Another holodeck adventure. It's a "for fun" episode and it is fun in spite of the fact that these stories aren't the best use of the holodeck. Of course, the safeties don't work again for reasons we'll never understand. But the appearance of Data in the program almost makes sense... better sense than Moriarty coming to life anyway.
Holodeck episodes are a result of the crew having too much free time on their hands. I'm mostly kidding, but that's what everyone is doing at the start of this one. Their mission has been delayed for a couple of days so everyone is catching up with their hobbies including and beginning with Picard. He's recording along to a Mozart piece with the flute that was salvaged from the probe in The Inner Light. It's encouraging to see that he's keeping with the instrument he learned to play when he was living another life instead of putting it in a trunk somewhere. But the captain is still the captain and he suffers many interruptions. First Geordi and Data come in asking for permission to experiment with creating an interface between Data's positronic brain and the ship's computers, so he can act as an emergency backup system in case of ship-wide failure. Picard okays it and goes back to his playing. Next, he's interrupted by Beverly who wants him to take a part in a play she's writing. He acts very humble in refusing claiming that he's not really that good of an actor, but he's obviously a little put off by the fact that she wasn't wanting to give him a leading role, only a very small part. It's all very funny of course. Once she's gone he starts to play again and is interrupted again. Now it's starting to get on his nerves. This time it's Worf wanting him to approve a schedule of security drills to be preformed while they're waiting for the ship they were due to meet. Picard doesn't approve and wonders why Worf is trying to stay busy during a slot of free time that doesn't come around too often. You may wonder why he didn't think the same thing about Geordi, but by now we all know that Geordi is a science nerd whose favorite hobby is his job and an experiment is as much fun as a vacation for him. Picard tells Worf to take the time off and resumes his music one last time. Worf returns to his quarters where Alexander asks him if he can go and he replies that he can. So Alexander puts a cowboy hat on him and tells him to saddle up. He'd written a Holodeck program set in the "ancient West" and had written the part of the sheriff to be played by his father, while he would be his deputy. The setting is Deadwood and the scene is something right out of a spaghetti western, complete with a hooker hanging out a window whistling at them. It's explained that Lt. Barclay helped write the program. Meanwhile, Geordi has the skin on Data's head opened and he's plugged into the computer with their experiment ready to begin. All seems well.
Alexander leads Worf to the saloon and explains to him that the guy sitting at a nearby table is the bad guy, Eli Hollister. He's mouthy and wild and typical of a western criminal. Worf begins playing along by stating that he's under arrest. When he doesn't cooperate, Worf easily lays him out. Too easily for Alexander who ups the difficulty settings and they start the scene over. The next time Eli's resistance is more challenging for Worf and he begins to understand why Alexander finds this program interesting. This is actually a good example of how the holodeck programs are supposed to work in an ideal situation and the only time it's ever demonstrated is during the Klingon calesthenic programs. In the middle of the scuffle a stranger comes through the doors and shoots Eli's hat off. It's Counselor Troi, who Alexander invited to play along with them. This was a good move since she'd been interacting rather intimately with Worf and Alexander ever since the episode Ethics where Worf was paralyzed. They were also on a slow build to tease a love story between Worf and Deanna, although I'm sure they hadn't even really considered it at this time. Just another happy coincidence. But things don't stay happy for long. It cuts back to Data and Geordi. Data has just felt a strange power surge so Geordi unplugs him. As Data leaves he holsters his tricorder like a pistol, seemingly unaware that he's done so.
Worf has taken Eli to the jailhouse where Troi is getting fully into her character of the mysterious stranger to the point that Worf is exasperated at her contrary nature. She agrees with Eli that Worf will be no match for his father when he comes to get him and blows smoke in his face. He asks her how she knows so much about this time period and she tells him that her human father used to tell her stories about it all the time. Then the owner of the saloon, a plump woman named Miss Annie, comes in to praise Worf on his bravery for standing up to Eli and his gang and proposes to reward him with a romantic dinner. Naturally, Worf is intensely uncomfortable and tries to respectfully turn her down. But she suspects another woman and slaps him in the face before walking off in a huff. Poor Worf. It's so funny to watch him because he's so painfully out of place. He asks Troi to become another deputy and she agrees to do it for $500. He sends Alexander off to get the money from the bank. Meanwhile, Picard is trying to listen to his recording and what plays back is an entirely different song although it's still titled as Picard saved it. Then Beverly is practicing her play with Riker and doesn't understand why he's hesitating with his lines. So he reads his lines loud and clear and they turn out to be some of the words from Ode To Spot, from Schisms. It was such a good comic effect, they had to bring it back at some point. So Crusher takes her computer pad to Geordi and tells him that when she tries to retrieve her play all she gets is Data's poetry. He figures that their experiment probably has something to do with it. And it's confirmed when we see Alexander returning with the money only to be kidnapped by Eli's associates. He's not alarmed, just annoyed saying that it's not time for him to be kidnapped yet in the story. So he tries to freeze the program but it doesn't respond. And from the shadows emerges Eli's father Frank... played to his confusion by Lt. Commander Data.
