Another Week, Another Predicted Reveal: Star Trek Discovery Hardly Has "Vaulting Ambition!"

The Good: Well-directed
The Bad: Awful character development, Unremarkable plot, Dull reveal, Huge continuity issues
The Basics: Star Trek: Discovery works to finish its Mirror Universe plot in "Vaulting Ambition," while making a reveal that was predicted by many fans a while ago and is unimpressive now that it has been revealed.


Retconning the events of "Mirror, Mirror" (reviewed here!) so that the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery entered the same alternate universe about a decade prior has created a number of issues with Star Trek continuity. Despite that, the show has moved toward an important story point with "Vaulting Ambition." "Vaulting Ambition" opens with the sense that most of the cards are on the table for the key characters of Star Trek: Discovery.

"Vaulting Ambition" follows the events of "The Wolf Inside" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without references to where the prior episode left off. After all, "The Wolf Inside" found Burnham and Lorca right before the Empress, who was (unsurprisingly) Georgiou - if the show wanted to make a real surprise, it would have been Empress Sato from Star Trek: Enterprise and that the whole Terran Empire had grown on her watch and she had managed to stay alive and in power so long. But Emperor Georgiou visited the planet the Rebels were hiding out on to obliterate them, despite Burnham's promise to the Rebel leader Voq. Inside the Spore Network, Stamets met his doppelganger. And the insinuations fell away and Ash Tyler was revealed to be a surgically-altered Voq, who Burnham used to smuggle critical information back to the U.S.S. Discovery.

Burnham brings Lorca to the I.S.S. Charon, after giving him a hypo to help him resist the Agonizers better. Tilly treats Stamets and he is caught up within the spore network by his doppelganger from the Mirror Universe. On the Charon, Burnham and Lorca meet with the Emperor, who sends Lorca to the Agonizer chamber. Burnham learns that her Mirror Universe persona was raised by Georgiou. They dine together and Georgiou condemns Burnham to death and facing a quick death, Burnham confesses her true nature to the Emperor.

While Stamets becomes distracted with visions of his dead Dr. Culber, Georgiou works out an arrangement with Burnham for information on the spore drive in exchange for information on the U.S.S. Defiant. When Lorca is unable to provide information his doppelganger would know, he watches a man die horribly. L'Rell attempts to treat Voq in the Discovery Sick Bay, while Culber gives Stamets a pep talk and a mission. Stamets must undo the damage that the Mirror Universe Stamets did to the spore network to save it, which allows him to wake up on the Discovery. Unfortunately, it also allows the Mirror Universe Stamets to awaken on the Charon. And, in the process, Lorca's big secret is revealed.

The moment the I.S.S. Charon appears on screen, "Vaulting Ambition" loses a lot of credibility. The Charon is an amazing and impressive ship, but there is nothing even remotely like it in "our" universe during the same time period in the Star Trek universe. The Mirror Universe works have continually operated on the concept of parallel technological development, with a radically-different social development. So, missions, people, and technology are almost always in the same time and place in both universes, just with different motivations. As a result, the U.S.S. Enterprise and I.S.S. Enterprise are virtually identical; Deep Space Nine and the Mirror Universe Terok Nor were constructed by the same person . . . such that Sisko is able to operate the self-destruct system in the Mirror Universe. The I.S.S. Charon, then, is an absolutely ridiculous conceit in "Vaulting Ambition" as there would be nothing at all like it in our universe.

Michael Burnham is proven once again to be one of the worst characters in the Star Trek universe in "Vaulting Ambition." Facing her death, Burnham tells Giorgiou about her universe and provides her with proof of that universe, when she gives the Emperor her dead Captain's badge. The Empire is a bloodthirsty, aggressive organization that seeks conquest over cooperation. Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery want to return home. That's fine and it makes sense. But Burnham has just attempted to save her own life and the crew of a single ship by mortgaging an entire universe's security. To be clear; following "Vaulting Ambition," there is no sensible reason why the Star Trek Universe would not be facing a constant menace of open warfare from the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire. Between surveillance devices, untrustworthy characters and more people who have the actual technical information on our universe, the Mirror Universe is now an imminent threat to the Star Trek universe . . . and Burnham told them about it!

But then, the episode progresses to its end with one of the most asinine retcons ever to be created in the Star Trek Universe. Lorca's Big Secret is revealed, which feels lazy following Ash Tyler's big secret being revealed last week. In fact, Lorca's big secret is piggybacked on a revelation from the Emperor Georgiou that telegraphs Lorca's reveal . . . and makes no sense whatsoever in the Mirror Universe episodes. "Vaulting Ambition" creates a "tell" for the Mirror Universe characters and that sudden alteration to Mirror Universe human biology is laughably bad; it undermines both "Mirror, Mirror" (Spock would have seen a difference in how the four Mirror Universe characters responded on the Enterprise) and the two Star Trek: Enterprise episodes set there.

There is another huge issue with "Vaulting Ambition," which is much more subtle than in the previous Star Trek: Discovery Mirror Universe episodes. Burnham gives Georgiou information about our universe and that is horrible, but it plays off a conceit that has the potential to be ruinous for the entire plotline. The U.S.S. Defiant ended up in the Mirror Universe in the past - that was established on Star Trek: Enterprise. But the reason that was okay was that the Defiant's crew was long-dead and there would be no information on the ship about how the Defiant ended up in the Mirror Universe other than it fell through a hole in interphasic space. The U.S.S. Defiant has no information aboard it that would allow people in the Mirror Universe to enter our universe - that data was not aboard the dead starship. But now, characters from the U.S.S. Discovery know about how an entire starship worth of StarFleet officers will die horribly in the future. If the non-redacted information from the Defiant makes it back to our universe, the crew becomes complicit in one of the most gruesome death scenarios from Star Trek!

"Vaulting Ambition" continues the Star Trek: Discovery trend of presenting utter misery on screen. The murder in front of Lorca is grisly and his torture is known by the audience to be entirely pointless. The episode lacks the subtlety of other Mirror Universe episodes: in both universes Georgiou is a mother figure to Burnham, Stamets is virtually identical in both universes . . . the only real difference in characters seems to be the politics and the fact that Detmer actually gets lines in the Mirror Universe.

The unfortunate aspect of "Vaulting Ambition" is that it continues to play toward the most banal action-adventure type storyline as opposed to anything nearly as smart as . . . well, most of Star Trek!

For other Mirror Universe works, please check out my reviews of:
Dark Victory By William Shatner
Intendant Kira action figure
In A Mirror Darkly CCG

1.5/10

For other Star Trek episode, movie, and seasons, please check out my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Discovery Arrives On "Context Is For Kings"

The Good: Doug Jones and Jason Isaacs are fine with what they are given
The Bad: Terrible characterization, Abysmal continuity errors, Boring, Prioritizes style and merchandising over substance and storytelling, Derivative
The Basics: "Context Is For Kings" meanders into a Star Trek: Discovery rip-off of Alien before just collapsing into something that will only confound Star Trek fans.


