If there is one character in the Marvel Comic Book Universe that has always managed to fascinate me above anyone else, it has to be Frank Castle, a.k.a. ‘The Punisher’. I find him so intriguing simply because he is unlike any other character in print. He’s the ultra-rare, every man. A being without enhanced powers or super human abilities; he is just a broken man, forever trapped in a world of sorrow and fury and his strange psyche is oddly enough refreshing in a way since the anti-hero is such a rarity in comic these days.
 
Yet, despite his quirks and complexities, something that one would imagine Hollywood would feast upon since rich characters permeate the silver screen, Frank has never translated well to motion pictures. The first attempt to create his world on screen was a droll and boring action flick, followed by a more faithful tale that failed to resonate with audiences which in turn brought about an over the top, stylized sequel and considering how poorly that film performed at the box office, it seemed as though The Punisher would never enjoy a proper live action adaptation.   
 
Enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Netflix. Because after a wonderfully written guest stint on Daredevil, one where the character was done justice, Frank Castle was given his own series at last and this past Friday, The Punisher finally arrived on the ‘Flix and as it turns out, the series premiere, ‘3 AM’, was nothing short of spectacular. For starters, it finally gave us some resolution when it comes to Frank’s harrowing tale since the opening moments of the story feature him finally bringing those who harmed his family to justice and his subsequent retirement of The Punisher persona as a whole and well, that gory and fierce opening sequence served as the tip of the iceberg to a fascinating character study.

Because, we’ve all wondered what would happen to some of our favorite characters if and when they finally achieved a goal that haunted them for years on end and well, Frank’s journey answered that question quickly in that, the pain simply doesn’t go away. Frank of course, expected nothing short of catharsis for bringing those men to justice, but in the days and months that follow, the death of his family still haunts him day and night and the only way that Frank can find any peace is through a subdued version of violence by way of working a construction job and taking the demolition part of that gig to the next level day and night and while the subtlety of that alone could have carried this episode, the series decided to take all of that a step further in impressive fashion.
 
It accomplished that by taking us deep into Frank’s psyche, a place where Frank firmly believes he’s not worthy of anything in this life because of the things he’s done. He sees himself as lost, adrift in a world that has abandoned him, a theme reinforced often in this episode thanks to the smart twist of adding other veterans into the story and really, what made this part of the story beautiful in its own right is the fact that it presented PTSD in the raw and I love the fact that Frank Castle is trying desperately to fight it and find some purpose in life. It adds a sense of realism to something we don’t talk about enough in our world and I’m also appreciative of how the story put this exploration on hold, by getting Frank back to doing what he does best, punishing the wicked.
 
Because by adding an opportunity for Frank to deal with those who do wrong in this world was a wonderful way to contrast his internal battle because once it becomes time for Frank to throw down he’s a totally different individual. He’s focused, and surging with energy and purpose and I like that his takedown of the wicked in this episode seems to hint that we are seeing the genesis of something he’s focused upon in the comics, using his skill set and his pain as a tool for those that are redeemable and worth saving in his eyes. Either way, what a wonderful and powerful way to kick off this brand-new series and while this inaugural episode didn’t quite set up a larger plot, who cares? Jon Bernthal’s performance alone carries this episode and I’m hooked because of it. Until next time. 

At some point along the line, we all come to realize that loss and grief are simply a part of the fabric that makes up our everyday lives and unfortunately coming to understand that fact, doesn’t make the moment when loss arrives any easier. Because when it happens, it takes us by complete and utter surprise and really, when it comes to this tough segment of our lives there is no proper way to deal with it, so we handle it the best way we know how.
 
For some, that involves owning their pain the instant it arrives and facing it head on and those are often times the people that bounce back from it quickly. While others out there, find themselves lost when it hits and their grief consumes them to the point where it may take them years to recover from it. Neither approach is right or wrong, because what matters most is the journey and what we learn about ourselves as we confront our pain and surprisingly, the long road back from grief was the focus of last night’s episode of The Orville, ‘Firestorm’.
 
