With time running out to save the future, Picard seeks out an old friend for help.

Skipping any plot spoilers, this episode of Picard feels very formulaic and procedural, until the last few minutes when things start getting interesting.

Raffi and Seven are looking for Rios, who has been apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement; they need to rescue him before he’s processed into the system, never to return. Picard also reminds Agnes (and us) that there’s only three days before the future is changed irrevocably. It’s one of the episode’s less subtle moment (a bit like the very on the nose Star Trek IV callbacks).

Picard leaves La Sirena in his trek to find the watcher in Los Angeles, bumping into a familiar character (if not face) along the way. The interaction between Agnes and the Borg Queen is fine, we get some not-so-subtle allegory about hate and immigration, but already the show feels like it’s coasting. The final five minutes certainly help, taking things forward, though we’re yet to see if these changes play out satisfactorily.

There’s fun to be had in some of the Easter eggs – a poster states ‘To Boldly Go’ and someone is reading a book by Tracy Tormé (story editor and writer on TNG’s first year) – but the show isn’t popping yet, regardless of how much we enjoy watching these characters. The car chase doesn’t add anything, and the whole Rios sub-plot feels like filler.

Verdict: Some interesting developments by the end, but it’s a bit early in the season to have a show that’s treading water. 6/10

Nick Joy