Review of Where Silence Has Lease

I agree with several of the other reviews here and won't be repeating all the good/bad points. My criticism is for the weak writing points. At the beginning, Troi is on the bridge as they approach the void and tells Picard she senses nothing. Then, after the commercial break, as they arrive at the void (only 12 minutes later to the crew) she's gone with no explanation, not appearing again until the towards end. Considering her empathic abilities, why would she leave the bridge under these circumstances? The writers could've at least had a throwaway line explaining why she just up and disappeared; maybe a scheduled counseling session with a crew member? The same can be said for the disappearance and reappearance of Wesley Crusher. First he's there on the bridge, then he disappears for no reason (except to put a non-regular character on the bridge for Nagilum to kill before Wesley then appears again). Maybe another quick line explaining why he leaves, like a scheduled class he was required to attend? Just a couple of lines, ANYTHING, to explain why these two characters just disappear and reappear during a major situation/mystery? Other than that, I did enjoy the situation, even the claustrophobic feeling brought on by being unable to exit the boud.