'Star Trek: Discovery' Recap - 'Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When one thinks of Star Trek as a whole, and the various storytelling ideas it's brought to the table through the years, quite a variety of concepts come to mind. Social commentary is perhaps at the top of that list, since the show has tackled just about every single real world topic that a television show can and it is that commentary that helped put this storied saga on the map. But sometimes, the power of Trek and what it means to our current day society eclipses the science prevalent on the show and how sometimes, that science can make for one entertaining story.

Enter the notion, of time travel. It's a concept that every single series has toyed with at some point or another, and while some of the fan base has lamented its appearance in the franchise, firmly believing that a reliance on that kind of storytelling isn't central to show's core values, from time to time...that style of storytelling has brought forth some amazing tales. After all, The Voyage Home was one of the finest time travel stories the franchise ever put forth and 'Year of Hell' from Voyager was an utter delight since it allowed for the crew to do new and exciting things without penalizing the timeline and that's precisely why I personally love the time travel episodes, because so many wondrous storylines can be explored with zero constraints. Which is precisely why last night's episode of Star Trek: Discovery, 'Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad', was such a joy to watch, because time travel and temporal loops came into play...with a twist of course. 

Actually, I should say several twists because everywhere this episode went, it offered up something unique and intriguing, starting with Harry Mudd. Because we've always seen him as a quasi love-able yet selfish oaf, hell bent on making a profit. But last night, well Harry went to the dark side in style as he used his time crystal to lock the Discovery in a temporal loop so he could figure out how the Spore Drive works so that he could of course, sell the ship and its crew to the Klingons and goodness, who knew that Harry Mudd carried such a vengeful streak? Because time and time again, he punished Captain Lorca for abandoning him in that prison cell, killing him in unique and exciting ways (in Harry's mind) and well, that certainly made for some dark humor this go round. 

But while it appeared at first that this particular storyline was going to stay in bleak territory, with the crew suffering through the destruction of the Discovery over and over again, this episode ended up being far more lighthearted than expected. For starters, there were a surprisingly fair amount of laughs to be found in this one. Between the party that kicks off the time loop, and all the awkward romantic interactions between Tyler and Burnham, I found myself chuckling often before the plot went serious again and really, what I enjoyed about this one, is the best twist of all, in that, this particular temporal loop tale...found a way to take its exploration to the next level, by allowing for events that happened within said loop...to not be forgotten after things went back to normal. 

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Because the budding romance between Tyler and Burnham wasn't forgotten in the slightest and the two of them were finally a touch more open about their feelings and emotions and it was quite touching to see Lieutenant Tyler speak to the fact that he was willing to be patient with Michael, so that she didn't feel uncomfortable or rushed in this situation and it was lovely to see a pair of crew mates start their potential romantic journey since that's something we rarely see in this franchise and I'm actually quite curious to see where this goes because let's be honest, it's relatable. We've all been in that situation where we don't quite know how to interact with our crush/romantic interest and while the power of honesty they displayed is easier said than done...who knows, maybe we can learn a thing or two from them on how to handle such matters. 

If anything, the romantic sub plot in combination with the temporal loop made this episode supremely philosophical in a way as well, and much of that comes courtesy of Lieutenant Stamets. Because he completely understood the fact that time was limited in this tale, and that with the clock ticking, there was no time to waste on the little things we often waste time upon, including romance and his gentle pushing for everyone to be honest, and cut to the chase in life was refreshing and the subtext that comes with all of that, and the fact that Mudd got his happily ever after with Stella (for now), makes this perhaps the most uplifting episode of the series to date with its reminder to, and allow me to paraphrase Captain Jean-Luc Picard, seize the moment, because it will never come again. Unless of course, you're in a time loop. Details. I know.

In fact, I think it's safe to declare this episode of the show, the most Trek-like story in this particular saga to date, because it truly was a best of reel of the franchise through and through. We got to explore bold new territory for the characters, and the best parts of humanity were on display throughout and for the hardcore science nerd in all of us, we got our time travel fix! But most importantly, it was uplifting through and through, and it once again featured people coming together to solve one heck of a problem and if that's not all the wonderful things this franchise stands for, I don't know what is and really, I'm glad we enjoyed this now because we cannot forget, tough days are still ahead for this intrepid crew. 

After all, the Klingons still have Admiral Cornwall in custody, Captain Lorca hasn't dealt with his proclivity to put others at risk nor has he made peace with his past and it would seem, judging from the trailer at the end of this episode, that next week's story is going to focus heavily on the first of those two storylines. So, it's back to the war after this one and that's fine by me because it is a compelling and powerful storyline to work with, but it was nice to take a break from all of our war weary worries and have a little fun with the crew for a change and really...who knew that Disco was still a thing in the 23rd Century? Until next time. 

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