What a string of episodes Strange New Worlds has churned out in the first half of their second season. And wow, what a hell of an episode “Charades” was. The trope of a half-human/half-alien losing their alien side isn’t new to Star Trek (Voyager had B’Elanna Torres split into two beings early in its run), but it’s usually played for the dramatic story beats that come from that character trying and/or failing to connect to one half of their identity. This time around, we get to see the comedy that ensues when Spock loses his Vulcan side and must try to fake it until Chapel can save the day.
Boy, what a showcase for Ethan Peck as Spock – and Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, who gets to confront her feelings for Spock and then finally gets a chance to see where this romance might go. I’m always wary about romances on series like this – if the characters break up, will that hurt the overall cohesion of the series? (And a show like Strange New Worlds has managed to hit the jackpot on putting together the perfect blend of cast and character, which isn’t easy to do. The balance of chemistry from one actor to another is pitch perfect and every combination of characters is a home run.) However, with what we’ve seen from Chapel and Spock thus far on the series, I’m okay with the show taking this risk – I think both characters could survive intact if the relationship falls apart, and I think both could thrive if they stick it out. Either way, once T’Pring comes back on the scene – and you know she will some time down the line – it will be fun to watch what happens next.
Now, historically, I’m not a huge Spock fan. I’ve never really cared for Vulcans as a race in Star Trek. Just something about the lack of emotions tends to fail to connect with me personally. But this episode might have brought me fully on board with both Spock – who Peck imbues with just enough emotional restraint while he’s part-Vulcan and who absolutely nailed the fully human chaos that ensued when he lost that Vulcan side – and Vulcans as a whole. There’s often so little wiggle room when it comes to allowing actors a chance to really show their stuff when they’re handicapped by not being able to show any emotions, but on Strange New Worlds our Vulcans tend to be able to emote just enough to make the characters more interesting than some of the more cardboard versions of the race we’ve seen elsewhere. And it was lovely to get another visit from both T’Pring and Amanda Grayson (Gia Sandhu and Mia Kirshner were sensational once again – both holding their own in scenes that required a great deal of emotional heft and character work on both their parts). Seeing how Spock’s refusal to tell T’Pring deeply hurt her was so well written and portrayed, and the journey of Spock’s realization of all that Amanda had to go through to survive on Vulcan whilst being slighted at every opportunity was a heartbreaking sequence. This new depth to Spock will go a long way to building the character beyond his Vulcan identity – and his future role on Kirk’s Enterprise – and help fashion the character into a unique piece of the Trek puzzle.
It was also great to see the entire cast get a chance to get in on the action, mostly poking fun at Spock’s normally stoic side and trying to help him work through his adolescent emotional outbursts. But it was even more exciting to see Uhura and Ortegas give key assists to Chapel in her quest to get Spock reconnected with his Vulcan side. Both characters have been shockingly underutilized throughout their time on the series, and despite the chance to see Ortegas get a bit of an arc last week, this episode provided a deeper look into both Uhura and Ortegas as officers (who are capable and willing to do what it takes to ensure one of their own gets healed) and as people (who are more than willing to help their friend finally get up the guts to admit her feelings, even when she’s too scared to do so). The best television episodes allow more than one character the chance to shine, even when the episode is meant to be a showcase for one or two characters. “Charades” was the perfect chance to see this family of characters work together – both on and off duty – to help one of their own. It was, in that regard, a quintessential Star Trek episode. And, even in a string of episodes as stellar as this one has been, it was absolutely one of the best Strange New Worlds episodes to date. Man, I really love this show.
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