Season 5: Good but uneven

[esb9588]

I finished watching the season 5 DVD box set today, so I figured I'd give my thoughts on it as a whole.

While it was good overall, it definitely wasn't as good as seasons 3 and 4. The first eight episodes (the first two disks) were great, but after that it became verry uneven. Some episodes were great, like "A Matter of Time," "Conundrum," "Powerplay," "Cause and Effect," and "The First Duty," but some were truly bad, like "New Ground," "Violations," and "The outcast." These three episodes were quite substandard compared to the previous season and even the first eight episodes of this season. They actually reminded me of first and second season episodes at times the way they tried so hard to get there messages across.

Then we got three horrid episodes in a row with "Cost of Living," "The Perfect Mate," and "Immaginary Friend," which quite simply discouraged me from watching the show. I really thought TNG was past this point.

Thankfully, after the disturbing and forgettable "I, Borg" we got three good episodes in a row with "The Next Phase," "The Inner Light," and "Time's Arrow, Part I" which were all significantly better than I remembered. Overall, the season was good and worth buying, but a bit of a disappointment after seasons 3 and 4.

[gdog243]

Hey esb,

I havn't finished all of season 5 quite yet, but I somewhat agree with you. There were quite a few average to bad episodes of the 5th season, which is much more than the greatness of the 4th season. I do however like Violations, and (After watching it on friday) New Ground. I liked the freakyness of violations, and the riker and troi scene when she was in the coma. With new ground, it was slow, but I liked the drama with worf and Alexander. I think my least favorite episodes in season 5 were Hero Worship and Imaginary Friend. Best episode of the season, Darmok.

[esb9588]

My favorite of the season is probably either "Cause and Effect" or "The Next Phase." However, the best episode of the season is probably either "Darmok"
or "The Inner Light." While I enjoyed both of these episodes much more than I did when I previously saw them, they just aren't my personal favorites although they are great episodes.