Because last night, the crew of the Orville lost one of their own while trying to traverse a plasma storm and well, the death of Lieutenant Harrison Payne was one that deeply affected Alara since she firmly believed that her moment of hesitation is why the man died and that’s really where the boldness of this episode begins, since the series once again shed the rose colored glasses that are often used when telling utopian science fiction stories by reminding us that space is a dangerous place and that every life matters by showing us the crew’s reaction to their fallen shipmate by way of a sobering memorial that felt incredibly genuine.  

But the true power of Lieutenant Payne’s untimely death was explored by way of Alara and the fact that his passing completely shattered her to the point where she was ready to leave the Union altogether, something that the Captain would not allow, forcing her to take a unique route to heal her aching heart by subjecting herself to a simulation filled with fear and worst-case scenarios and this part of the episode was downright fascinating. Because you rarely see horror and sci-fi mix in stories such as this, but anyone who fears spiders and clowns likely shared in the crew’s terror because there they were, in all their horrific glory.
 
Yet while that little genre mashup was fascinating in its own right, the fact that Alara was willing to face her fears and her pain and overcome both of them at the same time was a wonderful twist to the story and honestly, serious credit needs to be given to Halston Sage, the actor who portrays Alara, because her incredible performance in this tale is what sold every single moment. You felt her pain, you shared in her fear and most importantly, you felt the same sense of satisfaction that she did at the end of the episode when the Lieutenant realized that she had in fact, found her way back from the abyss she was slipping into.
 
If anything, this particular episode of The Orville took my breath away because let’s be honest, we so rarely see science fiction shows in this particular vein take the time to explore death much less how it impacts the crew and quite frankly this was a stroke of genius. It just goes to show that the true focus and core of this series will always be about the day to day experiences of the crew of this intrepid vessel and maybe it’s the fact that I’ve dealt with loss myself this year, or the honest feel that came with this episode, but something about this one touched me on a deeply personal level. Either way, this show is simply incredible, and it continues to be bold and unique and this episode, is going to stay with me for quite some time…

​When we last left President Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor it seemed as though quite a storm was on the horizon. His Secretary of State was now a person of interest in a high-profile murder investigation. His mother-in-law continued to come under scrutiny from the FBI and it really just seemed like the poor man was never going to quite get a break when it came to the mounting issues surrounding him. That is until last night. Because ‘Family Ties’ finally allowed for a little light to shine through the window for Tom Kirkman, at least…for the most part.
 
Because there is still trouble brewing for the President and his family, but at least he was able to enjoy some victories in this episode. Case in point, the fact that his Secretary of State was finally absolved of any wrong doing. Because despite learning that Cornelius and Charlotte were having an affair behind the scenes, it turns out that Secretary Moss never harmed her, he only tried to set things right with their relationship. Instead, Charlotte’s assistant was the one who pulled the trigger simply due to the fact that her boss had zero interest in starting a romantic relationship with her.
 
But while that removed one lingering issue for the President, the highlighted story for this episode was the President of Turkey’s long and twisted power play to gain leverage over Kirkman and well, I thoroughly enjoyed this plot line simply because it once again allowed for Kiefer Sutherland to shine and shine bright. Because nobody puts President Kirkman in a corner and to see him stand up to an international bully and find a way to put him in his place once the man’s grand scheme was revealed, was the stuff of magic and I always love when the series allows for Kirkman to simply do his thing.
 
If anything, it just seemed like win after win were rolling in for the President, to the point where It even appeared that the whole mess with Eric Little was finally going to go away after a solid interview and quality deposition came into play. But I made mention of the fact that trouble is still waiting in the wings for Tom Kirkman, because despite that victory, it would seem that Patrick Lloyd’s grand plan is now coming to fruition since we learned that the First Lady has been subpoenaed over an offshore bank account set up six months ago in her name and well…just like that, the light from all those victories was snatched away.
 
It would seem that Lloyd’s plan from beyond the grave is to make the Kirkman Administration appear to be as corrupt as can be, which would allow for the American people to lose hope in all the institutions they’ve placed their faith into and once that’s accomplished, who knows what comes next. But when all is said and done, I love the fact that this series is willing to give us stand-alone episodes such as this, that still manage to entertain and captivate when the bigger plot is advanced just a little bit, and as long as they keep delivering stories where Tom Kirkman is allowed to shine like this, I’ll be tuning in and I can’t wait to see what complexities await the Commander-in-chief when he travels to Afghanistan next week. Until then. 

