We'll Always Have Paris (S01E24)
Airdate: May 2nd 1988
Written by: Deborah Dean Davis & Hannah Louise Shearer Directed by: Robert Becker
Running Time: 45 minutes
Even within the often-derided first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series demonstrated a remarkable capacity to deliver substantive, high-quality storytelling within the stringent confines of a 45-minute runtime. This achievement, however, was entirely contingent upon the talent and, crucially, the focus of its writers. Regrettably, "We’ll Always Have Paris" (Season 1, Episode 24) stands as a prime example of how the latter element was absent. Despite possessing a genuinely compelling emotional core and a promising premise, the episode falters under the weight of a rushed, underdeveloped science-fiction plot, resulting in a finished product that feels profoundly unfulfilled – a missed opportunity that lingers like an unresolved chord.
The narrative begins conventionally enough: the Enterprise-D heads towards Sarona VII for much-needed shore leave. Captain Picard engages in a fencing session within the holodeck alongside Lieutenant Dean (Dan Kern), only to experience a deeply unsettling temporal glitch where both men inexplicably repeat the same gestures and dialogue. This unsettling phenomenon soon escalates; reports flood in of similar time-loop anomalies affecting nearby starships and agricultural colonies. The source is eventually traced to a distress call emanating from a small planetoid within the Vandor system. There, the brilliant but reckless scientist Paul Manheim (Rod Loomis) has been conducting radical experiments probing the boundaries of time and parallel universes. Tragically, the experiment has catastrophically backfired: Manheim’s entire crew perished, the scientist himself lies gravely ill, and the sole survivor is his wife, Jenice Manheim (Michelle Phillips). The name instantly transports Picard back 22 years to his student days at the University of Paris, where he and Jenice shared a passionate, ultimately unresolved romance. Haunted by the memory of abandoning her on a crucial date to pursue Starfleet, Picard is forced to confront the ghosts of a life path not taken, now complicated by her marriage to the ailing Manheim.
Jenice’s arrival aboard the Enterprise immediately injects a potent cocktail of awkwardness and unresolved tension. While Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) battles to save Manheim’s life, her own simmering jealousy towards Jenice – and her unspoken feelings for Picard – adds a layer of palpable interpersonal drama. Simultaneously, the ship becomes increasingly ensnared in bizarre temporal anomalies, with crew members encountering disorienting echoes and alternate versions of themselves. Resolution hinges on two critical actions: someone must deactivate Manheim’s malfunctioning device, and before that, navigate his lethal security systems. Data (Brent Spiner), logically immune to the temporal distortions affecting organic minds, proves uniquely suited for the task. His successful intervention restores the space-time continuum to normalcy just as Manheim, miraculously recovered, is reunited with Jenice – a reunion Picard observes with quiet resignation.
On paper, "We’ll Always Have Paris" presented The Next Generation with a golden opportunity: a deep dive into Picard’s pre-Starfleet past, exploring formative experiences that shaped the reserved, duty-bound captain we know. The script, credited to Deborah Dean Davis and Hannah Louise Shearer, does partially succeed in this regard, weaving Jenice’s presence into the fabric of Picard’s character in a way few early episodes attempted. Furthermore, the title’s direct lift from Casablanca’s immortal line ("We’ll always have Paris") is no accident; it serves as a deliberate, affectionate homage to the classic Hollywood romance, framing Picard and Jenice’s encounter within a context of lost love and bittersweet nostalgia.
Director Robert Becker deserves significant credit for translating this potential into tangible visual moments. The sequence where Picard utilises the holodeck to recreate a Parisian café of his youth is a masterclass in economical, evocative production design. The matte paintings depicting a futuristic Paris skyline subtly integrated with familiar landmarks, combined with the meticulous detail of the café set – the warm lighting, the period costumes – create a remarkably immersive and melancholic atmosphere. It’s a scene that feels genuinely lived-in, offering a rare glimpse into Picard’s private emotional landscape. Equally commendable is Patrick Stewart’s performance. His chemistry with Michelle Phillips is palpable and deeply affecting; their scenes together, particularly the quiet conversation in the recreated café, rank among the most authentically romantic and emotionally resonant moments in the entire first season. Stewart conveys decades of regret, longing, and quiet dignity with minimal dialogue, a masterclass in subtlety. The script also deftly leverages the nascent, unspoken tension between Picard and Dr. Crusher, with McFadden effectively portraying Beverly’s professional concern warring with personal jealousy – a dynamic that would be tragically excised following her departure after this season.
Yet, for all these strengths – the promising character exploration, the Casablanca homage, Becker’s direction, Stewart’s performance – the episode’s core premise feels fundamentally undermined by its execution. The central "hard" science-fiction plot concerning Manheim’s time-manipulation experiments is executed with such perfunctory haste that it borders on an afterthought. The scientific rationale is thin, the stakes feel abstract despite the immediate danger to the ship, and the resolution via Data’s logical prowess, while logical within the show’s framework, arrives with minimal dramatic build-up. While the special effects depicting crew members encountering temporal echoes (notably Data meeting himself) were reasonably innovative for early TNG, their novelty wears off with astonishing speed. The repetitive nature of the time slips quickly devolves from intriguing mystery into a tiresome gimmick, sapping narrative momentum rather than enhancing it. Crucially, the frantic pacing dedicated to resolving the temporal crisis actively detracts from the rich character drama at the episode’s heart. The profound emotional weight of Picard’s reunion with Jenice, the exploration of his youthful choices, and the complex interplay with Crusher are consistently overshadowed by the need to cut back to flickering lights and repeating dialogue on the bridge. The science-fiction element, instead of serving the character study, feels like a distracting obstacle clumsily bolted onto it.
Ultimately, We’ll Always Have Paris is a frustrating near-miss. It possesses the ingredients for a standout character-driven episode – a strong central relationship, evocative setting, capable direction, and stellar lead performances. However, the decision to anchor this delicate human drama to a rushed, undercooked temporal anomaly plot fatally undermines its potential. The episode squanders its most valuable asset: the opportunity to truly deepen our understanding of Jean-Luc Picard. Instead of a poignant meditation on lost love and the paths not taken, we are left with a story where the most memorable aspects are overshadowed by the very mechanics meant to drive it forward. It serves as a stark reminder that in Star Trek, as in life, even the most promising beginnings can falter without the sustained focus and narrative discipline required to see them through to their natural, fulfilling conclusion.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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