As a reviewer and a life long fan of the Star Trek franchise, it is tough not to begin each review of new Star Trek: Discovery episodes with a laundry list of things that are wrong with the new television series. This is especially hard at the outset of "Context Is For Kings," the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery that features the titular U.S.S. Discovery. The reason it is tough for a Trekker to even approach "Context Is For Kings" with anything resembling an open mind is where the episode begins. Following immediately on the heels of "Battle At The Binary Stars" (reviewed here!), "Context Is For Kings" opens after one of the most glaring continuity errors of the series thus far and it is impossible to discuss without some references as to where the prior episode ended.

"Battle At The Binary Stars" ended with Michael Burnham pleading guilty and being convicted of multiple crimes, including mutiny. People who recall the length and breadth of the Star Trek franchise will see fairly quickly the problem with this. In "The Tholian Web" (reviewed here!) when the Away Team explores the adrift U.S.S. Defiant and it appears the crew killed one another, Chekov asks is there has ever been a crew mutiny on a starship. Spock responds that there is no record of one and that - given Michael Burnham's relationship with Sarek - is just the insult to injury. Not only would Spock know that there have been mutineers in StarFleet, he would have intimate knowledge of one of them. And even if there were no record of the actual mutiny, there is now in the Star Trek universe a retconned conviction for mutiny. Yes, the "continuity experts" on Star Trek: Discovery suck at their jobs.

Six months after Burnham was convicted of her crimes, she is transferred to a dilithium mine. En route, the shuttle she is on is covered in energy-eating bugs. The shuttle is picked up by the U.S.S. Discovery and the prisoners are picked up by Security Chief Landry. After fighting in the mess hall, Burnham is sent to meet Captain Gabriel Lorca. Lorca wants Burnham's help in cleaning off the parasites that are now on Discovery's hull and Burnham is confined to quarters with her new roommate Tilly. After a black alert is declared, Burnham witnesses a strange phenomenon in her quarters.

The next morning, Burnham is reunited with Saru, who is the first officer on the U.S.S. Discovery. Saru brushes aside Burnham's apology for their former Captain's death and he warns her that he will protect Captain Lorca. After Burnham breaks into one of the Discovery's labs, she is in a meeting when the U.S.S. Glen is reported lost. Burnham is assigned to a mission to explore what happened to the Glen, which may have been overrun by spores. Exploring the Glen, the Discovery crew finds the StarFleet crew dead and evidence that Klingons were on board the ship. Burnham and the Away Team are chased off the Glen by an alien and upon returning to the Discovery, Captain Lorca reveals to Burnham just what the mission of the crew is.

"Context Is For Kings" is a boring "meet the new crew" episode coupled with a cheap horror story. The Star Trek franchise has done horror episodes before, but "Context Is For Kings" is a particularly lame rendition of Alien for Star Trek: Discovery.

In "Context Is For Kings" the emphasis on style over substance for the show. In one of her first scenes on the U.S.S. Discovery, Burnham encounters one of her former crewmates from the Shenzhou. Detmer now has a bionic implant on the side of her head, something no other StarFleet officer has ever had . . . and a technological distraction that undermines the surprise of the Borg in the universe a hundred years later. And the viewer has to ask, what the hell is the point?! Why throw something so irrelevant and distracting into a prequel show? Detmer's head appliance is as distracting as the Tribble in the captain's ready room.

Star Trek: Discovery is all about merchandising so far and "Context Is For Kings" is no exception. While viewers wait for an explanation as to what a "black alert" is and they marvel at the idea that the writers felt the need to include a reference to a "breath scan" when this era of the Star Trek featured retinal scans for security locks, they are treated to "Discovery" branded pillowcases. And Sylvia Tully claims to have an allergy?! Whether she does or not is irrelevant: by the time of the original Star Trek no one seems to have allergies and it is cringeworthy to consider that two hundred years from now - when allergies can mostly be controlled - allergies are still a problem.

Stamets is a terrible stereotype of a gay person. Hearing a StarFleet officer talk down to everyone and lisp out "I hate you!" to a friend is flat-out nauseating. Anthony Rapp's character is written like a Will & Grace stereotype as opposed to just an officer who happens to be homosexual. No, Stamets is the unfortunate melodramatic stereotype of a gay person in "Context Is For Kings."

Star Trek used to be fun escapism. Unfortunately, Star Trek: Discovery is a journey into miserable. Everyone Michael Burnham encounters in "Context Is For Kings" is a jerk to her. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a dark show with a number of angst-filled characters, but even in that people managed to treat one another fairly well from the outset. In "Context Is For Kings" everyone is a dick. Yeah, that's not very professional: Star Trek: Discovery is filled with ass holes and xenomorph rip-offs. The problem with this is that none of the characters feel like they are worth watching (save, perhaps, the underused Saru). Watching "Context Is For Kings," I felt myself feeling much like I did a few seasons into Game Of Thrones; I didn't care who sat on the Iron Throne because everyone was so compromised, unlikable or boring. Star Trek: Discovery has contrived a Klingon war that manages to retroactively make idiots out of most of the prior crews of later StarFleet ships (Chekov, formerly a pretty bright boy, asks if there has ever been a mutiny on a starship when thirteen years prior it was pretty public knowledge that a mutineer started a war with the Klingons!) and by the end of the third episode, the viewer doesn't care who lives or dies in the show - we just want it to be over.

"Context Is For Kings" is just awful. Tully's exclamation of "is that a book?!" is mind-numbing given how books (physical books) appear in Star Trek with no one being at all amazed. There's another robot on the bridge and the science experiment on the Discovery is yet another head-slapper that makes viewers wonder why the hell the executive producers insisted on making Star Trek: Discovery a prequel. Regardless of whether or not the Discovery's experiments are successful or become known outside the ship at all, it seems absolutely baffling that an instantaneous teleporter - much like the Iconian gateways - not only could be developed effectively in this time period, but remain secret for the rest of the franchise timeline.

Doug Jones is good as Saru but even his very brief time on screen is not enough to save "Context Is For Kings." The third episode of Star Trek: Discovery is an absolute dud that phones in the character, dumbs down the exposition (wait, is Michael Burnham a mutineer?!) and tries to confound viewers with spectacle and chases to cover up the lack of deep performances or interesting characters. Even the credits for "Context Is For Kings" are sloppy; there is a person credited as the "Shenzhous computer" . . . when the Shenzhou does not appear at all in the episode!

But hey, there's another robot on the bridge and . . . I've got to go to the bathroom now to do what Star Trek: Discovery is doing to the Star Trek franchise.

For other works with Jason Isaacs, please visit my reviews of:
The OA - Season 1
The Harry Potter Saga
Friends With Money
Elektra

0/10

For other Star Trek episode, movie, and season reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Legitimately Terrible: "Battle At The Binary Stars" Continues The Degredation Of Star Trek: Discovery!

The Good: Special effects, Moments of performance
The Bad: Terrible characterizations, Banal plot, Less-than-subtle racism
The Basics: "Battle At The Binary Stars" continues the Star Trek: Discovery retcon of the Star Trek universe into utter ridiculousness.