​When I think back on season three of The Flash, I’m always reminded of the fact that this predominantly dark season always had a silver lining to it, in that, this was the year that Barry Allen truly became a hero since a good chunk of last season explored what makes a hero tick on a fairly regular basis. I make mention of that today, because for the most part in television, large story arcs such as that, rarely find their way into future seasons. Events or moments are often the focus of a throwback if you will, but last night, this series resurrected that notion in wonderful fashion.
 
Because, ‘When Harry Met Harry…’ allowed for Barry to become a true mentor and inspiration of sorts, and while I fully understand the fact that he was of course, the man that Wally West looked up to last season, let’s never forget the fact that Wally was a good man at heart to begin with, one that wanted to make the world a better place, a stark contrast from what we’ve seen so far when it comes to Ralph Dibny. After all, while dear Mister Dibny wants to be good, he often leaps before he looks, resulting in sometimes hilarious but always disastrous consequences, which made his journey with Barry this episode a satisfying one indeed.
 
Because at long last, Ralph finally shed his doofus and jerk persona to do the right thing for a change. Granted, it took some serious poking and prodding from Barry to make that happen, but it was quite lovely to see Mister Allen really work to reach Ralph, and take the proper time to teach him what it means to be a hero and when the big moment finally arrived for Ralph to do the right thing, my goodness, for the first time in his short history on the show I was able to actually like Ralph completely and see him as a genuine hero, one that did everything is his power to make Central City and the Flash proud.
 
However, while the feel-good portion of this story was a joy to watch, there is an evil supervillain still waiting in the wings and in order to stay ahead of the bad guy for a change, Harry worked with several other Harrys from other Earths to discover the whereabouts of DeVoe and well, this whole sequence was pure genius thanks to Tom Cavanagh’s comedic timing and acting skills. But more importantly, their hard work did pay off. Because Barry and Joe were able to walk right up to the front door of the home of one mister Clifford DeVoe, only to discover he is a man free from any super powers or bionic abilities, he’s just a man in a wheelchair.
 
Which in turn brings up all kinds of fascinating questions and the biggest one on my mind is, have they uncovered the villain before he has become a villain? If so, then Team Flash has inadvertently stumbled upon a temporal causality loop, one that Barry will no doubt work to free himself and DeVoe from in order to avoid conflict and bloodshed. Either way, Barry and his once and future nemesis have met face to face at last, and one has to wonder what will happen going forward to turn Mister DeVoe from average citizen into the mastermind that is the Thinker and it should be fun to see how it all unfolds. Until next time.

When a crisis arrives in our lives, the kind that makes us feel as though our world is crashing down around us…we all react in supremely different ways. Some of us simply let the power of the moment wash over us until it passes, some of us suck it up and forge ahead regardless of the pain, and others stand tall and confront their issues head on, while of some of us step away from our everyday lives for a moment in order to surround ourselves with the people that matter most in our lives, our family.
 
Because no one in this world, knows us better than our family, so what better a place to regroup and heal than amongst those we love? It’s an idea that so many of us have taken part of in our times of need and it is also a notion that Kara Danvers used to help her ailing sister in last night’s episode of Supergirl, ‘Midvale’, since the Danvers sisters returned to their home town to take a break from all of their troubles. Yet, while one might have thought that going home to heal would have provided us with a solid hour of Kara and Alex hashing out their pain, this particular chapter in Kara’s story took quite the unexpected twist.
 
Instead of dealing with the issues at hand, this episode transported us back in time to ten years prior, where Alex and Kara were still teenage sisters that oddly enough, didn’t really care for one another as they dealt with the fallout of Jeremiah’s exit from their lives and the only way that these two managed to come together and put aside their differences, was by working as a team to solve the murder of a local teenager and friend. It was this ‘first case’ that the duo worked on that managed to bring them together as a family and while it was cool to see the Danvers Girls sleuth it up and solve the case, the fact that this episode didn’t deal with any of the pain that Alex and Kara are carrying at the moment, irked me at first.
 
