Discovery is losing me in Season 3, anyone else?

[Jayson1]

The only thing I have liked this year is the stuff between Culber/Stammets and Adira and some interests in the Vance/Starfleet stuff. Burnham is at a all time low in bad writing and Saru and Tilly it seems have hardly gotten anything interesting to do. Book is okay but not compelling and Jet Reno seems to barely be their this year and also the Georgiou stuff was also at all time low in bad writing.


Jason

 

[Noname Given]

Season one had its moments (Lorca)
Season two had its moments (Pike)
Season three has nothing, nada, zilch, pure raw apples material

So...shit?

 

[KennyB]

Many fans don’t even know what they want, they just have this unconscious idea that everything should be a recreation of the Trek they grew up with (which seems to be TNG for a great many of the ardent DSC critics).

.

Agreed

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

It's not losing me, but it is disappointing me. It's not bad, but it still feels confused, as if it isn't really sure what kind of show it wants to be. It does surprise and subvert expectations at times, but often in a way that seems unsatisfying from a storytelling perspective.

I still think I enjoyed the first series more than either second or third overall, and none a much a I did Picard. While that season had some issues, the narrative did feel more satisfying overall.

I still look forward to it each week, as more new trek is still a good thing, but I kind of go in expecting mild disappointment. Generally, I find I feel less disappointed doing that.

 

[XCV330]

I am enjoying season 3 a great deal. They've only had one weak-ish episode and crossing fingers, they have stuck the landing so far in the later episodes where normally the season kind of gets rushed and weird at the end.

The actors are doing superbly now, and writing is catching up with what they're capable of. I like the new characters (RIP Ryn), especially Vance, and Osira is starting to grow on me now. You can see her perspective without having to agree with it. She has to be who she is to hold the Chain together, and if there weren't at least her organization in place. this part of the galaxy would at best be hundreds of warlord states doing things even worse.

 

[ITDUDE]

So...shit?

 

[valden]

Same for me. I think it was a mistake for them to jump to the future because it has exposed a lot if the weakness that was hidden well in season 1 and2

season 1 had Vulcans, Klingons, Michaels ties to sarek, locca. it was watchable

season 2 was saved greatly by pike and spock
season 3 so far is devoid of a story and just plain generic. with nothing to save it.

I am struggling to watch new episodes of discovery since i am loosing interest,

 

[Scout101]

It’s been disappointing. They had an interesting premise this season, but they didn’t really do anything with it, and had no story to tell. Wasted 2 episodes to sell the spinoff, even. The huge mystery was just a holodeck temper tantrum by a grown man-child. No bigger picture, random accident. Just a huge disappointment

 

[Jayson1]

I should also mention they did set up something interesting with Detmer as well and that looked like it might lead to something interesting but it basically ended for no good reason and without any dramatic payoff at all.


Jason

 

[Annorax849]

Discovery's been a lot of extremes. Best first season since TOS (as of 2017), best second season overall, and worst third season since TOS (unless the finale is amazing). I will say that I like that they at least made Detmer an actual character this season.

 

[Paul755]

I think, overall, S3 is the best season of the show so far. It’s not on the level of season 3 for TNG, ENT or DS9. But it’s heads and shoulders better than S1-2.

that said, S3 still has some big problems. But again, not like S1-2.

We’ll see if they can stick the landing.

 

[Bollie74]

I enjoy the show for what it is, but I can't help but wonder if man child tantrums causing the Burn may have been better handled with the Omega particle idea everyone was throwing around before the season started. It could have even been a Kelpien that caused it to keep aggressors away, like the Borg or the Dominion. And they could have used the search for why it happened to explore the world of this new century and have the character moments that they had. Seems like a missed opportunity

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm good. The Mirror Universe was the only hiccup for me.

 

[Midquest]

I liked or loved Seasons 1 and 2 depending on the episode, and I liked the first five episodes of Season 3 a lot, along with 7, 11, and 12. But there's a spark missing. I could be wrong, but it seems the showrunners have heard the loudest and angriest voices and tried to give them what they want, but most fans don't know what they want or want things that wouldn't make good TV. For me, I'm realizing that I just don't care as much when shows are standalone or semi-serial. I want a focused, ongoing plot. To me, Season 2 is still the strongest of the 3.

