Spoilers

Boimler and Mariner go to Qo’noS, while Migleemo gets some attention on the Cerretos.

While some episodes play up the plot or characterization, this one is all about the one-liners with lots of great – and a few odd – tidbits in the rapid-fire dialogue. Oddly, the episode overall mishandles the Klingon culture, something I recall Lower Decks avoiding previously.

This episode opens on Qo’noS and shows us Klingon farmers, two brothers demonstrating sibling rivalry Klingon style. One is Mariner’s Klingon friend Ma’ah who keeps dodging her calls, but she shows up anyway, determined to help him regain his ship. Evidently Klingons have not just the Klingon Council that governs, but also a Klingon Oversight Council. In this case, the head of the council has it in for Ma’ah because Ma’ah killed his brother. Thus we get a challenge reminiscent of The Next Generation right down to the pain sticks.

But the whole thing is off kilter. Boimler’s sudden obsession with Klingons and expansive knowledge about their laws and traditions comes out of nowhere, as does his equating his new facial hair with courage (according to Mariner). Also odd: a whole bunch of references to Klingons hating humans, which I suppose can be taken simply as racism but are so prevalent they imply that the Empire and the Federation don’t get along any more. The Klingon military culture is insulted with warriors being called “dainty”. Throughout this installment, the humor slightly but repeatedly misses its mark. One example that doesn’t: Qo’noS has its own franchises, with a chain of bars called The Warrior Pit.

Dismayingly, the Klingon Cleavage Cutouts are back. These made zero sense when they first appeared as a style of ‘armor’ and still do not. That said, the show almost redeems itself with the appearance of Mary Chieffo herself (aka Discovery’s Chancellor T’Rell) who does a cool cameo despite the fact that she’s voicing a Klingon with the hots for captains. What an ironic waste.

Near the end, Mariner confesses she also wanted Ma’ah’s help to get to an anomaly – a ‘hole in space’ – within the Klingon Empire that Starfleet wants to study.  We jump to her thanking him for the assist, and in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment adds an important, ominous kicker that will presumably factor in to later episodes.  The natural phenomena they were investigating apparently are deliberately created instead.

Much funnier in its ridiculousness, Migleemo’s homeworld Klowahka is all about food, and he is delighted that the Cerretos will be ferrying two of its most powerful leaders home. They are, of course, food critics! Alas, they are also – hysterically – arrogant and obnoxious. They loath the ship and meet Migleemo’s attempts to cook for them with scathing contempt. This gives us a couple of nice instances of Freeman standing up for her crew. After the first disastrous meal, Tendi and Rutherford come to the rescue and assist with a second one. Migleemo is defeated and fatalistic – even accepting his arrest – when it’s met with equal disdain, but his crewmates grow suspicious and come up with a plan. This leads to the food critics literally eating shit and raving about it, which reveals them as frauds. Their ruffled feathers upon being found out make for an amusing visual. Due to the pressure and stress of their jobs, they’ve lost all sense of taste, but Migleemo – a psychologist – agrees to help them.

Verdict: Both plots extol the virtues of teamwork and loyalty, but the one with the avian Klowahkans does a much better job at conveying the message.  The episode’s plot concentrates on Klingon bureaucracy, siblings, and on food. 7/10

Rigel Ailur

http://www.BluetrixBooks.com