Star Trek: Discovery - Episode 9 Review
After my disappointment with the last episode, I think it's safe to say that I was 100% on board with future installments of the show. When it could sink to below-average and loose all of my interest and investment in one episode, could the series pick-up again? Well, sort of. I think it's fair to say that 'Into the Forest I Go' isn't a perfect episode, despite all the ingredients being there. For one, the show's darker tone means that the episode is devoid of any particularly strong humour. If there's one thing Discovery really lacks, its a sense of humour. Sometimes a mildly humorous moment will occur, but the show can take itself too seriously - despite its subject matter instigating a more serious and adult approach than previously attempted in the franchise (to my knowledge, at least).
I think this has been most evidently embodied in Ash Tyler, who reveals in this episode the true extent of his torture by L'Rell. The actual reveal is handled in a sensitive manner, but the director has clearly decided that this is not enough, visually depicting certain scenes that were...best left to the imagination, to say the least. This propels Star Trek: Discovery over the edge from being a darker, war-movie kind of Trek to a full-on adult show, and completely unsuitable for young children. This wouldn't of course be a problem, if it wasn't for the fact that the show hadn't telegraphed quite how far it was willing to go with its themes. As I said, the reveal is carefully handled, but it feels a little jarring to the Star Trek I'm familiar with. Kudos to the actor playing Ash - Shazad Latif - for pulling it off with such sincerity though.
***POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING***
However, while I'm here, let me address the elephant in the room. Or, at least, the elephant hidden behind the curtains in the room - because I hadn't noticed this at all before taking a quick Google search to look at various reviews. Almost every single review has drawn attention to the theory that Ash Tyler is in fact Voq from earlier in the season, presumably turned human through some unknown process. While I understand where this theory stems from, the show seemed to relish in playing with the theory in this episode, putting into question as to whether Ash was in fact tortured or in fact having surgery performed on him. I also realised from a quick search on IMDB that...yeah, maybe it's not a good idea to look there in future. I hope that the show is able to do something interesting with this, because so far it feels like an odd direction to take the show. A good twist, but a twist for twist's sake, perhaps.
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There was the also the drama between Stamets and Hugh, as the former is tasked with performing a horrifying number of jumps to help defeat the Klingon ship. While I can imagine some were thankful for this, for me the drama never reached a critical point. It constantly felt a bit underdeveloped, despite how genuine it all felt. Tilly's mistake is a bit of a cliched moment, but the show is smart enough to not have Hugh storm out of the room in a rage, and instead sticks by Stamets, helping him through the task as best as he can. Their romance is surprisingly heartfelt, and the two actors have excellent chemistry together - so much so that, despite the lack of development, I felt invested in them as characters going through these events.
I also found that Jason Isaacs delivered a very understated performance in the episode, managing to tow the line between malicious intent and genuine heroism perfectly. His interactions with virtually the entire crew are a joy to watch, and now with the Admiral safe and rescued, it appears that he'll have more material to chew on...once he gets back from wherever Discovery has ended up.
Sonequa Martin-Green, meanwhile, is still giving her understated performance in such a way that manages to tow the line between wooden and understated less confidently. Perhaps the character needed more time to grow and warm over the course of Chapter One, because this episode didn't seem to fulfill any kind of emotional arc for Burnham. Sure, the dialogue suggests that it is, but there's never a sense of stakes for Michael herself. If the show wanted to build to her confrontation with Kol, it ultimately didn't do a very good job. Their interactions lack much intensity, or even any kind of emotional antagonism between the two characters. Or perhaps they're saving that moment for Voq later on in this season, which could work much better.
Perhaps 'Into the Forest I Go' feels a little underwhelming because it's a mid-season finale, and not a season finale. Too many elements are left up in the air, and there's little conclusion. Sure, Kol has been defeated once and for all, but so much has been left open-ended. Michael's arc is ongoing, Lorca's true nature has yet to be revealed, and the whole Ash situation is...um...certainly going to be interesting either way. A solid episode, complete with stunning production values and a swelling score (as always), but one that'll perhaps grow on me once the series reaches the conclusions to the currently ongoing plot-threads.
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