Thursday, April 18, 2013

You are Kidding, right?

Shades of Grey
TNG #148
Season 2, Episode 22
Aired 7/17/89
Stardate 42976.1
Guest Starring Diana Muldaur, Colm Meaney
Directed by Robert Bowman
Story by Maurice Hurley
Teleplay by Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning, and Hans Beimler

Teaser
1. Surface
Sigh.

2. Transporter Room

Let's spend entirely too much time talking about beaming down.
3. Transporter Room
Ooh, yeah, that helps.

4. Surface
Is Geordi practicing his yoga or something?

5. Sickbay
Oh no! My leg is numb!


Act One - Log
Captain's Log, Stardate 42976.1. During a geological survey on Surata IV, Commander Riker has become infected by an unidentified microbe.
1. Sickbay
This is extremely serious. You can tell by my not smiling.

2. Transporter Room
Good grief, more time in the Transporter Room? Did someone lose a bet or something?

3. Surface
Look at this big scary plant!

4. Transporter Room
Wait... Is Geordi the one carrying the stinger without any kind of container when Data is standing right there?


Act Two
1. Pulaski's office
Still VERY SERIOUS.

2. Sickbay
Buck up, Number One!

3. Pulaski's office
Some flashback scenes might move this plot forward.

4.Sickbay

Because the best thing to do for a sick person is to call them on the fact that they're pretending to be brave.

Log

5. Sickbay
Oh, for crying out loud! All we need is to hear "We must save him!" again.

Because all we need is needles in our brain!

6. Planet Hell Set
AGAIN?!?!

7. Sickbay
I have a feeling I know where this is going...

Act Three
1. Sickbay
In the eighties, chest hair was in.

2. Holodeck
AGAIN?!?!

3. Ten Forward
AGAIN?!?!

4. Deanna's office
AGAIN?!?!

5. Sickbay
Please, do NOT yell, "You must save him!" Don't do it...

6. Edo World
AGAIN?!?!

7. Holodeck
AGAIN?!?!

8. Sickbay
He's dreaming about another woman? Ooh, interesting...

9. Holodeck
Absolutely, let's drag this on as long as possible.

10. Angel One - Beata's room
Sigh.

11. Will's Quarters
Oh, knock it off, Riker, she's got three husbands now!

12. Sickbay
Illicit imagery is never the answer, although this hardly qualifies.
And it certainly doesn't meet Riker's definition.

Although, if you recall, this does.

Act Four
1. Sickbay
A new plan? To drag this plot out even further than it already was! By George, I think I've got it!

2. Argus III
Yes, by all means, do let us bring this up as often as possible.
Actually, I'm pretty sure this episode saved the show, which saved the franchise, but still.

3. Deanna's Quarters
"You must save him!" Are you kidding me?
Good episode. Not Marina's finest scene, although, to be fair, the dialog was not all that could be hoped for and the subject matter was rather heavy.

4. Sickbay
It seems to be working.
This is the last act, right?

5. Klingon Ship
Let's fight some Klingons!

6. Guest Quarters
Let's bring this up a lot too. Good grief.

7. Sickbay
"If I'd known that I was going to have to spend an entire episode looking this grim, I would have made them put me in the credits."

Act Five
1.Sickbay
This is the last attempt we can make...
to save this episode.

2.Guest Quarters
Fun.

3.Planet Hell
Fun with Ferengi.

4.Argus III
Fun with oil slicks.

5.Sickbay
Fun with needles.

6.Engineering
Fun with autodestruct sequences.

7.Tarellian Freighter
Fun with exploding ships.

8.Sickbay
I will not laugh at the thin script. I will not laugh at the thin script.

9.A bunch of stuff












10.Sickbay
Oh, hey, I get to be happy for my last two seconds on screen!
11.Sickbay
Because forced humor fixes everything.