To be fair, older vulcan males tend to get loosy goosy with emotional expression... spock being super vulcan and tuned up after his rebirth even started to crack by the end, so its within spec. And Spock's father was a diplomat, so he had to keep it tight for his job.
T'pring's dad (is it Sepek?) is a teddy bear, I love him. I kind of relate to him -- he's probably been catching hell his whole life for not being a Proper Vulcan. I'm not quite a Proper Human.
That whole thing was hilarious, and I think was a purposeful counterpoint. I think (and have always thought) that the Vulcan "lack of emotion" thing was a range. T'Pring in complaining about her mother's overbearance (overbearance is a word, fucking spellchecker) is very much showing emotion, but in a very measured controlled way. It's still emotional. T'Pring's mom was very much to-the-letter on tradition presented absolutely strictly because of Spock and Amanda. But would sha have been so with a full Vulcan suitor? And T'Pring's dad was just there for the food.
As much as I love Ethan, I still think my 4 top Spock monents in terms of Comedy are in the side of paradise when she tells Jim to go to hell( basically has the same energy of when Reno told Saru to get off her ass) in I believe it was a private little war when he makes a comment about the ego and Kirk After he finds out that the new baby that McCoy delivered is going to be named Leonard James. Next up is" I am expressing several attitudes simultaneously to which are you referring" address to the Bruce Greenwood Pike after they get back from Nibiru. And of course his deadpan that was not my intention when McCoy puts together that Spock gave Uhura a tracking device.
Oh no my absolute favorite part was when chapel is negotiating with the interdimensional beings and they ask her about her connection to Spock.... She starts to stutter and then Ortegas and Urhura both look at her frustrated and say "Oh come on!!!!" It was funny because I said the exact same thing when she was stuttering... It felt like all three of us were saying it!!!
That scene said everything, the journey so far, hopes, dreams, wishes. Those three words. The besties have Chapel's back. More of this please. Love the fam working together like this That realization, and moment to speak from the heart. That was everything
Chapel’s “Karen” moment with the aliens is really funny, but not just that. It starts this way but then she realizes she has to admit she has feelings for Spock. Her flushed face when she asked her 2 partners in crime to turn around, as if they would not hear her is beautiful, because that is how we humans feel on situations like that, embarrassment is a true human emotion and opening up your heart in front of anyone is difficult and embarrassing, doing it in front of others that are not your true affection makes it even more embarrassing and more difficult.
T'Pring has had such phenomenal character rehab from her original TOS depiction. From a too-clever-by-half manipulator to a woman genuinely in love with her fiancee who has to deal with all his nonsense and, finally, can't friggin' take it any more? I'm rooting for their doomed relationship, honestly, or for Stonn to be shown as WAY better for her than Spock ever was...
Aye. After this episode I'm Team T'Pring. She deserves better than Spock. We all have the one friend who we say "I love you man, but she's too good for you and you better leave her alone."
I think that this was subtly hinted at with some readings of her TOS appearance, but holy crap this is one of the two things about SNW that has been quite amazing for characters that have given a super short shrift.
As an Asian, T'pring's mom will resonate with a lot of us. The judgement, the condescension, the exhausting reparteé and stickler for decorum. And T'pring's dad was hilarious
When Spock has to go to the restroom and just totally flips out for me was so the best part. Everyone can understand that part when you have to have decorum in front of people who are getting on your last nerve. On a personal note I always feel like bathrooms are like a Sanctuary. It’s the only place where you can be alone and let it all out (pun not intended but works) 🖖
I loved how Spock took everything that the MIL from hell dished until she started in on Amanda. “You can say what you like about me, but you shut up about my mother!!!” He just needed a little prod to understand, not just in words, but it REALLY understand that being part human, especially when that part is from a woman like Amanda, is possibly even something to be proud of.
Savat is such a cute Vulcan dad. Meanwhile, a fun look at the horrors of (automated? healthcare insurance systems. Yellow and Blue felt like you're talking to a computer on the phone, and none of the "press number for X" really fits what you're trying to accomplish. Plus, the season theme of past challenges informing present identity still shows up, with Amanda's experience's among the Vulcan mothers. I really enjoy how there tend to be season themes, but no more than loosely connected plots.
Agreed. I loved how much it was clear Savat wanted to cut loose and live a little bit (even by Vulcan standards), but he was so hamstrung by Vulcan culture and particularly his wife. He was like, “what, I can’t even have seconds?” And I had the same thought about Yellow and Blue. These enigmatic cosmic beings turn out to be a bureaucratic hell.
Yeah, I'm really loving the episodic nature of this show. They are doing an excellent job of setting up for future episodes (like Chapel's application for the internship being mentioned I think in two different previous episodes) but not over playing it or making it feel like a soap opera. Evidence of the absolutely outstanding writing.
I loved this episode. Spock walking into the transporter room wearing that ridiculous hat is probably the funniest moment I've seen in a TV show this year.
@@robinknight2251 Not entirely accurate but possibly in the sense of "The wise are not curious." Vulcan logic tends to prefer the simplest explanation whenever possible much like European Scholastics or the stereotypical Sheldon Cooper type neurotic intellectuals. They tend to consider it illogical to investigate or explore areas they already have an established consensus of scientific opinion about which may have been the case with this particular moon. Having presumably explored it in great detail prior to achieving warp drive capabilities to explore other solar systems they may have concluded there was nothing further of interest to discover there worth wasting their time and resources to study. Spock tends to be a bit unusual among Vulcans in finding it "fascinating" to discover anomalies.
Ethan Peck is amazing. I loved his ability to change his acting styles. I love his relationships, they really flush out his character. I want Nurse Chapel (is she really a nurse though? Seriously this woman is a genus) What I love about this series it shows why Spock went to rescue Pike in the original series. Although he is friends with Kirk, he has a deep relationship with Pike. I don't mind that the show is different from the Original, because the original couldn't do what they are doing now. Just having 3 woman going to get treatment for Spock was not something that could have been shown in the original. I am enjoying these season a lot. I can have my cake and eat it too....
