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labingi(Spoilers for what's aired so far…)
I have not been shy about the fact that I don't like Discovery much, but I'm pleased to say I've liked S4 quite a bit, more than anything Discovery has delivered since some of the Pike-centric episodes. I was optimistic about their making Michael the captain, and it paid off. The show has always treated her as the Captain Kirk, and letting her officially be front and center removes a huge source of cognitive dissonance. Now, it makes more sense that she's always the hero, and it makes the whole show much easier to swallow.
But if I find this season, in general, a lot less annoying, it has two factors I find positively enthralling in a way that's making me eager for the next installment: Book and Tarka. In season 3, Book was the character I enjoyed most. Minus some awkward initial falling-in-love stuff with Michael, I liked him quite a bit, and I like him more this season. His trauma over losing his world and the way it sets him on a path at odds with Michael's judgment feels very real, right down to the tension in their relationship being palpable yet mature.
Tarka, thus far, is one of those stand-outs who sneaks up and captivates my interest despite being short-term and tertiary. I'm worried I won't like where they take his arc; it has strong potential for descent into disappointed/punished/dead. But so far, so good. He feels real, a compelling mix of snarky genius with significant trauma, a basically good and, in some ways, very perceptive person made unreliable by his own trauma responses, self-centeredness, and ego. A couple of details have sweetened the deal for me, though I don't know what, if anything, the show is going to do with them: 1) he's trying to get back to his (male) friend, and 2) he's a Risian. I like both these details for basically the same reason—they validate that people are diverse and relationships aren't all about sex. Now, it would be perfectly in keeping with Disco's representation goals to have Tarka's "friend" end up being a lover, and worse things have happened, but I really love the idea that he is indeed a friend, that Tarka has oriented his life around a plan formed with a friend. We don't see enough of that; we see far more gay representation than platonic partner representation. Likewise, I really enjoy that he's Risian yet his life is not all about sex, because Risa has pretty much been the "sex planet" on Star Trek, and whether centuries have changed its culture or Tarka just happens to be a Risian who has other interests, I enjoy that playing against type.
Given this orientation of mine, I've found the episodes of cat-and-mouse between Michael and Book a little bit boring because I'd honestly rather skip ahead, learn about the aliens, and see if there's any outside chance that we'll learn more about Tarka's backstory and alternate dimension home. That said, it has been quite well written, and the plotlines have made a lot of sense, which is not always my feeling about Disco.
I have not been shy about the fact that I don't like Discovery much, but I'm pleased to say I've liked S4 quite a bit, more than anything Discovery has delivered since some of the Pike-centric episodes. I was optimistic about their making Michael the captain, and it paid off. The show has always treated her as the Captain Kirk, and letting her officially be front and center removes a huge source of cognitive dissonance. Now, it makes more sense that she's always the hero, and it makes the whole show much easier to swallow.
But if I find this season, in general, a lot less annoying, it has two factors I find positively enthralling in a way that's making me eager for the next installment: Book and Tarka. In season 3, Book was the character I enjoyed most. Minus some awkward initial falling-in-love stuff with Michael, I liked him quite a bit, and I like him more this season. His trauma over losing his world and the way it sets him on a path at odds with Michael's judgment feels very real, right down to the tension in their relationship being palpable yet mature.
Tarka, thus far, is one of those stand-outs who sneaks up and captivates my interest despite being short-term and tertiary. I'm worried I won't like where they take his arc; it has strong potential for descent into disappointed/punished/dead. But so far, so good. He feels real, a compelling mix of snarky genius with significant trauma, a basically good and, in some ways, very perceptive person made unreliable by his own trauma responses, self-centeredness, and ego. A couple of details have sweetened the deal for me, though I don't know what, if anything, the show is going to do with them: 1) he's trying to get back to his (male) friend, and 2) he's a Risian. I like both these details for basically the same reason—they validate that people are diverse and relationships aren't all about sex. Now, it would be perfectly in keeping with Disco's representation goals to have Tarka's "friend" end up being a lover, and worse things have happened, but I really love the idea that he is indeed a friend, that Tarka has oriented his life around a plan formed with a friend. We don't see enough of that; we see far more gay representation than platonic partner representation. Likewise, I really enjoy that he's Risian yet his life is not all about sex, because Risa has pretty much been the "sex planet" on Star Trek, and whether centuries have changed its culture or Tarka just happens to be a Risian who has other interests, I enjoy that playing against type.
Given this orientation of mine, I've found the episodes of cat-and-mouse between Michael and Book a little bit boring because I'd honestly rather skip ahead, learn about the aliens, and see if there's any outside chance that we'll learn more about Tarka's backstory and alternate dimension home. That said, it has been quite well written, and the plotlines have made a lot of sense, which is not always my feeling about Disco.
