Reviews

The continued Louis Litt and Nigel Nesbitt feud made this episode for me, especially when Louis picked up Nigel's cat and completely turned the conversation around. Later on Nigel giving his cat to Louis while he's on a last minute trip to Asia.

Rachel and Mike at dinner meeting the parents was OK. Mike speaking with Rachel's dad finding out about Rachel and her application to Stanford. Mom giving Rachel tips that as long as he hasn't killed anyone it'll all work out.

There was a Harvey & Jessica moment by the NYC bagel cart which I enjoyed. Harvey and his poppy seed bagels and now Jessica finally coming down for a bagel. The bagel cart started selling her favorite asiago bagels. It has me wondering how fresh and tasty those bagels are... especially if they are bringing down all the big shots from their office towers.

This episode with a fitting title "Play the Man" gets a 10 because Star Trek was mentioned right after the beginning credits. I found it interesting how well the Trekie connection went along with the rest of the story for both Mike and Harvey and them trying to do the right thing in the respective situations. Kobayashi Maru and the Captain Kirk mentions really fit with the episode.

Leadership, integrity, and facing challenges with courage are themes that come up a lot in Star Trek a lot and certainly did in this episode too. I really enjoyed seeing Harvey's smirk just after Mike leaves... it was right after he mentioned captain Kirk and Mike says Aye Aye captain. That was one of the best parts of the episode for me.

Later on I like how Harvey managed to make his situation a win win for everyone and how Mike gave up a silly mock trial in order to keep his friendship in order. Also great line at the end of Rachel saying Mike was a smart guy and that he could figure out why she expects more of him than the others.

After having recently just finished watching all of TNG and DS9 this was a decent Voyager episode with a Maquis and Bejoran connection and a nice change from some of the the previous episodes. Although initially I did not like the story it seemed OK in the end. It was interesting to see that even Tuvak was actually connected all along to the Maquis which makes some of Tuvaks actions in previous episodes in the first seasons questionable. Funny to see all of the Maquis officers fall back into that mid DS9 mentality after a couple of years... with their almost complete takeover of Voyager. The part that is not very well understood is what the Maquis would have done with the Voyager after dropping off all the Federation crew? With the death of the Maquis, the end of the Dominion war and peace between the Bejorans and Cardassians. The whole point of the Maquis was to defend the "former" Federation citizens still living in the demilitarised zone along the Cardassian border so what would a Vedek gain from taking over Voyager? It was hard to see the point of the takeover and what good it would have served the former Maquis or Bejoran interests being so far away. Overall I think the episode could have been better and that maybe the writers were just looking for an excuse to have the former Maquis crew members finally take over Voyager.

This is a very unique first contact episode which seems to be misunderstood. This episode reminds me of the first contact episode in TNG where the race spoke in riddles and stories to try and have a shared experience.. while this episode shows us a race that seems to use a game to share values and ideas... it's like understanding through a different language.. a race that is interested in an honest game where one playing the game can make life much easier or more difficult for ones companions depending on ones level of greed or care. Despite us all tending to be greedy and selfish we do have a caring side that show that financial gain is not the only motive and that the wellbeing of ones friends and companions is also important.

The episode gives us an insight into the possible consequences of cheating. Anyone who enjoys gaming, riddles, puzzles or casinos may find this episode interesting.

The value of the game as a teaching lesson to Quark and the four missing officers who ended up having to work together. Some ask why those 4 officer? Those were the 4 officers that were supposed to meet and greet with the delegation and it seems perfectly acceptable that they should be used in the game... and since they involved Quark it all seemed rather fitting to select those 4 officers as the game pieces. The goal wasn't to do harm but to present and share ideas and how one thinks through a game. The very different personalities of the officers as they work together to overcome the challenges they are faced with and at times having to step out of their comfort zone or mindset in order to succeed is probably more the purpose.

Dax in her wisdom sees right away the value in mimicing the the child... While the Doctor sees the value in trying the drink as an antidote to suppress the effects of the poisonous gas. At times we think we have or knows all the answers but these scenes show us there is value in keeping an open mind and at least trying the different ideas and solutions presented by ones coworkers. This new race now has left DS9 with a very good idea of humanity and federation showing that people make mistakes and when they realize their error seek to make amends.

I think most would agree Part 1 was great starting with the Enterprise at Deep Space 9. What is strange about this two part story is that they don't connect very well... there were two stories one following Worf and the other following Data and the Doctor from DS9 but then in part 2 suddenly we see nothing of Data and the Doctor.

The story that was shown in part 2 was just following Worf in captivity. The overall story of part 2 didn't seem well coordinated. It felt like Worf came in and destroyed everything in a peaceful culture when he was supposedly just supposed to be looking for answers about his father. I feel like it wasn't fair of him to destroy or upset a rare peaceful life shared between a few Romulans and Klingons who have come to peace with each other.

Love the dialogue between Rosemary, Leland and little Jack during the babysitting scene... It was a great followup to Leland's marriage tips to Jesse. Also appreciated all the life lessons in this episode about giving people chances, not spreading bad rumors, owning up to your mistakes...

I really enjoyed the whole beginning and overall theme of this particular episode... going from a failed La Forge date to the bar scene was great. I also really enjoyed the ship in the bottle jokes later on with Picard, Riker, Worf, Data & O'Brien all in the transporter room.

All the episodes that connect with the history or future in some way I feel really add to the overall Star Trek universe. As someone that has seen mostly Deep Space Nine, Voyager, & Discovery prior to seeing The Next Generation it's great to see all the connections that each series has tried to make to The Next Generation. Overall I am really enjoying the 3rd season and this is another episode on the favorite list.

One of the better character development episodes for Riker. I loved the invented sport, very creative! It was pretty much a blind duel between father and son. Some padding and an oversized Q-tip.