Star Trek: Discovery proved it could still surprise us with The Wolf Inside, even if it did confirm a fan theory that became more and more obvious as the series went on. Hell, in the next few episodes, it just might confirm another.
In the meantime, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the rest of the crew are still stuck in the evil Mirror Universe, with some having to impersonate their doppelgangers. It’s hardly surprising that Burnham’s time as captain aboard the twisted version of the Discovery is taking an emotional toll on her. She’s turned to Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) for comfort, unaware that there’s an even darker undercurrent to the solace she’s found. Darker in that he murdered a very good, beloved doctor last episode, a fact that no one except Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) seems aware of yet either. But he’s in no condition to convey that information.
His condition has steadily worsened, with Tilly (Mary Wiseman), still sporting her icy blonde look, desperately trying to save him, and the rest of us hoping that Star Trek will spare at least one of its gays from a very unwelcome trope. However, things not only get more interesting for Stamets, they help explain that confusing mirror thing a few episodes back. Seems like their evil twins might be just as eager to return home as the good guys.
Things start looking up for Burnham when she receives orders to destroy a rebel camp and instead chooses to try and talk to them, in hopes of keeping a force for good alive and gaining insight in how to make peace with the Klingons once they return home. Things go surprisingly well, which means it’s time for Tyler to screw things up. And screw things up he does, trying to kill the version of Voq, who in this universe leads a coalition of species against the Terran Empire. Luckily, they have another alternate world VIP, Sarek (James Frain) to perform a mind meld and confirm Burnham does indeed desire something humans in the Mirror Universe are taught to despise at all costs: peace with other species.
But Tyler seeing Voq shocks him into revealing just what was done to him on that Klingon vessel for so many months, and it means Burnham loses the first man she’s ever been in love with. It’s hearbreaking for her, even if it’s hardly a twist to the rest of us. And as if to acknowledge that lack of suprise, The Wolf Inside has another reveal that proves it’s not done putting this woman through the wringer when it reveals just who the Emperor is.
It’s a lot of ground for one episode to cover, and The Wolf Inside manages to cover it all in an impressively paced episode that manages to emphasize both action and the relationships it’s built up over the course of the season, even if some are handled a bit clumsily. Looks like a big showdown is forthcoming next episode. And it promises to be far more interesting than Burnham’s romance.
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