Plot Synopsis: Captain Picard’s secret mission fails, leading to him being captured by Cardassians. As he is tortured by his captors, Captain Jellico and the Enterprise attempt to prevent war with the Cardassian Union.
Plot A and B Analysis: The teaser includes a recap of Part I, then a brief scene where Picard is being interrogated while under the influence of drugs. Plot A is unquestionably the battle of wills between Picard and his torturer, Gul Madred. Plot B is about Jellico and the Enterprise and a standoff with the Cardassians. The negotiations aren’t going anywhere and Picard meets Gul Madred, a Cardassian who is keenly interested in what Picard knows about Minos Korva, a key strategic world should the Federation ever invade. Picard denies knowing anything and Madred doesn’t believe him, so he tortures him. Beverly and Worf make it back safely. Riker wants to mount a rescue mission, Jellico’s response is “He’s gone.” This leads to a confrontation in the 17th minute between the two, where a brief yelling match results in Riker being relieved of duty. Data gets promoted to First Officer, and is about the only person on board who seems able to stand Jellico at all. Picard’s battle to keep from breaking is by far the best part of the episode, and it takes up the most time, but is among the most powerful in the history of Star Trek.
Favorite Scenes: Oh boy. Every scene, and I mean every scene involving Picard and Madred is a favorite scene. How can it not be? The single best line is unquestionably Picard’s famous “There are FOUR lights!” It’s probably the best line of the entire season. Picard has many other good lines though, showing his wisdom. One all of us ought to remember is, “When children learn to devalue others, they can devalue anyone. Including their parents.” Another one, just as true: “Torture has never been a reliable means of extracting information. It is ultimately self-defeating as a means of control. One wonders why it is still practiced.” Just a minute later Madred asks him how many lights he sees. Picard’s defiant response: “What lights?” is awesome. In a scene beginning in the 29th minute, Picard manages to somehow–incredibly–turn the tables on him right after Madred humiliates him. It’s probably the single most powerful scene in the episode. A Riker scene that I’ve liked is when he tells Jellico what we all think of him:
Riker: Now that the ranks are dropped, captain, I don’t like you either. You are arrogant, and close-minded. You need to control everything and everyone. You don’t provide an atmosphere of trust, and you don’t inspire these people to go out of their way for you. You’ve got everybody wound up so tight, there’s no joy in anything. I don’t think you’re a particularly good captain.
Use of Cast/Characters: Picard is front and center for much of this episode, and it’s one of his very best. We learn a bit more about his history growing up, but it’s really his battle with Madred that shines. Patrick gives perhaps his best performance of the series in this episode, up there with The Inner Light and his memorable scene in Sarek. Riker contributes meaningfully to the episode, standing up to Jellico and piloting the shuttle in a key plot point that gives the Enterprise the advantage. We also learn he’s a great pilot. Data, Deanna and Worf do very little, Geordi and Beverly do a bit more. Ronnie Cox returns as captain Jellico and is his usual jerk self, but he does beat the Cardassians which is why he’s here. The highly regarded actor David Warner plays Gul Madred extremely convincingly and well.
Blu Ray Version: Some effects were enhanced, an unintentional mic was erased from a scene, and other cosmetic changes. All good stuff.
Nitpicks: Not much to nitpick about. Data, Geordi and Jellico seem to deduce out of nowhere that the Cardassians lured Picard specifically, pretty early on. Not sure I completely buy that, but one can argue it’s just a guess that turned out to be correct. Also, Riker suddenly being an ace shuttle pilot comes out of nowhere. There’s no precedent for it, it’s never mentioned before or since, and it’s always bothered me for some reason.
Overall Impression: What can I say about this episode? This is the last truly great two-parter of the series, so enjoy it! In fact this is the only instance where the second part is clearly superior to the excellent part one. Patrick Stewart should have won an Emmy for his performance here, he delivers some of the most powerful acting I’ve ever seen. He’s so powerful it’s almost hard to watch, and this one of the few episodes that I don’t think children should see. The whole thing holds up 20 years later and is just as good as I remember it as a 17-yr old; it’s one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. It also serves the prosocial purpose of being an indictment on torture. It’s a no-brainer to rate this episode 5 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: This is the final episode TNG aired before DS9 began the next month. Both the writer and Patrick Stewart did a lot of research on torture and worked with Amnesty International, and Patrick himself had been involved with Amnesty International for years. In fact Patrick watched tapes from AI about torture. He also insisted on being naked in that beginning torture scene on a closed set. Ever wonder what Picard is saying at the end of one of his torture scenes? He’s singing the same French song his family sang at home.
David Warner took over the role of Madred with only three days’ notice! He’d previously been on Star Trek V and VI. Because he didn’t have time to learn all of his lines, including technobabble, he says “they wrote everything up for me. I don’t mind people knowing this. Every line I said, I actually was reading it over Patrick’s shoulder or they put it down there for me to do it.” Patrick’s favorite part of these episodes was working with David Warner. They have history together, as when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 his second role was one in Hamlet, which he’d seen David play the title role. He said “it was like meeting one of your teachers after you left school.” As I mentioned last episode, Entertainment Weekly named the Chain of Command two-parter #10 on their top 10 episodes of TNG. If anyone wants to know more about Picard and Gul Madred they do appear together in a couple of books: Ship of the Line and The Sky’s the Limit.
I’m glad Picard decried torture, as it is an evil act my own nation has indulged in, to our shame. It is not reliable, and has never been a reliable means of getting accurate information. John McCain, a world-famous senator, was once a POW during the Vietnam War. He himself was tortured, and said to appease his torturers who were always asking for names, he just gave them the starting lineup of the Green Bay Packers. The more any nation or individual uses torture, the more they become like the evil nations they fight.
Missable/Unmissable? Completely and utterly unmissable! The next is very good also.