Why does it matter how people choose to a score a tv series?
Spoilers Star Trek Discovery Season 1: Overall Review Thread
- Thread starter cultcross
- Start date
Why does it matter how people choose to a score a tv series?
The producers have said that Latif will be back, though it's not clear if it is as a regular or recurring. I am sure Isaacs will make an appearance too.
Interesting thread. As I so often do, I'm left with the impression I watched a different show to the one a number of people saw.
I found Discovery largely underwhelming. Few episodes made a lasting impression - I'd pretty much forgotten everything I'd seen shortly afterward, and there hasn't been an episode I've felt like rewatching. The characters have been largely uninteresting - Georgiou (due more to Michelle Yeoh's general awesomeness than anything else) being a notable exception, and she was killed off pretty much immediately. I still don't get the Burnham / Sarek connection; the Mary Sue-ness of it is irritating and the character isn't well-written enough to make that impression go away. As others have noted, killing off Culber looked more like bury your gays than any genuine step forward, and summarily ended one of the better presented romantic relationships (what we saw of it, anyway) in the entirety of Trek. Stamets' near non-reaction to it was, if anything, even worse. Most of the characters are ciphers - other than The Heroes, the bridge crew are anonymous. We know nothing of them other than their names, which makes them thoroughly uninteresting. [Edit:] And as someone who loathed Mudd in TOS, having him turn up here - and be just as repellent - was...not good.
There were bits I liked. Georgiou (both versions). Saru became more likeable as the season progressed. The aforementioned Stamets / Culber relationship (along with the fact the producers had the backbone to cast gay actors as gay characters). The mirror universe was much less camp than the DS9 eps I saw (I stopped watching Enterprise long before its MU eps), which was excellent. Tilly was amusing. And...I can't think of anything else, really.
I went into Discovery with few, if any expectations. Bryan Fuller's involvement was enough to ensure I'd give it a go, even if he did bail almost immediately. I didn't start watching expecting to like it, and I certainly didn't start watching with the determination to dislike it. However, the fact it has Star Trek in its name doesn't give it a free pass. For me, it's just...there. There's nothing remarkable about it, nothing particularly compelling. The characters aren't interesting enough or engaging enough to make me particularly interested in what they do. I'll probably tune into the second season but I'm not going to be waiting with any sense of anticipation. It'll just be something to watch.
- OZ, not a so-called "hater" (
)
I found Discovery largely underwhelming. Few episodes made a lasting impression - I'd pretty much forgotten everything I'd seen shortly afterward, and there hasn't been an episode I've felt like rewatching. The characters have been largely uninteresting - Georgiou (due more to Michelle Yeoh's general awesomeness than anything else) being a notable exception, and she was killed off pretty much immediately. I still don't get the Burnham / Sarek connection; the Mary Sue-ness of it is irritating and the character isn't well-written enough to make that impression go away. As others have noted, killing off Culber looked more like bury your gays than any genuine step forward, and summarily ended one of the better presented romantic relationships (what we saw of it, anyway) in the entirety of Trek. Stamets' near non-reaction to it was, if anything, even worse. Most of the characters are ciphers - other than The Heroes, the bridge crew are anonymous. We know nothing of them other than their names, which makes them thoroughly uninteresting. [Edit:] And as someone who loathed Mudd in TOS, having him turn up here - and be just as repellent - was...not good.
There were bits I liked. Georgiou (both versions). Saru became more likeable as the season progressed. The aforementioned Stamets / Culber relationship (along with the fact the producers had the backbone to cast gay actors as gay characters). The mirror universe was much less camp than the DS9 eps I saw (I stopped watching Enterprise long before its MU eps), which was excellent. Tilly was amusing. And...I can't think of anything else, really.
I went into Discovery with few, if any expectations. Bryan Fuller's involvement was enough to ensure I'd give it a go, even if he did bail almost immediately. I didn't start watching expecting to like it, and I certainly didn't start watching with the determination to dislike it. However, the fact it has Star Trek in its name doesn't give it a free pass. For me, it's just...there. There's nothing remarkable about it, nothing particularly compelling. The characters aren't interesting enough or engaging enough to make me particularly interested in what they do. I'll probably tune into the second season but I'm not going to be waiting with any sense of anticipation. It'll just be something to watch.
