Picard discovers an important person from his past may be integral to the divergence in the timeline. 

This is much more like it. The main story of Picard’s second season finally comes to life, and not before time – by the end of this episode we’re halfway through the run. After the previous episode’s cliffhanger ending of a human Laris being the Watcher and Q apparently losing his powers, we pick things up with a young astronaut who is experiencing anxiety issues about an upcoming mission.

There’s a lot that happens this week which is spoilerific, and I’ve no intention of revealing the plot points which drive this strong instalment. With Jonathan Frakes at the helm, we always knew that we’d be in safe hands, and he’s well served by a strong script that pushes things forwards. We’ve lost the Voyage Home nods, and even the irritating ‘Rios in peril’ storyline gets some resolution, for now at least. And Agnes continues to be the most interesting character, getting the best moments, with the promise of more to come.

Verdict: Best episode yet this season – I can’t wait to see where we go next. 9/10

Nick Joy