Despite my many, many, trepidations about Star Trek: Discovery, I was actually quite excited about watching the second episode of the series. When I sat down to the pilot episode, I was mired in the many problems with the show's concept and the behind-the-scenes issues surrounding the show (that it was intended to launch the CBS All Access streaming service, rather than being developed based upon a strong, Star Trek concept). But, when I sat to watch "Battle At The Binary Stars," I had vented the angst about the concept and suffered through the terrible pilot episode that was kindly evaluated to be a complete mess.

"Battle At The Binary Stars" is, sadly, no better than the pilot episode to Star Trek: Discovery.

"Battle At The Binary Stars" picks up immediately after the events of "The Vulcan Hello" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the second episode of Star Trek: Discovery. After all, "The Vulcan Hello" climaxed with the U.S.S. Shenzhou, a power struggle having broken out on the bridge between the Captain and first officer, facing off against a decloaking fleet of Klingon starships. As the name suggests, "Battle At The Binary Stars" leads to a conflict between the StarFleet vessel Shenzhou and the least-Klingon looking Klingon starships yet seen in the Star Trek franchise.

Seven years before she mutinied against Captain Georgiou, Michael Burnham arrives aboard the Shenzhou where she behaves more like a Vulcan than a human. In the present, Burnham is relieved of duty. The Klingon, T'Kuvma, acts as a prophet to attempt to unify the twenty-four Klingon houses and get them to fight the StarFleet presence as a threat to their way of life. The wounded helm officer, Connor, visits Burnham in the brig moments before the Shenzhou is significantly damaged. With Burnham trapped in the brig, the Shenzhou is crippled.

With the StarFleet fleet decimated, T'Kuvma informs the Shenzhou crew that they have been warned against exploring further into Klingon space. Burnham manages to escape the brig and when she is reunited with Georgiou, the two hatch a plan to avert a war with the Klingons. When the Klingons begin collecting the bodies of their dead, Georgiou beams a bomb onto one of the corpses. When trying to capture T'Kuvma, Burnham and Georgiou encounter resistence and Burnham is beamed back to the Shenzhou alone. Burnham is court martialed for her various crimes.

"Battle At The Binary Stars" has admittedly wonderful special effects. When the Shenzhou has holes blown in it so that Burnham's brig is basically a cube next to vacuum, the effect is awesome. The destruction of the Europa is similarly cool.

Effects, however, are a minor part of a show. The Klingons in "Battle At The Binary Stars" do not sound at all like prior, established, Klingons. The Klingons fret about their losses, as opposed to acknowledging up front that their casualties in the battle with the StarFleet are honored dead who fell in battle (for Klingons, there is no greater honor). T'Kuvma is essentially a religious figure and he is thinly, but uninterestingly, characterized in "Battle At The Binary Stars."

The title of "Battle At The Binary Stars" pretty much details the entire plot of the episode. The Klingons square off against the Shenzhou and when more starships arrive, shooting occurs. There is no real character development in "Battle At The Binary Stars;" the most interesting character dynamic continues to be the relationship between Captain Georgiou and science officer Saru, but they are not given a significant number of scenes to carry the episode.

Instead, "Battle At The Binary Stars" wastes time showing how Burnham escapes the brig - apparently the Shenzhou's central computer has an ethics routine that rivals that of Commander Data's - and fleshing out T'Kuvma's backstory. But, essentially, "Battle At The Binary Stars" is a starship fight that culminates in a physical altercation between two humans and two Klingons that goes on far longer than one would expect hand-to-hand combat to last between the two groups.

For a show set in the Star Trek universe that is being championed as a triumph of progressive casting, it is hard not to cringe at the racism in "Battle At The Binary Stars." Captain Georgiou is of Asian descent (actress Michelle Yeoh is of Malaysian descent; it is unclear where Georgiou is from in the narrative). She quotes Sun Tzu, captains the Shenzhou, and prepares to make a kamikaze flight on the Klingon flagship. The white Admiral who leads the StarFleet fleet captains the U.S.S. Europa (ethnocentric much? Sure, it's a Jovian moon, but it screams "Europe!"). And by the end of the second episode, the mutinous black protagonist is headed to jail. Perhaps next week, Star Trek: Discovery will find some pleasant stereotypes about Native Americans, Jews and arabs to insert into Star Trek lore (read that with as much sarcasm as possible).

Sarek continues to be problematically rendered in Star Trek: Discovery and the concept of the Vulcan katra is completely bastardized in "Battle At The Binary Stars" to transition from an end-of-life way to save the Vulcan soul to a marginally uncomfortable video chat inside Burnham's head.

"Battle At The Binary Stars" seems like an important plot event for Star Trek: Discovery, though the titular starship still has not made its appearance. Beyond that, the episode sucks. The Orville feels more like smart, classic Star Trek than Star Trek: Discovery does two episodes in. The custodians of the Star Trek franchise continue to prioritize flash over substance and the result is television that might appeal to fourteen year-old boys, but if it does, they aren't the fourteen year-old boys who fell in love with the cerebral episodes of the original Star Trek and I shudder to think of the world they might create.

For other works with Michelle Yeoh, please visit my reviews of:
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Tomorrow Never Dies

1/10

See how this episode stacks up against others in the Star Trek franchise by visiting my Star Trek Review Index Page where the works are listed by rating!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"The Vulcan Hello" Makes An Absolute Mess Out Of Star Trek.

The Good: Lt. Saru is a cool character and well-performed by Doug Jones, Production values
The Bad: Dull story, Riddled with continuity issues, Atrocious character issues, Lack of impressive performances, Design issues
The Basics: "The Vulcan Hello" gets Star Trek: Discovery off to the worst start of any Star Trek franchise television show.


Star Trek: Discovery is here. As I prepared for the pilot episode of Star Trek: Discovery, I found myself deeply conflicted. Not since Enterprise was promoted without "Star Trek" in its title and under the development of a man (Brannon Braga) who was being actively quoted as saying he did not like the original Star Trek - and he was working on a prequel! - have I been less excited about a Star Trek premiere episode than I was about Star Trek: Discovery. My lack of enthusiasm can easily be defined: Star Trek: Discovery is a tool, an advertising mechanism that is once more being used to exploit the subculture I most actively identify with. I am a Trekker. I have an expert level of knowledge of the Star Trek franchise and Star Trek: Discovery was insulting to the Star Trek legacy from the first moment it was announced.

Allow me to explain.

Star Trek: Discovery was first announced as a program that would help to launch CBS All Access. Apparently, the executives at CBS did not learn from Paramount's utter failure with UPN (Star Trek: Voyager finished its run, the network collapsed and merged with The WB) and is now attempting to launch a streaming service on the back of Star Trek fans. CBS is neglecting all the available data that suggests that, like social networks, consumers have reached their peak interest in streaming services and launching CBS All Access. The insulting aspect of this to a Star Trek fan is simple: Star Trek: Discovery was not created based on a great story idea, a strong narrative or interesting characters. Before any of that - or even its title - were created, CBS announced that there was a new Star Trek series that would become the flagship of CBS All Access streaming service. Strike one - a show with strong anti-capitalist roots being used as a cheap tool for a major capitalist venture.

