WARNING: Explicit content
When I first saw The Next Generation, I was warned about a certain episode in Season 7 called Sub Rosa. It was depicted as Beverly falling for a ghost and the erotic behavior was out of character and falls in the line of jokes because of how off hand it is. Even on IMDB, it is considered the 2nd worse episode of the entire series. I went in already with a bad frame of mind because of what I was told; however, when I first saw it, I ended up having a completely different view on what some called it the “sexy ghost episode”.
It is always nice to have a Beverly Crusher episode. I have enjoyed all of them and I think it is because of how Gates McFadden plays the character. She uniquely plays Beverly off as a strong independent woman but with a softer and more vulnerable side when needed. Example: In Lessons, she is curing Daren of a strain in her arm due to to much playing the Piano. Daren, unknown of Beverly’s feelings for Picard, begins to talk about how the Captain and her have been spending a lot of time together and how they seem to enjoy it. This moment is key because of how Beverly reacts. She talks to Daren professionally and even lends a little bit of advice, but the way Gates approached the character, you can tell just how much it hurts Beverly hearing Jean-Luc is growing closer to someone else; Almost as if someone had punched her in the gut. She remains pose but definitely inside she is hurting. It is brilliant and I think this is why so many fans love Gates and Beverly. Attached came 6 episodes before Sub Rosa and, as everyone knows, that is the episode where Jean-Luc and Beverly express (and turn down) their feelings to one another. This was a pivotal moment for the characters because after this they treated each other just a little bit differently then before; now enter Sub Rosa.
We all know the story: Beverly’s Nana has passed away and she is back to her home world to find out that her Nana’s lover is now interested (or shall I say obsessed) with Beverly. This is important because this is where I think the fans get confused on just how the context of the story is read. Yes, there are scenes about a lover and erotic moments but when you really think about what Ronin was doing, it actual comes off as an abuser who is using the women in this family for his own benefit; to the point they become addicted to him. As Beverly said, anaphasic energy is completely unstable and it needs an organic host to survive. He clearly figured out the Howard Women had what he needed and made sure he touched on their vulnerability (possibly loneliness) to trick them into doing exactly what he wanted. 800 years later, he has passed his obsession to every woman in her family, including her Nana. With Felisa Howard gone, it is now Beverly’s turn to enter the “Family Tradition” -- one thing Ronin did not expect was Beverly wasn’t as lonely as he thought. Her love for Jean-Luc and her crew helped her fight him off.
Of course, she almost didn’t fight him off. He was able to seduce her by telling her how much he loved her and how he will always take care of her. All she had to do was leave everything she knew behind and once they were together, she would always feel “loved”. This love isn’t sexual love, it is abuse and because they are molecular compatible, his seduction is like an addiction for her. If anyone knows someone who has had an addiction or has been an addict of some kind themselves, the addiction is a problem because of how well it makes you feel good that you have to have more. Addiction isn’t for the weak and even a Doctor like Beverly can fall short.
This scene is VERY important. When I first saw this, I thought to myself “She is tweaking!” and on some level she is. She is desperate for his touch and his feeling that she would do anything, like abandon Starfleet, to keep her addiction going. Unlike the women before her, however, she did have people that cared for her and intervened. As much as I felt Deanna was funny in this episode, going off on what Beverly was telling her, she did (later on) become concerned for her friend, feeling that Beverly was not thinking rationally and knew it was a mistake; but as a good friend, she needed her to make that mistake in order to learn from it. But Jean-Luc wasn’t going to sit back and let Beverly get hurt. After 25 years, and loving her for so long, he couldn’t let her do this alone. When Jean-Luc interrupts the merge with Ronin, this scene is also important because you can see how conflicted Beverly is. She tells him this is the new me and to leave her alone but Jean-Luc let’s her know that he loves how she use to be and he isn’t going anywhere. Even after Ronin steps in, Jean-Luc lets him know he isn’t going to make this easy for him, to the point where he harms Jean-Luc, thinking Beverly will go with him to stop Data and Geordi from unearthing Felisa’s coffin. Cue in another key moment, she doesn’t. She fights him and you can tell the effects are wearing off and she stays to save Jean-Luc. Her love for him is still evident and no addiction like Ronin can stop that.
The very end is the best part because of how bravely Beverly fights off Ronin and destroys him. Not only to save herself but to save her friends and crew. When Geordi’s life was in danger, she put herself in danger to save him. Like I said before, this is what Ronin didn’t expect; her love for other people. Just like some other addicts, they are to come out the other side because of the support and love of their friends and family and because of that support they are able to fend off the addiction. Even after she kills Ronin, she collapses and burst into tears. Not because she lost Ronin but because she felt ashamed of what she got herself into; even though part of it was not her fault (just like any addict). This is why in Picard’s log he states that her recovery will take more of a personal nature. It was going to take Beverly a long time to overcome what had happened to her; she was used and abused for someone elses benefit and she was going to have to come to terms with that.
Now can you see why this is more about addiction then just a sex driven crazy love story? Ronin was a fucking abuser, plain and simple. He only cared about himself and he didn’t care how much he was actually hurting the women as long as he got what he wanted. He made them think it was love by expressing those “erotic” feelings and because it made them feel so good, they did whatever he wanted. It is kind of a horrible way of thinking about it but it explains how Beverly can easily fall victim to it. Someone is addicted to something in their life, no matter how strong willed they may be. It can be drugs, alcohol, food, and in our day and age, even screen time. It is our way to suppress the feelings we may not want to feel; like loneliness that Beverly was probably feeling after what she and Jean-Luc went through in Attached. She was an easy target at this point.
I hope when people now see Sub Rosa, they can see it in a whole new light. Yes, some scenes are a little uncomfortable to watch and I am sure where uncomfortable to film (this is why Gates is an amazing actress and why Jonathon is a phenomenal director) but the story is there, you just have to look pass those oddly made scenes.
So, to recap here is why I love Sub Rosa:
- Beverly looks AMAZING in her scenes. Her hair, her outfits, just perfect
- The Love of Jean-Luc and Beverly are very important in this episode and it explores more on just how they truly feel about each other
- The way Jonathon directed the episode, made it more hauntingly beautiful and the way Gates performed it just added to the mystery and the sadness.
Do you agree? Do you still see it as a funny oddly made Sexy Ghost Story? I would love to hear your thoughts!
