Kobayashi Marie continues its adventure into the second season that is Star Trek Discovery with Episode 10 – The Red Angel
Between risking myself and risking all sentient life – there is no choice
Things are starting to feel like they’re looking towards a season finale now, as we get information revealed which has so far been hidden, and stakes are climbing.
As the title suggests, the main thrust of this episode is all about the Red Angel, with Tilly (Mary Wiseman) making a discovery which I’m sure she shouldn’t have revealed to Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). By revealing the secret of the future to current Burnham, surely there’s a risk of things changing, and not for the good. Wouldn’t it have been better for Burnham to not know what was happening, so that future her didn’t therefore know too?
Anyway, too late for all that, as Burnham decides she has to capture herself in order to stop herself from ending all sentient life in the universe. Or something. It doesn’t quite make sense – can’t she just tell herself to stop, or what to do to end the situation? It all seemed a little drastic / dramatic – and who better to point this out to her than her brother, who posits a very catty “Perhaps you simply have a penchant for the dramatic”. You can practically hear the claws coming out.
In fact, Spock (Ethan Peck) has some great scenes with or around Burnham this episode. They seem to be getting over their initial reacquaintance and finally having some sensible sibling conversations. We get sincere apologies (and acceptance), a wish to have been present when Leland took the full force of two hefty punches from Burnham, and almost a declaration of affection when Burnham is ready to meet her fate: “It would therefore be ideal if you survived”. I think both writers and actors have captured that awkward sibling relationship really well.
Michael’s relationship with Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) however is still the epitome of the phrase “it’s complicated”. She can’t trust him because of his involvement with Section 31, yet when she’s the most frightened she’s ever been, he is the one she immediately turns to.
In fact The Red Angel sees Michael dealing with a lot of heavy stuff throughout. Beginning with her grief (and guilt?) over the loss of Airiam, moving through learning that she herself is the Red Angel and, before she agrees to be killed in order to trap said Angel, finding out that Leland (Alan Van Sprang) is totally responsible for the death of her parents. Michael has spent her entire life blaming herself so this comes as a hammer blow, on top of everything else. I hope they give her some ‘me time’ when all this is over.
It’s all getting a little messy to be honest, as we discover that Project Daedalus and the Red Angel both belong to Section 31. Leland is in very deep, and his eye injury remarkably suspicious.
And as for the final reveal after The Red Angel has been captured? I got a slight smell of cheese wafting through my screen. But I’ll live with it, and hesitantly looking forward to where this leads us.
Kobayashi Marie will be back next Wednesday with an all new column for Season 2 of Star Trek Discovery
Kobayashi Marie continues its adventure into the second season that is Star Trek Discovery with Episode 10 – The Red Angel
Between risking myself and risking all sentient life – there is no choice
Things are starting to feel like they’re looking towards a season finale now, as we get information revealed which has so far been hidden, and stakes are climbing.
As the title suggests, the main thrust of this episode is all about the Red Angel, with Tilly (Mary Wiseman) making a discovery which I’m sure she shouldn’t have revealed to Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). By revealing the secret of the future to current Burnham, surely there’s a risk of things changing, and not for the good. Wouldn’t it have been better for Burnham to not know what was happening, so that future her didn’t therefore know too?
Anyway, too late for all that, as Burnham decides she has to capture herself in order to stop herself from ending all sentient life in the universe. Or something. It doesn’t quite make sense – can’t she just tell herself to stop, or what to do to end the situation? It all seemed a little drastic / dramatic – and who better to point this out to her than her brother, who posits a very catty “Perhaps you simply have a penchant for the dramatic”. You can practically hear the claws coming out.
In fact, Spock (Ethan Peck) has some great scenes with or around Burnham this episode. They seem to be getting over their initial reacquaintance and finally having some sensible sibling conversations. We get sincere apologies (and acceptance), a wish to have been present when Leland took the full force of two hefty punches from Burnham, and almost a declaration of affection when Burnham is ready to meet her fate: “It would therefore be ideal if you survived”. I think both writers and actors have captured that awkward sibling relationship really well.
Michael’s relationship with Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) however is still the epitome of the phrase “it’s complicated”. She can’t trust him because of his involvement with Section 31, yet when she’s the most frightened she’s ever been, he is the one she immediately turns to.
In fact The Red Angel sees Michael dealing with a lot of heavy stuff throughout. Beginning with her grief (and guilt?) over the loss of Airiam, moving through learning that she herself is the Red Angel and, before she agrees to be killed in order to trap said Angel, finding out that Leland (Alan Van Sprang) is totally responsible for the death of her parents. Michael has spent her entire life blaming herself so this comes as a hammer blow, on top of everything else. I hope they give her some ‘me time’ when all this is over.
It’s all getting a little messy to be honest, as we discover that Project Daedalus and the Red Angel both belong to Section 31. Leland is in very deep, and his eye injury remarkably suspicious.
And as for the final reveal after The Red Angel has been captured? I got a slight smell of cheese wafting through my screen. But I’ll live with it, and hesitantly looking forward to where this leads us.
Kobayashi Marie will be back next Wednesday with an all new column for Season 2 of Star Trek Discovery
You can catch up on the prior columns here!
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