Star Trek Discovery — Series 3 Episode 13 — That Hope Is You, Pt 2 — A Review

30th January, 2021.

Right … It’s getting late.

Which means … ?

Frankly, the older I get, the more a cocoa, an early night, and a Charlie Parker LP, sound like a good idea!

When I find one I recognise on Spotify, I’ll let you know … !

At any rate … ?

I’m starting this on a Saturday night.

With the intention of finishing it tomorrow night.

And telling you about the last episode of Star Trek Discovery’s third series, in the process.

~≈🖖≈~

Episode 13 — That Hope Is You, Pt 2 — opens with the traditional summary of earlier episodes, and of last week’s: reminding us that the USS Discovery has been hijacked by the Osyraa (Janet Kidder), and that Su’kal — the Kelpian child abandoned in the Verubin Nebula — is apparently linked to the Burn.

And reminds us that Dr Culber, Saru and Adira Tal (Wilson Cruz, Doug Jones and Blu del Barrio) are still stuck on the Dilithium planet … ever so rapidly dying of radiation poisoning.

With Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) threatening to fire on the captive Discovery, and with no way to pilot the ship?

Osyraa decides to flee: making sure that the escaping ship’s crew — led by Acting Captain Tilly (Mary Wiseman) — are corralled onto deck five 

When Osyraa turns off the life support.

The only option for half a dozen desperate Discovery crew?

Is to share an oxygen mask: and head for the nearest nacelle … with their last remaining bomb … 

With all this happening?

With that happening on one part of Discovery, in another?

Commander Burnham, and Cleveland Booker, (Sonequa Martin-Green and David Ajala) seriously want to help their ship mates.

But need to escape from Osyraa’s torturers, first.

With all this going on … ?

Saru is stuck on an alien world, with an abandoned child … who could so easily destroy the universe … 

~≈🖖≈~

Now … 

What did I think … ?

Have we got a good episode?

Was this a good conclusion to series three?

For starters: yes, it’s a very well made episode.

Not only has director, Olatunde Osunsanmi, has one hell of a concluding script to work with, one I feel that ties off all the knots of a thirteen episode run, and brings that to screen well.

And does so with a nice balance between action and dialogue: one I felt matched by the other episode I know Osunsanmi, directed, That Hope is You, Pt 1.

The fact he seems to get a good performance out of his cast?

Goes without saying.

That?   And the fact Osunsanmi managed to keep action and talk nicely balanced?

Convinces me CBS may want to keep him, and Jonathan Frakes, on retainer.

The show’s got a pair of equally competent directors here.

~≈🖖≈~

Equally?

Equally, yes.

I think series three of Star Trek Discovery is damn good.

The first two series were hampered, I think.

Having them set roughly ten years before the original series?   Limited any storylines they could tell: as the writers had to make sure they didn’t spoil the continuity.

Moving the ship, crew and characters forward, this way?

Shakes up the show’s universe, and gives familiar characters a fresh direction.

Frankly?

I’m looking forward to series four.

I want to see exactly how Captain Burnham and her crew, fly.