The episode finds the Discovery traveling to Trill to follow whatever clues may lie within Adira, a new crew-mate with a mysterious past. As that plays out, the rest of the crew struggles with their own new lives so far in the unfamiliar future.
Mid-episode, at Saru's dinner party, Philippa Georgiou recites a short poem, which Hugh Culber recognizes as haiku.
Haiku is a form of poetry that originated in Japan. The traditional American English interpretation of these short form poems has three lines, with 5, 7, and 5 syllables, or sound units, which are called On in Japanese. They don't have to rhyme.
This is what Georgiou says, which seems to come out of nowhere at the dinner party.
kelp dries in the sun
an existential crisis
is there some dessert
Hugh gives the art form a try before some others give it a go, to mixed success and reaction.
Emperor Georgiou
feasting on the finest cuts
snarfs cookies on the down-low
Unfortunately, tensions rise at the table as others try their own haiku. Things come to a head when Detmer is cajoled into participating; she ends up insulting Stamets and breaking up the gathering.
I enjoyed this episode! Here are some quick reaction thoughts.
physically sound
but not quote unquote healthy
the crew needs a break
I thought was a good idea to have Culber narrating the opening, as both story-lines in this episode deal with the health of crew members. It was a nice setup for what was to come.
a miracle, yes?
Trill abomination, no?
she's Adira Tal!
I like how this story line played out. The writers did a great job getting in Adira's rather complicated backstory as a kind of reluctant and atypical Trill against the backdrop of the troubles the entire universe is facing after The Burn.
Saru's slow "hello"
seeks advice to help his crew
he knows its the sphere
It's interesting that Saru is still struggling in his leadership role. He does a great job displaying strength to the crew and adversaries while privately he still has self-doubt. I like how that keeps playing out.
pilots are macho
the pressure takes a hard toll
Keyla is not fine
admitting struggle
finding courage to reach out
seeking help is hard
I was getting worried about Detmer's obvious distress displayed in the last couple of episodes. I love how Star Trek has brought up mental health as an important part of overall health. It's been on the national social radar for some years now, but the pandemic this year has brought it even more into focus.
adult coloring
interstellar shopping spree
Buster Keaton rules
The suggested relaxation activities made me laugh out loud. Being a long-time fan of Buster Keaton, I was extremely excited to hear the computer mention showing movies by The Great Stone Face to help alleviate crew anxiety. Having everyone rolling around laughing at classic Keaton physical comedy was an awesome surprise.
reviewed by Amy