Honestly that's the one thing I would retcon completely. She has a PhD in this show though doesn't she? She supposedly earns her MD by the Motion Picture according to Memory Alpha, but she's clearly multitalented and should probably be treated as a fully fledged doctor. I am very much looking forward to seeing whatever McCoy we have in this, though. My hope is that when McCoy is introduced, we have a justification for why she chooses to remain in a junior role.
I think of Chapel as a Nurse Practitioner. They receive additional training (like a Masters degree) that allows them to diagnose and prescribe medications. Unless it's been already retconned and I missed the reference in SNW, she does get a doctorate prior to the events of The Motion Picture.
You know, I have yet to see a story which is related to Spock's mother that I don't love. It's just always sweet, their relationship, that connection to his human ancestry.
My one problem with Spock's mom is that this actress is clearly too young to have a son his age. I'd guess they were about 5 years apart. Looking it up I found her actress is 11 years older than his, which I guess means she technically could be his mom but only if Sarek is a pedophile.
@@magister343 Future medicine or something ha. I suppose life is a bit easier as well, kinda how a lot of celebs with money stay younger looking for longer.
I ❤ this episode but I agree they should have either aged her up or hired a older actress but from what I understand the actress is the same Amanda from Discovery, so I guess that’s why either that or Vulcan has some anti aging for humans I mean Vulcans do live longer than humans
@magister343 It's a fair shake, as Mia Kirchner looks fair bit younger than 48 IMO...BUT I'd also argue that Jane Wyatt didn't look all that elderly in "Journey to Babel", even with grey hair. Plus, that episode is less than 10 years into the future from this one, so either she's dying her hair or something extremely stressful happens to make it go grey so soon if Amanda is around the sane age as her current actress.
You know, now I'm thinking about Amok Time all like "Spock deserved this". A very bold play to make us feel sympathy and heartbreak for T'Pring, whose only previous role in canon was to make Spock nearly kill his captain and best friend as a ploy to legally be allowed to be with another man. Now I think she totally deserves better than what Spock can give to her at this point.
Very funny episode. Not fond of the Chapel/Spock stuff but we’ve accepted it’s there at this point. T’Pring remains one of our biggest surprise faves this series, she’s trying so hard to make her relationship with Spock work despite all the hijinks he gets into. It makes us appreciate Amok Time more as well, since now we absolutely get why she wanted out of this mess as it just kept getting sillier and sillier. Imagine T’Pring finding out about Spock’s Brain or Spock II. She must be so happy she got out before that.
Well we know that later on T'pring just has loathing for Spock, hoping he'll get killed vs kirk, as she wants to marry Stonn because he has been there the whole time. So this thing with T'pring is destined not to end well. Can't wait to see Stonn's introduction... but T'pring sellllllls it and the writers have got this on lock.
@@TheMsLourdes Stonn *has* been introduced as a co-worker from the facility T'Pring works at. Looks a whole lot like a younger version of the 60s character too!
T'Pring is so good I love her as a character and actually feel sad that she/spock never work out. Agree Chapel/Spock is incredibly cursed content that kind of spits on Spock's character arc in TOS/Movies lol but then they kinda did that with making Burnham his sister anyway (i like Burnham this isn't a Burnham hate post)
Glad you mentioned Anson Mount's expressions through out. He does so good in reacting to things. Felt so sorry for him when they commented on his good. Also he is friends with Amanda, like they talk and not always about Spock. I liked too that it wasn't that Spock was wrong in not telling T'Ping. It came from a good place and she understood that. It was the lack of trust that was the problem. Also like the gang telling him to act Vulcan starts with Uhura being formal and how all Vulcans act while when we get to Ortegas she went totally how he acts. Everyone just agrees.
Another fun and comedic episode, Ethan Peck and Jess Bish were perfect and Gia Sandhu as T’Pring was brilliant she can do comedy even while being so Vulcan. Loved this episode so much it was good fun. Totally agree on the review Jessie you're amazing as usual.
Oh, you hit the nail on the head! I either missed of didn’t understand why Pike was involved in this (other than he’s Spock’s captain and mentor), but you called it a “dad role” and it all clicked - Pike is Spock’s surrogate father. Everything about their relationship makes 1000% more sense.
In regards as to why Spock did not divulge his condition to T'Pring, she came off the Transporter pad very stressed out. While walking to Pike's quarters, I believe Spock wanted to tell her, but due to her already stressed out feelings, he decided to hold off telling her. Had she not been so stressed out, I think the whole crew would have let her in on the secret.
That is fair. I also get the idea that Spock might feel he wanted to tell T'Pring face to face, in person, but when she arrived, he felt he shouldn't due to her stressed state.
It is also understandable why T'Pring was hurt by Spock not immediately telling her the truth and subsequently broke off their engagement. Spock was placed in an extremely awkward situation which could have easily gone badly, whether he came clean to T'Pring or not.
@@phillychick Keeping secrets like this rarely works well. I've made my share of mistakes in relationships. Many men might make that mistake. But Spock was in the wrong.
@@nancyjay790 I don't think it was so much her stressed state as the fact that she reminded him that she would need to mind meld with her mother during the ceremony. I don't think it is possible to keep secrets during a mind meld. If Spock told T'Pring anything before that part of the ritual was completed, he might as well just tell her mother directly.
@@phillychickIt definitely makes T’pring a more sympathetic character. I HOPE this isn’t the last time we see her! I am wondering if Sybok turns her into a vindictive ex?