That said, I do still like the show. I'm just less invested.

 

[NCC-73515]

I enjoy the show for what it is, but I can't help but wonder if man child tantrums causing the Burn may have been better handled with the Omega particle idea everyone was throwing around before the season started. It could have even been a Kelpien that caused it to keep aggressors away, like the Borg or the Dominion. And they could have used the search for why it happened to explore the world of this new century and have the character moments that they had. Seems like a missed opportunity

Omega would've been much better

 

[Paul755]

I liked or loved Seasons 1 and 2 depending on the episode, and I liked the first five episodes of Season 3 a lot, along with 7, 11, and 12. But there's a spark missing. I could be wrong, but it seems the showrunners have heard the loudest and angriest voices and tried to give them what they want, but most fans don't know what they want or want things that wouldn't make good TV. For me, I'm realizing that I just don't care as much when shows are standalone or semi-serial. I want a focused, ongoing plot. To me, Season 2 is still the strongest of the 3.

That said, I do still like the show. I'm just less invested.

who’s to say what makes good TV though.

 

[eschaton]

That’s another point I forgot to make. A very vocal group of fans have been complaining that they want Trek to be more episodic, and that’s exactly what they’ve done this season. You could argue there are continuing threads rather than arcs. This feels like a regression to me. The streaming age really needs solid arcs to keep viewers hooked. I’m a little disheartened that the producers probably think they’re just giving the fans what they want. It’s not what all the fans want, and it may not be what the show needs. But, we will see. I’m optimistic for a tight season finale that will pull the season together cohesively.

Yes. This season of Discovery seems less serialized than Enterprise's third season, TBH.

Unlike some others, I don't absolutely require serialization in order to be engrossed with a show however. I think it's important to have long-standing character arcs - to let characters grow and change over the course of a season, and a series. But there's no requirement to make the season about one big thing in order to be enjoyable.

But while I think Discovery has done better character work this season, there's not really definable character arcs. If anything, it seems like regression from most of the characters. Going through the cast:

MIchael: A completely calm, centered person by the third episode due to the one-year time skip. Then she has some sort of crisis of faith regarding her role in Starfleet. Then she gets better. Now she's the same as she ever was.
Saru: Starts the season as a seemingly well-put-together captain, and then inexplicably loses his sense of judgement in the back half.
Tilly: Thrust into command, seemingly fails. We will see shortly if she has any growth this season. I'm worried there's not really enough time for her to go up a level.
Stamets: The father-daughter dynamic he develops with Adira is honestly great - a highlight of the series that brings out a new facet of his character. But then similar to Saru he just falls apart in back end of the season for inexplicable reasons.

The character with the best, most coherent character arc of the season - Book. He starts off a loner rebel, and becomes converted as a Starfleet true believer. It's kinda like watching Nog's arc in miniature. I'm sure he's gonna die this week, but I hope he doesn't have a last-minute heel turn or something.

 

[donners22]

It's easily the weakest of the three for me, though I'd still take it over most other Trek seasons. The only particularly bad episode was Unification III, but it just hasn't hit the same highs.

It's becoming a bit formulaic and falling back on Trek tropes, which I've seen quite enough of already.

 

[DaveyNY]

I very much enjoy watching the show, I've just become very jaded toward all the extreme criticisms thrown at DISCOVERY and the current Trek shows around here.

I use to enjoy coming to the Trek BBS and reading other's thoughts about the different shows.
But lately, not so much.

It might be because this last year was so damn strange and unnerving, or it might be that I've become over saturated and tired of what seems to be a constant flow of people finding the most nitpick of things to bitch about and casting blame on the creators of the show.

We have always done that to some extent, but I remember when we also use to find ways and reasons to counter what we've seen, without harping, berating and casting dispersions on the writers and producers of the show.

 

[fireproof78]

We have always done that to some extent, but I remember when we also use to find ways and reasons to counter what we've seen without harping and berating the writers of the show.

I have tried to find the positive in many different things and yet the writers end up as constant punching bags and it is a bit discouraging to discussion. No matter what the writers are lacking in some way and are weighed, measured and found wanting no matter what.

Whatever happened to finding positive ways to work with a show?