YMMV / Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E3 "The Survivors"

• Cry for the Devil: What Kevin did is mind-bogglingly horrendous and he knows it, yet somehow it's hard not to feel for him, since he's drowning in so much remorse and heartbreak.
• Funny Moments: As sad and horrifying as the episode is, it does have humorous moments:
  • When Worf attempts small talk.
    Rishon: (over a cup of tea) Well, what do you think, Mr. Worf?
    Worf: Good tea. (Beat) Nice house.
  • Also, Worf admiring Kevin's "unmitigated gall" in brandishing a non-functioning weapon.
  • It's hard not to laugh when cool and collected Cdr. Riker is caught in a simple rope trap and hung up like a big, bearded fish.
• Memetic Mutation: "Good tea. Nice house."
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • The Reveal, of course, is almost too horrible to think about: Kevin is a Reality Warper who destroyed an entire species (approx. 50 billion people) instantaneously in a moment of grief and rage over his human wife's death. The sheer scale of this atrocity shocks even the main characters, and in the end they realise that there is nothing they can do about it except leave Kevin to his grief.
  • Troi dealing with the melody-from-hell gets harder to watch as the episode progresses (and Marina Sirtis acts the shit out of it).
    Troi (crying): STOOOOOOP! STOP! I'LL DO ANYTHING, MAKE IT STOOOOP!!
• Tear Jerker: Kevin's whole confession (with John Anderson giving one of TNG's most moving guest performances).
• Woobie: Counselor Troi. She did not deserve the torment she was put through to block her empathic ability. Kevin gave the impression that it wasn't meant to affect her as dramatically as it did, only meaning to distract her as opposed to do her any harm, but still...

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