But after a few minutes of pondering it hit me. I sometimes forget that Supergirl isn’t your everyday, wrap it all up in an hour show, it likes to mirror our lives and connect with us and while the flashbacks provided some wonderful background as to what makes these characters tick, the present-day stuff mattered more. In that, sometimes there is no easy fix when it comes to our pain. We don’t just magically wake up one day and find that all is well. The big stuff forces us to take it day by day and heal just a little bit at a time, and dropping that into the show alongside a reminder that we also have to tough it out with our jobs and our lives when we want to curl up and hide because the world doesn’t just stop when we’re down, was a wonderful set of messages to send our way.
 
If anything, all of that reinforces the fact that this is hands down the most relatable superhero show on television right now, because we’ve all been where the Danvers sisters are at the moment and as always, their parallels to our lives also work to inspire us. Because if Supergirl can deal with her pain and still make the world the better place, then nothing should be holding us back in making wonders happen when it comes to our own lives. Either way, this was a lovely change of pace episode, one that did indeed stay true to the wonder of season three and kudos to this saga for being bold by not giving us a happy ending this episode so we can continue to watch these incredible characters fight the good fight and grow alongside the rest of us. Until next time.   

It’s been a long time since a Star Trek television series left me filled to the brim with anticipation over where the story is going next, but that’s precisely what Star Trek: Discovery managed to accomplish with last week’s episode. That ending, wherein the crew learned that the Klingons were on their way and a showdown was imminent had me counting down the minutes to this week’s episode and all the mysteries that it could solve.
 
After all, it was the Ship of the Dead headed toward Discovery and that meant the series had some grand opportunities in front of it. For starters, a return of the vessel where Captain Georgiou lost her life could signal a leap forward for Burnham’s long-awaited redemption, or…utter disaster for the crew and as it turns out, ‘Into the Forest I Go’ in essence offered up a little bit of both of those elements by way of a thrilling and satisfying fall finale.
 
So, if anything, let’s talk about the uplifting stuff first because it far outweighed the negative and really, the first thing about this episode that caught my eye, was the fact that this story allowed for the crew of the Discovery to truly shine in every way imaginable. They were dedicated to protecting the inhabitants of Pahvo. They believed in the cause and the fight and it was simply incredible to see the crew rally together and do the right thing, evoking a true sense of Trek and all of the wonderful things it stands for.
 
Even Lieutenant Stamets was willing to go above and beyond in this episode, because despite the risks involved in making 130 jumps to execute the Discovery’s master plan to decode the mystery of the Klingon Cloaking Device, he stepped back into the Spore Chamber with a smile on his face and put himself through complete and utter physical hell to get them the data they so desperately needed and if it wasn’t for his sacrifice, there’s a fair chance that this episode would have taken a far darker turn, and while it was lovely to see Stamets come around full circle in this episode, having gone from stuffy scientist to Hero of the Federation, there were some serious consequences when it comes to his actions.

​But we will discuss all of that in just a moment, because really, the centerpiece of the night was the fact that this episode truly marked a big step forward for Commander Burnham and her road to redemption. For she too was selfless in this episode, coming along with Lieutenant Tyler to the Ship of the Dead to plant the sensors to gather the data and when it seemed the mission was about to fail, she put herself into harm’s way, helping to save the day and in the process, she also restored a hint of honor to her fallen captain’s memory by retrieving Philippa’s badge and bearing witness to the end of the Ship of the Dead.
 
However, I made mention of some consequences and darker tones in this story and all of that came about by way of Lieutenants Stamets and Tyler. Because we learned in this tale that L’Rell tortured Ash in every horrible way imaginable, to the point where he was frozen aboard the Klingon ship upon confronting her and to make matters worse, whatever she did to him also gave her control over him since it would seem that Ash is quite open to whatever suggestions she has to offer and that could spell plenty of trouble when the series resumes in January.
 
As for Lieutenant Stamets, well…despite the wonder he’s experienced when it comes to traversing the fabric of space and time itself, he finally let Captain Lorca know he’d had enough of being the engine to the Spore Drive and agreed to one last jump…one that ended in disaster. Because something in his physiology changed mid jump, sending the Discovery to parts unknown and it left the Lieutenant mumbling about infinite possibilities while his love and his crewmates stared at his newly altered eyes and that’s where the story ended, shrouded in mystery.
 
