When checking out the conference room, Sarek gets uncharacteristically agitated at the unpreparedness of it. Geordi and Wesley don’t help the situation by complaining about the smell of the slime the Legaran delegation live in and talking about Wesley’s upcoming hot date with Ensign Suzanne Dumont. Of course, if I was the chief engineer and found myself hanging out with the ship’s cabin boy to fill up a pool of slime, I’d probably let my mind wander too.

Up on the bridge, Picard, Riker and Troi are having a rather indiscreet chat about Sarek’s lack of frailty when Troi suggests they invite his wife, Perrin, to the concert in the hope that he’ll attend too. Picard does just that, and Perrin accepts. She tells Picard that Sarek is meditating, but when he’s gone she goes to check on him. He isn’t meditating, and hasn’t been able to for weeks! Possibly because his wife keeps interrupting his attempts, if this episode is any indication.

Back at the slime tank, Wesley and Geordi are still trying to sort things out when the two end up in an almighty argument. They’re seconds away from fisticuffs when Riker breaks it up by wedging his beard between the two. Later that day at the concert, Sarek does arrive with his wife, but exits the performance early when he’s moved to tears. Or possibly bored to tears. Either way there is at least one tear.

In the aftermath of the performance, Crusher summons Wesley to sickbay to ask why he wasn’t there. When he gives her some lip, she does what everyone had wanted to do for three years and slaps him in the face. After checking in with Troi, it transpires that this is not an isolated incident. People are lining up to slap Wesley in the face. Then in Ten Forward, there’s a bar room brawl, which makes the usually quick-witted bridge crew finally put two and two together.

They finally surmise that Sarek has Bendii syndrome, which is a disease old Vulcans get which makes them lose control of their emotions. Sarek is telepathically broadcasting bursts of anger around the ship. Picard has his people call Sarek’s people and they find out that one of the young Vulcans is telepathically augmenting Sarek’s will in an attempt to keep him in enough of a state to host the negotiations.