I love the throwback to Michael and Tilly running laps on Discovery in their DISCO schwag.
Also enjoyed having a well done scene of a dude playing video games, another dude coming by with snacks, and then the two of them having a real conversation about feelings.
To Trust or To Not Trust the Process (Spoilers for Stark Trek Discovery and The X-Files)
As I process this episode, I realize more and more how many different lens it can be perceived, some of what, I don’t fully comprehend even if I am sympathetic. Overall, I thought the episode was great where as others hated it not because of quality per se, but their ramifications. Honestly, that’s a valid reason. If people choose to stop watching due to those reasons, I respect it. I get it from as marginalized POV.
Personally, I’ve always maintained that I can tolerate certain narrative choices if the end results validates the process. Admittedly, there are many shows that claim the end result does, but I honestly don’t buy it. I’ve watched enough shows to know the difference between actual planning and lazying planning, which is why I get where critics are coming from and why there isn’t a difference for them.
But, for me, a black woman, someone who wants to write for TV and movies, someone who writes fanfic and is working on an original story, I always debate without myself when watching shows, movies, and writing my own stories: should narrative choices be compromised due to x? Should this death, assault, characterization, etc not occur due to a character belonging to one or more minority group?
Again, it’s complicated.
For me, it boils down to many things: the history of the show, writers, creator, etc. What is the impact of this choice? How does it effect the narration going forth? Was it truly necessary? What is the alternative?
At the end of the season 11 premiere, it was revealed that Scully had been medically raped for the millionth time, which angered millions of people. To understand why, you have to understand the history, the writers, and the creator of the show. Scully was medical raped back in season two as a result of the real life actress being pregnant and them needing to find a way to address her absence. Someone asked, “why is this a problem now when it wasn’t before?” OR more crassly, “You guys didn’t complain when it happened originally.”
Back then, it was shocking, but we all thought that it was building up to something. It did in a way, but the mytharc wasn’t planned out like we thought it was. The creator came up with it as he went along. The writers never allowed Scully to appropriately react or cope with the abuses taken against her. Her body was constantly used as a plot device and they constantly messed with her uterus for shock. So, to see them do it again and claim that there is a payoff, no one gives a damn. 1. we’ve already been on this ride before and know better 2. Even if there was, why is medical rape and Scully’s body always a fucking plot like for shock factors.
Early in the series, two writers addressed what Chris Carter, the creator, refused to: Scully’s mental state and how these violations against her would shape her. There was a fanfic that went to a very dark place, but it explored the impact Scully’s trauma would have on her and even in that story she experienced more trauma, but at the end, there was a payoff that felt satisfactory for all of our investment as readers.
The fanfic writers earned my trust, Chris lost it.
With Star Trek: Discovery, I want to see how the season plays out. The series has earned so much goodwill from me, but I can see why gay people are saying, “deuces.” Even though Wilson Cruz and the writers are saying Culbert is coming back, for some, it’s irrelevant. It’s not about the writing process, but the principle of the matter that they killed a gay character (and in a violent manner).
For others, two WOC were killed and a Pakistani man who suffers PTSD turns out was really the villain all along.
I know intent is irrelevant to others, but it’s important to me in certain cases. Was the casting call: ______ race/ethnicity for those two characters and ash/voq or was it whoever was best suited for the role. Because if it was a specific race, that’s pretty messed up--incredibly. If race was open, it was an unfortunate coincidence (I do find the second death pretty pointless though because it could’ve just been serious injury instead).
With Ash/Voq, what fascinates me isn’t that he is/was the villain, but that his programming is fighting who he was. Ash/Voq may never go back, but he also may not be this straight up pure dude. The writers are crafting this really complex character for a MOC and that’s what I find awesome. His role isn’t as simple as say the prayer and Vow is back. Even when he killed someone to protect his secret, he’s protecting it to be hold on to the Ash identity. I’m not even remotely arguing that what he did was right, but rather, it shows the complexity of his character that minorities typically don’t get.
When it comes to his PTSD, it appears more as his faux identity fighting his real identity. Although, a part of me does think L’Rell raped Ash/Voq and tried to justify that it was “okay’ because Ash is really Voq, so Ash genuinely has PTSD, but it works in compound with his Ash identity denying his Vow identity because something went wrong during the procedure.
There are also those who take issue with a MOC violently killing a (gay) MOC. Although I do see the issue, I see it as an unfortunate coincidence as well. Because we don’t know if they were intentionally written as the respective races. I know some will argue, “that doesn’t matter, since they are POC, the narrative should change.” I get your point, I just...disagree.
Ash/Voq was going to violently kill whoever threatened to expose his secret or prevent him from being Ash to the fullest possible extend. He knows something is wrong, but is unwilling to honestly address it minus quick fixes. His violent murder of Culbert was anger and reactionary due to the fact that it threatened to rip apart his facade. He wasn’t going to do it painlessly or incapacitate him because he didn't go there to kill him. It was a crime of passion and he’s unknowingly fighting against his Klingon nature/memories.
Ultimately, for me, I need to see the story play itself out. Perhaps because gay people are used to these beats, it’s unnecessary. But, the writer part of me is telling myself, “let them tell their story before making assumptions.”
Young Science student a Biology major and dreams of exploring and classifying all the types of mushrooms in the galaxy. Honor student, professors favorite, and bullied a lot young Paul never thought he would meet his match in a local cafe
Young! Hugh Culbert -Wes Gibbins
Young Hugh dreams to be the Chief medical officer of a federation ship , smart and full of hope, first of his class and local sweetheart . After a long night at guard duty in left wing the man was determined to get some caffeine , but was oblivious what his bad taste in music would bring him
( obviously ripper is a cat in this context because yes )
Ash asks Hugh for relationship advice because he sees the same walls up for Paul as he does for Lorca and is trying to figure out how to navigate those barriers.
