Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 1x08 - "The Elysian Kingdom"

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' started by Commander Richard, Jun 22, 2022.

?

Hit it!

  1. 10 - Excellent!

    22.3%
  2. 9

    15.3%
  3. 8

    19.5%
  4. 7

    14.0%
  5. 6

    10.2%
  6. 5

    4.2%
  7. 4

    6.0%
  8. 3

    3.3%
  9. 2

    1.9%
  10. 1 - Terrible!

    3.3%
  1. Anduinel

    Anduinel Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2020
    Wasn't that the actress's actual dog?
     
    Phaser Two, Sci, FreezeC77 and 3 others like this.
  2. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2001
    Location:
    Trekker4747
    I think I'll stick with the 8. The ending was good and changed the tone of the episode but it felt too much lime just trying to resolve a dangling thread and not doing it properly. (Wesley in Journey's End levels.) But it's not that dangling of a thread as it's still a "young" story element without giving us the feeling this was the end of the road with no hope for his daughter. Just two episodes ago he knew there was a chance and given something to help. But now... It's this or she dies or they stayed trapped in this fantasy?

    Ehhh...... I dunno. I'm leaning on a 7 as I think about it more, but will probably stick with an 8.

    Bur if this is the "worst" this series can get, then we're okay in my book. I'll take this over any of the NT given over the last few years.
     
    Deledrius, Aeolusdallas and Mr Awe like this.
  3. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2001
    Location:
    Trekker4747
    Excuse, I love Lieutenant Stick in the Mud and her love of the thrum of the warp core on an empty ship.
     
    Phaser Two and JRob94 like this.
  4. Kai-Winn Scenario

    Kai-Winn Scenario Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2021
  5. Gepard

    Gepard Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2007
    Luckily that finished much stronger than it started, because the first half of the episode...woof. Too much shapeless silliness, too little story.

    They made two big missteps with this one. One was waiting so long to introduce Hemmer; the story had no juice until M'Benga had someone to talk to and start working to figure out what was going on. The other was justifying each new plot development with M'Benga saying how it was just like X from the book. We should have learned the plot to the book in the opening scene -- especially how it ends -- so we could make those connections ourselves. I think it would really help the ending to the episode if we knew going in that the King has to let something he loves go, and then we can realize that for M'Benga it's his daughter.

    This could have been a 9/10 episode, but instead it's maybe a 6/10.
     
    Deledrius, Ometiklan and Romulan_spy like this.
  6. Charles Phipps

    Charles Phipps Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2011
    I am a bit iffy about M'Benga because I feel like he went too understated to an utterly RIDICULOUS situation.

    Even Kira laughed about the idea of being shrunk.
     
  7. Tiberius Jim

    Tiberius Jim Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 12, 2001
    Location:
    SPACESHIP!
    I could have sworn M'Benga mentions very early on when he's reading to Rukya that the King must make a difficult choice involving the Mercury Stone, because I remember thinking "Oh crap, that's what he was talking about having to choose between."
     
    Ar-Pharazon likes this.
  8. Kai-Winn Scenario

    Kai-Winn Scenario Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2021
    I hate this part.
    But you wanted me to read it to you.
    I know.
    It's just I always wish the Huntress would come along and help.
    You know, like get together with Sir Adya and rescue the king.
    But that's not what happens.
    King Ridley is forced to choose.
    Give up his greatest weapon...
    The Mercury Stone.
    ...or rescue Princess Thalia.
    I know.
    But what if we could change the ending?

    Read more at: https://tvshowtranscripts.ourboard.org/viewtopic.php?f=1328&t=54573
     
  9. Tiberius Jim

    Tiberius Jim Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 12, 2001
    Location:
    SPACESHIP!
    Bingo. Clear foreshadowing IMO that he was going to be forced to choose in the end.
     
    Phaser Two, JRob94, Belz... and 4 others like this.
  10. Muji

    Muji Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2020
    I thought the first quarter/third was pretty ridiculous, but then it started to win me over and by the end I was totally sold. I was preparing to give this a 2 at one point, but they pulled it back around quickly. Uhura’s performance was top notch. Like, seriously love her.

