Weeeeelllll bloody hell, that was a launch into the stratosphere, now wasn't it?!
GREAT
* The Enterprise Bridge? Gorgeous. Beautiful, clean lines, with that touch of nostalgia we all recognize from the original.
* Nobody shoots Tilly and gets away with it! *runs feebly towards Leland/Control. Is shot*
* I love that Tilly grabs her photo of herself and Michael, and then the snowglobe. Such sweet Tilliness.
* Dammit Paul and Hugh! Kiss and make up already! ARGH!
* Yay, Xahea! We get to see Queen Po again! She's so awesome!
* Tilly's familiarity with Po is so much fun, and I mean all of it: the ice cream, the hand signs, the hugs.
* "This is Captain Pike. The Captain." I laughed.
* Jett Reno always gets a favorable hit from me. I like her, and apparently so does Po.
* Actually, the whole brainstorming section is brilliant. They get technical without diving into technobabble. This is how it's done, IMO.
* "Sorry, Lovebug." Oh yes, I laughed until it hurt. Score one more for Jett Reno
* The bridge crew (and a few others) gathering together in solidarity with Michael. She's not carrying this burden alone.
* Oh, oh, I get it. Keep winking and nodding about who becomes the next Captain. Oh yeah? I don't care! I'm going to go Captain my own starship, with blackjack! And hookers! Forget the starship!
GOOD
* I like the design of the retractable gangways leading from the Discovery to the Enterprise. It answers a few questions about quickly moving personnel off ship quickly.
* I'm sure I've said this before, but I love DSC's version of Sarek and Amanda. They just fit so well, and I think it does Mark Lenard and Jane Wyatt much honor.
* Tyler running interference against Section 31? Yes, this pushes him up a couple of notches in my book. Good work, Tyler.
* "I still dislike you." "The feeling's mutual." Also, Jett trying to process Tilly's hug is adorkable as hell.
MEH
* Stop it with the goddamn spinning camera. Why?! Why do you do this?! I grab my desk every time you do this.
* Relationship between Tyler and Burnham still doesn't work for me. I try, but there's no spark there. I'd rather see Michael with Tilly, or maybe Saru.
BLERGH
* None.
This is one hell of a penultimate season episode. From start to finish I was engrossed, and I think they kept the pacing, while telling a good story with just the right mix of action. I don't do halves, so there's no 8.5 or 9.5s, it's all whole numbers with me. That said, is it worth a 10? I weighed it back and forth in my head, working it out like Po did during the bull session to figure out how to power the suit without killing everyone in the vicinity (great scene, by the way). They really did work hard to get us primed for next week, and even though next week is the big enchilada, I have to look at this episode on its own merits, and in all honesty? I absolutely enjoyed it. Could it have been better? Oh I'm sure there are tweaks here and there I'd like to see, but on the whole was it was I wanted most in a Star Trek episode? Damned skippy. It delivered. For me, there is no doubt in my mind that this episode gets a GENUINE 10.
More like this, please.