This was as much as we've ever had of Amanda, and it's great to see. It's a good part, well-played. For me, the core of this episode was what Spock did to T'pring. He was obviously planning to tell her what was up on the way to Pike's quarters, the scene is 100% shot that way. But then she mentioned the mind meld, and she just can't know he's fully human when she does that, it'd blow everything. So Spock, fully human, makes the logical decision to not tell her. Later when she, fully Vulcan, tells him how hurt and distrusted she feels, he answers her in emotional tones. He has a logical reason for what he did, but... has having a logical reason for hurting your partner ever worked? No. No it hasn't. All he can do, back in full Vulcan mode, is to apologize and give a rationale based in emotion. And that will never be enough. She's deeply hurt, and she isn't wrong in feeling that way. I am so proud of the writer who set up that emotional/logical dynamic. Ethan Peck takes the crown, but there were so many little character moments in this episode that were just perfectly played. Anson Mount was brilliant. I'll give Christina Chong big ups for her portrayal in Spock's "and I also have strange feelings" scene. Writing, directing, and acting all came together to make a cute, funny scene out of something that could have been creepy if it was mishandled. A++++ will rewatch. Also note the Ukraine reference. Their second largest city is Kharkiv, and their flag is blue and yellow. Slava Ukraini.
It had nothing to do with the Mind Meld, if it did he would have said It had everything to do with how overwhelmed she was and he said so. As a matter of fact... Vulcans are touch telepaths. T'Pring touched his burnt hand He was fully human with ZERO shielding I'm sure she read the truth at that moment and succeed in shielding her mind during the mind meld that she initiated/wasn't the recipient of.
I'm old enough to have seen TOS in the original prime time run, and I have to say that I love how SNW has put so much more resonance into the Spock/Chapel relationship and the Spock/T'Pring relationship with this backstory. If Amok Time Chapel is an older and wiser SNW Chapel, she knew pon farr and its consequences. And she showed up in a miniskirt at Spock's door when he was at his most vulnerable. Chapel's tray of soup, once the simpiest of simp offerings, is now poised perfectly between a logical desire to save Spock's life and selfish opportunism. Spock's flung tray isn't just Vulcan hormones - it is guilt, and bloody-minded determination to do the right thing by T'Pring when given a second chance. T'Pring is suffering the telepathic agony of Spock's plak tow and is - yet again - left on her own until the last possible moment because Star Fleet just doesn't feel like granting one officer a few days off. Or sending a fast shuttle. Or inconveniencing itself in any way. Spock tries to love both women and ends up replaced by another man both times. And Spock's final words to Stonn -- "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true." Ouch.
I love T'Pring. Her irritation at formality at the start, putting her mother in her place near the end. Also love that Pike actually tries to play charades with the Vulcans, "Sounds like..." "EAR!" (sigh) But I think it's nice to see this Spock/Chapel relationship that was so 'will they/won't they' in TOS is finally blossoming into something serious in SNW.
I kinda like to think Vulcans are basically just the ultimate homebodies. Like, I'm a homebody . I like being in my own space and that's where I recharge. When I have a vacation I like to be close to home. At the same time I think being in other places and seeing other cultures is fascinating and I really kinda like seeing them... I just want to be close to home. I think it's the same for Vulcan just in more of a cultural sense. They are most comfortable around each other and that manifests as a kind of elitism, but that's not to say they don't see value in other races and other viewpoints... it's just that they aren't really for them. Probably explains why they are so closely aligned to humans cos humans do all the exploring and send the data home for Vulcans to the trawl over and do all the theoretical work for.
@@paulscott2037 It's an interesting perspective. I think humans and as you postulate Vulcans as well like to have a safe haven to recharge. I can relate. I love travelling and life has given my wife & I the opportunity to do it a lot, but after 2 weeks far from our "private corner" I start to miss being home. I believe the beauty of the Vulcan motto "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" is that even though they have that inner necessity to be among themselves, they strive to mingle somehow. Acknowledging a flaw and doing something to help solving it is the reason why they created the motto and turned it into a life philosophy.
I don’t think anything in the history of Star Trek has ever made me laugh as hard as Pike noping his way off camera with the tray. Anson Mount is a gem.
This might be one of my favourite comedy episodes from Star Trek. T'Pring's mom is the worst but her dad is great. So glad they added T'Pring as a recurring character, she's been a highlight of all the episodes she is on, I honestly don't blame her for getting fed up with Spock. Ethan Peck did an incredible job playing Spock as human and I love that they didn't have Chapel hesitate for a second in trying to get him back to his normal self, I always hate when shows have the characters be tempted to keep them changed instead of caring for them as they are.
This might be one of my favorite Star Trek episodes ever. This one hit me right in the feels for very personal reasons. It was full of laughs but it also had me ugly crying.
Loved this episode. Funny, interesting. Ethan Peck & Jess Bush are both brilliant. Even though the ending goes against continuity I don't care. The return of Mia Kirchner as Amanda was very welcome too.
This doesn't go against continuity; Chapel hasn't met Roger Kirby yet, and S'tonn has already been introduced as T'Pring's colleague; perhaps it is the events of this episode that have her rebound onto S'tonn.
I found it hilarious that when Spock became human he reverted to a teenager because he is Vulcan. I don't know how they figured that Spock is 29 in SNW but Google says he's 29, so that makes perfect sense. I never would have thought of that.
That number comes from the fact that Spock was born in 2230. (Timothy Peel, graphics department, released the image that was suppose to be on Spock's pad that you can't freeze frame to read) Season 1 of SNW is set in 2259 (Season 2 of Discovery is 2258) Ergo 2259-2230=29 He should be 30 in season 2 of SNW as it should be 2260
My favorite part of this was the juxtaposition of all the Vulcans wanting Spock to perform at proving his Vulcan-ness, while Chapel was working hard to restore him to his true self. And she refused to hear his feelings as a human, because that would not have been his true self. That is loving someone for who they really are AND showing self-respect. I think its good for Spock to be in a relationship with Chapel because he just associates Vulcans with performance and bigotry against the human part of him. It might be too much to ask to participate do actively in a society thats always asking you to be something you are, aka full Vulcan.
I recognized T'Pring's father immediately as Avasarala's "2nd" husband from The Expanse. (After he was recast, the first actor being Dr. Bashir's father.)
I love T'Pring so much. She is possibly my favourite character on this show - and it's tough to pick one, they are all amazing. I'm rooting for her and Spock just to see more of her.
