Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 5 "Charades" (Spoiler Thread)

[Snow Queen]

A shuttle accident leads to Spock's Vulcan DNA being removed by aliens, making him fully human and completely unprepared to face T'Pring's family during an important ceremonial dinner.

 

[Sithborg]

Hijinks.

 

[Dr.]

Jess Bush continues to shine. And her chemistry with Peck is pretty good.

Shapel? Chock? Spistine?

Anyhoo, I like them together. And these crazy kids should enjoy it while the can. The future may not provide a happily-ever-after.

 

[Dave McFly]

I am only partially into this ep and it is by far my fave episode of the series and Peck was just insanely good in this ep.

 

[3rdstone]

Highly enjoyed this episode. I can't believe this is the same Spock as in Discovery. Or I can believe it, it's rather fascinating that in this show the same Spock is way, way better written (and so is mostly everything IMHO..). I guess this could be classified as a typical "filler" episode like in older Trek shows, but after watching Discovery and first seasons of Picard, I just realise how much I've missed fun Trek episodes like this.

Ethan Peck is really good here, and gets to show some great comedic chops. I just love that at the instant he wakes up, not only his ears are changed but also hairstyle and eyebrows. When the crew tried to teach him how to be Vulcan was gold, and also when he tried to cheer up Chapel: "Vulcans can be such jerks!" etc, etc. And among other great moments, I also really enjoyed the really sincere emotional scenes, like with Spock and his mother. The Chapel-focused scenes were great as well.

I personally wasn't found of Spock and Uhura hooking up in the Abrams-verse, and I'm not sure how I feel about Spock and Chapel here, I find the whole thing with T'Pring (a character I also like) and her typical Vulcan family more interesting and entertaining, but hoping they do something good about it. Anyhows, please let this Trek show hold up this good. I've been missing this for a while now.

 

[Sithborg]

So many wonderful hijinks.

I think we need to get the whole cast into exercise clothes at least once this season. We've got 4 down, many more to go.

This was just a wonderful opportunity to let Peck have some fun, and he was having it. Gorging on bacon. Laughing too hard. And going after George Kirk. Just so fun to watch. I loved it. I too would be as uncomfortable as Mr Spock when in the same room as Christina Chong.

Having Amanda show up was a surprise. I kind of wanted Sarek to show up, but I guess that was out of the cards this time.

I once again sign up voluntarily for punitive spirtualism by T'Pring.

T'Pring and her family was fun. It is fun when you have fun with Vulcans. The traditional overbearing mother dynamic, with the shades of Vulcan logic. And I loved how enthusiastic her father was for Pine's cooking and just in everything, only be reigned in by his wife.

I do love T'Pring, and I know she and Spock have to drift away. I'm just sad that they are planting the seeds so soon.

I died when their first contact with the aliens was just a customer service call.

Jess Bush also did a wonderful job this episode, sort of the opposite of what Peck was doing.

 

[DKDetective]

Highly enjoyed this episode. I can't believe this is the same Spock as in Discovery. Or I can believe it, it's rather fascinating that in this show the same Spock is way, way better written (and so is mostly everything IMHO..). I guess this could be classified as a typical "filler" episode like in older Trek shows, but after watching Discovery and first seasons of Picard, I just realise how much I've missed fun Trek episodes like this.

Ethan Peck is really good here, and gets to show some great comedic chops. I just love that at the instant he wakes up, not only his ears are changed but also hairstyle and eyebrows. When the crew tried to teach him how to be Vulcan was gold, and also when he tried to cheer up Chapel: "Vulcans can be such jerks!" etc, etc. And among other great moments, I also really enjoyed the really sincere emotional scenes, like with Spock and his mother. The Chapel-focused scenes were great as well.

I personally wasn't found of Spock and Uhura hooking up in the Abrams-verse, and I'm not sure how I feel about Spock and Chapel here, I find the whole thing with T'Pring (a character I also like) and her typical Vulcan family more interesting and entertaining, but hoping they do something good about it. Anyhows, please let this Trek show hold up this good. I've been missing this for a while now.

While it was not your intent, I think The habit of calling episodes like this "filler" is really unfair and reductive. They are character pieces or moments. One of the biggest problems with the streaming/binging era of television is that show runners have been approaching seasons of TV like an extended movie, which is a great disservice to the medium, whether episodic or serialized.

At its best, great serialized TV should like a good novel. Yes, there is an overarching plotline, but not every episode should be focused on advancing that main plotline. Rather, like a great novel, the show should allow the main story to fade into the background from time to time and take detours to tell little character stories from time to time. Those quiet moments where things slow down improve the whole and the effectiveness of the big plot episodes when they do occur. As well, for a franchise like Star Trek that is often about the human condition, this less "filler" to me than poorly written serial stories or mystery boxes like we often saw on Picard or Discovery.

I don't know how familiar you are with The Original Series, but Chapel was depicted as carrying an unrequited torch for Spock and his engagement with T'Pring having broken down with her falling in love with another. This storyline about the two of them seems to be an attempt to give backstory to those threads. Now it is not perfectly consistent, but it would be incredibly offensive and archaic to write Chapel and other female crew members like they were written during The Original Series days. Society has moved on since the 60s and that is a good thing.