- OZ, not a so-called "hater" (
)
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Well it's over for now for a year or more and it was a goodish start. In my opinion the pilot episodes were poor. Had a few really good episodes after that. Then we moved on to the MU, which if I'm honest with myself, I didn't enjoy as much as I rated them at the time. And then we had the finale, which in all honesty was a bit meh.
I'm still of the opinion that we should have set this series after the events of Voyager, which I would have enjoyed far more. But we have STD, and we either get on board with what they give us, or we move on to something else.
I'm hoping that this series follows on from all other Star Trek series, in that the first season is generally the worst. And I prey (so hard), that they don't try and revert to the visuals of TOS!. Because if they do, I will jump ship sooooo fast!
I'm still of the opinion that we should have set this series after the events of Voyager, which I would have enjoyed far more. But we have STD, and we either get on board with what they give us, or we move on to something else.
I'm hoping that this series follows on from all other Star Trek series, in that the first season is generally the worst. And I prey (so hard), that they don't try and revert to the visuals of TOS!. Because if they do, I will jump ship sooooo fast!
Well, where to start...
Perhaps at the beginning.
I had reservations going in. Mostly because I'm not a big fan of prequels and Klingons. Also, the fan service towards TOS is way too much. Kirk this, Spock that, USS Enterprise bla bla bla. Couldn't care less. For me, Star Trek began with TNG...
I wasn't impressed by the first two episodes at all. Burnham didn't grab me and the Klingon talk was so boring... I still feel they should have cut half of the first two episodes and incorporate the rest with episode 3 as a 90 minute episode...
But still, I loved episode 3. That felt more like the Star Trek I wanted. Loved Tilly from the beginning, Lorca was intruiging and Burnham started to grow.
Didn't care much for TOS fans pleasing Mudd...
The Klingon War felt like a war being fought in Syria or Afghanistan. Far away, with some glimpses on TV, but just not enough to really care. It almost felt like Fuller created this and the current showrunners were stuck with it, but really wanted to do something else. L'rell was great, but that was it. The solution to the war was weird.
And then the Mirror Universe. I dreaded it, cos I hate those TOS, DS9 and ENT episodes, but they were okay on DIS. Perhaps they could have finished the arc one episode sooner. I felt it completely unnecessary Lorca being from that universe. But, with a one year contract, what can one do?
So, after all this negativity, I must hate the show right? Wrong! I love it. There is so much fun and a lot of potential.
Yeah the writing is sometimes all over the place and storylines that should have taken years to develop are being tossed aside in 10 minutes, but still. What a ride it was.
I'm very much looking forward to season 2. I hope to see more character growth, exploration, Federation members and a lot of fun.
I'll give season 1 an 8! Now let's get started!
Perhaps at the beginning.
I had reservations going in. Mostly because I'm not a big fan of prequels and Klingons. Also, the fan service towards TOS is way too much. Kirk this, Spock that, USS Enterprise bla bla bla. Couldn't care less. For me, Star Trek began with TNG...
I wasn't impressed by the first two episodes at all. Burnham didn't grab me and the Klingon talk was so boring... I still feel they should have cut half of the first two episodes and incorporate the rest with episode 3 as a 90 minute episode...
But still, I loved episode 3. That felt more like the Star Trek I wanted. Loved Tilly from the beginning, Lorca was intruiging and Burnham started to grow.
Didn't care much for TOS fans pleasing Mudd...
The Klingon War felt like a war being fought in Syria or Afghanistan. Far away, with some glimpses on TV, but just not enough to really care. It almost felt like Fuller created this and the current showrunners were stuck with it, but really wanted to do something else. L'rell was great, but that was it. The solution to the war was weird.
And then the Mirror Universe. I dreaded it, cos I hate those TOS, DS9 and ENT episodes, but they were okay on DIS. Perhaps they could have finished the arc one episode sooner. I felt it completely unnecessary Lorca being from that universe. But, with a one year contract, what can one do?
So, after all this negativity, I must hate the show right? Wrong! I love it. There is so much fun and a lot of potential.