THANKS for this!!!! YES, I adored it too!!!! A Customer Service race!!!! LOL!!!! Yes, "Spock Amok" is the episode that plays with this!!! I have *never* laughed out loud so hard at a Trek episode!!! I really did not understand how great Ethan Peck was until this morning!!! (It was also meta--"how to play a Vulcan.") Yes, fun is the word!!! (And I think that Erica got better stuff to do here than in her own episode!!!) And ever since The Kiss, I've been a Spock-Chapel super shipper!!! Blow up the canon and let Spock have both Chapel and T'Pring--who, by the way, is a good judge of character: she caught that, ironically, Spock is severely attached to everyone but her.
I really enjoyed the episode and your review, Jessie. My 3 favourite things about SNW are Nurse Chapel, Jessie’s reviews and Nurse Chapel’s uniform. Not necessarily in that order.
His excitement at more food, then when she looks at him & his disappointment "Oh really? That is I am sure it can wait" made me laugh hard. T'Pring's reactions, especially about her mom were fantastic as well.
There were times I wish that Spock and Chapel have a love child that Spock didn't know about. I don't care if that story is similar to Kirk and Carol Marcus, or Jean-Luc and Beverly. P.S. I hoped sooner or later will have a Sybok episode, he is the one Vulcan I want to see in Strange New Worlds.
Spock stuffing his face with bacon was pure comedy gold. 😂 I also loved seeing the relationship between Spock and his mother, and how he stood up for her. And I hope we continue to see more of T'Pring and see how she feels about Spock and Chapel getting together. That would also add another interesting layer to the events leading to TOS. Oh yeah, Chapel hanging up on the smarmy Vulcan and telling him that they don't deserve her was priceless.
My favourite Pike background gag is the transporter room with Spock in the toque (watch cap? I forget what Americans call them). Pike tries to get them to leave and the turbolift denies him. Turbolifts must operate on the curious principle of “defocused temporal perception.” as predicted by Douglas Adams. They go to the trouble show the doors open back up just as the scene ends with sound. Loved this episode.
I'm with you 100% on this episode!! Delightful! Anson Mount is a master of just giving "a look"! Fantastic. Peck? Terrific! What a talent - does his grandpa proud!
It seemed to me like Spock was about to hell T'Pring when she reminded him that she has to mind meld with her mother later. I don't think it is possible for to keep any secrets from someone during a mind meld, so telling T'Pring before the ritual would have been equivalent to telling his mother-in-law everything and would negate the purpose of the subterfuge.
On Spock not filling T'Pring in, he was going to right until the moment she mentioned she'd have a mind meld with her mother. The whole charade (see what I did?) would die on its tracks right and then. 19:00
I adore watching your review right after watching the episode, it is as if I watched with you and we shared similar opinions. I really enjoyed this episode and think that this season is so 1960's alike
One thing I loved about this episode - and about this series, in general - is that i really believe the friendships that exist among the crew. They hang out and have fun together during their down time. They tease one another about personal things. They pay practical jokes on one another. When Chapel needs the help of Uhura and Ortegas, they're right there for her...not just as Starfleet officers, but as FRIENDS...friends who know exactly why restoring Spock to true self is so important. I think this is one of the ways that the writers have avoided making Chapel's whole reason for existing be her feelings for Spock. She has friends. She has history with other people. She has a career which she takes seriously. TOS Chapel was just that nurse who pined after Spock. SNW Chapel feels like a fleshed out person who doesn't have to be described in any way even related to Spock: A seasoned nurse. A veteran and survivor of The Klingon War. A loyal friend. An archeologist.
Completely agree. In classic Trek tradition, the episode had a veneer of excellent comedy and hijinx, but under the surface it was an episode about repressed feelings and soft bigotry of low expectations, in this case racism based on stereotypes. Still waiting for someone to explicitly make the very logical point that Vulcan bigotry against humans is highly illogical. T'Pol almost did, but I'd love something more explicit. It'd also be fun to eventually learn McCoy had to work under a Vulcan doctor in med school and the two went from hating each other to using racism against each other in a weirdly enduring way, and that the whole time his communication with Spock was just him being affectionate and thinking that's what Vulcans appreciate.
It is mentioned that T'pring's dad favors the mairrage because it ties a connection to Sarek. But then he starts speaking and it's clear that he wants to be close with sarek because he just adores humans. It is also clear that he has heard of pike's cooking thru the grapevine and was very enthusiastic about sampling it. I feel like any time his wife doesn't see him he is eating everything he can get his hands on.
I quite adored this episode, seemed to strike a better balance of the A&B plots and focus characters than last week, giving us a good amount of Spock and Chapel and their respective threads (with great use of the side characters, sad Pelia wasn't there, but Anson Mount proves he does have the expressive face that made him a good choice for Black Bolt, even if that show didn't work). It seems T'Pring just means it's going to be a "shenanigans episode", and that delights me to think that she's accidentally applying the sitcom buff/debuff to the Enterprise when she shows up, as that feels like something most Vulcans would hate. I was a bit surprised with how the whole Spock-is-human storyline resolved - there was a part of me that kept yelling (okay, loudly thinking) "the weird aliens explained that there were two people on the shuttle and one seemed not to fit the template of the other so they fixed him, so why don't they just bring a Vulcan and a human with Spock to explain hybrids?" (I was expecting a really awkward shuttle ride of Spock between Chapel and T'Pring). That said, I do kind of appreciate what we got instead, particularly as I don't mind Spock & Chapel, they have decent chemistry and have had some good scenes to build a level of a relationship there (plus SNW Chapel is fantastic). It was also nice to see Spock stick up for and acknowledge everything his mom had to endure. Oh, and T'Pring's dad is now one of my favourite Vulcans. Just let that man enjoy Pike's cooking and life.
I’ve a few hours before I’m able to watch this episode, I’m so looking forward to it. I think this season has been very good so far. Episode 3 was a stone cold killer, it killed me emotionally 😭😭. I like the idea of a lighter more whimsical episode.
I know it wouldn't have fit with the themes of the episode... But we had Amanda Greyson on the Enterprise, and we know she has history with Commander Pelia. I would have loved to see those two catch up.
