2.22 Shades of Gray

Rating: 1

Riker is wounded by an aggressive vine while on an away mission. As his condition becomes critical, the only way Pulaski can save him is to stimulate dark thoughts in his mind.

Comments

This is the last episode of season two, and Riker’s dream sequences are edits of various scenes from the first two seasons. This is commonly called a ‘clip show’. Fortunately, Pulaski is able to cure Riker just as she was going to run out of clips. J

The inside story is that a writer’s strike at the time of this episode forced the use of this threadbare script.

A thread on the Trek BBS mentioned that it never rains on Star Trek. True, but Pulaski, Riker and Geordi stand in water, which is even better!

A scene from the first episode Encounter at Farpoint reveals that Brent Spiner originally played Data more seriously.

Nits

Was amputation of Riker’s leg an option when he first returned from the away mission?

Pulaski starts injecting Riker’s brain, and we see a clip from an away mission in The Last Outpost. Then Pulaski adjusts the frequency and, afterward, announces that Riker is now in an REM (dream) state. Didn’t she realize he had gone into REM before she adjusted the frequency? My theory is that the editors shoved a bit of footage in where it was not yet called for in the script.

Riker has very unusual types of dreams. My dreams (and, I believe, the dreams of many other people) are jumbled, creative, vague and illogical, and often display scenes and characters that I have never encountered in a waking state. Yet all of Riker’s dreams are exactly the same as scenes from his past. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Memorable Moments

•    It was fun to see some of the better Riker scenes from the first two seasons.

Quotable Quotes

O’Brien: I hope these are the right coordinates. Just kidding, doctor. I know how much you love the transporter.
Pulaski: About as much as I love comical transporter chiefs.

"My great-grandfather once got bit by a rattlesnake. After three days of intense pain…the snake died."
– Riker, putting on a brave face

Pulaski: Something wrong?
Troi: No, it’s just that Commander Riker’s emotions are very…passionate.
Pulaski: As in erotic?
Troi: Very much so.

"I must refocus the pattern again."
– Pulaski, speaking from the Department of Redundancy Department J