Data himself continues to behave strangely, but always unobserved or alone, shooing away his cat with a southern drawl and language befitting a western movie. When Alexander doesn't return, Worf goes to the saloon where Annie is still very cold to him. Then Frank Hollister enters with the other members of the gang that were with Eli. Worf sees that it's Data and comments in confusion. But Data appears to be sticking to the part of Frank without wavering, so Worf begins to play along and returns the hostile attitude with one of his own, claiming that he will not negotiate with criminals. It's always nice to see Spiner when he got the chance to behave differently that Data. As Frank Hollister he's the cold and calculating sort of western bad guy who is undeniably the leader of the gang. When he turns to leave, Frank grabs him hard enough to be painful, which is something that only Data can do, since Worf is extremely strong. He's surprised and realizes that this isn't really Data, so he tries to freeze the program too to no avail. He only just escapes as the henchmen begin firing. When he gets back to the jailhouse he tries to end the program. Troi is concerned and then a little panicked after she sees that he's been shot for real. Worf tries to explain that Data is Frank Hollister but that it's not really Data. Then they turn to see that Eli has turned into Data as well. For Eli, Spiner uses his more nasally voice that I don't really like, but it's fitting for that character. They know they're in trouble, but Troi thinks that if they finish out the story then the program should end automatically. That's laughable too - why should it since the safeties don't work and the computer is now generating characters to look like Data? But that's the questionable holodeck science we've all come to love. Worf leaves to investigate Alexander's disappearance. Meanwhile Geordi and Data are talking with Picard and Riker about how Data's programming has infected other systems such as the replicators (producing cat food) and recreational programs like the holodeck, although they still aren't concerned. They're only baffled when he begins to speak with a southern drawl again like Eli. He is unaware he's even doing it and as he is leaving, he mistakes the plant at the door for a spittoon as he swaggers away. Back in the jailhouse, Troi observes Eli in the cell shuffling cards exactly like Data does, which is to say very fast like a machine.
Troi is warning Worf about this when Frank comes in to see Eli, so that we get the side by side of twin Datas speaking to each other. Certainly not the first time since the introduction of Lore, but it had to be done at least once in this episode to add to the atmosphere. Worf agrees to a prisoner exchange, Eli for Alexander and they set up the time and place. Troi has to explain to Worf that in ancient West stories, the bad guys always break their word and that they would soon be facing an enemy that would have the same superhuman properties of an android. Nobody is coming to their rescue either. In engineering they've pinpointed Data's behavioral problems by observing that the database replacements go both ways and that he's picking up this 19th century American West behavior from another program in the computer the same way he's infected other systems with his music and poetry and things. But they don't know or really even care which program is affecting Data and assure Riker that they'll have it cleared up soon. So Worf has to MacGyver it and makes a little forcefield generator with his combadge and some tools that he persuaded Miss Annie to bring him. It'll only give him 15 seconds but it would be enough time to get the drop on Frank. He then leads Eli out for the exchange to begin.
All of the Hollister gang are now replicates of Data and they're posted on rooftop and behind a behind a building respectively. The exchange is made and Worf tells Alexander to run into the saloon while Frank also makes Eli get out of the way. Worf only has a second to turn his forcefield on before Frank starts firing. He empties his revolver before the forcefield stops. The accomplice by the building turns to fire, but he's taken out by Troi who was also hiding in wait. The rooftop Data throws his pistol to Frank but Worf draws first and shoots the gun out of his hand. He wants to finish him off, but he looks at Alexander and decides, in keeping in the spirit of the story, to tell Frank and his gang to leave town and never come back. And they do leave because that's how the holodeck story is meant to end. Back in the saloon, they can't figure out why the program hasn't ended yet. And from up the stairs we see that lastly, Miss Annie has turned into Data as well and begins expressing her admiration for Sheriff Worf and telling him that he's as handy with a gun as he is with a woman's heart. Worf begs for the program to end and after Annie sidles up to Worf and lays her head on his shoulder, it finally does.
Later that evening Alexander is a little depressed because he figures that his dad won't go back to the holodeck with him after that little disaster. But Worf assures him that if Deadwood should face danger again, that it would need a sheriff and his deputy. He leaves Alexander with a smile and tries on his hat in front of the mirror, practicing the quick draw of an imaginary pistol. He did indeed enjoy the adventure.
This is a good family episode. The holodeck science is always ripe for nit-picking, but this episode differed a little in that the people being afflicted by the malfunction had to deal with it themselves with no direct outside help. It made the story more personal to the characters both in and out of the holodeck and kept the tone light-hearted and fun. The comedy was very nicely written and not immature. Spiner got to step outside of Data which is always refreshing. It was a nice little story, so I can't really be put off by the holodeck science like others can. Four stars.
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