THE INTERPRETERS | Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden
THE SHOW | Star Trek: Picard
THE EPISODE | “Seventeen Seconds” (March 2, 2023)
SHOWS | It was a pleasure to see Stewart regain his The next generation cast mates in picardis the final season… but the reunion wasn’t all warm hugs and old stories. The surprise reveal that Jean-Luc and Beverly Crusher have a son together was like a photon torpedo for the former Business the Captain’s heart, and this week Jean-Luc asked Beverly why she hid Jack from him. In a scene that will go down as one of the most emotionally devastating moments in hiking story, Stewart and McFadden were nothing short of brilliant, building on their years of sharing the screen together to take each other to new heights.
Jean-Luc pulled Beverly aside for a private chat, and Stewart and McFadden barely needed to say a word, her eyes blazing with anger and hers filled with guilt. Beverly explained that Jack was conceived just before leaving the Business, and she thought their relationship had run its course: “We both knew we were at the end.” Jean-Luc’s dismal response: “I didn’t.” Stewart’s voice quivered in pain as Jean-Luc struggled to understand why Beverly had cut off all contact with him. McFadden fired back with passion, Beverly listing all the times Jean-Luc’s life was in constant danger. Both actors raised their voices and Stewart displayed a fury we rarely see from Jean-Luc as he condemned Beverly for using her own unhappy upbringing as justification to keep Jack away from him. But McFadden went wild like a mama bear, arguing she couldn’t bear to lose Jack “to the same stars who own you” just like she lost her husband and other son.
Stewart did some of his best work as Jean-Luc in those moments, and McFadden matched him for an emotional beat. It was hard to see two characters we’ve loved for so long fight like this, but it was a completely riveting scene nonetheless, diving into depths that hiking shows rarely try to reach. We are happy to see our The next generation favorites together again, but we’re also happy to see them get such rich material and knock it out of the park.
Scroll down to see who scored honorable mentions this week…