I also remember a scene from TOS - I think it was the Naked Now or whatever the everyone is drunk episode was called - where Chapel professed her love for Spock and Spock leaves and cries for his mother's hardship among Vulcans. Also a similar lie / personal difficulty is what ended my own marriage - and I agree that you're absolutely right - but personal shame is difficult to admit even to your closest friends and family (in my case it was undiagnosed ADHD and depression that led to a mental breakdown and an inability to discuss and talk about it with my ex-wife) - I also sympathize with the hesitancy that a young spock would have. Considering how shamed he was throughout his life for being half-human without having the ability to articulate it. Also Chapel has obvious poly vibes.
Picture the writers' room. "Let's do an episode for the midpoint of the season, where something crazy happens to Spock, RIGHT before he needs to do something important!" It's a sitcom plot with a sci-fi twist, that's EXACTLY what they did last season. This is "Spock Amok" with a few tweaks.
Jesse, excellent review, as usual, and, you look stunning! The humor in this show was exceptional, hilarious, but not in a silly, denegrading way. Spock screaming at Sam Kirk had me laughing in tears it was so funny, but it felt like a real thing Spock would do if he had trouble controlling his emotions. And then it pivoted to demi,a d pretty downright serious, and it did this remarkably well. His standing up to T'Pring's mon started us on the road to the serious side. It was remarkable and affirming, but still not without a touch of "gotcha" humor. But then the scene with Amanda we had happy tears, with him suddenly aware of what his mom has to pout up with, and recognizing his own lack of recognition of it. Tears. But then the heartbreak of T'Pring. She is really, really heartbroken, and Gia Sandhu pulls this off so well (as she always does) in putting forth a logical, in-control demeanor, while giving us the utter devastationbehind all that. OMG, I sobbed. SOBBED. I went from hysterics to ugly cry. She is so achingly beautiful, and the tragedy that plays across her is just a sight to behold. While Ethan Peck deserves accolades on his incredible performance, Gia Sandhu does one equally well. It was absolutely perfectly done. And Spock and Chapel finally shipping at the end? More tears, happy this time (yes, I do cry a lot at these things). And for people screaming about canon, fuck off, I love this. Also, Anson Mount's facial expessions were superb and perfect. So, so good. This is ABSOLUTELY my favorite episode so far. Just an amazing job done by all. Not a missed beat or overplaying things where it would have been SO tempting to overplay it. And Gia Sandhu's tremendous scene with Spock at the end brought us right back into reality. A masterpiece.
@Jessie Gender After Dark Hello Jessie hunny, OMG, I was so hanging out for an episode like Spock Amok and my wish came true. I loved this fun episode so much and I laughed my ass off. I loved the concept of a What If and before and after scenarios of Spock becoming fully human. What I am loving about Strange New Worlds is the different style of weekly episodes ranging from action, drama, romance to comedy…especially Vulcans being the brunt of the comedic narrative. I am also enjoying the character development in this show and delving more in the character’s backgrounds. It was interesting to learn more about Vulcan traditions and it was hilarious to see that even on Vulcan, there are controlling mother in laws from hell who like to keep family members under their thumb, especially her non Vulcan like husband😂. The actress who portrays T’Pring is so impressive. Despite Tpring’s lack of emotions, you could feel her suppressed stress and frustration. She is such a strong character who see things as they are, especially in Spock. Ethan Peck did an amazing job, conveying what a Vulcan turned into a human would go through, dealing with raw, pent up, immature/ adolescent like emotions, which he wouldn’t have worked through in his youth, such as stress eating🤣. And we find out he is a neat freak😂. It was beautiful to see how he appreciated his mother much more , seeing her strength after he had to face more prejudice as human. I also loved seeing how Nurse Chapel gained more inner confidence and stood up to the Vulcan. I really don’t care about canon, so I was happy but also surprised to see Spock and Chapel admit their feelings, which I suspect down the road, dooms the relationship between Spock and T’Pring. A shout out to Pike for going along with the lie, and his expressions on his face were priceless. Also, I laughed so hard about the blue and yellow kerkhovains acting like a help line or call centre.
I'm sorry, I about ejected a warp core laughing when I heard and saw T'prings Mother...LOL. Great episode. Most of the comments got the rest . Yea I enjoyed this one . A Lot. Cannon? who cares? It's Star Trek! It's whatever makes a good story, from Q to Riker's Pizza to Lower decks and the California Class, with a sprinkling in of NX-01. One of the reasonings is the condition of the log tapes in the presentation in broadcast form for 21st Century devices. Just as Sammual Cogley said " Tapes can be manipulated. "A machine has no rights a man MUST". So in lies the discrepancy in televised re creations of actual events yet to happen. Re: Star Fleet Temporal Handbook, Chapter 9 Section 3
"Hi, Mom" - never has that line been funnier. More importantly, this episode begins the process of merging the loving T'Pring of Strange New Worlds back into the T'Pring of the original series who hates Spock enough to require him to fight to the death against his captain.
In the Spock Chapel relationship another shoe is about to drop. The name Korby was dropped in the episode. Has to be Roger Korby who Chapel was engaged to. I can see the show altering canon and having Chapel run off and get married after Spock returns to T’Pring, which he has to do for the whole Amok Time episode.
As someone who sees "New Trek" as its own canon, I do hope that ST:SNW diverges from the canon of ST:TOS; especially since legacy characters like Nurse Chapel and Lieutenant Uhura were practically wall dressing in TOS. Give these characters more.
Regarding Spock not telling T'Pring about what happened to him, didn't anyone catch the moment when he was about to tell her, and she said she was going to have a mind-meld with her mother later to share all her thoughts? So Spock changed his mind in that moment. Because, if Spock had told her right then what had happened, her mother would have found out about it pretty quick. It seems completely understandable why he didn't tell her then. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was that she would not have been able to keep the information from her mother, and the entire ceremony would have been a bust.
