Star Trek: Picard - 6 Ups & 3 Downs From Nepenthe

3. A Bump In The Road

In short, Nepenthe is little more than a pitstop episode. Virtually nothing of the core storyline is advanced here and, in truth, it exists purely as a way to expand on Soji's character and get in those fan-popping Riker and Troi cameos. There are many reasons why this is a good thing (which we'll get to later on) but after the volume of scene setting we've already sat through this was a jarring downshift in the gears.

Don't get this twisted, this was a great episode in isolation, but in the context of what's come before and what needs to come afterwards, it was a diversion the narrative really shouldn't have taken. If we need an episode in which Soji learns to trust Picard, it could very easily have come as a result of his actions during our climax, not because two total strangers with a nice house told her he was alright.

The vibe this week was very much one of seeing an old friend in the street when you're already late for an appointment. I'd love to stop and chat, Will, but I've got to be somewhere.