[quote name='blandstalker']I think "The Child" and (much later) "Devil's Due" were both episodes that were holdovers from New Star Trek (or whatever it was going to be called) -- the series that was proposed after ST: The Motion Picture but never got off the ground.
Both episodes turned out weird because they shoehorned Next Generation characters into roles that were envisioned for other characters.
It could just be that Marina Sirtis herself asked for a change in the character. Troi was one of the more aimless characters, and "Troi episodes" were usually horrid.
[*]I forget if "Face of the Enemy" was before or after the uniform change [checks -- it was after, but not by much], but that could have pointed to new directions for her character.
[*]One of my favorite moments in the otherwise awful "The Loss", where planar aliens incapacitate the ship and remove Troi's powers, is when Troi exclaims to Data "we have to get two-dimensional!"[/quote]
The Child, The Loss, Night Terrors, Eye of the beholder were god awful Troi Episodes. Oh yea, and that episode where that alien dude passed something to her and she got all sexed up and then got old. Same with that Mind Rape episode.
Anyone remember Tasha's sister? After she had that operation and was wearing that blue skin tight outfit I was like

It would have been intresting if she came on board shortly after but before season 2 and took over for her.