Despite Yourself

My, my doesn't this show bring out epic levels of Trekie saltiness... Every review is either a 1 or and 8,9,10, split about 50/50.

Luckily for us, the reviewers appear to be in a minority... An average 8.6 IMDB review is rather remarkable considering the slow, sputtering start this series had.

As someone in their 40s, I was never a fan of the original series. It was already terribly dated by the time I was old enough to understand the social and political statements that they were attempting to make.

As such, I never saw Mirror Mirror. So I'm approaching this show with fresh eyes having only even been a fan of the orginal movies, TNG and the recent post TNG films.

Sure, it's an expositional show and as such, some of the dialogue appears a little forced, but it's likely this arc will continue for a number of episodes like the Ghost Ship arc.

I'm looking at this episode as a sort of Pilot for an alternative universe thread and I'm expecting some interesting reimagining of characters killed in the original pilot...

I'm not a big fan of the "alternate reality" genre but I'm buckling up for an entirely darker, more adult themed show than the original, rather prissy premise allowed and I'm starting to like what I see.

Very much.

Despite Yourself is a great episode of Star Trek: Discovery. The crew of the Discovery is in an alternate universe and have to act quickly to fit in to the new universe. I WILL NOT SPOIL IT FOR YOU.

Johnathan Frakes (Star Trek: First Contact) directs this episode and gives it a certain cinematic style that some of the previous episodes are lacking. Also he manages to get better performances out of the actors as well. Especially Mary Wiseman (Baskets) who delivers a stunning performance when her character is forced to act a certain way, which happens to be the complete opposite of her characters personality. Also Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) unsurprisingly gives a great performance as a captain who is also forced to act a way his character isn't use to and he pulls it off to great effect.

The episode is also the funniest yet, with a certain characters Scottish accent being a stand out. The only downside to this episode is that some of the editing and a couple of moments from the character Ash Tyler aren't executed as well as the rest of the episode.

Otherwise it was the best episode yet in my opinion.

8/10

This is a reprise of an original Trek episode. A parallel universe finds the crew exchanging places with another Discovery. The problem is that this ship is a warrior ship which is more Klingon than Starfleet. Death and manipulation is a part of life although to succeed there still must be knowledge and expertise. They do a nice job of pulling this off. The acting is cranked up a notch.

The Mirror Universe! That is what we explore in "Despite Yourself." This is a great episode that has some shocking jaw-dropping moments and some well-earned comedy. This rendition of the Mirror Universe changes things up for the Discovery crew. Burnham is presumed dead, Lorca a fugitive, and Tilly is an evil queen. Yes, you read that correctly. Tilly as an evil queen earns some laughs considering how Tilly is in the normal world. There are some sad moments that happen. I did not expect Culber to die considering how progressive the show was trying to be. Considering that Culber is an openly gay character on the show, it is slightly disappointing he met his demise so early even if it fit the narrative. That said, I have a feeling that we will not be gone for long. In addition, there are some fine fight scenes and some great character moments. This episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes, who of course has a huge part in Star Trek lore. There is plenty to digest, but in the end, this is a good old-fashioned mirror universe story.

Taking off directly where the last episode ended, the crew find themselves stranded in a Klingon ship wreckage. After some simple maneuvering, they discover that they are in a mirror universe, or an alternate universe. Stamets was supposed to deliver them to the nearest star base, but he did one jump too many. Stamets now lay in a catatonic state. Ash and Burnham grow closer to one another, but Ash has some major mental problems of his own. L'Rell is held prisoner in the brig and her interactions with Ash make it seem like he may be a Klingon trapped in a human body...like Voq as some people are suggesting? Ash goes to Culber to get a good look, and this is where we run into some problems. Meanwhile, Burnham and Lorca go on a mission to mirror universe U. S. S Shenzhou.

Jonathan Frakes directed a wonderful episode with many fun callbacks to the older series. Jason Isaacs continues to shine as Lorca, especially when he has to take a backseat to...ahem...Captain Killy. There are fun humorous moments but also moments that drive up the stakes. One of the better episodes of this season!

My Grade: A.

It's amazing to me how much they were able to squeeze into this episode...SPOILERS AHEAD!

So we pick up Discovery with a captain and crew who have no idea where they are and after a little effort we find out it's the Mirror Universe. I love a good mirror universe story because it reminds us that the peace and harmony the Federation enjoys was hard earned and didn't come easy. Here in this universe Burnham is assumed dead, Lorca is a fugitive on the run, and Capt Tilly runs Discovery with an iron fist. (which makes for some great comedy)

While Ash and Burnham get closer we find out Ash is having major mental issues leading him to Lrell in the brig. She uses a Klingon prayer to either bring up memories or a hidden personality. Many seem to believe this is Voq altered to look human but I'll let the story keep it's secrets and unfold as it should. This freaks out Ash and leads him to Dr Culber to run tests on him. I don't want to give away the episodes big twist but it fits as Culber is so worried about his catatonic partner (Anthony Rapp) that he doesn't see the threat right in front of him.

As we get into the final part of this episode we have Burnham and Lorca going on a secret mission to the mirror version of USS Shenzhou. There are some wonderful fight scenes, perfectly timed slow clap, and even the agony booth!

Long Live the Empire and Long Live Star Trek Discovery!