“Monsters” is the seventh episode of the second season of the TV show “Star Trek: Picard” and follows “Two of One“. It’s available in the USA on the Paramount+ streaming platform and in many other countries on Amazon Prime Video.
Note. This article contains some spoilers about “Monsters”.
Tallinn (Orla Brady) tries to help Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) deal with the monsters that exist in the depth of his mind leading him to discover a hidden part of his parents’ story. 7 of 9 (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) search for Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) and discover that La Sirena’s systems are compromised. Chris Rios (Santiago Cabrera) is forced to reveal at least part of the truth to Dr. Teresa Ramirez (Sol Rodríguez).
An episode in which there’s a journey into one of the protagonists’ mind is almost a classic. It can be useful to have a psychological insight into a character and better understand certain aspects of their personality. Typically, that character has to face some difficult times from their past. It makes sense to do so after so many years for a character whose personal story is mixed up with his mission.
In my opinion, this journey works at least in part because Patrick Stewart is always extraordinary and is well supported by James Callis but the timing is a bit curious. At this point in the season, the plot was expected to keep on exploring the time alteration issue, and also to understand Q’s plans. Instead, it appears that new parts are being added to an already complex story and the pace in the last two episodes slowed down.
Again in this episode, various subplots seem to be almost marginal with only a few scenes having only a bit of advancement. The subplot about the Soong family awaits development. The same goes for Renée Picard, even if she’s at the center of the events that are crucial for the future of humanity.
Chris Rios is supposed to understand how dangerous it is to continue to have contact with Dr. Teresa Ramirez and yet he seems unable to stay away from her. This subplot was used to explore a bit of that period, and knowing a doctor who treats her neighbor no questions asked is helpful. In this episode, it’s used also to reveal that Rios is from Chile and not Iowa.
The episode’s ending also offers after many years an explanation by Guinan (Ito Aghayere) of the relationship between the El-Aurians and the Q Continuum. The big twist is unexpected with the involvement of an agent played by an old acquaintance, Jay Karnes. It appears that this isn’t his old character being undercover but another one. He could be yet another ancestor/doppelganger seen in this show but in this continuous mirror dance, it’s difficult to be certain.
“Monsters” seems like an episode of the first season due to its somewhat chaotic structure and the uneven pace it brings into the big story. With three episodes to go, we must hope that the many pieces of the plot are put back together in a more homogeneous way to complete the puzzle shown over the course of the season.
