Harry Mudd is back – and he’s out for blood. Repeatedly.

Yes, going back and repeating a sequence of events that often culminates in the destruction of the ship is a trope that Star Trek has consistently played with since the days of The Next Generation, but it’s one that’s given a distinct twist, as you might expect, in its Discovery incarnation. There’s time for a little wander into Groundhog Day territory (although that’s a bit odd – it’s usually the person who remembers the cycle who learns a new skill, rather than someone caught in the loop) and yet another great performance from Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets, fast becoming my favourite person on the ship.

I’m not convinced everything quite hangs together in the final cycles (there’s only half an hour each time around and a hell of a lot has to be done in that time for the conning of the con man to work) but on first watching, it’s fun to see Harry Mudd initially on top and then things falling apart for him quite so spectacularly. As Mudd himself says, the multiple murders of Captain Lorca become a bit wearing after a while, and the writers sensibly move away from this aspect for much of the episode. There’s quite a bit of “handwavium” involved in the explanation but as I’m expecting to see Mudd return later this season, hopefully some of the loose ends (such as where and how he got the device) will be made clearer. Rainn Wilson has given an edge to the part that is a little harsher than the way Roger C. Carmel played Harry – but you can still see it’s the same character.

It’s good to see the crew off duty (although they all obviously have hugely retro tastes in music…) and I suspect given everything we’ve had to date that the events within the cycles that have been overwritten will be revisited in the weeks to come.

Verdict: Another enjoyable episode. 8/10

Paul Simpson