Then details for Star Trek: Discovery started to be released. The show was announced as a prequel to the original Star Trek, taking place approximately ten years before Captain Kirk took command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. So, as a fan, the first promotional materials for Star Trek: Discovery set me off. The uniforms in Star Trek: Discovery look nothing like the uniforms that would be in use during this time period in the Star Trek universe: "The Cage" (reviewed here!) taking place only five years prior to the events of "The Vulcan Hello." The first two pilots of Star Trek had remarkably similar StarFleet uniforms so how "The Vulcan Hello" would look so different within the canon was baffling. But hey, I get it: the outfits from the original Star Trek would look pretty dull in high definition television.

Then the characters started to get announced. Star Trek: Discovery was going to feature a female starship captain and that instantly raised my ire. My goat was gotten not because I am a sexist pig, but because I am an expert in the Star Trek franchise: a prequel to Star Trek could not feature a female starship captain and still maintain any semblance of continuity to the already-established canon of Star Trek. Only a neophyte to Star Trek would fail to recognize that "Turnabout Intruder" (reviewed here!), the final episode of Star Trek clearly established that StarFleet did not allow female starship captains (don't kill the messenger - I didn't write the episode!). The antagonist in "Turnabout Intruder" was so frustrated by the prohibition that she went insane - she had been fighting for the position her entire life. So, Star Trek: Discovery could not even be an explanation of why StarFleet did not allow female captains.

Two of these three issues could easily have been avoided by simply setting Star Trek: Discovery in a later era of the Star Trek franchise. But no, Star Trek: Discovery opted to keep the franchise mired in prequel hell.

Finally, before sitting down to watch "The Vulcan Hello," I was innundated with a load of disingenuous media surrounding the launch of Star Trek: Discovery. A few days ago, The Independent published an article from a set visit that was one of the worst pieces of factchecking I've ever read. From a title - "How Sonequa Martin-Green Became The First Black Lead Of Star Trek . . . " - that was criminally inaccurate (Avery Brooks wasn't black lead enough to be the first?!) to ridiculous, unchallenged assertions by the cast (first officer Michael Burnham is given a male name not out of any incredible bit of empowerment, but as a conceit of Bryan Fuller's works - it was a holdover from when Bryan Fuller was still developing the series, much like Lt. Saru's very un-Trek ability to sense death, a topic that Fuller's works are obsessed with). Even the IMDB's pre-launch article on the women of the Star Trek franchise was sloppy - there was a picture of Linda Park's Ensign Hoshi Sato accompanying text about Rosalind Chao's Keiko O'Brien . . . and Sato's character does not appear in the article!

So, I sat down to "The Vulcan Hello" with incredibly low expectations and a general sense that the episode would have a very difficult time living up to the scrutiny of a Star Trek expert.

Unsurprisingly, "The Vulcan Hello" did not even rise to my lowest expectations of what it could have been without nitpicking at it.

Opening with a Klingon warrior rallying Klingons with anti-Federation, pro-Klingon unification dogma, Captain Georgiou and her first officer, Lieutenant Commander Michael Burnham rescue a planet from a drought. The U.S.S. Shenzhou is retasked to repair a relay station near a binary star system. Burnham and science officer Lt. Saru clash on identifying the device that they suspect caused the damage to the relay station. Burhnam takes an environmental suit to go into the asteroid field to investigate the object. Fighting a timetable against a lethal radiation exposure, Burnham investigates the object, which is massive and she is unable to determine if it was constructed or carved. Burnham encounters an armored Klingon on the device and she kills it.

While recovering from her ordeal, Burnham flashed back to her childhood on Vulcan. When the Shenzhou arms its weapon, a massive Klingon ship decloaks. Saru advises retreat, but Burnham denies his instinct. When the Shenzhou experiences a bright, blinding, beacon, Burnham turns to Sarek for aid in understanding it. Knocking out Captain Georgiou with a Vulcan neck pinch, Burnham assumes command and prepares to attack the Klingon ship. But when the Klingon fleet appears, the Shenzhou is menaced.

"The Vulcan Hello" is a mess. The creativity of showing a Klingon environmental suit is almost instantly diminished by the fact that the first alien Burnham sees in Star Trek: Discovery, she kills (the aliens she rescued by ending the drought emerging only after she and the Captain left the area). How very Trek; murdering when threatened.

The Klingons in Star Trek: Discovery look nothing like the Klingons that would be the established order by this era. The Klingons did not have cloaking technology in this era (it was a huge tactical issue for the Federation when the Klingons got the technology from the Romulans in the third season of Star Trek), but a massive Klingon Ship - that is textured more like a Borg ship - decloaks near the Shenzhou.

Lt. Saru steals his scenes in "The Vulcan Hello." Saru is rational, reasonable, and intriguing. Saru is a new alien race and he is given a decent characterization, while Burnham is presented as a somewhat generic soldier in her role as first officer. The science officer feels like the most direct link to the familiar Star Trek, despite the ridiculous conceit that he can sense death. Doug Jones, who plays Saru, is wonderful at managing the technobabble and speaking with a tone of reason in his voice.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Sarek. Sarek appears in the fastest transmission ever for a StarFleet communication . . . using a technology that was not introduced until late in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (holographic communications technology). Sarek speaks with metaphor and with a level of emotion that does not jive with his established character, much less Vulcans. And with Sarek being recast yet again, viewers have to wonder why the producers did not go with Ben Cross, who played Sarek in the 2009 film Star Trek (reviewed here!) and would have been an age appropriate version of the character. How is it that Sarek looks younger in "The Vulcan Hello" than Spock did in "The Cage?!" (For neophytes, Sarek is Spock's father and Sarek looks younger than an adult Spock did in an adventure that happened five years prior to this one!)  In "The Vulcan Hello," Sarek refers to Vulcans as if they were separate entities from the Federation for which he is an ambassador.  By this time period, there should have been a much more integrated Federation and StarFleet than during the last prequel.

The character of Michael Burnham is problematically established, both as an individual and as a StarFleet officer. Burnham has been serving as Georgiou's first officer for seven years and her solution to a disagreement is a Vulcan neck pinch?! Really?! How has Burnham risen the ranks and had any sort of effective working relationship with her captain when the Vulcan neck pinch is her go-to when they disagree on confronting the Klingons. Sure, Star Trek: Discovery is new, but seven years of working together (as characters) and Georgiou is unsure how the crew will react in a battle situation?! What the hell has the Shenzhou been doing for seven years?

"The Vulcan Hello" features the most inorganic introduction of characters of any Star Trek series. The characters are supposed to be a crew that has been working together for quite some time, but Saru has to give a seminal explanation to his species this far into their working relationship?! Yes, I am using "?!" an obscene amount, but "The Vulcan Hello" begs the use of the baffled explanation as the episode falls apart with even a little bit of scrutiny.