Yeah the writing is sometimes all over the place and storylines that should have taken years to develop are being tossed aside in 10 minutes, but still. What a ride it was.
I'm very much looking forward to season 2. I hope to see more character growth, exploration, Federation members and a lot of fun.
I'll give season 1 an 8! Now let's get started!
It is really difficult to rate the entire season as an “entity.” Some episodes were excellent (“10”), while others were horrid (“0”): I guess that averages out to about a “5” but an overall average is not, IMHO, a viable way to access the season.
I’ve made only one other post and joined only about a month ago, I am an older “Treker” who recalls watching the first episode of TOS but considers TNG as the ultimate ST. Yes, I value above all else the optimistic, questing, ideals of Roddenberry, et al. As of many of my ilk, I have had major problems with the tone of the show. However, as I expressed in my one and only reply, I consider myself (even at age 70) a progressive thinker and open to new ideas and ways of thinking.
And for that reason, I am deeply grateful to these boards, as it made me realize that not everyone sees ST as I do (a major revelation) and that there are others who appreciate it for other reasons. You have opened my eyes and made my think.
But, I must honestly say that now that Disco has “cleared the deck,” if you will, I hope that S2 will be more “traditional,” as in exploration, discovery, first contact, etc. A few weeks ago and with nothing to do, I rewatched an episode of TNG, the season 6 episode that featured LaForge and Scotty. One of the first things discussed in the episode were Dyson’s Spheres and my first reaction was “yes, real ST, real science-fiction, talking of real scientific matters.” I like to think of ST as science-fiction and not just an adventure series that takes place in space (like Star Wars: I love SW, but for other reasons). I like my sci-fi “hard” and hope S2 brings more science-based references.
So, overall, it is just fantastic to have ST back. First seasons are often difficult, although I loved the first season of TNG. The show has the potential to be special and, although I was somewhat disappointed with this season, I am hopeful for its future.
But I must say something else. Yes, I love reading and thinking about fan theories (for ST as well as Star Wars), but I never lose sight that these are stories and “not real.” I don’t get to caught up in over analysis: yes, there are plot conveniences, happenstance and coincidence, inconsistencies, and (I hate to use the words), things that take place that are not “logical;” but this is not real life. It is TV shows and it is movies, where events must take place in a constrained and limited time frame. We see only bits and pieces of “every day” life. I never fool myself into thinking that this is real, as much as we want it to be and that characters are going to act as real people. Yes, the season finale had enormous inconsistencies and plot shortcuts and would have been better served if it were a two-parter. But the writers had a lot to do in just 45 minutes and did the best they could. And yes, I loved seeing the Enterprise at the end, loved seeing the Klingon war end without a Star Wars-like space shootout, and loved to see Federation ideals reinforced.
I know the method of story-telling has changed: from self-contained episodes to seasonal arcs. In some respects, the show suffered for this. There were so many plot-lines going at the same time that, to me, made the show seem often out of control. Plot lines were neglected or given short-shrift. One of the benefits of single episode shows is that single plot lines can be fully-developed. I think that this is particularly important for character development. TNG was particularly good at this: episodes dedicated to each of the characters, sometimes exploring their past, their families, or how they reacted to stressful situations. I know S2 will also have an “arc” but I’m hoping for some shows that focus more on individual characters and their stories. Arcs have their benefits but also their failings.
As for the characters: pluses for Saru, Stamets, Tilly, and somewhat less so for Burnham. Minuses for Lorca and Ash. Neutral for Georgiou. Tilly is the “breakout” star of the show. I don’t think that she was originally intended to be thus, but it is likely that she will be more prominently featured in S2 and hopefully beyond. Kudos to Mary Wiseman for her part for giving life to her character. I must say that I have no patience, as in “zero” and “none” for people who abase women characters as “Mary Sues.” Call me a SJW (I am a male), I don’t care. I think Burnham’s character is constrained by her history: her upbringing on Vulcan. Sonequa Martin-Green faces a tough task and Burnham often comes across as wooden and one-dimensional because of her childhood. I hope that, as the show progresses, she strives to overcome her “Vulcaness.” To me, that should be one of the main story lines going forward. But she is a fine actor and well-cast. Good riddance to Lorca; although Jason Isaacs is a top-flight actor, I will not miss his character, if he is really gone. I might be in a distinct minority, but Ash might be the worst character in all the iterations of ST. I’m not blaming Shazid Latif, but the role he has been asked to play is “unplayable.” Given the parameters of the part, he has no option but to be horrendous. To his credit, he plays horrible to the hilt.