Yet, while one might think of this as an unhappy ending, I simply don’t see it as such. Due to the fact that this story has always been about Burnham’s redemption and she’s making great strides when it comes to that and seeing the Discovery vanquish that awful ship closes an important chapter in her life and I cannot wait to see where her story goes from here. But, once the mission resumes in January, the ship does have those uglier mysteries to deal with first and it should be interesting to learn precisely what has happened to both Stamets and Tyler, and find out where exactly in the universe the U.S.S. Discovery has jumped to. Until next time. 

The age-old phrase, ‘the past will come back to haunt you’ exists for one reason, and one reason alone; it is one hundred percent true. Because despite our best efforts to either run from yesterday or bury it in our memories, it always finds a way to return to the forefront of our minds, or our lives. Some see this strange cycle of life as Karmatic justice, or a sign from a higher power that we need to deal with these issues in order to move forward in life.
 
Regardless of which school thought you subscribe to, it’s something that all of us should prepare for as best as we can, because when the past comes calling, it’s often at the most inopportune time possible, as was the case with last night’s episode of The Orville. Because ‘Cupid’s Dagger’ forced Captain Ed Mercer to work side by side with the man who seduced his First Officer and ex-wife in the midst of a diplomatic crisis and let’s just get it out on the table now, the return of Darulio made for one of the funniest episodes this series has put forth to date.
 
Which quite frankly, was a lovely surprise, because after several weeks of putting together some supremely intelligent and thoughtful episodes, it was nice to see the series throw caution to the wind and let loose with the comedy thanks to Darulio’s powerful pheromones and really the first thing about this particular tale that made me supremely happy was seeing the return of some big-time homages to Star Trek. Because the power that this blue skinned alien had over people instantly reminded me of ‘The Naked Time’ and ‘The Naked Now’ from TOS and TNG respectively since those two stories featured two different crews from a vessel named Enterprise in essence letting loose while a crisis was brewing.  

​However, the difference here is that Mercer, Grayson and Doctor Finn were the only ones afflicted by Darulio’s biology and limiting which crew members were under the influence of his pheromones, is what allowed for maximum hilarity. Because watching the Captain flirt and melt over spending time with Darulio was comedic genius and credit is to due to Seth MacFarlane and his acting abilities for being able to switch from straight laced Union Captain to giddy schoolboy because the whole scene where he was getting ready for drinks was one of many hilarious moments that left me with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.
 
Yet, this episode wasn’t focused solely on comedy, there was a war brewing between two age old enemies in the background and I was thoroughly surprised to see that in a roundabout way, this story did serve as a redemption tale for Darulio. After all, before the pheromones kicked in, he in essence had to deal with a hostile Captain and a regretful former lover in Kelly and despite his happy go lucky attitude, he seemed to fully recognize the trouble he had inadvertently caused it was nice to see him step up and find a way to use his biology for good to delay a bloody conflict before setting the groundwork for a better tomorrow, since his work revealed that these two bitter enemies were in fact bound by a common genetic framework.
 
Of course, it takes some serious talent to convey that kind of journey on screen and Rob Lowe, who played Darulio, delivered all of that in fine fashion, and I love the fact that he left his affair with Kelly ambiguous, in that…we may never know if it was his biology, or Kelly’s pain that truly drove her into his arms and in doing so, it forces Ed and Kelly to deal with that part of their past in proper fashion at the proper time. Regardless, this episode was just a joy to watch through and through, and I guess if there’s anything to complain about when it comes to this one, is the fact that I’m still dying to know as to whether or not Bortus can actually sing. I mean come on, he said he can, and we came so close to hearing him belt out the theme from Titanic. Either way, it’s good to know that this show is willing to take a break from more serious sci-fi from time to time to give the audience a hearty laugh or two and I look forward to seeing more episodes like this one down the road. Until next time.

​There are plenty of rich and proud traditions that permeate our society, ones that we consider to be so important, that not even superheroes and those that they love are exempt from them. Case in point, the Bachelor/Bachelorlette Party. This final rite of passage before matrimony is an essential celebration to signal the end of the single life and well, on last night’s episode of The Flash, ‘Girls Night Out’, those paramount parties were the focus of one incredibly fun and hilarious story.
 