I was worried that my initial viewing of Star Trek: Discovery would be cripplingly biased by technical problems and issues with minutia, but even the broad strokes of "The Vulcan Hello" are a mess. The Shenzhou almost lands when it first appears, making it somewhat ridiculous that the transporter would need to be used instead of a shuttlecraft or a very long cable. Star Trek: Enterprise was set about seventy years prior, but Klingons are supposedly virtually unseen for the past hundred years in "The Vulcan Hello." And the title of the episode refers to Vulcans shooting Klingon ships on sight as a diplomatic tactic. Did not one of the writers of "The Vulcan Hello" or not a single executive producer of Star Trek: Discovery ever watch "Errand Of Mercy" (reviewed here!) and recognize that it characterized both the Klingons of the era and the Vulcan value of pacifism?! Spock, a half-Vulcan, allows himself to be tortured rather than succumb to violence. And for an episode and a show that seems to have been made by committee, did not one person involved raise the issue that it might seem pretty racist that the first StarFleet ship with a Chinese name is captained by a Malaysian woman?! Did it not occur to anyone on the production staff that giving the ship with the Asian name to an Asian Captain might not seem like a clever cultural nod, but an upsettingly racist concept?

Even on its own, "The Vulcan Hello" is a fucking mess. The inorganic introduction of the Shenzhou crew is paired with a familiar adversary that is presented in such an unfamiliar way as to be utterly ridiculous. The Klingons in "The Vulcan Hello" are more akin to Hirogen (the bones of their dead lining their hull) and the aliens from fluidic space (the Klingon beacon is almost organic in appearance) than anything recognizable as Klingons. Yes, if "The Vulcan Hello" is any indication, Star Trek: Discovery will be an absolute, clusterfuck of a mess that will not be worth the time and attention of Star Trek fans. If only there had been clues before the show aired that it would be such a waste of time . . .

For other Star Trek franchise pilot episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" - Star Trek
"Encounter At Farpoint" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Emissary" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"Broken Bow" - Star Trek: Enterprise

1.5/10

For other Star Trek episode, movie, and season reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Erratic Surrealism Of American Gods Season 1.

The Good: Good performances, Intriguing set-up, Moments of character, Special effects
The Bad: Some truly dull characters, Deliberately opaque plot, Slow pacing
The Basics: The first season of American Gods works hard to set up something much better than itself.


The fundamental problem with creating great serialized television and fleshing out a world of one's own over the course of several episodes and seasons is that the burden falls upon the creator of such works - writers, executive producers, and directors - to create something that is both instantly compelling and does not rush its own story. Finding the balance is a hard thing, which is probably why so very many writers and executive producers today enjoy playing in already-established universes (Star Trek, Star Wars, the various super hero franchises built upon decades of source material, etc.). So, when a well-established creator of genre works leaves the comfort of one of those safe, already-conceived universes to do their own thing, it is the type of project that gets instant notoriety and comes with a behind-the-scenes intrigue that draws in an audience.

Bryan Fuller brought a look-in audience to the first season of American Gods when the renowned writer and executive producer did the legwork of creating Star Trek: Discovery and then abandoned the project in favor of American Gods. Fuller, who came up in Hollywood as a writer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager (eventually working his way up to be one of the executive producers of that show) quickly departed the familiar to create his own works . . . all of which were obsessed with death or (some form of) the divine. And Fuller quickly achieved the sort of success that a cult hit creator has with Wonderfalls (reviewed here!), Dead Like Me (reviewed here!), and Pushing Daisies (first season reviewed here!). Fuller returned to franchise work with Hannibal and he was set to continue in that vein with Star Trek: Discovery, when he abruptly left that nascent project for American Gods.

American Gods allowed Fuller to play in an already-established world (the show is based upon a novel by Neil Gaiman) with an exceptional amount of freedom. Gaiman's American Gods had not been realized on screen before and Fuller had to create a show that would likely have a breadth and duration that would exceed the confines of the single novel source material. And the fundamental problem with the first season of American Gods is that it is built, almost entirely, on faith that the next component of the show will be better, more clear, more intriguing, than the current component. American Gods does not have an instantly compelling pilot episode . . . so viewers have to have faith that the second episode will be better. The midseason diverges from the protagonist, so viewers have to have faith that the show will refocus; the season builds to a climax that requires faith that the second season will pay-off the massive risk in a satisfying way . . . the entire first season is a series of risks requiring a deferment of true gratification, which is an inherently problematic way to create a serialized television show. That said, it is also one of the best ways to establish a larger narrative that has a real ability to develop and grow as it goes on.

Unfortunately for American Gods Season 1, the show's protagonist is put in the unenviable position of being one of the two least-interesting characters in the show. Season 1 of American Gods is built around Shadow Moon, a character who quite reasonably travels through the modern world without any faith as a low-level scam artist and conman. Paroled from prison early when his wife dies, Shadow Moon finds himself in the company of a mysterious man, who calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and the two begin a cross-country journey to a meeting Wednesday plans to attend. While the character of Shadow Moon might sound initially interesting, he is emotionally shut-off and his distance makes him entirely inaccessible. Shadow Moon drifts from prison to learning about the death of his wife to having his mind slowly opened to the presence of divine entities on Earth with no emotional journey. American Gods Season 1 is more the physical journey of Shadow Moon than it is his emotional trip. Indeed, one suspects if American Gods achieves a cult status that leads to merchandising, a t-shirt of "The Many Emotions Of Shadow Moon" will take its place on the racks next to identical t-shirts for Spock and Darth Vader.

And it is hard to criticize Ricky Whittle, who plays Shadow Moon, for the portrayal of the character. Rewatching the season multiple times, the first season of American Gods for Shadow Moon is built around the season's final moment and Shadow Moon's revelatory moment. Unfortunately for Whittle and American Gods Season 1, the moment of supposed epiphany is the most odd combination of understated (in the performance) and over-the-top (for the line). The result is a subtle character who ought to be the embodiment of the doubting, jaded, unimpressed audience within the show, but instead never becomes emotionally real enough to truly connect with the audience.

While Shadow Moon is emotionally inaccessible and impossible to invest emotionally in because of his unrealistic emotional distance from everything he encounters, Laura Moon is flat-out unlikable. Shadow Moon's wife, Laura, has an affair, dies, and is magically resurrected. Laura is a snotty, mean, bored and often-boring character who is the subject of two episodes of the eight-episode first season of American Gods and those episodes do nothing to make her more likable or interesting. What is perhaps most impressive about Laura Moon is that actress Emily Browning plays her - and her ancestor character, Essie MacGowan - with a decent emotional range. Browning's performance in American Gods Season 1 inspired me to give Sucker Punch (reviewed again here!) a second viewing and what struck me most about her growth as an actress between the two works is her ability or willingness to emote with her expressions in American Gods. Laura Moon might be flat-out unlikable, but Browning plays her well.

