Star Trek - Discovery - 2.10: The Red Angel

[Dave]

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BIG SPOILERS THIS WEEK - Only read on if you have seen the previous episodes.

So, The Red Angel was no one on our list and none of the online fan theories were correct. I'm still not sure about the revelation as it doesn't make complete sense.

Also, Lt. Airiam is REALLY dead (at least for this week anyway) but some of us were not expecting that.

And Michael punches Leland!

I didn't catch the full significance of the end of the last episode until it was repeated at the start of this week; when Airiam says, "Find Project Daedalus. Michael it is all about you!"

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Michael Burnham is stunned when she learns her ties to Section 31 run deeper than she ever fathomed. Her mother and father were scientists who were working on a time travel experiment for Section 31 (Project Daedalus.) And the time jumping protection suit looks exactly like the Red Angel. The Klingons had a similar project and tracked down an important requirement, a time crystal, that was in the possession of her parents, due to errors by Leland and his disregard for their safety. Michael is told that is how they came to be murdered by Klingons. Meanwhile, the Red Angel is matched with a bio-signature from Michael herself. Armed with the identity of the Red Angel, the U.S.S. Discovery goes to work on its most critical mission; to trap and capture the Red Angel and to close down the wormhole behind it before any further attempts by Control from the future to attack the past.

We get all kinds on new back-story and false information this week. Both Ash and Michael and Spock and Michael work out their differences. Michael and Leland work out theirs in a different way.

But when the Red Angel is finally caught it isn't Michael at all, but her mother.... all bets are off!

 

[WaylanderToo]

I have to admit that I did not see the identity of the Red Angel coming - glad it's not MB (not the best character IMO)

 

[Cathbad]

After an excellent Episode 9, I was expection E10 to build on it.

But the first 2/3rds of the episode were a snooze.

Fortunately, the final third made up for it!

 

[Dave]

After an excellent Episode 9, I was expection E10 to build on it.

But the first 2/3rds of the episode were a snooze.

Fortunately, the final third made up for it!

Yes, all that infodumping took the heat off the boil somewhat. I think they could have written this Season better to spread the reveals over more episodes and keep up the action and pace.

This TV show is a strange mixture of action and puzzles. It doesn't have as much science as previous Star Trek incarnations and what it does have is too weird and more like magic than science (Sporedrive, time travel crystals, regeneration of bodies.) There is also a lot of online discussion about how this week 'changes' the narrative from being all about Section 31 and Control to one about a 'family' - similar to the Skywalkers in Star Wars - but I think this series has very clearly always been about the story of Michael Burnham. Even though it is called "Discovery," from the very first episode it was about the journey of Michael Burnham and nothing has changed there. Without sounding like a broken record, there are still Bridge crew who we know next to nothing about i.e. Lt, Keyla Detmer.

 

[Cathbad]

This TV show is a strange mixture of action and puzzles. It doesn't have as much science as previous Star Trek incarnations and what it does have is too weird and more like magic than science (Sporedrive, time travel crystals, regeneration of bodies.)

Must be why I like it so much!

there are still Bridge crew who we know next to nothing about i.e. Lt, Keyla Detmer.

I said it once before: I think we'll get to know the bridge crew over time - and I think that's happening. TNG did a good job introducing the bridge crew right off the bang, but TOS, not so much. If you think about it, we relly didnt get to know those people well (with the possible exception of Sulu) until the movies.

 

[Dave]

I think we'll get to know the bridge crew over time - and I think that's happening. TNG did a good job introducing the bridge crew right off the bang, but TOS, not so much. If you think about it, we relly didnt get to know those people well (with the possible exception of Sulu) until the movies.

I'm not complaining (well not in this thread anyway - I have before) and I do agree. I'm making the point that this show is all about Michael Burnham and her family and her history. TNG and DS9 had ensemble casts and we got to know each member very well. Often there was a whole episode on just one character and then they didn't feature at all in the next episode (but this could have been due to other acting commitments in real life.) TOS was much more about the three main characters, and Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and Chekov barely got a back-story at all until the movies. There has hardly been an episode of Discovery in which Michael's story wasn't centre stage (okay, the Saru one and some about the Klingons.) What I'm saying is that the fans that are saying Discovery is now suddenly all about Burnham and family have missed the whole bigger plot.

 

[Cathbad]

I'm not complaining (well not in this thread anyway - I have before) and I do agree. I'm making the point that this show is all about Michael Burnham and her family and her history. TNG and DS9 had ensemble casts and we got to know each member very well. Often there was a whole episode on just one character and then they didn't feature at all in the next episode (but this could have been due to other acting commitments in real life.) TOS was much more about the three main characters, and Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and Chekov barely got a back-story at all until the movies. There has hardly been an episode of Discovery in which Michael's story wasn't centre stage (okay, the Saru one and some about the Klingons.) What I'm saying is that the fans that are saying Discovery is now suddenly all about Burnham and family have missed the whole bigger plot.

Yeah, I've been surprised several times when "fans" say things like, "Discovery's becoming all about M.D.!"

Um... we were told that like a year before the first episode!

 

[WaylanderToo]

the problem is that unlike previous incarnations of ST, D is focused on one character which makes it less interesting than it could be. Added to which MB really isn't as interesting as she thinks she is.

 

[Cathbad]

@WaylanderToo is a real fan!

 

[Narkalui]

This might be controversial: I like Michael Burnham...

 

[Cathbad]

This might be controversial: I like Michael Burnham...

Me too!

I actually thought I'd tire of her silliloquies, but every one of them is pertinent and well written. A great character, played by a good actress.

 

[Dave]

This might be controversial but I'm sitting on the fence. I don't mind that it is a story primarily about Michael Burnham, her real parents, her adopted parents and her brother, rather having the ship centre stage. However, I do want to know more about the other ship's officers, and not just before they die! I also think we have learnt quite a little about Saru and Airiam this Season, and obviously Ash and mirror-Universe Georgiou last Season, so it isn't as if we know nothing.