So overall, although I have major concerns about the direction of the show (in all honesty, there were times, particularly in the middle of the arc), where I considered stop watching, I am glad I stuck with it. Yes, it is Star Trek. Yes, it is different. Yes, story-telling on TV has changed. Yes, times have changed. Yes, it might not be my ideal of ST, but I’d thrilled that it is back.
I’ve made only one other post and joined only about a month ago, I am an older “Treker” who recalls watching the first episode of TOS but considers TNG as the ultimate ST. Yes, I value above all else the optimistic, questing, ideals of Roddenberry, et al. As of many of my ilk, I have had major problems with the tone of the show. However, as I expressed in my one and only reply, I consider myself (even at age 70) a progressive thinker and open to new ideas and ways of thinking.
And for that reason, I am deeply grateful to these boards, as it made me realize that not everyone sees ST as I do (a major revelation) and that there are others who appreciate it for other reasons. You have opened my eyes and made my think.
But, I must honestly say that now that Disco has “cleared the deck,” if you will, I hope that S2 will be more “traditional,” as in exploration, discovery, first contact, etc. A few weeks ago and with nothing to do, I rewatched an episode of TNG, the season 6 episode that featured LaForge and Scotty. One of the first things discussed in the episode were Dyson’s Spheres and my first reaction was “yes, real ST, real science-fiction, talking of real scientific matters.” I like to think of ST as science-fiction and not just an adventure series that takes place in space (like Star Wars: I love SW, but for other reasons). I like my sci-fi “hard” and hope S2 brings more science-based references.
So, overall, it is just fantastic to have ST back. First seasons are often difficult, although I loved the first season of TNG. The show has the potential to be special and, although I was somewhat disappointed with this season, I am hopeful for its future.
But I must say something else. Yes, I love reading and thinking about fan theories (for ST as well as Star Wars), but I never lose sight that these are stories and “not real.” I don’t get to caught up in over analysis: yes, there are plot conveniences, happenstance and coincidence, inconsistencies, and (I hate to use the words), things that take place that are not “logical;” but this is not real life. It is TV shows and it is movies, where events must take place in a constrained and limited time frame. We see only bits and pieces of “every day” life. I never fool myself into thinking that this is real, as much as we want it to be and that characters are going to act as real people. Yes, the season finale had enormous inconsistencies and plot shortcuts and would have been better served if it were a two-parter. But the writers had a lot to do in just 45 minutes and did the best they could. And yes, I loved seeing the Enterprise at the end, loved seeing the Klingon war end without a Star Wars-like space shootout, and loved to see Federation ideals reinforced.
I know the method of story-telling has changed: from self-contained episodes to seasonal arcs. In some respects, the show suffered for this. There were so many plot-lines going at the same time that, to me, made the show seem often out of control. Plot lines were neglected or given short-shrift. One of the benefits of single episode shows is that single plot lines can be fully-developed. I think that this is particularly important for character development. TNG was particularly good at this: episodes dedicated to each of the characters, sometimes exploring their past, their families, or how they reacted to stressful situations. I know S2 will also have an “arc” but I’m hoping for some shows that focus more on individual characters and their stories. Arcs have their benefits but also their failings.
As for the characters: pluses for Saru, Stamets, Tilly, and somewhat less so for Burnham. Minuses for Lorca and Ash. Neutral for Georgiou. Tilly is the “breakout” star of the show. I don’t think that she was originally intended to be thus, but it is likely that she will be more prominently featured in S2 and hopefully beyond. Kudos to Mary Wiseman for her part for giving life to her character. I must say that I have no patience, as in “zero” and “none” for people who abase women characters as “Mary Sues.” Call me a SJW (I am a male), I don’t care. I think Burnham’s character is constrained by her history: her upbringing on Vulcan. Sonequa Martin-Green faces a tough task and Burnham often comes across as wooden and one-dimensional because of her childhood. I hope that, as the show progresses, she strives to overcome her “Vulcaness.” To me, that should be one of the main story lines going forward. But she is a fine actor and well-cast. Good riddance to Lorca; although Jason Isaacs is a top-flight actor, I will not miss his character, if he is really gone. I might be in a distinct minority, but Ash might be the worst character in all the iterations of ST. I’m not blaming Shazid Latif, but the role he has been asked to play is “unplayable.” Given the parameters of the part, he has no option but to be horrendous. To his credit, he plays horrible to the hilt.
