Podcast Number: 113

Recording Date: 16 Mar 2021

Episode Title: Heart of Glory

Series: TNG

Season: 1

Episode: 20

Original Airdate: 21 Mar 1988

It'll take some time before The Next Generation does any degree of justice to the former enemy of the Federation, the Klingons. "Heart of Glory" certainly does little favors to the war-like race that eventually become super beloved. We pontificate on how readily the crew speculates that just because some of his own species boards the ship, Worf will bail on Starfleet and rejoin his brethren. More vieled racism in the first season is a super bad look.

Podcast Number: 112

Recording Date: 24 Feb 2021

Episode Title: Home Soil

Series: TNG

Season: 1

Episode: 18

Original Airdate: 22 Feb 1988

A behind-schedule teraforming mission on Velara III draws the Enterprise to investigate, whereupon they discover a new crystalline form of life living in the "Home Soil," which, incidentally, is not the first crystaline life form encountered by this crew. If I had a nickle for every time this happens, I'd have 15 cents, which isn't a lot, but it's odd that it's happened more than once! There's some solid sci-fi present, but it gets bogged down thanks to the rushed delivery of the screenplay, and issues with sets and casting.

Podcast Number: 111

Recording Date: 16 Feb 2021

Episode Title: When the Bough Breaks

Series: TNG

Season: 1

Episode: 17

Original Airdate: 15 Feb 1988

The fans who were upset about the notion of families onboard this new Enterprise got their due when several of the crew's children, including Wesley, are spirited off the ship to help a genetically poisoned society eventually introduce fresh new DNA. Spolier alert! The magical power source that sustains the colony's lives is also the thing that was killing them! Who could have seen THAT coming? "When the Bough Breaks" is yet another lazy plot that any Trek fan could have spotted a mile away. Remember the key rule in Hollywood: never work with animals or children.

Podcast Number: 110

Recording Date: 09 Feb 2021

Episode Title: Too Short A Season

Series: TNG

Season: 1

Episode: 16

Original Airdate: 08 Feb 1988

Geriatric admiral Mark Jameson boards the Enterprise as he is seemingly the *only* delegate who can broker peace between two warring alien species, but things take a turn when the admiral's age seems to reverse before the crew's very eyes! The acting is bad, the makeup is bad, the entire episode is... bad. Sadly, "Too Short a Season" is not quite short enough.

Podcast Number: 109

Recording Date: 02 Feb 2021

Episode Title: Angel One

Series: TNG

Season: 1

Episode: 14

Original Airdate: 25 Jan 1988

The underlying concept of "Angel One," showing us what an aggressive matriarchial society might look like, falls super flat. This time, sexist overones betray the primarily male writing staff's thoughts about women. The footing of the show still has not been landed on, and yet another dud takes its place in the annals of TNG.