The first season of American Gods has a remarkably simple plot - so much so that it is almost unsurprising that two episodes have to almost entirely diverge from it in order to get the season up to eight episodes: Shadow Moon is paroled from prison when he meets Mr. Wednesday and enters his employ. Shadow's job is to drive Mr. Wednesday around and protect him from threats, but he soon ends up helping Wednesday with schemes like robbing a bank's night depository and he finds himself the target of divine entities (new gods). While Shadow Moon drives Mr. Wednesday from one meeting to another (Mr. Wednesday's meetings are with classic Russian, Greek/Roman, and African gods now living in the United States), Laura Moon, resurrected by a magical Leprechaun's coin, follows Shadow's journey in the presence of the leprechaun Mad Sweeney and a man who was touched by a djinn (man, I hope that "Touched By A Djinn" is the name of a second season episode now!).

The two most consistently-represented divine beings - the leprechaun Mad Sweeney and the god Mr. Wednesday - easily steal the thunder from the two human protagonists. As well, Media's infrequent appearances instantly capture the viewer's attention and when Mr. World (the antagonist who Mr. Wednesday fears) finally makes an appearance, it is powerful. Media is expertly played by Gillian Anderson, who seems to have a great time portraying Lucy Ricardo, David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe, and other incarnations of legendary people who were made through their media presence. Mad Sweeney is caustic and sarcastic and Pablo Schreiber's embodiment of him is impressive in that Mad Sweeney is an asshole, much like Schreiber's Orange Is The New Black Pornstache character, who Schreiber plays in an entirely different way from the last iconic dickbag he played.

Ian McShane plays Mr. Wednesday and he is perfectly cast for the role of a god who is essentially down on his luck and looking to build a new base of worshipers. McShane plays Wednesday well, maintaining a level of intrigue throughout the first season of American Gods that is both consistent and compelling. The ability to do that is impressive considering that Shadow Moon is a particularly inattentive character whose epiphany is hinged on being told explicitly who Mr. Wednesday is in the season finale . . . which is problematic in that the audience is told exactly who Wednesday is a few episodes prior to that. McShane, though, has the bearing, demeanor, and on-screen gravitas to credibly play a character who is wise, commanding, and has a trickster aspect to him. McShane dominates every scene he is in (in the best possible way).

There are more characters in American Gods, but in the first season, they are kept a supporting characters, most of whom are deliberately obscured and/or set up for bigger roles in subsequent seasons. And part of that is because the first season of American Gods deliberately obscures the overall plot arc of the season. The Old Gods who are living now in the United States are struggling for relevance in the face of New Gods - Media, technology, and interconnectedness. The Old Gods are either attempting to reinvent themselves to stay alive (the show features vignettes of various gods, including one whose entire base of worshipers has completely died out, thus killing the god) or are being marshaled to fight the New Gods outright. But most of the big meetings do not happen in the first season and the outright war is not the subject of the first season; American Gods defers its action, character growth, and (for much of the season) true purpose.

The direction in the first season of American Gods is homogeneously wonderful. American Gods Season 1 is a beautiful-looking show and it flows effortlessly between surreal scenes and a cold, literal world.

Ultimately, the first season of American Gods is an essential bedrock season of a serialized show. The characters are established, the purpose is (eventually) made clear, and the concept is solid. Whether Bryan Fuller and the rest of the American Gods team can pull off the larger story in a satisfying way will determine whether the investment viewers place in watching the first season is paid off, but on its own, the first season of American Gods is far more erratic and requires far more faith to invest in than one might want to admit.

For a better understanding of exactly what this season entails, please check out my reviews of the individual episodes at:
"The Bone Orchard"
"The Secret Of Spoons"
"Head Full Of Snow"
"Git Gone"
"Lemon Scented You"
"A Murder Of Gods"
"A Prayer For Mad Sweeney"
"Come To Jesus"

For other works from the 2016 – 2017 television season, please check out my reviews of:
Twin Peaks - Season 3 ("The Return")
Doctor Who - Season 10
Glow - Season 1
Orange Is The New Black - Season 5
House Of Cards - Season 5
The Flash - Season 3
Supergirl - Season 2
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Season 3
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 4
Sense8 - Season 2
Dear White People - Season 1
Legends Of Tomorrow - Season 2
The Walking Dead - Season 7
Thirteen Reasons Why - Season 1
Grace And Frankie - Season 3
Iron Fist - Season 1
Love - Season 2
Santa Clarita Diet - Season 1
A Series Of Unfortunate Events - Season 1
One Day At A Time - Season 1
Travelers - Season 1
The OA - Season 1
Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life
"Invasion!" - Arrow
Luke Cage - Season 1
Stranger Things - Season 1

5.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The First Season Of American Gods Peaks At "Come To Jesus"

The Good: Well-paced, Plot ties the season together, Good performances, Decent character moments
The Bad: Could use more Shadow Moon
The Basics: "Come To Jesus" finishes the first season of American Gods well, though it is very much the culmination of the prior episodes, as opposed to being a story driven by the show's protagonist.


As the first season of American Gods ratcheted up toward its end, the basic purpose of the entire series became clear: Wednesday is an Old God, who is nearing the end of his relevance and power in the face of New Gods, some of whom want to extinguish the ancient divinities (and reinvent others). Given the apparent invincibility of the New God Mr. World, the stakes are both high for the series and for a compelling season finale. "Come To Jesus" is the first season finale of American Gods and it bears the burden of ending in a place that makes viewers want to tune back in for the second season and put the characters in a predicament that justifies the faith viewers have put in the first half of the oft-surreal, oft-obscure show.

"Come To Jesus" (largely) succeeds with both goals.

Picking up after the events of "A Prayer For Mad Sweeney" (reviewed here!) which found Mad Sweeney (in the main narrative) overcome with a sense of guilt strong enough to make him change his mind about killing Laura Moon a second time, "Come To Jesus" is the culmination of the journey Wednesday and Shadow Moon began back in the pilot. Now, with a clear purpose, Wednesday is attempting to recruit Old Gods and "Come To Jesus" has him attempting to bring the Old Goddess Ostara, Easter, into the fray on his side. "Come To Jesus" is the ultimate episode for the atheists and agnostics who have invested in American Gods as it explicitly argues that modern religions have co-opted old religious figures, symbols, and holidays and that a god is anyone (or thing) that is worshiped (hence the multiple Jesuses in the episode).

Opening with Wednesday and Shadow Moon at Mr. Nancy's shop where he works his loom to create oufits for the pair. Mr. Nancy (Anansi) tells the pair the story of Bilquis and how she would be worshiped at orgies and bring down rulers in ancient Egypt. Bilquis evolves through the ages, until 1979, Tehran, where she is forced out of the Middle East. She retreats to America, where she is soon forgotten and homeless. On the streets, she is approached by Techno Boy, who offers her worship in the form of followers on a dating site in her name (Sheba). Nancy concludes the story by making his point explicit; gods need queens to truly rule and remain relevant.