    I’m really hoping for one of the final episodes to show Pike with some really strong leadership, we’ve not seen enough of that magic he had in Discovery as a strong leader and Captain. Other than that, this season is stellar.
     
    Phaser Two and Trekker4747 like this.
  11. Kraig

    Kraig Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2020
    Location:
    Central California
    At least the doctor didn't read his daughter The Royale.
     
  12. Enterprise is Great

    Enterprise is Great Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2004
    Location:
    The Island
    For the first 15 minutes I was thinking “This episode is pure crap!” because it just felt odd but in a bad way. But then I just really started enjoying it especially when Hemmer showed up. Then the ending made me choke up. The resolution to Rukiya’s illness really surprised me. It sadden me and delighted me at the same time.

    I think the only thing that bugged me was Anson Mount’s performance. I just didn’t care for it. I was having Inhumans flashbacks. And not in a good way.

    A solid 8. It would’ve been a nine if the episode had landed better for me at the beginning.
     
    shapeshifter and Charles Phipps like this.
  13. Kelso

    Kelso Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 3, 2001
    Location:
    On the destruct button until the last minute!
    It was cute. I'm surprised that Rukiya's storyline came to such an abrupt end.

    There's no chance in hell that I would've given my daughter to an alien entity that I had just met.
     
    Deledrius and sevenstars like this.
  14. Campe

    Campe Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2001
    Location:
    Texas
    Man, this show does a phenomenal job pulling at parental heart strings. I thought Mount, Chang and Horak were wonderful here and Olusanmokun did a fine job as well. It was just a fun episode.
     
  15. KennyB

    KennyB I have spoken............ Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2001
    Location:
    Tokyo Japan
    First 10 for me since the premiere episode. Really loved the way it started out as a silly TOS episode. From the look to the music instrumentation…..and transitioned into a moving story about the unselfish love of a father to insure his daughter survived…..even without him. This is the strongest season of Trek……maybe ever.
     
  16. KennyB

    KennyB I have spoken............ Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2001
    Location:
    Tokyo Japan
    The only other real option is death……
     
  17. Coal_nete

    Coal_nete Ensign Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2017
    Dopamine...? What dopamine...??
    [​IMG]
     
  18. SeamusShameless

    SeamusShameless Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2007
    Location:
    Beyond The Farthest Star
    Holy shit, this was a ten. As a father of two daughters, the feels at the end of this one fucking broke me.
     
  19. Campe

    Campe Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2001
    Location:
    Texas
    That’s the absolutely wrenching thing about the Rukiya arc. What kind of a childhood is it living connected to a machine? But when your child can’t survive for long outside of it? And someone offers you the chance to let your child survive unencumbered even if it means they have to leave? Like @SeamusShameless says, it would fucking break me, but it’s the right thing for my child. Hard decisions for sure. We’ve had some great allegories this season and I’m loving that SNW is not shying away from these harder story points.

    This is what Star Trek should be.
     
  20. eschaton

    eschaton Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2017
    On vacation this week, so I'll make it brief.

    After two somewhat underwhelming episodes (compared to the strong opening run of the series) I felt this was something of a return to form. I thought this was excellent use of camp (as opposed to last week), enjoyed seeing many members of the cast able to flex their acting chops with a different character, and liked that it had a coherent character arc for M'Benga. I am let down that the issue with his daughter was resolved so early in the season (and after the tease about a possible treatment two episodes back) but this show seems to be committed to make up for its short season runs by doing a DS9 speedrun, so I'm onboard with it I guess. Not a perfect episode, but an entertaining one which contained both elements of comedy (well, "lightheartedness") and surprising pathos.

    My major quibble with the story - what the hell happened to the mooks that Una shot with an arrow? It was jarring, particularly because soon thereafter M'Benga made a comment about having to fix things "before anyone gets hurt." I hate hate hate the "disposable extra" trope in Trek. Just because we don't know the names of the random crewmen doesn't mean their lives do not matter to the named characters.
     
    Deledrius and DEWLine like this.