We all know Picard was no Captain Kirk when it came to his love life, but he did have moments on The Next Generation. Picard seems more awkward when it comes to love and doesn’t know how to open up very well. Now that we have seen most of his issues stem back to his mother’s death, this episode can be seen in a whole new light, especially when it comes to Beverly Crusher. I found it interesting that when the writers decided to give Picard a relationship, they wrote pretty noticeable and heavy scenes for Beverly. It was almost like they were testing the waters on not only how Picard was in a relationship but how Beverly fit in all of it, and Nella Daren was our test subject.
I honestly do not hate Nella Daren. She is a strong, confident woman who only does what she thinks is best for her department (sounds like someone? Picard has a type). Many can wonder why he could easily fall for Daren instead of pursuing Beverly, but two factors are different: 1) She is new. He has just met her, he is fascinated by her, and wants to know more. He does not have a history with Daren like he does with Beverly. Friendships that lead to romance are a slippery slope (and I am speaking from experience). Sometimes the friendship is far too important to lose in case the relationship does not work out. 2) Their love for music. This is the basis of their relationship, and it is what piques Picard’s interest in Daren. She is a wonderful musician, and since he is still reeling over his experience in “The Inner Light”, this is what makes them grow closer. We don’t know what Beverly knows of his experience; it was never shown. I am sure he has spoken to her because she is the closest person to him on the ship, but I am not sure Beverly can truly understand it since music isn’t a part of her life.
When it comes to Beverly, she senses something different in Picard during his dinner with her. She has known him for a long time, and she can understand that his interest in Daren isn’t because of her Stellar Cartography. After the concert, when they are speaking with Daren and Data, she looks at Picard differently when she notices how he is speaking to Daren; This is why she leaves with Data to give Picard some privacy. Beverly isn’t a jealous type, and even at the expense of her happiness, she will do whatever she thinks is best.
Take note: at the beginning of the episode, you see Picard with Beverly (Dinner in his quarters, sitting next to her at the concert), and then slowly as Daren comes into his life, Beverly is now alone.
I need to take a moment about the Sickbay scene. This scene shows Beverly’s heart sinking when Daren begins to talk to her about spending time with Picard. Possibly unknowing to Daren, she speaks freely, not realizing how she feels. As usual, Beverly is calm and collected, but that doesn’t make the hurt any less painful.
For the fans, it is really hard to see Beverly so hurt. We know how Picard and Beverly feel about each other, and see how it impacts the other when one is dating someone else; it really can pull on your heartstrings (just like Picard’s face when he realized Beverly was involved with Odan in The Host). Gates does a wonderful job here because her expressions are subtle but so important. For the rest of the episode, Beverly does what she does best, bury herself in her work.
As for Picard and Daren, watching them grow closer isn’t a horrible thing. It is nice to see Picard in a different light. Remember, his experience from The Inner Light plays a huge part in why he starts a relationship with Daren. I want to believe this is about the time he wishes he hadn’t just buried his life into his work and had a family. You can sense he is much more of a lonely character than he was before. Even though we wish he were experiencing this with Beverly, it is kind of important that he try it with someone new. He is establishing just what he should do with his life and recognizing all the mistakes he made. If he were to test it with Beverly in the infancy of his growth, he could have ruined his relationship completely, and that isn’t a risk he was willing to take.
As we all know, the big climax of the rise and fall of their relationship was when Picard sent her on a dangerous mission. Yes, he sends Beverly on away teams constantly, but he isn’t in a relationship with her, so it was different. He just finally opened up and is letting someone love him in, and she almost dies on his command. This was too much for both of them to take, and the relationship ceased.
The testing of these waters failed for Picard. He isn’t a grey area kind of guy, so if one thing doesn’t work out, then none will work out. This is pivotal to his relationship with Beverly because he just doesn’t want to risk anything at this point. However, I think one part of his experiment with Daren did ignite something in him: He realizes how much he relies on Beverly’s friendship. We all know she was there for him when he broke up with Daren, and just after this episode, it was The Chase, he wanted her help, and she was more than happy to be there for him. Not long after that was Suspicions and Timescape, where you can tell their friendship is more on a personal level than it had been. The look he gives Troi, hearing her say that Beverly is going to die, is the look of a man who is afraid of losing someone so important to him, and that someone is and has always been Beverly.
My former co-host brought this up to me on Twitter:
Fun fact: Did you catch Picard wearing the same shirt in “Attached” that he did in “Lessons” when he’s dating Nella? I’m sure it’s a limited wardrobe thing BTS, but maybe it points to Picard’s hopes(&also is a reminder of why getting into a relationship w/Picard would be dangerous)
As it is only a wardrobe limitation, it is fun as a fan to headcanon certain things like his shirt. Could it be a reminder of what he went through with Daren, and it is a subtle hint of what could happen with Beverly? It is things like this that keep the fans engaged because you just want to connect the dots as best as you can with what you are given. As Picrusher fans, we are not given much, but we do take what we have and run with it.
***RIP Wendy Hughes (1952-2014)***