My one big criticism was NO CAROL KANE! Especially since it was set up in her FIRST episode that she "KNEW Spock's Mother". So to not have her in this episode and have them interact was a big loss of an opportunity! Great episode review. That and the episode was a lot of fun.
This was my favorite episode so far as well. I am a keeper of canon but I don't mind a little wiggle room. I just don't think they should completely disregard all that has been done before to bring in something new. So far, SNW has handled the fleshing out of the legacy characters wonderfully. The introduction of the relationship of Spok and T'Prin just made "Amok Time" from TOS better. The relationship of Spok and Christine also works and doesn't step on the dynamics of TOS. Even the kissing (and probably a deepening relationship between them later) doesn't really conflict with canon; just gives it more context. I have to admit, this particular storyline is..., to me. I look forward to more of it.
I recently did a rewatch of eight of the short Treks that take place prior to season 1 of the original series, the cage, Discovery season 1 and 2 and the first season of strange new worlds in the time while we were waiting for the start of this season. With the inclusion of this episode I am wholeheartedly of the belief by the time I get to the Voyage Home, that Spock's declaration of "I feel fine" to Sarek as a message for Amanda he's going to crush me. And the reason that I believe that finding out what kind of mother that Amanda was not only tell Michael but also to Spock, makes me feel that when they return to Vulcan and do the fol-tor-pon ritual that Amanda believes that the son that she had commiserated with while Pike was in command of the Enterprise is gone, and I may be reading too much into this but his I feel fine is a message that she will understand that her son is still the same man that he was all those years ago.
I didn't expect to like this one at the start. I've been nervous about the Chapel/Spock/T'Pring story being mishandled and I honestly thought they were gonna fuck it up, but they absolutely thread the needle here. T'Pring is excellent, and you're right she was 100% in the right through this episode. I love that Chapel is getting more to do while we're advancing her and Spock's relationship. All three actors (and really the whole cast in this one) nail the performances. I think this is my new favorite episode of the series. Sereen Squall is a close 2nd
this episode hit real hard. Going through a similar life-partner vs work-partner dynamic going on and Spock doing his best to keep a pokerface is spot on
An amazing episode, I really hope they use this as a springboard to bring back the beard. I yearn for bearded Ethan Peck Spock. * Looks out of nearby window yearningly *
I really like how they're realling going in hard on focusing on the crew other than Pike. When they do get to him, it's really going be good, highlting why he's the captain. At least that's what I think. That said, this was a fun episode!
That's really what they did in among the lotus eaters imo. Pike is my favorite so far and I haven't even been bothered that most of these episodes so far barely have had him three, because when he is he's really there
Pike being comedic was also refreshing. Whether it's attempting to escape Amanda in the transporter room or just trying to serve Tevmel, Anson did a great job this week. That quick u-turn near the climax of him just going 'nope, time to nope on outta here' made me laugh.
I can't help but giggle at the fact that the Vulcan centric episodes involving T'Pring and Spock having to deal with HIJINKS is too funny. T'Pring probably had to deal with far fewer where Stonn was concerned and so her distaste for hijinks probably pushed her for the kal-i-fee
There was an opportunity for subtle fan-service which I'm a little sad the episode didn't avail itself of, specifically when Amanda declared she was going to teach Spock to lie, they could have had a scene where she explained all the ways that humans can lie without actually lying, and this could have been the list of all the things future Spock (in TOS / movies) uses as excuses when he's caught lying (an error, an omission, etc).
You have forgotten that in season one episode one T'Pring just before they go to bed, or try to, tells Spock "If you continue acting human I will end this relationship." Whew! That's a pretty nasty threat. This is why Spock does not trust her and we haven't even dealt with her lying to him about having his half brother incarcerated in her facility. How can T'Pring now claim she accepts Spock's human half?
Fun Fact: T'Pring's dad was played by Michael Benyaer. He also played Arjun Avasarala, the husband of Chrisjen in season 4 of The Expanse. I recognized him the moment he walked on screen.
I'm right there with you! Besides episode 2, THIS is my favorite ep. Absolutely astonished at how SNW is so comfortable with having wacky episodes that evoke the original series. I am so thankful at whoever has allowed these kinds of eps to go through. On a side note, I am very disappointed at how T'pring is treated in this particular episode. I don't ship Spaple, but I'm not against it! I just wish T'pring's feelings had been taken into consideration. Definitely here for a Chaple/Spock/T'pring throuple😅
Spock the "little polyarmorous little Vulcan boy" probably was the source material for the "Vulcan love slave" novels and holonovels everyone at DS9 was talking about.
I found this episode extremely validating from a neurodivergent perspective. You can read it so many ways, but that's what it was to me. I loved how they took the time to show Amanda showing Spock how she has to "mask her pain". It was literal in that example but also SUCH A GOOD WAY of explaining masking for us (because it often is painful). I also loved how his friends fought for him to be the way he is, that they value him for his uniqueness. It embodied IDIC perfectly and I loved it so much.
T'Pring and Spock should have more in common, considering T'Pring's father is clearly a human cosplaying as a Vulcan.
Every time her father broke character I was like, "That man is a Romulan!"
To be fair, older vulcan males tend to get loosy goosy with emotional expression... spock being super vulcan and tuned up after his rebirth even started to crack by the end, so its within spec. And Spock's father was a diplomat, so he had to keep it tight for his job.
T'pring's dad (is it Sepek?) is a teddy bear, I love him. I kind of relate to him -- he's probably been catching hell his whole life for not being a Proper Vulcan. I'm not quite a Proper Human.
He brought so much Dad-Energy to the role
That whole thing was hilarious, and I think was a purposeful counterpoint. I think (and have always thought) that the Vulcan "lack of emotion" thing was a range. T'Pring in complaining about her mother's overbearance (overbearance is a word, fucking spellchecker) is very much showing emotion, but in a very measured controlled way. It's still emotional. T'Pring's mom was very much to-the-letter on tradition presented absolutely strictly because of Spock and Amanda. But would sha have been so with a full Vulcan suitor? And T'Pring's dad was just there for the food.