So overall, although I have major concerns about the direction of the show (in all honesty, there were times, particularly in the middle of the arc), where I considered stop watching, I am glad I stuck with it. Yes, it is Star Trek. Yes, it is different. Yes, story-telling on TV has changed. Yes, times have changed. Yes, it might not be my ideal of ST, but I’d thrilled that it is back.
I like DSC as much as TOS. I like the later seasons of DS9 a little bit less. I always thought TNG was over-rated outside of the middle years. Mid-TNG is Golden. I don't like ENT (Season 3 and 4 included).
My opinion of television isn't frozen in 1990-something. It's evolved.
I rate Discovery as an 8. Mad Men and Breaking Bad are as close to 10 as you get. Mad Men is my favorite show. Period.
I don't watch the other shows. Well, not true. I've seen some of Black Mirror. Pretty twisted stuff. I need to get caught up.
4 = Poor. I didn't particularly care for it. The positives don't outweigh the negatives.
3 = Bad. This isn't any good. Or I just didn't like it. But I don't hate it and I didn't think it was unwatchable.
2 = Terrible. This is where it becomes hard to sit through. Unless maybe I give it the MST3K treatment.
1 = Atrocious. I really, really had to resist the urge to turn it off. It took sheer will-power to get through the whole thing.
0 = Bottom of the Barrel. I couldn't watch it all the way through. I had to turn it off. This is pure trash. I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.
I didn't think Discovery was any of these.
On the flip-side:
10 = Outstanding. This isn't necessarily "perfect", nothing is, but it evoked a strong emotional reaction from me, it moved me, I wanted to watch it again immediately.
9 = Excellent. The best you can get but without being as powerful as a 10. It's more entertaining and satisfying than necessarily moving or draining.
8 = Great. Better than just "good". I liked it a lot. This is what gets me hooked on a show or makes me a fan.
7 = Good. This is what I rate something if I like it and I thought it was solid, but there wasn't enough there to push it passed that. Whatever drawbacks there might've been don't effect my overall enjoyment.
6 = Okay. I kind of liked of it. It killed time. There were probably some drawbacks but nothing too serious.
5 = Mixed, Mediocre, or Neutral. There was either as much good as there was bad or the show did absolutely nothing for me at all. It was just there. I didn't feel anything about it good or ill.
So, 8 for Discovery feels just about right for me.
Bear in mind, I also rate based on a curve. I give what I think is the best episode of the series a 10. Then I look at everything else to see how it compares.
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The characters came off as natural evolutions of what we got in TOS. TMP was essentially TOS upgraded and updated for the 70s, which worked well into the narrative of it being years after TOS.
STD, on the other hand, is an incredibly awkward fit as a few years before KIrk. It is by all mean a visual reboot (with some story elements rebooted and reinterpreted). STD would have fit better into the TMP (post-TOS) era, but having it right before TOS makes it a really convoluted and messy continuity.
Would be a serious disappointment.
Agree to disagree then. I don't feel like TMP flows that well from TOS and certainly doesn't flow from TMP to TWOK.
Also, as an interesting note, some sources I read that TMP is only three years after TOS. So, apparently Starfleet can adopt uniforms pretty quickly.
I think it fits well enough.I think there has to be a visual reboot in order to make Discovery fit. If you really need to make it fit. As with all things with TEH CANON!!!1!!...
This goes beyond just uniforms, and TWOK is a long, long time after TMP.
TMP takes place 3 years after Kirk's 5 year mission ended, so essentially 5 years after S3. Took them 3 years to refit and upgrade the Enterprise.
