Yes this! More this! Welcome to the original Mirror Universe. Directed by none other than Commander Riker himself, Jonathan Frakes. Easily the best episode of the season and a great way to kick off the new year. "Despite Yourself" The mid-season finale left us in a bizarre new place, off the charts, which many like me suspected could be the rumored Mirror Universe. The good news is that we were right. The even better news is that it's just getting started. This may last out the rest of the season, if we're lucky, and give the next handful of episodes a solid focus. The Discovery sits in the midst of debris from some previous battle as they try to get their bearings, when some Vulcan "rebels" attack. A fellow starship appears to rescue them but we never get a good look. They communicate audio only. It's only later upon further investigation that the crew pieces together what the audience has been expecting. This is not the same universe. Not even close. The Mirror Universe first appeared in the Sixties when Kirk switched places with his evil counterpart. Spock had a goatee. The Federation was now the Terran Empire. It was the dystopia to Trek's usual utopia. The Next Generation never explored the concept except in novels or comics (the episodic nature of Star Trek in those days meant they seldom revisited past stories) but Deep Space Nine was a pioneer of the serialized storytelling we're so familiar with today and they managed a couple of visits. So too did Star Trek Enterprise in one of their best 3-part episodes right before being canceled. They actually allude to that crossover on Discovery, in a rare nod to specific continuity. When another Imperial ship approaches, thinking the Discovery is their universe's Discovery, (the two appear to have switched universes simultaneously, just as in the original Star Trek episode) Captain Lorca can't answer the call. The real captain of the Mirror-Discovery is Tilly. Her stuttering socially awkward affectations get a few laughs as she stumbles to act tough on short notice, but ultimately it's a brilliant move. The best element of the Mirror Universe is when we get to see a character's opposite, and this looks like it'll be Tilly's turn to shine as the strong, confident leader she's always dreamed of becoming. Meanwhile Stammets is in and out of catatonia from the effects of Lorca's sabotage on the spore-drive. Lt Tyler discovers the internet rumors about him being a Klingon sleeper agent but assures everyone he'll handle his "PTSD". It's a relief the show is finally moving past this predictable plot twist. If it didn't hold too much mystery going in, it can still try to stick the landing and surprise us with the consequences. Will he purge the Klingon influence or betray the Discovery crew first? Burnham devises a plan for her and Lorca to replace their alternate "selves" (one in exile, the other presumed dead), sneak aboard her old ship the Shenzhou and uncover the secrets of that old Enterprise episode which hold the key to traveling home. Success means everyone has to be assertive and badass (to fit in, of course) and Lorca has to play prisoner. Talk about role reversals. But he's committed to the mission, as we see when he bangs his head into the wall to look bloody and beaten. He ominously warns Burnham to do whatever she has to for the mission, which is put to the test almost immediately. As a prisoner, he's subject to the torture boxes while in the brig. Burnham tries to refuse. Only she gets to kill him when she's good and ready and she doesn't trust them not to get carried away trying to make a name for themselves killing the infamous Lorca. But she quickly has no choice. To stay in character, she must permit his torture while she attempts to acquire the data they need to get home. Burnham faces a second test when the current captain of the Shenzhou, unsatisfied with the crew's failure to respect him, attempts to assassinate her in the turbolift. In her home universe, she watched him die (Episode 2) as a result of the war she inadvertently helped start. Here, she must not only fend him off but murder him as a result. As the turbolift opens on the bridge, his body collapses before her. The bridge crew applauds her savage return. She sits down in the captain's chair she always wanted, heavy with the ironic weight of it all. Meanwhile Lorca sits in prolonged, painful penance, a fate we're only partly empathetic toward after what he's done to Stammets and Admiral Cornwell. This was a series highlight by far, and a bold foreshadow of episodes to come. The acting was some of the best this season out of Jason Isaacs and Sonequa Martin-Greene, both of whom get some meaty parts this week. Mary Wiseman is brilliant again as Tilly, although she got into character just a little too quickly, but whatever. I can still do without Shazad Latif as Tyler. Not only is his subplot predictable and tedious, but he continues to appear sorely miscast against the other characters. Jonathan Frakes has made quite a name for himself since The Next Generation as a reliable TV director on numerous shows in and outside of Trek (including competitive show The Orville only months ago). His work here is stylized, succinct and contemporary and he proves perfectly capable of maintaining Discovery's dark, sleek aesthetic. I'd be surprised if we didn't see his name again next season after this high point. Conclusion: Now's the time to get caught up with Star Trek Discover. If this quality continues, it could finally silence the fans.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Captain's Blog
|