Because let’s be honest, I think we all spent a fair amount of time last night laughing and laughing hard, especially when it came to Barry’s Bachelor Party since just about every hilarious situation one could put The Flash into, came about in this segment. I mean come on, Dibny having top level VIP status at The Golden Booty? Cisco and Harry making sure to have Hand Santizer on tap and for that matter…Barry getting utterly wasted? If anything, that was really the true highlight of this storyline since my goodness, he is one cuddly and entertaining drunk.
 
But while it would have been beyond amazing to simply watch Barry stay wasted and tell everyone he’s the Flash for an entire hour, there was some plot to be found in this chuckle fest as well, because in a stroke of pure genius, this tale gave all the girls of Team Flash a time to truly shine since Caitlin’s one eyed friend came looking for her since Amunet demanded to see Ms. Snow and it thrust the girls into a grand mystery involving this mysterious villain and her plans to use another Black Matter Meta to manufacture a powerful drug.
 
However, while it was ridiculously awesome to see just the ladies handle business with Barry out of contact and three sheets to the wind (with a lovely assist from Felicity Smoak I might add), the real highlight of this storyline was Caitlin finally confronting the problems that come with her alter ego Killer Frost. She has truly suffered through some tough times when it comes to her transition to a meta and it was wonderful to see Iris reach the good within her and to see Ms. Snow finally find a way to control her powers and use them for good at last.
 
In the end however, this episode was just a complete and utter delight to watch. I laughed way too hard at some of these jokes, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Battlestar Galactica veteran Katee Sackhoff pop up as Amunet since she brought a wonderful zest and zeal to the role that I’m not sure anyone else could have accomplished. Either way, I’m loving these little stand-alone episodes that the show continues to send our way. They’re just good old-fashioned fun, and at this point, necessity, since the Thinker is continuing to put together his master plan, and once he springs it, I have no doubt the show will get a touch more serious as Barry is one again put to the test. Until next time.

Revenge is something that it is a part of our lives whether we like it or not. We’ve either given it some serious thought, or taken part in it at some point or another simply due to the fact that no one likes to be wronged by another human being. Often times, what prevents us from exacting our vendetta is our own moral code, in that we want to be better than those who hurt us, and if by chance we do take part in it, it is usually a simple act designed to make us feel better and deliver our souls a sense of justice.
 
But for some, a simple act is not enough. If they are going to make things right again, they need to hurt not only the person that made their life hell, but everyone and anyone that they care about. It’s rare to see revenge go that far, but once in a while it does happen and oddly enough, a ‘Scorched Earth’ policy of vengeance ended up being the focus of Supergirl last night, because ‘Damage’ featured the collateral kind as Malcolm Edge returned to settle his score with Lena Luthor in an episode that more or less returned this saga to its more traditional brand of storytelling.
 
As it turns out, if Malcolm couldn’t have CatCo and Lena’s empire, he would instead ruin her in the court of public opinion and the maverick of a businessman exposed what appeared to be a grand mistake on Lena’s part, in that the lead bomb she brought about to end the Daxamite threat was making children sick in the long run. But of course, Kara was on the case when it came to this and with an assist from Samantha, she came to discover that someone actually poisoned a public pool with a chemical to make it appear that lead poisoning had occurred and that someone was Edge. Of course, Kara won’t be able to prove it since he covered his tracks but holy cow man…what an evil dude Edge is turning out to be if his idea of revenge is hurting kids, because I mean come on, not even the worst of the worst will go out of their way to harm children.
 
Yet while Kara was dealing with that ugly mess, Alex had her hands full with her own important issue…saying farewell to her fiancé. Because after another round of trying to find common ground when it comes to having children, and finding zero resolution on the matter, Alex did what she felt she had to do and broke it off with Maggie. It was a stunning moment to say the least considering how happy these two have made one another, but this show has never shied away from powerful moments that resonate with all of us and while it was a shame to see them say their goodbyes…It’s incredibly important that Alex finds a true equal that wants to share in everything that she wants out of life and hopefully down the road this character finds that perfect someone.
 