“A Vulcan should have a more resilient bladder.” And, I’m SLAIN. I loved this episode like WHOA!
This episode was sadly a perfect example of microaggressions.
damaging one's internal organs for the sake of decorum seems somewhat illogical. maybe vulcans don't get kidney stones?
She just doesn't give an inch!
Follow up by a true Vulcan would produce a stronger stream!
To me Ethan Peck has the best comedic ability of all the Spock actors.
Agree.
As much as I love Ethan, I still think my 4 top Spock monents in terms of Comedy are in the side of paradise when she tells Jim to go to hell( basically has the same energy of when Reno told Saru to get off her ass) in I believe it was a private little war when he makes a comment about the ego and Kirk After he finds out that the new baby that McCoy delivered is going to be named Leonard James. Next up is" I am expressing several attitudes simultaneously to which are you referring" address to the Bruce Greenwood Pike after they get back from Nibiru. And of course his deadpan that was not my intention when McCoy puts together that Spock gave Uhura a tracking device.
Disagree. Gia Sandhu is the Spock actor with the best comedic ability, even if she only played Spock while body swapped.
I think maybe not vs Nimoy in the movies, but vs the series you could be right, still a tough call.
Ethan Peck is my favourite Spock.
Oh no my absolute favorite part was when chapel is negotiating with the interdimensional beings and they ask her about her connection to Spock.... She starts to stutter and then Ortegas and Urhura both look at her frustrated and say "Oh come on!!!!" It was funny because I said the exact same thing when she was stuttering... It felt like all three of us were saying it!!!
That scene said everything, the journey so far, hopes, dreams, wishes. Those three words.
The besties have Chapel's back. More of this please. Love the fam working together like this
That realization, and moment to speak from the heart. That was everything
I'd imagine it's a running joke on the ship that Spock and Chapel are insanely thirsty for each other.
@@briantaulbee5744 😅hehe, true. They always have a unique glance every time they see each other. Feels like time stands still
Chapel’s “Karen” moment with the aliens is really funny, but not just that. It starts this way but then she realizes she has to admit she has feelings for Spock. Her flushed face when she asked her 2 partners in crime to turn around, as if they would not hear her is beautiful, because that is how we humans feel on situations like that, embarrassment is a true human emotion and opening up your heart in front of anyone is difficult and embarrassing, doing it in front of others that are not your true affection makes it even more embarrassing and more difficult.
T'Pring has had such phenomenal character rehab from her original TOS depiction. From a too-clever-by-half manipulator to a woman genuinely in love with her fiancee who has to deal with all his nonsense and, finally, can't friggin' take it any more? I'm rooting for their doomed relationship, honestly, or for Stonn to be shown as WAY better for her than Spock ever was...
Aye. After this episode I'm Team T'Pring. She deserves better than Spock.
We all have the one friend who we say "I love you man, but she's too good for you and you better leave her alone."
I think that this was subtly hinted at with some readings of her TOS appearance, but holy crap this is one of the two things about SNW that has been quite amazing for characters that have given a super short shrift.
Personally I always found Stonn pretty dull and instead fixated on the fact that Uhura CLEARLY had the hots for T’Pring from first sight lol
@@Cdr2002 Much better pairing than Spock and Uhura.
@@bjorn00000 based
As an Asian, T'pring's mom will resonate with a lot of us. The judgement, the condescension, the exhausting reparteé and stickler for decorum. And T'pring's dad was hilarious
trust me - white mums can be just as bad, especially when there's a wedding involved ;)
I loved him enjoying pike's cooking 😆
@@MrMcbear Until he was reminded he wasn't allowed to enjoy it. Oh boy I chortled....
Oh wow, yeah, except I think my mom is a Romulan!
T’pring’s dad is awesome
When Spock has to go to the restroom and just totally flips out for me was so the best part. Everyone can understand that part when you have to have decorum in front of people who are getting on your last nerve. On a personal note I always feel like bathrooms are like a Sanctuary. It’s the only place where you can be alone and let it all out (pun not intended but works) 🖖
The scream into the towel and the fists punching the air! Absolutely felt that and couldn’t stop laughing XD
I loved how Spock took everything that the MIL from hell dished until she started in on Amanda. “You can say what you like about me, but you shut up about my mother!!!” He just needed a little prod to understand, not just in words, but it REALLY understand that being part human, especially when that part is from a woman like Amanda, is possibly even something to be proud of.
Savat is such a cute Vulcan dad.
Meanwhile, a fun look at the horrors of (automated? healthcare insurance systems. Yellow and Blue felt like you're talking to a computer on the phone, and none of the "press number for X" really fits what you're trying to accomplish.
Plus, the season theme of past challenges informing present identity still shows up, with Amanda's experience's among the Vulcan mothers. I really enjoy how there tend to be season themes, but no more than loosely connected plots.
Agreed. I loved how much it was clear Savat wanted to cut loose and live a little bit (even by Vulcan standards), but he was so hamstrung by Vulcan culture and particularly his wife. He was like, “what, I can’t even have seconds?”
And I had the same thought about Yellow and Blue. These enigmatic cosmic beings turn out to be a bureaucratic hell.
Yeah, I'm really loving the episodic nature of this show. They are doing an excellent job of setting up for future episodes (like Chapel's application for the internship being mentioned I think in two different previous episodes) but not over playing it or making it feel like a soap opera. Evidence of the absolutely outstanding writing.
I loved this episode. Spock walking into the transporter room wearing that ridiculous hat is probably the funniest moment I've seen in a TV show this year.
I’m trying not to ask how the Vulcans could have the ruins of an advanced civilization in their back yard and not have explored it thoroughly yet.
Humans are curious, Vulcans, not so.
@@robinknight2251 Not entirely accurate but possibly in the sense of "The wise are not curious." Vulcan logic tends to prefer the simplest explanation whenever possible much like European Scholastics or the stereotypical Sheldon Cooper type neurotic intellectuals. They tend to consider it illogical to investigate or explore areas they already have an established consensus of scientific opinion about which may have been the case with this particular moon. Having presumably explored it in great detail prior to achieving warp drive capabilities to explore other solar systems they may have concluded there was nothing further of interest to discover there worth wasting their time and resources to study. Spock tends to be a bit unusual among Vulcans in finding it "fascinating" to discover anomalies.
