The long teased, somewhat complicated Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher relationship is finally put front and center in this character-driven episode... to a somewhat disappointing result. The "escape from prison" story (with a sci fi twist) plods along without the spark you'd expect from two characters (and actors) so used to working together and seems to serve simply as a vehicle to tie up their feelings for each other before the end of the series.
The B story, with Commander Riker having to deal with the silly aliens from the planet that abducted the Captain and the Doctor, includes a great deal of humor to keep it interesting but doesn't amount to much more than filler.





