JesseF5000

The show makes a powerful opening statement by delivering its first episodes entirely in Hawaiian. Then the British arrive and suddenly everyone is fluent in English. Forgivable. But when Hawaiians start speaking English to each other with no Brits around, it makes no sense and breaks the internal logic of the show. A disappointing crack in an otherwise carefully crafted show.

I'm enjoying all aspects of the show: authentic costumes, strong performances and character development, good story building, and great action. And yet Hawaiians speaking English to each other is a jarring flaw that breaks immersion. It is especially frustrating because, as Jason Momoa put it, "That was the deal-breaker for us. We wouldn't have been able to go home if we did this in English," underscoring how essential speaking in Olelo Hawaii was to the show's integrity.

I realized with this installment that the Mission: Impossible universe doesn't play by our rules of reality, and it never has. The laws of physics don't apply to Tom Cruise the way they do to anyone else jumping off a high-speed train, boat, or submarine. And that's the point. This isn't our world; it's a self-contained, high-stakes, over-the-top actionverse where everything is cranked to eleven.

Once you embrace that, the whole experience becomes far more enjoyable. The constant exposition, the flashbacks, the absurd action tropes like miraculously dodging endless machine-gun fire, and the larger-than-life villains aren't flaws. They're features. They're part of the charm that defines this franchise.

What really stands out in this final installment are the extended action sequences. They're tightly choreographed, shot with precision, and of course showcase Tom Cruise front and center, stealing the show as always.

In the end, reality never had a chance. This is Cruise's world, and it's glorious popcorn nonsense in the best possible way.

Captain Pike's swooshy future pompadour is completely distracting from most of what he says, serious or comedic, in Season 3. Which means it's always the star of the scene. You know I'm right. Do yourself a favor: watch any scene where the camera is centred on him and try not to look at his hair. You can't. No one can!

Who doesn't love Star Trek??