Star Trek Discovery — Series 4 Episode 2 — Anomaly — A Review

1st April, 2022.

Right … it’s Friday, 1st April, 2022.

Which is nice to know.

I’ve got the TV switched off.

Partly?   So it’s not distracting.

But partly?   So I can hear my vegetables doing.

Yep: I’m doing dinner, again

Once I’ve had it?

I’ll be watching Anomaly, the second episode of Star Trek Discovery’s fourth series: and telling you About it, by tomorrow night.

You can let me know what you thought, then!

~≈🚀≈~

2nd April, 2022.

Episode 2 — Anomaly — opens with a brief summary of Kobayashi Maru.

Then moves on: showing us Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew at a high level meeting of senior Starfleet staff, and Federation politicians.

Including Federation President Rillak, President T’Rina of Ni’Var* and Admiral Vance (Chelah Horsdal, Tara Roslin and Oded Fehr): all of them demanding the overwhelmed Commander Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Lieutenant Tilly (Mary Wise) give them answers and information the pair don’t have.

The fleet’s only option … ?

Is to send a ship to the Anomaly: so someone can analyse the thing, and bring information home.

Captain Burnham volunteers the Discovery and her crew: with added help from its temporary First Officer, Saru (Doug Jones).

Captain Burnham’s only problem?

The only ship that can get through the debris field around the anomaly?

Is Book’s morphing ship.

The only suitable pilot?

Is its owner.

The deeply traumatised, hallucinating, Book … who’s seeing images of his now dead nephew … 

Even with the support from Lieutenant Commander Stamets, Book … ?

Is having issues with this job …

~≈🚀≈~

Now … 

What did I think?

I know I’m thinking Anomaly’s another very well made episode.

Actings, scripting, direction: all look good.

Granted: I think Adira and Grey’s story is … a little too fluffy for my taste.

Well presented, but fluffy, none-the-less.

Saying that?   Grey having a new synthetic body will help: it means less scenes where Adira is apparently interacting with nothing, rather than their crew-mates.

There’s one scene in Kobayshi Maru where Adira does exactly that: talks to Grey, rather than their immediate crew mates … in the middle of an exploding bridge.

Anything that can keep that to a minimum is to be welcomed: frankly, it’s not as well handled as Gaius Baltar’s relationship with ‘his’ Six.

This episode’s big upside … ?

This episode’s big upside was David Ajala’s performance as the traumatised Cleveland ‘Book’ Booker: it’s absolutely superb.

If I’m any judge?   The Emmys are as bad as the Oscars: when it comes to handing out gongs to science fiction shows.

That’s disgusting, if that is the case: Ajala surely deserves a gong for his work in this episode.

~≈🚀≈~

At ANY rate … ?

That’s where I’ll leave this post.

I’ll be watching the next episode, Choose to Live, on Friday, 8th April: and will have my reviews up, on the Ninth.

I’d love it if you joined me!

Anomaly.

★★★★

*        Ni’Var is the new name for Vulcan: season three revealed that Vulcan and the Romulan Empire had finally unified.