I thought the episode was generally average but gave an interesting insight into Darem's psyche that felt more revealing than the Genesis plot, which felt like a surface scrape to explain her over-achieving.
If Darem is normally passive, in his fiancée's shadow, and bound by duty, on his homeworld. How much of his 'asshole' personality has been deliberately manufactured by him as a way to take control at the Academy, possibly as protective armour to resist being forced into a beta role?
He looks annoyed or perhaps hurt or even worried that Jay-Den has talked about his personal life to Kyle, and he doubles down quickly to re-assert his fake personality. He claimed in epidode 2(?) that his arranged marriage was a disaster because he shagged the whole family, but this now looks very much like a fake story to make him sound cool.
This is the first episode where his antipathy towards Kyle looked like it might be rooted more in jealousy than team rivalry. I rather like Kyle but he's given about as much development as the Delaney Twins. In a love triangle, he won't stand a chance. George Hawkins' micro-expressions during their interactions might have just been intended to show cracks in his mask or something more. I don't think I'm in a rush to see them dive into this. Heated Rivalry this isn't.
I do think there is a bit too much elitism in the show, alongside the New Mutants vibe where everyone has special powers. There are basically only 2 working class kids out of the 8 main recurring student characters, which feels an odd message for Star Trek.
