{"id":7833,"date":"2021-05-31T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7833"},"modified":"2021-05-24T15:28:22","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T22:28:22","slug":"mark-watches-discovery-s02e07-light-and-shadow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2021\/05\/mark-watches-discovery-s02e07-light-and-shadow\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Discovery’: S02E07 – Light and Shadow"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the seventh episode of the second season of Star Trek: Discovery<\/i>, Burnham tracks down her brother, while the Discovery<\/i> crew deal with an anomaly in time. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of mental illness and learning disabilities<\/b><\/p>\n

Hi, this season truly feels perfect, but that also means every episode basically ends my life, so let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start there.<\/p>\n

A Complicated Past<\/b><\/p>\n

I LOVE THE WAY THIS EPISODE IS STRUCTURED AROUND THE PAST. With only a couple exceptions\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe scenes where Michael and Spock interact over the Vulcan salute, and Amanda reading Alice in Wonderland<\/i> to Spock\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lights and Shadows\u00e2\u20ac\u009d relies heavily on what has come before with almost no flashbacks at all. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fascinating choice, and it ends up being PERFECT. Perfect! We learn information through dialogue and context, and that means that all of the scenes never lose their urgency. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re kept in the presence and experiencing this conflict with the characters.<\/p>\n

AND WHAT A CONFLICT IT IS. Oh my god, this is all about family and culture and the ethics of the Federation versus the ethics of Vulcan versus the ethics of a mother and IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ALL SO RICH AND COMPLICATED. And I want to start with Amanda, because Mia Kershner is a REVELATION here. I love how this show understands its characters, and here, we see just how much Amanda has struggled with raising her two children specifically<\/i> within Vulcan culture. One thing I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve enjoyed about the depiction of the Sarek\/Amanda relationship that feels increasingly specific to Discovery<\/i> is how much the show openly shows us these two characters in love, but never claims that love supersedes all. It can be a guiding force and a motivation, but there are still problems that need to be resolved regardless of that.<\/p>\n

In this case, Amanda had to raise two children who had complicated childhoods due to their circumstances and<\/i> to their environment. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gotten so much story about Burnham and seeing how her being orphaned and then adopted by this family made her into who she is these days. We know that she was taught Vulcan logic, but that never eliminated the human part of her. In some respects, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a direct parallel to Spock, this legendary character from the Original Series<\/i>. We definitely saw him struggle with being part Vulcan and part human in prior series. But this? Oh my god, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this show introduces something new to Spock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character: He deals with a learning disability, one that is very rare among Vulcans. L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Tak Terai is a form of dysphasia (though\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcorrect me if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u201ddon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t we use aphasia more here in the US than dysphasia?), with the closest analogue being dislexia.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By introducing this, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re given another layer to Spock, one that Michael realizes most likely made his life a whole lot more challenging and lonely. However, Amanda definitely<\/i> knew this was the case, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a huge reason why she behaves as she does in this episode. Her actions are grounded by that reality throughout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lights and Shadows.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d So, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seeing a mother who has had to go above and beyond to support her child because the world he lived in didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want<\/i> to support him. And the obvious parallel to Burnham is there, too! We know how resistant the elders were to teach her!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I also believe all of this is needed because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re dealing with a retcon. Yes, Burnham doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist within the original canon of Trek<\/i>, and these elements and character building help me sink into this new story so that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t question it. Burnham\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love for Spock has<\/i> to feel real, and an episode like this absolutely contributes to that. I would be remiss in not mentioning that Sonequa Martin-Green carries a lot of that emotional weight in her performances, too. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that moment where Amanda reveals Spock to Burnham, and Burnham doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak for a long while. All her emotions are conveyed with her facial expressions, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s PHENOMENAL. I believed that Burnham missed her brother, that she was both relieved to see him again but terrified by what was happening to him. Plus, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another narrative need for this: The audience has to trust that Burnham would violate Starfleet protocol in order to save this person. Her character in particular<\/i> has historically violated protocol, but at this point in her story, we know she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much more reluctant to. So, what brings her to that point again, knowing she might risk an insubordination charge?<\/p>\n