The style of the TMP uniforms isn't drastically different than TOS either. If characters in the 60s wore the TMP tunics on TOS sets, it wouldn't look off. Design-wise, they keep the retro look of the 60s TV show.
Sure. I mean, the designs are different, but personally I have no problem with that. The story works okay. Like you said, "well enough." There are little changes between series and while I can see why some feel these are the most egregious. But to me, doesn't matter. And its not as though there's not precedent. People can explain away those. Why any minor superficial differences can't with Discovery is an enigma to me.
Hence my meme.
From an organizational point of view adopting those uniforms, changing divisional colors, and making massive tech upgrades is a pretty big feat. Not sure why ten years in DISCO is somehow impossible.
Also, TWOK is only 5 to 7 years removed from TMP, according to what I read. Still within in DISCO's time frame.
I am giving the season a C+, I might've given it a B- but that finale kinda ruined it.
Either way
1.) The main characters were great, for the most part. Master Planner / Daring Space Asshole Lorca was top notch until he turned into the Super Stoopid Wiley Coyote Lorca. But aside from that, the Characters were the perfect mix of lovable / detestable at mostly the right times.However, the Klingons as a whole had a bit of the "video game bad guy" thing goin on.
2.) The look was superb. I like the new visuals, they were almost perfect. The VFX were so good except, in the MU they looked so... bad. I dunno why but before MU they were great, after the MU they were great but during the MU not so much.
3.) The writing was just too hit and miss, which all Trek is, even the best Trek seasons aren't perfect, but the shows misses were just in the right spots to really hold the grade down, particularly, the two opening episodes and the finale, probably the two most important spots to nail, at least in my mind, they dropped the ball. That being said, almost every episode in between I thought was a solid, entertaining winner. I'm not sure if the series needed more episodes or longer ones but everything felt rushed. Sometimes that served it well, sometimes not, but we needed more moments between characters, I don't feel I got enough of that, with such strong characters and acting, this shoulda been a more utilized strength.
4.) Acting, IMHO not a bad performance in the bunch. The chemistry was there out the gate.
Overall for a first season outing not bad. If I were to compare it to my favorite Trek installment, DS9, of which I'm an unrealistic fan wanker, I'd say it comes close to DS9 season one for me.
C+ with positive expectations for season 2.
Either way
1.) The main characters were great, for the most part. Master Planner / Daring Space Asshole Lorca was top notch until he turned into the Super Stoopid Wiley Coyote Lorca. But aside from that, the Characters were the perfect mix of lovable / detestable at mostly the right times.However, the Klingons as a whole had a bit of the "video game bad guy" thing goin on.
2.) The look was superb. I like the new visuals, they were almost perfect. The VFX were so good except, in the MU they looked so... bad. I dunno why but before MU they were great, after the MU they were great but during the MU not so much.
3.) The writing was just too hit and miss, which all Trek is, even the best Trek seasons aren't perfect, but the shows misses were just in the right spots to really hold the grade down, particularly, the two opening episodes and the finale, probably the two most important spots to nail, at least in my mind, they dropped the ball. That being said, almost every episode in between I thought was a solid, entertaining winner. I'm not sure if the series needed more episodes or longer ones but everything felt rushed. Sometimes that served it well, sometimes not, but we needed more moments between characters, I don't feel I got enough of that, with such strong characters and acting, this shoulda been a more utilized strength.
4.) Acting, IMHO not a bad performance in the bunch. The chemistry was there out the gate.
Overall for a first season outing not bad. If I were to compare it to my favorite Trek installment, DS9, of which I'm an unrealistic fan wanker, I'd say it comes close to DS9 season one for me.
C+ with positive expectations for season 2.
5 for me.
I really liked the MU episodes, Lorca was fantastic, Saru got better in every episode. The rest was much of a muchness.
Never took to Burnham and I found the finale a huge disappointment. Not that interested in seeing The Enterprise. I mean sure it was cool and all but this is supposed to be about Discovery.
Introducing The Enterprise and hinting about Spock ( again, don't really want to see him ), is just lazy writing.
Aside from Burnham we have a whole host of characters we know next to nothing about. Focus on them, develop them instead of this fan service Enterprise nonsense.
