Star Trek Picard: 5 Ups & 5 Downs From Episode 2 'Maps And Legends'
4. Laris Steals The Show
One of the premiere's more amusing ideas was having Picard's housekeepers be a pair of Romulans, and while the first episode didn't really spare much time to developing Laris and Zhaban as characters, episode two thankfully pushes Laris in particular to the foreground.
What episode two makes clear above all else is that Laris isn't merely a subservient employee of Picard's: she's not afraid to challenge him, call him on his prejudices, or even point out when he's doing something stupid, all of which made her so much more appealing as a character.
Though her forensic investigation of Dahj's apartment wasn't particularly interesting, it was at least neat to see Laris not merely confined to Château Picard, and hopefully we'll continue to see her used in a more adventurous capacity as the show goes on.
More than anything, though, Orla Brady's charismatic performance and easy chemistry opposite Patrick Stewart should make Laris an easy fan favourite if she continues like this.