Her love for Spock.<\/p>\n

UGH, I REALLY ENJOYED ALL OF THIS, FRIENDS.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tilly and Stamets<\/b><\/p>\n

Speaking of developing relationships, I remain pleased that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re given another story where a whole subplot is the emotional intimacy between Ensign Tilly and Stamets. (How is Hugh doing, by the way?) Well, let me also state that Tilly is just SO FUCKING FUNNY during all of this, like when she introduces adding \u00e2\u20ac\u0153time\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to things to make them sound better. She is a VISIONARY and must be treated accordingly. Which… this episode kinda does? Tilly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear and panic understandably rear their heads when she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tasked with helping Stamets think of a way to rescue the shuttle with Pike and Tyler on it. While these scenes certainly provide exposition and a whole lot of stress, they also do what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m finding to be a very Discovery<\/i> thing. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all reliant on deeply personal relationships. Even the one fight scene in this episode\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll talk about in the last section\u00e2\u20ac\u201dis layered with meaning because of what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually<\/i> happening between the two characters. In this instance, Stamets relies on Tilly because he trusts her and trusts her abilities. She just needed a reminder of that, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why Stamets spoke it aloud on the transporter. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trust just anyone<\/i>, and Tilly has won him over. AND I LOVE SEEING THEM BE FRIENDS.<\/p>\n

Hi, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THAT PROBE. And what happened to Airiam???<\/p>\n

Tyler and Pike<\/b><\/p>\n

And look, not everyone is friends here. At the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lights and Shadows,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I would say that Captain Pike and Tyler are… I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. Colleagues who are finally beginning to understand one another? But their path to getting there is rough<\/i>, and the shuttle subplot has a secondary stressor, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the interpersonal conflict between these two! Tyler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence is a complicated thing all by itself, which Pike knows. But it was also clear that Pike struggled with accepting Tyler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s place on the Discovery<\/i>. He wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even around for Dr. Culber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s murder, but he knows how strongly that affected the rest of the crew.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Pike personally, I interpreted his behaviors mostly as an overprotective thing. He wanted to keep his crew safe! Plus, Tyler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cynicism\/paranoia\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlike in previous episodes\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwas starting to grate on Pike.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Tyler is able to see things through an entirely different lens. His theory? Pike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior is due to his survivor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guilt. WHICH IS SO FASCINATING. He sat out the war with the Klingons, and now, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s making risky choices as a way to validate himself. And like… god, the subtext here that Tyler is someone who probably wished he could<\/i> have sat out this war? Oh god, of course he was able to read Pike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions so easily, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, does this mean that Pike will now officially adopt the stance that the Red Angel does not<\/i> have the best interests in mind? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know! At the very least, Pike is willing to engage the idea a lot more openly.<\/p>\n

Georgiou<\/b><\/p>\n

The ways in which I love this version of Georgiou are LIMITLESS. Even though Georgiou isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in a ton of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Light and Shadows,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d every time she is<\/i>, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blowing everything out of the water. Her chemistry with Burnham is out of control, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, and both actresses manage to show us that Georgiou and Burnham are drawn to one another, but not always for reasons they innately understand. Like… why does Georgeiou claim that she knows Burnham so well? Because she knew her Terran counterpart? Does Georgiou actually care for Burnham, or is that explained away by her confession to Leland? I genuinely don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, and that friction makes Georgiou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence electrifying. She is like an open mystery. No one truly<\/i> knows what her motivations are, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made all the more blurry once we find out she is blackmailing Leland. (WHO KILLED BURNHAM\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S PARENTS!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!) At given moment, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s acting out of care for Burnham or if this is all a self-serving nightmare.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a brilliant way to write a character. I need to know what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s planning!!! Because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to have something she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working toward in this universe, right? She can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be fully satisfied living in this world, even though she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in Section 31. So… IS SOMETHING ABOUT TO HAPPEN? Will she remain in Starfleet? Is her affection for Burnham real, a delusion, or part of a manipulation?<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m really having the best time analyzing this, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Light and Shadow\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My third novel (and middle grade debut) THE INSIDERS has been announced! Check out the cover reveal and pre-order links here.<\/a>
\n<\/strong>– If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"