I know this episode is supposed to be about the trauma of war, but to me it was also such a close and powerful portrayal of the dynamics of relationship abuse. The specific discomfort of proximity, the gaslighting, the false concern of the abuser, the paralyzing terror of being touched, the cringy way that well-meaning people just don't get it. If this was just about war, Pike should be able to understand M'Benga's feelings better: while he wasn't in the universe for most of the Klingon War, he's seen terrible things and has lost people in battle. I don't know if I've ever seen these emotions and dynamics written and played so precisely. It was both hard to watch and maybe a little healing to watch a fictionalized version. I know that earlier in my life I would have thought that M'Benga opening up the knife box was 100% wrong, but the person I've become is glad he did, and it was helpful to see how clear that change in me is.
The choice to leave the exact events of the climax ambiguous is a fascinating one. It really asks the audience to think through the resolution's moral and emotional dimensions. Watching viewers' disagreements about what happened and what should have happened further drives home the distance between Pike's emotional landscape and M'Benga's in this episode. It makes me think that maybe there are things you really can't understand if you haven't been through them.
M'Benga as super assassin comes out of nowhere and the idea is kind of goofy (maybe it's foreshadowed by the action sequence in S2E1, but that was so stupid I tried to pretend it didn't happen). But it's TV-show dumb - clearly not planned for until this plot needed it. It makes diegetic sense that it hasn't been talked about, if not really narrative sense.
The flashback technique clued me into the key twist before it properly arrived, but it was enough of a good mystery that I still found the reveal satisfying.
Magnificent guest acting from Robert Wisdom (the ambassador) and Brendan Jeffers (the young ensign born on the moon), and, in the main cast, particularly strong turns from Jess Bush, Anson Mount, and of course Babs Olusanmokun. Jeff Byrd's direction is immaculate and Davy Perez's script is efficient and precise.
Review by callie_jenningsBlockedParentSpoilers2023-08-25T02:58:36Z
I know this episode is supposed to be about the trauma of war, but to me it was also such a close and powerful portrayal of the dynamics of relationship abuse. The specific discomfort of proximity, the gaslighting, the false concern of the abuser, the paralyzing terror of being touched, the cringy way that well-meaning people just don't get it. If this was just about war, Pike should be able to understand M'Benga's feelings better: while he wasn't in the universe for most of the Klingon War, he's seen terrible things and has lost people in battle. I don't know if I've ever seen these emotions and dynamics written and played so precisely. It was both hard to watch and maybe a little healing to watch a fictionalized version. I know that earlier in my life I would have thought that M'Benga opening up the knife box was 100% wrong, but the person I've become is glad he did, and it was helpful to see how clear that change in me is.
The choice to leave the exact events of the climax ambiguous is a fascinating one. It really asks the audience to think through the resolution's moral and emotional dimensions. Watching viewers' disagreements about what happened and what should have happened further drives home the distance between Pike's emotional landscape and M'Benga's in this episode. It makes me think that maybe there are things you really can't understand if you haven't been through them.
M'Benga as super assassin comes out of nowhere and the idea is kind of goofy (maybe it's foreshadowed by the action sequence in S2E1, but that was so stupid I tried to pretend it didn't happen). But it's TV-show dumb - clearly not planned for until this plot needed it. It makes diegetic sense that it hasn't been talked about, if not really narrative sense.
The flashback technique clued me into the key twist before it properly arrived, but it was enough of a good mystery that I still found the reveal satisfying.
Magnificent guest acting from Robert Wisdom (the ambassador) and Brendan Jeffers (the young ensign born on the moon), and, in the main cast, particularly strong turns from Jess Bush, Anson Mount, and of course Babs Olusanmokun. Jeff Byrd's direction is immaculate and Davy Perez's script is efficient and precise.