Best cold open ever? Nope, not even close. Ever seen TNG's "Cause and Effect"?
King Daniel wrote:
The FC opening scene was cool, but I thought "In a Mirror, Darkly" was awful. Why should I care about any of these people?
That's why I can't stand this episode either. The other MU episode did work exactly because
they were always presented from the perspective of our
characters. It was the fish-out-of-the-water aspect that made the over-the-top ridiculous behaviour of the MU couterparts bearable. Having just those characters that act completely like comic book character cut-outs makes for a really dull episode, let alone a full two-parter.
I loved the recreation of the TOS-era sets, but I didn't invest in anything these characters said or did. Their actions were without consequence and they weren't written particularly good or interesting. They were all just plain Evil™.