After an opening that shows the destruction of the shipyards on Mars by synthetics fourteen years previously we return to Picard's investigation into the death of Dhaj. His Romulan friend Laris tells him of an almost mythical group with in their secret police, the Tal Shiar, known as the Zhat Vash. It has a deep hatred of all synthetics and artificial intelligence. She advises him against pursuing his investigation but he is determined to find Dhaj's twin. Meanwhile we see that Soji, the twin, is working with Free Romulans aboard a disconnected Borg Cube.
After the impressive opening episode I felt this was slightly weaker... but only just. There is less action but as Picard's investigation into Dhaj's death gets underway we get an intriguing mystery. The Romulans have been good villains since the original series back in the '60s; it is nice to see them back as the main threat but nuanced by having some 'good Romulans'. The way the depth of Zhat Vash's operations was revealed was perhaps a little rushed but that can be justified to get the story moving. The scenes on the ex-Borg cube gave a proper introduction to Soji and her relationship with a Romulan who may not be as friendly as he first appears. My only real complaint about the episode was the use of strong language which felt inappropriate in 'Star Trek'. Overall I enjoyed the episode and look forward to the next instalment.
After the impressive opening episode I felt this was slightly weaker... but only just. There is less action but as Picard's investigation into Dhaj's death gets underway we get an intriguing mystery. The Romulans have been good villains since the original series back in the '60s; it is nice to see them back as the main threat but nuanced by having some 'good Romulans'. The way the depth of Zhat Vash's operations was revealed was perhaps a little rushed but that can be justified to get the story moving. The scenes on the ex-Borg cube gave a proper introduction to Soji and her relationship with a Romulan who may not be as friendly as he first appears. My only real complaint about the episode was the use of strong language which felt inappropriate in 'Star Trek'. Overall I enjoyed the episode and look forward to the next instalment.