The Sanctuary: Discovery S03 E08

Try beating Unification III will you?

Then perhaps best not to and Discovery makes the wise move to turn in another direction. Taking a slight jump back a couple of weeks, we're back on the trail of the oft-mentioned Emerald Chain and in particular, Osyraa, their as-yet unseen leader.

But first a word from our sponsor: The Burn, because we have to get this in. Turns out this week that the cataclysmic event emanated from the Verubin Nebula and from a precise point. That music we've been hearing? Once it's been rinsed through the sensors it is revealed to be a Federation distress call. Yes, a Federation distress call. If this ends up being the time-displaced Burnham/her mum/the Discovery I will not be surprised.

At the same time, Adira opens up about her decisions on identity and no longer wishes to be referred to as she/her but rather they/them. In terms of there being two personalities within her body it works as well as the more important gender neutral identification. Great and understated performance again in a very short set of scenes for Blu Del Barrio and Anthony Rapp. Their piano/cello scene is wonderful as Adira opens up about how she is dealng with the multiple pasts swirling around and gives a better sense of how a Trill joining might affect the host.

Wisely we don't spend too much time dwelling on this the Burn and instead the Discovery is

dispatched to Kwejian. Book has news that the Chain are planning to collect a debt from his homeworld. The Chain had provided a repellant to make the sea locust plague retreat to the sea and traded the planet's trance worms as payment but have now returned for more. He wants the Federation to help out and take the pressure away however since Kwejian isn't part of the organisation, they can only go along as observers.

The great thing with the spore drive is that we can now avoid lengthy warp trips across the galaxy but on the flip side we do lose something of the character moments from the series which tended to drop into these points of the episodes.

Osyraa it transpires is a rather lovely lady. Her first scene sees her executing her nephew (from Scavengers) for losing the Andorian Ryn and she's later not too concerned with firing on the planet. Osyraa is nicely slimy but does go completely against type when it comes to Orion women we've met before.

Also in the background of this episode are the continuing issues with Georgiou's health. Now,

I'm thinking this is going to be the start of a path which will see her depart Discovery before the end of the season so that Section 31 can finally get in front of the cameras. Lots of flashbacks and, if you read some of the other commentaries out there, it's apparent that the excellent Die Standing is going to have some form of tie in to the Georgiou story. Have to say if that's the case then well done to CBS et al for some pretty serious forward planning.

There is a family aspect to the story this week, with Book being reunited with his (not biological) brother. There's been some bad blood between the pair but hey, you'll be sure it'll be rectified in the next half hour. The story on the Discovery around Ryn as well as how Tilly and Saru are working as first officer and captain is potentially the more interesting element.

Ok, Saru looking for his own "Make it so" is a tad on the cringeworthy end of the scale but Tilly genuinely seems to be sinking her teeth into the XO role. It does appear to be a lot more of a paperwork role than anything else at this point, however there's a telling point when she dresses down Ryn for incorrectly addressing the captain.

The Sanctuary isn't an episode that will set the franchise alight anytime soon. It has some good performances from David Ajala and from Sonequa Martin Green (no tears this week) while they are on Kwejian. Book's "brother" is ncely shady and backed into a corner by Osyraa but it's all a bit foreseeable. So is his choice to side with Book rather than the Chain. 

What does make a pleasant change is Detmer piloting Book's ship manually. Ths is the highlight of the episode and suggests that the writers have found a member of the crew who they can explore a little further. Detmer is the least bland of the background ensemble if we're truthful. Here you can tell Emily Coutts is enjoying every minute of her scenes as she weaves around Osyraa's Viridian starship. Her attacks are effective with the Chain retreating... for now.

Book and Kyheem are then faced with the locusts that will lead to the population starving
since they now have no repellant and the bugs have moved even further in land. their combined powers plus a boost from Discovery does the job and offers a sense of hope for Kwejian. Again, it's all very nicely set out but gives nothing new to thr story except for the reveal of Osyraa.

The trouble with this week is that it lies in a bit of a dead zone. The big hitter was last week and now we're on the build up to the finale. The Emerald Chain have repeatedly been mentioned as the big villain of the season, turning up since episode one at the market and then returning even if just in a mention throughout the season.

But they just don't seem that great a threat. Orions in Enterprise and The Original Series seemed a bit slimy, dangerous and if truth be told, a little bit sexy however Discovery has turned them into slightly unbelievable thugs. Time has moved on but I'm not feeling the threat. I'm much more invested in Georgiou's story or seeing more of Detmer or Tilly being XO. The makeup for the Orions is still troubling me and I can't see pas them as much more than caricatures with their smoothed out features. The Dominon was a real threat. You felt that they were going to be an issue but with the Chain they come across as more of a minor irritation.

The makeup, as said, doesn't help but maybe they are a reflection of the time. No longer is it that there are any huge galactic powers but instead its the era of the opportunist. Travel is more restricted than ever thanks to the Burn so it might be that my expectations for this season's nemesis was overstepping the mark. What would once have been dealt with in an episode by Picard and the Enterprise-D now present a clear danger because of how the galaxy has "scaled down".

Maybe rightfully so in keeping with the theme of the show but it's not on a par with anything that we've had previously and I'm even including Control and the Klingon War. This season has offered up a lot but now at episode eight it's feeling a little out of steam and in need of a bit of a kick. Unification III was a big dice roll that did pay off. Aside from the news that the Chain are running out of dilithium - which is why they want Ryn "disappeared" - this week felt redundant and sadly, quite forgettable.

Track back on our season three Discovery reviews HERE

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