Wednesday and Shadow Moon arrive in Kentucky, en route to their meeting in Wisconsin. The goddess Ostara is holding court on her day, which has been co-opted by the Christians as Easter. Shadow Moon quickly recognizes that he is in the presence of many gods, including several Jesuses. Wednesday tries to make Ostara angry over the fact that no one prays in her name and that antagonism affords them the chance to meet privately. Techno Boy hunts down Bilquis and calls in her debt to him, charging her with using her seductive powers to bring down one of his enemies. Laura Moon and Mad Sweeney arrive at Ostara's home, with Laura suffering further decomposition, while Wednesday pitches to Ostara that they starve the Americans so they start to worship Ostara again. Ostara meets with Laura Moon and reveals that she was killed by a god and cannot be resurrected using her powers. Ostara is alarmed when Media and Mr. World arrived and that leads to an escalation in Wednesday's plan.

"Come To Jesus" reveals what has been alluded to throughout the first season of American Gods, that Wednesday is the god most commonly known as Odin, the Norse god. Odin is in a war for his survival and "Come To Jesus" continues to defer the war; Wednesday is looking for a powerful ally so he might survive the impending conflict.

The brilliance in "Come To Jesus" comes from the casting. Kristin Chenoweth is perfectly cast as Ostara. Ostara is a long-forgotten goddess, whom Wednesday riles up. Ostara has been co-opted as Easter and she has compromised. But Ostara is tremendously powerful (she has the ability to bring spring) and Chenoweth is perfectly cast to play a character who is hiding her power and the full range of her majesty. Her perky deliveries are contrasted with frustrated lines and Chenoweth plays the transitions perfectly. In a similar fashion, Jeremy Davies plays Jesus Christ in a delightfully serene manner and his sadness over realizing Christians have co-opted Ostara's day for him is well-executed.

The imagery from the early episodes - Shadow Moon's bone orchard vision and the white buffalo with the flaming eyes - returns, which continues to insinuate throughout the episode that Shadow Moon is someone other than the simple man he appears to be.

"Come To Jesus" gives Emily Browning something very real and different to perform. Browning plays Laura Moon as dead, but wanting to be alive. Browning's subtle and dark performance contrasts incredibly well with Chenoweth's more perky and expressive acting. Browning expresses longing exceptionally well in "Come To Jesus" and it allows her to show off more emotional range in the part of Laura Moon than she was able to present in her character in prior episodes.

It is hard not to watch "Come To Jesus" and be completely captivated by the final act. When Gillian Anderson's Media steps into the episode, the pace accelerates in exactly the way a writer, director, and executive producer hopes to make a story that is relenting to its climax. "Come To Jesus" does what a season finale needs to . . . but it is the culmination, largely, of the season's plot elements with a somewhat unsatisfying arc for the primary protagonist. For sure, Shadow Moon has a part in "Come To Jesus," but he is still a bystander and enabler in what started out as his story. American Gods is not moved to its logical powerful, logical, conclusion by Shadow Moon, which is a little disappointing.

The special effects - CG and make-up - in "Come To Jesus" are wonderful and enhance the story in the best possible way, like good special effects ought to.

Ultimately, "Come To Jesus" is an excellent pay-off to a season that has been occasionally erratic, sometimes entirely surreal and it does everything a good season finale ought to, setting up a very different and potent second season of American Gods.

For other season finale episodes, please check out my reviews of:
"The Defenders" - The Defenders
"Call To Arms"- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"The Parting Of The Ways" - Doctor Who
"Episode 7"- Twin Peaks

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into American Gods - The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season of the surreal series here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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American Gods With Explicit Purpose: "A Murder Of Gods"

The Good: Good acting, Moments of character, Direction
The Bad: Plot meanders
The Basics: "A Murder Of Gods" does a good job of transitioning the various American Gods characters to a place where the critical ones each have a purpose!


As the first season of American Gods progressed, the show hit a stride after it gained a purpose. After a series of meandering episodes, the primary antagonist to Mr. Wednesday appeared in "Lemon Scented You" (reviewed here!). Mr. World was pretty awesome when he popped up and his entrance was cleverly related; he knows everything about everyone, but Wednesday had essentially slipped under his radar. It's a neat idea, that the omniscient character would know everything, but have to focus to get recall. "Lemon Scented You" was notable in that Technical Boy turned Mr. World's focus on Wednesday and Shadow Moon. So, as "A Murder Of Gods" begins and the essential purpose of American Gods is now known, the series experiences a burden of making it make sense that Mr. World is not refocusing on Wednesday so quickly.

The instant joy that comes for viewers in "A Murder Of Gods" is that, now that the cat is out of the bag on the plot for the first season, the new episode wastes no time in introducing new gods with clarity. After a teaser that shows Mexican Jesus, Vulcan explicitly enters the story and it is nice to see a new character introduced without pretense, subtlety or mystery. Vulcan, even in American Gods is Vulcan, the Roman God Of Fire and Smithing - the Roman appropriation of the Greek god Hephaestus. So, unlike Wednesday's very opaque visit with the Russian gods - who many viewers have no knowledge of - Wednesday clearly approaches Vulcan for aid in his attempt to restore the power of old gods and stop the new gods from eradicating them.

The "Coming To America" vignette features a Mexican border crossing at night. At the climax of the crossing, minutemen (the border vigilantes) arrive and shoot at the immigrants, including Mexican Jesus. Leaving the decimated police station, Shadow Moon is entirely in shock about what he saw inside and the death of all the officers who had been holding them moments before. When Shadow tells Wednesday he saw Laura, Wednesday decides it is time to run. As they drive off, Wednesday sees Laura trying to catch them. Laura, finding her car missing, enlists Mad Sweeney to steal her a car. In attempting to steal a car, Laura and Mad Sweeney meet Salim and the three set out for Kentucky.

Arriving at Vulcan, Virginia, Wednesday and Shadow Moon find a gun-toting town where bullets are manufactured at the plant there. Vulcan is reluctant to join Wednesday's war, but they head off to explore the possibilities. Mad Sweeney wakes up to find that Laura has brought them back to Indiana. While they have a drink at the bar in which Shadow Moon made his deal with Wednesday, Wednesday and Shadow Moon meet with Vulcan. Wednesday asks Vulcan to made him a blade for his impending attack on the new gods and Vulcan agrees. Wednesday inspires Shadow to see Laura and he is able to tap into her as she stalks her family of origin.

The opening of "A Murder Of Gods" is decent foreshadowing in American Gods and makes explicit comments Wednesday made in prior episodes. There are multiple Jesuses based on the belief and groups in the American Gods world and Mexican Jesus is both the first once referenced and explicitly seen in the show.

"A Murder Of Gods" is refreshing in that it makes so much explicit, for a change. Laura Moon is now on a quest to get resurrected, Mad Sweeney is on a mission to get his lucky coin back and Wednesday is in a fight for his very survival. Even Salim has a purpose in "A Murder Of Gods" as he is searching for a Djinn. In the second half of the episode as "A Murder Of Gods" transitions from the scattered characters all going on road trips to Wednesday making an appeal to Vulcan to join his side in the impending war, the episode reveals the grand potential of the series.

