is, so much better than lovesick Nurse Chapel who had to fall in line with McCoy. The absolute best parts of the episode are when Hom is drinking all the liquor in the background, he doesn’t even have to say anything to be funny. That’s the problem though, while the comedy is there the story line is not. We have the super mysterious ambassadors who are mostly lifeless all episode and then, at the very tail end, are all of a sudden the bad guys? We have a surprise visit from Troi’s mother but aside from her being embarrassing, nothing comes of her visit. She doesn’t seduce anyone or find herself a husband and she generally just pushes Picard’s buttons because she can.

The Dixon Hill parts of the episode were annoying because they were such a let down. First I think he’s going to get a case, but he just wants to relax? Go to the damn jazz bar Riker created if you want to relax. The plot starts to get interesting again when he heads over to Rex’s bar, but when Riker (who isn’t dressed up) and Data (who is) join absolutely nothing exciting happens and Mrs. Troi and Hom arrive shortly after so she can flirt with the bartender for a bit. They all head back and then everything is wrapped up? I feel cheated! I wanted, well I don’t know what I wanted to happen but something other than what transpired. Finish one damn story line instead of having four different things going on at once! As I love Lwaxana and Hom, though, I’ll rate this 4 running hares in honor of my own (late) sometimes embarrassing mother.

Favorite Quotes from “The Emissary”:

Worf: Sir, I suggest Commander Riker or Data would better serve Special Emissary K’Ehleyr.

Picard: Are there any personal reasons you don’t want the assignment?

Worf: Yes.

Picard: Any professional reasons?

Worf: No……… I withdraw my request, Captain.

Picard: Good.

Picard having to lead Worf to water… sigh.

K’Ehleyr: Worf, you’re the perfect Klingon. The ultimate minimalist. Talk to me.

Worf: I’ve noted that some people use humor as a shield. They talk much, yet say little.

K’Ehleyr: Whereas others take a simpler approach. Say nothing.

Worf: When one does not have the words…

Guess this is what Klingons talk about post-coitus. I would have thought an assessment of their battle strategy and a debriefing , heh.

“The Emissary” starts with another game of poker and Pulaski losing to Worf’s full house. As an avid poker player, two things bother me about this scene. One, which also happened the first time, is that they string bet… which is just rude. The second thing is that Pulaski makes a remark about losing her last bit of money to Worf, but when Data deals she all of a sudden has a small stack of chips and is dealt in. Doesn’t “all in” mean anything in the 24th century? The game is cut short by an emergency transmission, so off they go.

Apparently the Enterprise is about to have a mystery emissary arrive, by probe no less, and Starfleet is being super tight lipped about the mission. The music gets faster and they intercept the probe via the transporter and, when it’s opened, is found to be a half-Klingon half-Human female, K’Ehleyr, who is wearing a gray jumpsuit. Worf gives her a less than warm welcome and she explains the mission about an old Klingon ship that may think they and the Federation are still at war, fascinating. Troi and K’Ehleyr bond over having split parentage and then K’Ehleyr changes into a nifty red jumpsuit *makes note for cosplay later*.

Worf and K’Ehleyr snark at each other until she storms off and then changes into another jumpsuit (#3 if you’re counting, I know I am) that’s equally as nifty in order to make use of the holodeck’s gym. Worf watches while she takes down the enemies, ups the ante to “level two” and they fight the bad guys together, get all up in each other’s scent, and then have sex – I guess. They seem to be getting along together in the “talking while cuddling” thing that happens sometimes until Worf decides to invoke Klingon marriage because apparently after you bone you’re mated and you’ve got to get married. – it’s tradition!

K’Ehleyr is hellbent on destroying the ship because diplomacy will mean nothing to these 75 year old Klingons and they should die in battle, but Worf comes up with another idea. Worf plays Captain and K’ehleyr plays his first officer to try to convince the now-awake Klingons that the war is over, and it works! K’Ehleyr is tasked with beaming over to take command of the Klingon vessel to wait until the other Klingon ship arrives and assimilate the crew into the new century, but she and Worf have a very Klingon goodbye and it’s kind of touching.

I absolutely love K’Ehleyr and I hope she returns. She’s tough as nails, has hella swagger, and makes Worf feel all of the warm fuzzies. This is the second episode in a row with a strong female guest star who is awesome, and I’m all here for it. Some of the previous guests were just so bland and blah, but Lwaxana Troi and K’Ehleyr are just bad ass women and I love it so. We all know I love me some Worf and it was so great to see him be inspired and take command, however briefly. Michael Dorn delivers the lines perfectly, no matter how few they are he always makes them count. I’m taking a point off for the poker mishap I mention above and rating this episode a Straight Flush, which is the 9th highest way to win in poker.

TA Out!