‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Shades of Grey’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

For the most part, Star Trek: The Next Generation is a series that provided its fans with some phenomenal season finales. All thanks to the use of cliffhangers and epic moments, the kind that left the audience in awe and hungry for more since we simply had to know the fate of the Federation and Captain Picard at the end of ‘The Best of the Both Worlds’ or if the Klingon Empire would ever be the same after the events of ‘Redemption, Part I’. But while the series more or less set the tone for the modern season finale on television in its later years, its earlier years were plagued with underwhelming finales. For while ‘The Neutral Zone’ laid the foundation for future events, it initially arrived to little fanfare. 
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But of all the season finales that this incredible series sent our way, there is but one that truly lives in infamy in the minds of the fanbase. Because the season two finale of this series, ‘Shades of Grey’, is a downright terrible closing chapter to year two’s adventures and that’s a crying shame since it actually had the potential to be something quite special. For in this particular tale, Commander William T. Riker finds himself poisoned by nasty little microbes that attack his nervous system. Which means that it is up to Doctor Pulaski to take some extreme measures to try and save his life. Specifically, she is forced to stimulate bad memories in order to fight back the microbes. And while that sounds like a solid plot, one that could lead to some supremely powerful moments; some dubious choices storytelling wise, mess this whole thing up.

Such as the fact that this ends up being a clip episode. And for those unfamiliar with what that means since they aren’t commonplace anymore, in essence, shows in the 1980s loved to have filler tales where clips from prior seasons were used to ‘tell a story’. When in reality, this decision is about as lame as it gets since it rehashes stuff you’ve already seen, and having Riker re-live moments that we’ve already experienced alongside him, makes for an emotionless viewing experience when we are supposed to be feeling what he is feeling as the Doctor fights for his life. Which is a cop-out writing wise and it makes this episode irritating to watch. Because you’re anxiously waiting for the clips to end so something new will happen. But rather than spend our entire time bashing this tale in an angry fanboy manner, let’s take a moment instead and look at how this episode could have been vastly improved. 

Because if they had taken the time to film something new for moments inside Will’s mind, we could have learned a lot about Will Riker and what he actually fears in life. Which in turn could have forced him to face those fears and conquer them in his mind and his subconscious as he in turn conquered the microbes. Or, this would have been a great opportunity to bring back his father and let him deal with some of those emotional issues in his mind, while he battled his unwanted invader and going down either one of those routes would have made for a far more fulfilling episode. Plus, the series could have also gone the route of having him enjoy a lurid dream where his closest friends and ship mates were not what they seemed, forcing Riker to fight his ‘friends’ in order to get back to reality, and that particular plot line would have allowed for the actors to play some devious versions of themselves and have fun with it.

But instead, we got the easy way out and that stinks. Because upon a second viewing, you can see the potential oozing from this story. But the important thing is, that Will survived after all, and Deanna’s refusal to leave his side speaks volumes to their love and eventual marriage and that is nice for certain. But what matters the most, is that this episode has come to its merciful end and we never have to revisit it again. In fact, the best part about reaching the end of this particular tale, is the sheer fact that wonders await us from here on out. For season three and beyond put this franchise on the map by way of powerful and bold storytelling, and what a genuine delight it is going to be to revisit and dissect the golden years of one of science fiction’s greatest franchises. Until next time.

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