As with most episode of American Gods, "A Murder Of Gods" is incredibly well-directed. Adam Kane makes the mundane beautiful with shots of lighting matches, bullets raining down upon a car, and even the simple act of Salim turning his head. "A Murder Of Gods" is visual poetry.

For an episode that includes Corbin Bernsen in the role of Vulcan, the real shock on the acting front is that Pablo Schreiber dominates "A Murder Of Gods." Bernsen is wonderful as Vulcan; infusing the character with a subtle, unexplained racism against Shadow Moon and Ian McShane plays off Bernsen masterfully. When Bernsen's Vulcan asks Shadow about hanging, Ian McShane's expression is nuanced and amazing in that Adam Kane captures it at the right angle and timing.

But, despite the greatness of the veteran actors, it is Pablo Schreiber who rules the acting front of "A Murder Of Gods." Schreiber is given a lot of exposition to deliver as Mad Sweeney and in his key scene, Mad Sweeney becomes darkly philosophical and Schreiber makes the lines sound like a song. It is exceptional how Schreiber is able to make the unlucky, unlikable leprechaun who is delivering harsh truths into a must-watch character, but he does so in "A Murder Of Gods."

On the character front, Shadow Moon - now armed with some truths about gods living among the mortals - is able to start asking better questions and his frustration becomes much more palpable and understandable. When Shadow Moon asks relevant questions and is simply told that he wouldn't believe the answers, the viewer feels what Shadow does. "A Murder Of Gods" is a good transition episode that allows the characters to push forward - from Laura making an effort to make peace with her mother to Salim praying to celebrate life to Wednesday becoming explicitly shocked from betrayal - and it makes them all seem relevant.

Even in the a-plot, not much happens in "A Murder Of Gods," but the episode looks good and has the primary performers acting at a higher caliber (possibly because now they understood just what their characters were doing!) than in some of the prior episodes. That makes it a treat to watch and come back to!

For other works Corbin Bernsen, please check out my reviews of:
Psych - Season 8
The Big Year
Psych - Season 1
"Deja Q"- Star Trek: The Next Generation

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into American Gods - The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season of the surreal series here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Enter The American Gods Adversary: "Lemon Scented You"

The Good: Wonderful performances, Good plot, Decent character progression, Impressive directing
The Bad: ? I'm still not certain, but the episode is not perfect.
The Basics: "Lemon Scented You" finally brings explicit purpose to American Gods and is makes for a near-perfect hour of television!


Sometimes, a show is presented in such a way that it starts and presents itself without making its story explicit right away. Character-driven stories often take some time to develop the protagonist as their own, well-rounded person before the essential conflict of the story begins. The first season of American Gods was only eight episodes long and the true purpose, antagonist and reason for the series is only made explicit in the fifth episode. That episode is "Lemon Scented You" and it is nice that, after giving the show the benefit of the doubt for four episodes, it finally is set-up to become something other than a meandering tale that seems more about getting fans to guess what is going on than actually tell a coherent story.

"Lemon Scented You" follows on the heels of "Git Gone" (reviewed here!) and it starts out with establishing the premise of the series explicitly and then finally advancing the story of Shadow Moon from the surprising moment two episodes prior. American Gods, at least in its first season, explores a world populated by actual gods wherein old gods have been dying off, utterly forgotten and are struggling for their survival. The old gods are in conflict with a host of new deities who not only want to control humanity, but eradicate the old gods who refuse to adapt to their new way of doing things.

Opening in the snow with the story of a tribe that crosses the tundra with their ancient god, that is ultimately forgotten, Shadow Moon returns to his motel to find Laura waiting for him there. After determining that she is real, the two discuss how Laura cheated on him. Shadow returns to the room after getting her a pack of cigarettes to find Laura in the tub, warming up for him in case he wants to touch her. A crow brings Wednesday a message and Wednesday interrupts Shadow and Laura's reunion. The men are arrested then.

Technical Boy falls victim to one of his own virtual reality devices, where he encounters Media, who tells him he needs to apologize. Technical Boy refuses to apologize directly, despite it being a asked of him by Mr. World. Shadow Moon and Wednesday are interrogated, but neither breaks under the local police's questioning. While they are being interrogated, Mad Sweeney finds Laura and he tries to take his coin back by force. Unable to do that, Mad Sweeney is arrested when the police arrives and Laura plays dead. Back at the police station, Media and Mr. World arrive to offer Wednesday a deal instead of a fight.

Coming on the heels of "Git Gone," "Lemon Scented You" is a refreshing change of pace. "Git Gone" was a fairly intimate character study of the unlikable Laura Moon as she makes her way through life, dies, and comes back confused and no more fun to be around than when she was initially alive. So, moving the story ahead in explicit and interesting ways was pretty much demanded by "Lemon Scented You" and it, blissfully, provides.

"Lemon Scented You" marks the return of Technical Boy, who was in so little of the pilot episode (reviewed here!) that it was hard to actually define him as an antagonist for the season. Mr. World bursts into "Lemon Scented You," after being referenced by Media and Technical Boy, with an incredible presence and a body count. Coming on the heels of Mr. Wednesday telling his interrogator explicitly about his conflict and his upcoming war with the new gods, Mr. World's entrance into the story is powerful.

Bryan Fuller must have been great to work with as Tracie Thoms, who was on his show Wonderfalls (reviewed here!) back in the day, pops up in "Lemon Scented You." Thoms plays Shadow Moon's police interrogator and it is nice to see that after all these years, she has not lost her on-screen grativas. Unfortunately for Thoms, who is good in her brief role, she gets completely overshadowed by the return of Pablo Schreiber as Mad Sweeney - who has amazing presence - and Crispin Glover, who's entrance as Mr. World is quite memorable. The acting in "Lemon Scented You" is universally great, though it certainly helps by having Gillian Anderson playing both David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe in two exceptionally well-written tongue-in-cheek scenes that allow her to show off.

Director Vincenzo Natali translates Maria Melnik and David Graziano's story and script into a truly beautiful hour of television. There are amazing shots in "Lemon Scented You" and this is the episode that finally hooks viewers who are on the fence about the show.

"Lemon Scented You" is a near-perfect hour of television. There is an ineffable quality to perfection; I cannot recall a perfect anything (other than album of music) where I did not know on the first pass that it was perfect. "Lemon Scented You" comes close, but misses narrowly. Is it the arrest of Mad Sweeney? Is it Laura Moon getting the episode's last scene? Whatever element of "Lemon Scented You" robs it of perfection, most viewers are unlikely to see the difference between what is in the episode and what a perfect story contains. Regardless, this is easily the best episode thus far of American Gods and it is a treat to return to multiple times!

For other works with Crispin Glover, please check out my reviews of:
Hot Tub Time Machine
Alice In Wonderland
9
Epic Movie
Charlie's Angels
Back To The Future

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into American Gods - The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season of the surreal series here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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