Die Trying

It was an OK episode. Much better than the last one. Visual effects were great in this episode! I still don't have a feeling there is a much progress to the main story. Saru got sidelined again in this episode, rest of the crew doesn't seem important and Cmdr. Burnham saved the day. It's a standard recipe for every episode.

...and it's boring the h out of me! (What makes it even more unbearable is that she can't act!) Nothing about this series feels like Star Trek, anymore. At the same time, it's funny how *every week* the paid reviews roll in headed, "best episode ever! 10/10!" Lol bots

The series also continues to ignore white, straight males, not just on Discovery, but apparently in every aspect of the show! If any other group were so blatantly and inexplicably omitted in this manner, there would be accusations of bigotry and racism.

Having attained its location through Senna's memories, the Discovery crew reunite with Starfleet Headquarters. As the Discovery is unable to prove their time-travel story to Starfleet, Starfleet remains distrustful of them. During their debriefing, the Discovery crew and Starfleet must work together to solve a health crisis.

I enjoyed this episode. Things are now kicking into gear and the season seems to be heading in the right direction with some adjustments. We learn more about what's happened in the future timeline and I am intrigued to find out more about the Burn. I like that the Discovery has to earn the trust of the current Starfleet.

These past few weeks, I have been hard on the Michael Burnham character throughout my weekly episode reviews. Well, this week I'm happy to say that the season's 5th episode, aptly titled Die Trying, is finally addressing Burnham's insubordinate self-centered attitude towards Starfleet protocol and authority. They set her straight here and it paid off all three seasons of hate-watching. And who better than Oded Fehr, the sacred bodyguard from the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies, to stick it to her as the Admiral of the future Starfleet.

Michael's acknowledgment does mean she is starting to develop as a character in the right direction. It's been the elephant in the room for way too long. Hopefully, the writers will follow through and keep her changing for the better through the rest of the season.

Each episode with its subplots seemingly wants to explore the other crew members but the show never lets any of them take front and center for an episode. The last episode should have been lead by Hugh Culber and this one should have lead by Nhan. When Adira was ordered away for a body check early in this episode, I did a double-take as she was so quickly dispatched and exited frame just as I was warming up to her. It was almost like the show telling the character her turn was up and she had to vacate the spotlight of attention.

In a comedic interrogation montage that seems directly lifted from Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street, Michelle Yeoh's Philippe Georgiou steals this episode in a scene with guest star David Cronenberg batting her eyelashes at Starfleet interrogators. There is an intriguing plot thread that is laid about what happened to the Terran Empire in the future. Did the Terrans have anything to do with the Burn? I like to see that storyline explored and hopefully with more David Cronenberg.

We actually get a standard Trek away mission in this episode, and the story is moved forward after reaching the Federation (did it really take 5 episodes to get here?). However where the overall story arc is going is anyone's guess, the ending of this episode is a bit of a cliff hanger really. In Trek canon we know humans in the 29th century can time travel, the Admiral in this episode even mentions it, but the crew of the Discovery aren't even going to try and return home, not even think about it or discuss it? Seems unlikely. Kirk and Spock managed to travel back in time twice off their own backs! To totally ignore that would be a bit of a joke. Canonical problems aside, the only bit of this episode which was cringe inducing was Burnham's overly emotional monologuing..... again. It also makes no sense all the federations subspace transceivers would suddenly break, and even if they did, all they'd have to do is drop new ones whenever they went anywhere. If dilithium is in such short supply, it's not as if anyone is going to waste it taking out subspace transceivers. Also blinking breaks holograms, seriously? Who thought that one up?

MY GOD!! Can someone pleeease give us just ONE episode where The Burn-ham's eyes don't well up with tears???