This was a fun episode, but not as good as it could've been. I always enjoy watching it, but if I'm being objective, it has some flaws.
It's enjoyable because it's a Picard episode. The first of many that revolve around a personal adventures of this character without the rest of the cast being involved too much. In the previous seasons I'd voiced my concern about how they'd been trying to write Picard as the hero of the show like Captain Kirk was in TOS. But this is different because instead of saving the day for the ship, crew and/or planet involved, he's playing the hero in a character development plot. It also is critical in settling this character down to a primary hobby that he likes to focus his free time on. Heretofore we'd seen him fencing, painting, and playing detective on the Holodeck along with bringing up his interest in archeology. But archaeology is perfect for this character. It seems very natural that he'd need to keep his mind constantly engaged with study and exploring of relics of some sort. We also get to see how the crew has bonded. They are able to harass him in a conspiratorial way into taking a vacation when it becomes obvious that he really needs one. I don't see the uptight Captain Picard of season one being cajoled like this by the nearly mother-hen season-one Riker or the dramatically moody season-one Troi. And I really don't see him being talked into going to Risa, the pleasure planet.
Even this concept is much more enjoyable now that the writing had matured some. Yes, there's some innuendo and flirting, but instead of sex being the object of the silliness, the joke is a prank pulled on him by Riker. Riker asks Picard to bring him back a Horga'hn as a souvenir and Picard, not knowing it is a love god, lets it sit out in the open next to him which attracts several of the resort's pleasure girls offering to service him. It's another landmark in observing how the crew are comfortable with each other now. And Picard's reactions are much more relaxed and smooth now than they would've been in a previous season. It's not at all uncomfortable to watch and it's funny and light-hearted.
Of course, between the teaser scene where you first see a pair of people looking for Picard before he'd even been forced into a vacation and a strange woman kissing him the second he walks into the recreational area, you know that it's going to be a lot more interesting than just buddy pranks from his first officer. This episode introduces Vash. I like the concept of the show. Picard was never meant to be the ladies man with a million conquests under his belt like Kirk, so they had to think out his affairs carefully, and I think this one was well done. I just didn't care for the character of Vash. I admit it's probably aesthetics... something about her looks or her voice just didn't fit in with her character and with the brief romance she shares with Picard. She's a good actress for sure, the character just didn't click with me.
She picks out Picard to hide a disc on in attempt to ditch a Ferengi named Sovak. He's the same actor that would go on to play Rom and I'm always fascinated by the way both he and the actor who would later play Quark were nearly undetectable in their early Ferengi roles. It shows the evolution of the make up and the actor's abilities. This is the first Ferengi role that starts to make a little more sense than any of the previous ones. Sovak and Vash are business partners and although Sovak is still more of a violent, pirate type of person, the Ferengi race was slowly starting to transition into the smarmy business man type of persons. Sovak accuses Picard and Vash of working together and at this point Picard really has no clue what he's talking about.
Until he gets tired of their nonsense and goes back to his room to find the two beings from the opening scene. They introduce themselves as Vorgons from the 27th century and that they were historians that had traveled back through time because they knew that he, Picard, would find the object that they were looking for - the Tox Uthat - a device that could halt all nuclear fusion in a star; presumably a valuable weapon and since Picard was knowledgeable about its legend, he is curious. They claimed that its inventor hid it on Risa in the 22nd century and Picard, having no reason to doubt them, agrees to hand it over to them if he should happen to find it.
Of course he could've just let it be, but then again, no he couldn't have because he's Picard and he finds the disc that Vash had hid in his pocket so he seeks her out to find out what she knew about the Tox Uthat. She and Sovak were both apprentices to a scientist studying it and she left to find it without him so Picard offers to go with her to find it. He finds out along the way that she's not entirely on the level as far as her motivations for finding the artifact go and that she can be devious, but he's still intrigued and they manage to brush off Sovak and go on their search for the artifact.
Like I said, the character of Picard would not normally be given over to fast and fleeting romances, but the fact that they share an interest in a historical artifact and are in the middle of and Indiana Jones-ish adventure stirs up Picard's wild side. It's a believable and fun story. The only problem I have is just that Vash seems like an inferior subject for his affections. I know that seems shallow, but these things matter. I don't think I'm alone as far as not being a Vash fan goes. I understand that they were pairing the noble and honorable Picard with essentially a criminal which is a fun idea. But she wasn't his equal... a little on the immature side for him. They go to a cave where the Vorgons show up to observe and Sovak shows up as well to threaten them.
Although everything indicated that it was there, they dig for a long time without finding anything. The Vorgon's nervously retreat and Sovak goes crazy and starts digging for himself while Picard and Vash just go back to the resort. But Picard isn't fooled and that's what makes this a great Picard episode. He already knew Vash well enough to figure out that she'd found it when she first got to Risa and was just creating this situation to lose Sovak for good. He catches up to her before she can leave the planet where she shows that she now had it hiding in a Horga'hn of her own.
The Vorgons also catch them with it and Vash reveals that the scientist's notes stated that Vorgon criminals tried to steal it. When Picard asks them to prove their identities they do try to steal it. So Picard does the honorable thing and just destroys it rather than have it stolen by either the Vorgons or Vash. They confirm that they knew that this was what he'd been destined to do and they'd posed as historical observers in order to get it away from him. Then they disappear without any further protest after having just threatened them moments before. It's a little too convenient of an ending. Of course, even though she's something of a criminal, Picard doesn't try to have her prosecuted or anything. Probably because of their time together which although it's a nice ending, it kind of goes against Picard's nature for seeing that justice is always done.
So on the good side there's Picard's intelligence, cunning, coolness and a palpable passion for archaeology along with just the right amount of humor and a situation in which we can believe that Captain Picard could be swept away in a brief love affair. On the bad side we have Vash and the simplistic ending of a kind of shaky time travel based story. I think I'll score it on technical merit this time and give it three and a half stars.
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