Yeah, I’m glad that the episode has been quite well-liked overall, but it didn’t land right with me. I’m going to give it another look at some point - often, my opinion shifts once I have an understanding of what the episode is and is not.
It’s interesting that she highlighted the tonal challenges in the interview.
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 4 days ago
Yes, I’m not saying she’s not a capable director, but she doesn’t seem to have been the right choice for this episode.
Looking across the distribution of directors used for SNW, as well as Discovery and Picard, there definitely seems to be particular ones that are consistently asked back for specific tones.
Maja Vrvilo directed the season 2 finale Hegemony Pt I and the season 3 one New Life and New Civilizations. In season 1, she directed Children of the Comet.
Jordan Canning directed Charades last season. This season she was given Wedding Bell Blues and Four and a Half Vulcans.
ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 4 days ago
I think the script deserves some scrutiny, too.
I’m not one to complain about “quippiness” or whatever - humour in the face of danger is fine! - but there were a couple of moments on the Farragut* in particular that bumped me, with the characters seemingly shifting from somber to lighthearted from moment to moment.
Anyways, I don’t want to turn this into a second episode discussion thread, but it’s pertinent to the interview.
StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 4 days ago
I’ve got a rewatch upcoming with my spouse so I’ll take another look at if from that angle.
Perhaps that can help sort out whether the episode might have been handled better by another director.
Interestingly, I find it’s the Trek actors turned directors that manage mixed and shifting tones well. Frakes in directing First Contact, Dawson in directing The Andorian Incident, Robert Duncan McNeill directing Body and Soul are examples.