Otherworldly Odyssey: Week of 4/16/2019

The Twilight Zone came through with another amazing episode this week, and Star Trek Discovery’s finale is almost here. Let’s see what’s been going on in the world of sci fi this week.

The Twilight Zone – Replay

Nina Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) is making memories as she takes her son, Dorian (Damson Idris) to college, but the camera seems to be taking them back in time every time she hits rewind. Repeated encounters with a police officer push her to use the camera’s power to try to save her son from harm, but it seems like she just can’t escape fate.

“Replay” does a great job of showing us how distrust grows after repeated negative encounters. At first, the officer is mostly unpleasant, but after each encounter, Nina’s anxiety grows, and the officer’s response is more dangerous. Is it her fault? Undeniably not. She’s acting on her experience, but the officer doesn’t know that, and as he sees her acting unusually, it pulls on the unconscious bias which fosters his violence.

When Nina finally tells her brother, he says, “I get it. I believe you.” And sometimes that’s what it takes. Telling someone that I understand the reality you are describing to me, even though I haven’t experienced it myself, and I believe you. She ultimately finds some understanding in returning to her past, and together with her brother, they get her son to college and a community where he can find safety. But, can her vigilance protect him forever from a world the seeks to do him harm?

This was such an amazing episode, and better people than I will talk about what it means, but in a show about the unreal, this Twilight Zone was all too real.

Next week: Steven Yuen is an unexpected visitor that unsettles a small community in “The Traveler.”

The Twilight Zone airs Thursdays on CBS All Access.

Star Trek Discovery – 2.13 Such Sweet Sorrow

With Section 31 closing in, and the end of season 2 drawing near, the crew evacuates to the Enterprise to destroy the Discovery, but when it proves impossible to destroy the ship, Michael suggests another (and long hinted at) plan. Ultimately Michael will go alone, with no way to come back. But, that wouldn’t work, would it? How could we lose the crew that we know and love. Oh, and Michael needs people too. So, I suppose some of our favorite crew members just might have to go along too.

Discovery tends towards the serious, so it was nice to see a little humor in the brainstorming session to figure out how and if they could send Discovery into the future and as Jett Reno and Stamets say their adieus. Lots of touching moments of loyalty and goodbyes. I’m not ashamed to admit that I got teary a couple times. I’m not going to comment too much until we reach next week’s finale, but it looks like season 3 could bring some good changes to Star Trek Discovery, but they’ve got to get there first.

Star Trek Discovery’s season finale airs Thursday on CBS All Access.

The Orville 2.12 – Sanctuary

Two Moclins come aboard with a secret that leads to the discovery of a secret colony of Moclin women (What!?). Now these female Moclins are exposed to the world, so they go to the Union for protection, but the Union has to weight culture and traditions against the rights of living beings.

As the Union decides what to do, four shuttles head to the colony. Officially Kelly has to stand down, but unofficially…well, she has a little more leeway. Things are tense and the crew of the Orville are putting their careers on the line.

I enjoy a good female empowerment episode, and I appreciated that the writers put women in charge of the decisions on the ship when it came to acting to protect the colony. What I love more is that without realizing we had a season long arc that dealt with issues of gender, gender identity, and the right to be who we know we are. I mean, it snuck up on me. How about you?

The Orville airs Thursdays at 8/9c on Fox.

Coming Up:

Thursday

The Orville: 2.13 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Fox)

Star Trek Discovery: 2.14 Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2 (CBS All Access)

The Twilight Zone: 1.4 A Traveler (CBS All Access)

Tuesday

Roswell, New Mexico: 1.13 Recovering the Satellites (CW)

Catch up on past installments of Otherworldly Odyssey here.