I really liked the MU episodes, Lorca was fantastic, Saru got better in every episode. The rest was much of a muchness.
Never took to Burnham and I found the finale a huge disappointment. Not that interested in seeing The Enterprise. I mean sure it was cool and all but this is supposed to be about Discovery.
Introducing The Enterprise and hinting about Spock ( again, don't really want to see him ), is just lazy writing.
Aside from Burnham we have a whole host of characters we know next to nothing about. Focus on them, develop them instead of this fan service Enterprise nonsense.
As I said previously, it was a bunch of gifted actors, playing potentially interesting characters, trapped in a terrible story.
I had some reservations about the first half of the season, I found the spore drive ludicrous, and I was really not fan of the dark tone. I really liked the nice explorey feel in the first half of the first episode and I instantly liked Georgiou, so when they killed her and things went dark I was disappointed.
However, the first half of the season was pretty coherent, and it seemed they were going somewhere with all this. The characters were explored, and we learned about their personality and what drove them. And whilst we saw little of the actual war, it seemed to be looming in the horizon, promising that more was to come. I was eager to learn more and see where they were going with this.
And then the second half of the season happened. The writing suddenly started to undermine all the promise that the first half had. The characters were assassinated both literally and figuratively for cheap shock twists. Not only were there one but two impostors on the ship! People behaved illogically just because that was apparently what the plot demanded. In the end we did not even get those surprising twists. It all just unceremoniously fell flat like a bad soufflé. Absolutely infuriating.
It is really shocking how bad the second half was. I don't say this lightly, but this was Phantom Menace level terrible writing. It is like the writers did not at all understand their own characters or themes. It could have easily been much better. Just skip the mirror part and let Lorca be the damaged ends-justify-means madman for Burnham to face in the end, and if the Tyler/Voq plot had to happen, then at least let him to be the one who convinces L'Rell to end the war. As it was written, both characters were utterly wasted.
In serialised storytelling you need to choose your themes and stick to them. Things must be taken to their conclusion in a satisfying way. This absolutely did not happen here.
I rate this 4/10. Probably a much lower score than my average rating for individual episodes. This was very much 'less than sum of its parts' situation.
I really have no bad word to say about the actors. They all did stellar ob with a terrible material they were given, and as a result there were many great scenes. I really wish they're given better stories in the next season, they deserve it. It is because of these actors I will be tuning in for the next season too, and give this series a show a second chance.
I had some reservations about the first half of the season, I found the spore drive ludicrous, and I was really not fan of the dark tone. I really liked the nice explorey feel in the first half of the first episode and I instantly liked Georgiou, so when they killed her and things went dark I was disappointed.
However, the first half of the season was pretty coherent, and it seemed they were going somewhere with all this. The characters were explored, and we learned about their personality and what drove them. And whilst we saw little of the actual war, it seemed to be looming in the horizon, promising that more was to come. I was eager to learn more and see where they were going with this.
And then the second half of the season happened. The writing suddenly started to undermine all the promise that the first half had. The characters were assassinated both literally and figuratively for cheap shock twists. Not only were there one but two impostors on the ship! People behaved illogically just because that was apparently what the plot demanded. In the end we did not even get those surprising twists. It all just unceremoniously fell flat like a bad soufflé. Absolutely infuriating.
It is really shocking how bad the second half was. I don't say this lightly, but this was Phantom Menace level terrible writing. It is like the writers did not at all understand their own characters or themes. It could have easily been much better. Just skip the mirror part and let Lorca be the damaged ends-justify-means madman for Burnham to face in the end, and if the Tyler/Voq plot had to happen, then at least let him to be the one who convinces L'Rell to end the war. As it was written, both characters were utterly wasted.
In serialised storytelling you need to choose your themes and stick to them. Things must be taken to their conclusion in a satisfying way. This absolutely did not happen here.
I rate this 4/10. Probably a much lower score than my average rating for individual episodes. This was very much 'less than sum of its parts' situation.
I really have no bad word to say about the actors. They all did stellar ob with a terrible material they were given, and as a result there were many great scenes. I really wish they're given better stories in the next season, they deserve it. It is because of these actors I will be tuning in for the next season too, and give this series a show a second chance.
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