 

[DKDetective]

So many wonderful hijinks.

I think we need to get the whole cast into exercise clothes at least once this season. We've got 4 down, many more to go.

This was just a wonderful opportunity to let Peck have some fun, and he was having it. Gorging on bacon. Laughing too hard. And going after George Kirk. Just so fun to watch. I loved it. I too would be as uncomfortable as Mr Spock when in the same room as Christina Chong.

Having Amanda show up was a surprise. I kind of wanted Sarek to show up, but I guess that was out of the cards this time.

I once again sign up voluntarily for punitive spirtualism by T'Pring.

T'Pring and her family was fun. It is fun when you have fun with Vulcans. The traditional overbearing mother dynamic, with the shades of Vulcan logic. And I loved how enthusiastic her father was for Pine's cooking and just in everything, only be reigned in by his wife.

I do love T'Pring, and I know she and Spock have to drift away. I'm just sad that they are planting the seeds so soon.

I died when their first contact with the aliens was just a customer service call.

Jess Bush also did a wonderful job this episode, sort of the opposite of what Peck was doing.

For me, it was totally Amanda this episode. Spock's Mom has got it going on. When you see Mia Kirshner as Amanda you totally get why Sarek would marry a human.

 

[Gaultheria]

I don't know how familiar you are with The Original Series, but Chapel was depicted as carrying an unrequited torch for Spock and his engagement with T'Pring having broken down with her falling in love with another. This storyline about the two of them seems to be an attempt to give backstory to those threads.

This episode changes their TOS relationship. It's not exactly unrequited attraction by Christine anymore, more like ghosting by Spock after he dumps her for his ex.

 

[DKDetective]

This episode changes their TOS relationship. It's not exactly unrequited attraction by Christine anymore, more like ghosting by Spock after he dumps her for his ex.

I acknowledged that. I said it is not exactly consistent, but you can't write a female character anymore like they wrote Christine back then. And that is a good thing.

And we don't know it will be ghosting. Remember, Chapel has a fiance by the time of TOS season 1. She seems to have moved on as well. These are the problems with trying to do an immediate prequel to a 65-year old TV series.

 

[Sithborg]

Its one of those things that might not line up perfectly, but I don't think it is a complete departure.

 

[Sithborg]

This episode changes their TOS relationship. It's not exactly unrequited attraction by Christine anymore, more like ghosting by Spock after he dumps her for his ex.

And lets be fair, by that time. Spock has dumped both for Kirk.

 

[DKDetective]

And lets be fair, by that time. Spock has dumped both for Kirk.

Whom he also abandons his Baby Mama, Saavik, for 20 years later as well.

 

[Gaultheria]

I acknowledged that. I said it is not exactly consistent, but you can't write a female character anymore like they wrote Christine back then. And that is a good thing.

Oh, yeah, I wasn't disputing that, just amused by what the show is doing.

And we don't know it will be ghosting. Remember, Chapel has a fiance by the time of TOS season 1. She seems to have moved on as well. These are the problems with trying to do an immediate prequel to a 65-year old TV series.

I think Christine's time with Roger has already happened. She was a student when they met, and by the time we see him in TOS, it's been 5 years since his last message.

 

[Morg]

Spock liked bacon!!

 

[Dr.]

Spock liked bacon!!

And later...

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I adored this episode. Much like with Spock Amok, these crew shines when they get to stretch their comedic muscles. I look forward to every episode 5 being hijinks with Spock and Chapel.

For me, it was totally Amanda this episode. Spock's Mom has got it going on. When you see Mia Kirshner as Amanda you totally get why Sarek would marry a human.

When she showed up I was so confused. I was like I remember Mia as Amanda (my second favorite after Lydia) but when I looked her up, this was her first time on this show. And then I remembered, I watched the first two seasons of tort- I mean Discovery.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Its one of those things that might not line up perfectly, but I don't think it is a complete departure.

I also feel like folk need to accept, if something is working, it's working. There are more important things then continuity.

 

[DKDetective]

I also feel like folk need to accept, if something is working, it's working. There are more important things then continuity.

I agree, but I think the showrunners bring this sort of criticism on themselves by making these shows prequels. And then you also have Akiva Goldsman going out there staying that they have to bring things in line with TOS the closer they get to 2266. They are inviting this sort of scrutiny and continuity criticism.

While Spock, Uhura, and Chapel featured extensively in TOS, Pike, Number One, M'Benga, Ortegas, and La'an are all for all intents and purposes original characters since Pike, Number One, and M'Benga were essentially cyphers that never got fleshed out. The producers could have made a new Trek series in the 25th century and been free to tell whatever stories they wanted while being free of continuity.

While I really love SNW, I hope that now that the franchise has found its footing again with Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds, the team has the courage to finally make an original Star Trek series. A TNNG if you will, and I do not mean Matalas' fanservice the show idea for Star Trek: Legacy.

 

[DKDetective]

This meme is really relevant to this thread:

 

[flickchick85]

Been catching up. I need 3 "Spock Shenanigans" episodes like this per season, please and thank you!

 

[vantheman77]

Spock's own Enemy Within.