Star Trek: Discovery has had me all up in my feels for WEEKS and this week’s episode 3×12, “There is a Tide…” is no different. We’ve got Star Trek: The Next Generation and Picard alum, Jonathan Frakes back in the director’s chair for this episode. I’ve got a lot of thoughts I’d love to throw at you, but here is a very condensed version on “There is a Tide…”
Action! Excitement! More Thrillin’ Heroics!
As I mentioned in last week’s review of “Su’Kal”, I love me some “thrillin’ heroics.” In this episode, we’ve got Book and Michael making a courageous landing in Discovery’s hangar bay. Tilly offering herself as collateral to protect her bridge crew (though they don’t accept her offer, her courage here gave me courage). Michael finding a way to call for help and free Stamets, then watching the bridge crew take out the regulators and begin staging a hostile takeover, or shall we say, “take back” of the Discovery from Osyraa was amazing! All of that definitely qualifies as “thrillin’ heroics” in my book. This isn’t just action and excitement for the sake of some explosions and phaser fights; this is action that is driven out of love and courage, not just to crack some skulls. It’s this kind of action that makes me want to be brave too.
Aggressive Negotiations with Osyraa and Admiral Vance
I have really relished watching Janet Kidder play Osyraa. She is tough-as-nails and frickin’ scary without even lifting a finger. Watching her and Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) go toe-to-toe with their negotiations was amazing. Truthfully, I haven’t been able to allow myself to fully trust Admiral Vance yet. He seems a little pragmatic for my tastes, but he really came through on these negotiations. Holding Osyraa responsible for her crimes was something I did not expect from their conversation. It looks like it’s war with her from here on out. Here’s hoping she is held responsible for the atrocities the Emerald Chain has committed.
The Drama and the FEELS
Watching Stamets develop an emotion that isn’t pride this season has been amazing! Hearing him claim Adira as his child, and then shout at Michael, “MY WHOLE LIFE IS IN THAT NEBULA!” when she knows they can’t go back and rescue Hugh, Adira, and Saru broke me. Anthony Rapp and Sonequa Martin-Green acted the heck out of that scene, making the emotional gravitas and pain tangible. I can certainly understand both sides and felt just as broken as Stamets and Michael both did in that scene.
We’ve got one final episode left this season. What do you anticipate happening in the finale of Star Trek: Discovery? I expect a showdown with Osyraa, and I’m hopeful that Michael’s message got through to her mother, Gabrielle, and I really hope we get a team of Qowat Milat warrior nuns to reign down fire on The Emerald Chain. This might also be an opportunity for Ni’var to rejoin the Federation and come to their aid. Also, we’ve got super adorable robot buddies here to help take back the ship! I expect adorable robots from Star Wars; it was fantastic to see them in Star Trek.
I do have one request though–can we please have some resolution??? Two weeks of cliffhangers is a lot for my deeply empathetic heart; I don’t know if I can take a season’s end cliffhanger!
The final episode of season three of Star Trek: Discovery will air on January 7, 2021 on CBS All Access.
