TNG: The Naked Now

            I recalled really not enjoying this episode, but it was a lot more watchable then my memory lead me to believe. It is also not nearly as much of a direct ripoff of The Naked Time as I had recalled. I would still argue that it was the wrong decision to release this is only the second full episode of the series as having all the characters act out from what is normal before the audience knows what is normal is always a bad idea. It also starts the audience on the long path towards utterly hating Wesley. In the pilot he is kinda annoying in wanting to get onto the bridge, but what kid wouldn't want that? But here both his antics while under the influence of the infection and his magical boy wonder solution to their problem at the end are pretty much the worst.
            The Enterprise is investigating the lose of communications with Federation vessel SS Tsiolkovsky. When they arrive they are greeted by chaotic messages over the comm and then what sounds like a hatch opening blowing everyone out into space. Riker beams over with Tasha, Geordi and Data and they find a scene of complete chaos. People are dead, some of them frozen and there is trash and burn marks everywhere. Back on the ship the away team is scanned in sickbay to be sure they aren't infected. Everything comes back normal but Geordi starts fighting with Crusher about the temperature in sickbay before running off. Riker starts following a hunch about something he recalls about people showering with their clothes on and Crusher confines Wesley to quarters to work on his handheld tractor beam and not get infected. 
            Tasha finds Geordi and drags him to sickbay, but other than sweating profusely all the scans come back normal. Geordi appears more intoxicated than anything else and on the bridge Riker has found the records of the incident from TOS. It even includes the cure, but when Crusher mixes up a batch it doesn't work. More and more of the crew are getting infected including Tasha and Data who have a one night stand in her quarters. Wesley takes over engineering with a box to fake Captain Picards voice and his tractor beam. He refuses to give back control of the ship even as the near by star starts to explode. Eventually they knock out power to Wesley's tractor beam, but all the ships control chips have been removed! Drunk Data has to try to put them back in while Wesley uses the Enterprise tractor beam to push against the Tsiolkovsky saving the day. Crusher finds the right cure to the infection and everyone is back to normal.

            Review: I cut out some parts above because they aren't really core to the story. Having Data get drunk this early isn't the best from a character perspective, but at least his parts of the episode are pretty well done. I am going to take off a point for this being a boy wonder episode as I will do in all future Wesley being the worst episodes.

4 out of 10