Until I saw the thumbnail for this episode I had almost forgotten about it. Tapestry tells us the story of how Jean Luc became Captain Picard by starting with his death and then giving him a second chance to "fix" the mistakes of his youth. I am sure it was a bit controversial to have Patrick Stewart play the younger version of himself, but he is such a great actor that I can't really blame them. It would have been disappointing to see this super personal story acted by a lesser actor or possibly even worse with terrible makeup to makeup to create a young Jean Luc. This is also one of Q's better episodes as it lets you see that he really does see himself as Picard's friend rather than just his tormentor.
The episode opens with Beverley prepping for surgery as an away teams beams directly to sickbay. Picard is laid on the operating table and it isn't looking good. His heart has failed and he is dying. And then a sudden fade to white and we see him in the "afterlife" being greeted by a welcoming god, only "god" in this case is Q. They spend some time discussing how Picard came to have an artificial heart and it is clear that Picard regrets being such a wayward youth that he would start a fight with three Nausicaans. Q offers him the opportunity to fix things and suddenly he is being slapped by a woman in his room on Starbase Earhart. She storms out for having discovered he had another date set up while he was supposed to be dating her. A somewhat dazed Picard is laughed at by his two best friends Corey and Marta.
Next he finds himself in a bar with the woman he had his second date with only she isn't really into the more contemplative and mature Picard and throws a drink in his face when he calls her handsome. Picard wanders down to the dom-jot table where Corey is winning every round until a Nausicaan comes in and challenges him. Corey loses and Picard confides to Q that the Nausicaan cheated. Next we find the three friends back in their quarters and Corey can't believe that Picard won't help him get revenge on the Nausicaan by cheating him back. Corey storms off leaving Picard and Marta alone. They start flirting as Marta is clearly into this new more mature Picard. They end up sleeping together, but the next morning she can't believe he would give up their friendship like that. That night in the bar Picard punches Corey rather than let him start a fight with the Nausicaans and he tells Picard they aren't friends. Marta leaves too and Picard is left along and friendless.
Cut to the bridge of the Enterprise where Picard is looking confused holding a padd and wearing a blue uniform. Worf asks what he needs and he finds out that he is now a lieutenant junior grade in the astrophysics department. After being taunted by Q a bit he goes to Riker and Troi in Ten Forward and asks if they think he is suitable for command. They tell him he really isn't as he has never stood out or shown much initiative. Alone in the turbolift Picard calls for Q and tells him he was right. Picard tells Q he would rather die the man he was than give up that life and live this new, bland life. Suddenly he is back in the bar with the Nausicaans and instead of fighting Corey he punches the Nausicaan and ends up getting stabbed through the heart again. He wakes up back in the operating table on the Enterprise, laughing.
Review: It is always interesting to look back at ones life and see the how the choices we make have made us the people we are. This episode takes that concept literally and tells a really cool story in the process.
9 out of 10
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