If anything, I really enjoyed how this particular episode balanced the best parts of Supergirl as a whole. We got plenty of action and adventure and villainous smiles from the Malcolm Edge storyline, while at the same time this episode delivered a tale fill with depth and meaning by way of Alex’s tough decision and as season three rolls on, I’m starting to wonder how many more episodes will be a dynamic hybrid such as this. After all, Malcolm Edge is back and ready to cause trouble and there is the whole matter of Samantha finding out that she’s impervious to bullets, meaning there’s plenty of room for more big-time and meaningful stories as this incredible season rolls on. Until next time. 

​If there is one solid point that Star Trek: Discovery has managed to hammer home, it’s that…war is hell. We’ve seen the darkest parts of it as Captain Lorca makes questionable decisions to defeat the Klingons and we’ve seen the crew suffer from its impact as well. But believe or not, this series continues to find new ways to explore the brutality of conflict, because last night’s episode, ‘Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum’, found a way to examine the lasting effects of a prolonged conflict because this crew…is wearing down as the war rolls on.
 
This is something that was evident from the beginning of this particular tale, since the crew of the Discovery was unable to assist and save a sister ship from a surprise Klingon attack and well, watching another vessel detonate in front of them left everyone, the Captain included, with slumped shoulders and a sense of defeat and it just seems that as this war rolls on, they’re all starting to struggle with the losses and the relentless nature of the Klingons.
 
For that matter, even the day to day combat operations aboard the Discovery are taking their toll upon the crew, Lieutenant Stamets in particular. Because spending so much time attached to the universe when the ship uses the Spore Drive to jump is starting to impact his life since he’s coming out of the jumps confused about his surroundings and he’s consistently irritated over the fact that he’s having incredible difficulty with focusing his mind in general and it seems the symptoms of this disorientation are getting worse as time goes on.  
 
Heck, even the Klingons are having their own issues with the war, since this story also followed up with L’Rell and the fact that she has become disillusioned with the war since Kor is only focused on a mad power grab instead of following the teachings of T’Kuvma, and she is so done with his interstellar ego that she comes aboard his ship to get her hands on Admiral Cornwall in the hopes of defecting to the Federation. It’s a plan that quickly goes south and leaves us with more questions than answers, specifically…whether or not the Admiral is alive after their escape attempt.

​But truly, the centerpiece of the night was the mission to the planet Pahvo, a place that the Federation desperately hoped would give them the upper hand in the war effort. For in this place, a strange EM harmony exists, one complete with a massive transmitter that could help Starfleet detect cloaked Klingon ships and while at first it seemed as though this planet was uninhabited by anything sentient, a surprise encounter with beings that believe in peace and harmony over all things and that are also seemingly made up entirely of energy changed everything for the mission at hand.
 
After all, First Contact and the Prime Directive came into play, which meant that Commander Saru had to figure out how to communicate with this species to get what Starfleet needs and that’s when things became interesting. Because in order to properly converse, these beings in essence merged with Saru, giving him inner peace for the first time in his life, allowing for him to make the decision that the Away Team should never leave this place in order to live out their lives in peace and harmony and well…things don’t quite go as planned for Saru or the crew for that matter, since the good citizens of Pahvo activate their powerful transmitter and invite the Klingons to the planet in the hopes of creating peace and harmony between the United Federation of Planet and the Klingon Empire.
 
Now what truly surprised me about this episode, aside from the fact that they jammed in so much storytelling wise, is the sheer fact that this is an engaging transitional episode. One that seemingly revisited a ton of plot threads explored throughout the season since we returned to the lasting effects of the Spore Drive on Lieutenant Staments, L’Rell’s loyalty and Burnham’s journey all in the course of a single hour and of the many plot points presented here, the one that sticks with me most is of course Burnham’s, since her story of redemption has been the focus of this series since day one.  
 
Because Burnham demonstrated in this episode, by way of her discipline and strong diplomatic efforts, that a strong leader is still present within her and that she is still fully capable of living the ideals of the Federation and she’ll need them now more than ever, since the very vessel that kicked off her shattered story arc is on its way to Pavho and really, I love the fact that the last two episodes haven’t exactly been incredibly cerebral simply because they don’t need to be. It’s about storytelling at this point, and by injecting these past plot threads into this tale, the audience is being rewarded for their patience when it comes to this beautiful tale and it should be interesting to see how everything goes when Burnham is forced to face her past once again in next week’s midseason finale. Until next time.