Ethan Peck is amazing. I loved his ability to change his acting styles. I love his relationships, they really flush out his character. I want Nurse Chapel (is she really a nurse though? Seriously this woman is a genus) What I love about this series it shows why Spock went to rescue Pike in the original series. Although he is friends with Kirk, he has a deep relationship with Pike. I don't mind that the show is different from the Original, because the original couldn't do what they are doing now. Just having 3 woman going to get treatment for Spock was not something that could have been shown in the original. I am enjoying these season a lot. I can have my cake and eat it too....
Honestly that's the one thing I would retcon completely. She has a PhD in this show though doesn't she? She supposedly earns her MD by the Motion Picture according to Memory Alpha, but she's clearly multitalented and should probably be treated as a fully fledged doctor.
I am very much looking forward to seeing whatever McCoy we have in this, though. My hope is that when McCoy is introduced, we have a justification for why she chooses to remain in a junior role.
I think of Chapel as a Nurse Practitioner. They receive additional training (like a Masters degree) that allows them to diagnose and prescribe medications. Unless it's been already retconned and I missed the reference in SNW, she does get a doctorate prior to the events of The Motion Picture.
You know, I have yet to see a story which is related to Spock's mother that I don't love. It's just always sweet, their relationship, that connection to his human ancestry.
My one problem with Spock's mom is that this actress is clearly too young to have a son his age. I'd guess they were about 5 years apart. Looking it up I found her actress is 11 years older than his, which I guess means she technically could be his mom but only if Sarek is a pedophile.
@@magister343 Future medicine or something ha. I suppose life is a bit easier as well, kinda how a lot of celebs with money stay younger looking for longer.
@@magister343 But I do get what you mean.
I ❤ this episode but I agree they should have either aged her up or hired a older actress but from what I understand the actress is the same Amanda from Discovery, so I guess that’s why either that or Vulcan has some anti aging for humans I mean Vulcans do live longer than humans
@magister343 It's a fair shake, as Mia Kirchner looks fair bit younger than 48 IMO...BUT I'd also argue that Jane Wyatt didn't look all that elderly in "Journey to Babel", even with grey hair. Plus, that episode is less than 10 years into the future from this one, so either she's dying her hair or something extremely stressful happens to make it go grey so soon if Amanda is around the sane age as her current actress.
You know, now I'm thinking about Amok Time all like "Spock deserved this".
A very bold play to make us feel sympathy and heartbreak for T'Pring, whose only previous role in canon was to make Spock nearly kill his captain and best friend as a ploy to legally be allowed to be with another man.
Now I think she totally deserves better than what Spock can give to her at this point.
Very funny episode. Not fond of the Chapel/Spock stuff but we’ve accepted it’s there at this point.
T’Pring remains one of our biggest surprise faves this series, she’s trying so hard to make her relationship with Spock work despite all the hijinks he gets into. It makes us appreciate Amok Time more as well, since now we absolutely get why she wanted out of this mess as it just kept getting sillier and sillier.
Imagine T’Pring finding out about Spock’s Brain or Spock II. She must be so happy she got out before that.
Well we know that later on T'pring just has loathing for Spock, hoping he'll get killed vs kirk, as she wants to marry Stonn because he has been there the whole time. So this thing with T'pring is destined not to end well. Can't wait to see Stonn's introduction... but T'pring sellllllls it and the writers have got this on lock.
T’Pring reacts: to Spock Messiah!
@@TheMsLourdes Stonn *has* been introduced as a co-worker from the facility T'Pring works at. Looks a whole lot like a younger version of the 60s character too!
It's true. Every episode with T'pring, going back to TOS, has been solid gold.
T'Pring is so good I love her as a character and actually feel sad that she/spock never work out. Agree Chapel/Spock is incredibly cursed content that kind of spits on Spock's character arc in TOS/Movies lol but then they kinda did that with making Burnham his sister anyway (i like Burnham this isn't a Burnham hate post)
Glad you mentioned Anson Mount's expressions through out. He does so good in reacting to things. Felt so sorry for him when they commented on his good. Also he is friends with Amanda, like they talk and not always about Spock.
I liked too that it wasn't that Spock was wrong in not telling T'Ping. It came from a good place and she understood that. It was the lack of trust that was the problem.
Also like the gang telling him to act Vulcan starts with Uhura being formal and how all Vulcans act while when we get to Ortegas she went totally how he acts. Everyone just agrees.
Another fun and comedic episode, Ethan Peck and Jess Bish were perfect and Gia Sandhu as T’Pring was brilliant she can do comedy even while being so Vulcan. Loved this episode so much it was good fun. Totally agree on the review Jessie you're amazing as usual.
I want to see these writers tackle a full Vulcan romantic comedy. They're timing is spot on.
@@jmarquiso I would love to see that
Chapel telling Spock to shut up before laying it on him AND her hanging up on that Vulcan administrator --- two of many great scenes.
that kiss was long overdue, right? ;)
Oh, you hit the nail on the head! I either missed of didn’t understand why Pike was involved in this (other than he’s Spock’s captain and mentor), but you called it a “dad role” and it all clicked - Pike is Spock’s surrogate father. Everything about their relationship makes 1000% more sense.
Apart from Una, with whom he has a more brotherly role, I feel that Pike is really acting like everyone's Dad. He's very supportive of his crew.
A great Prodigy uniform, Jessie. We are all united in our support for that series!🖖
In regards as to why Spock did not divulge his condition to T'Pring, she came off the Transporter pad very stressed out. While walking to Pike's quarters, I believe Spock wanted to tell her, but due to her already stressed out feelings, he decided to hold off telling her. Had she not been so stressed out, I think the whole crew would have let her in on the secret.
That is fair. I also get the idea that Spock might feel he wanted to tell T'Pring face to face, in person, but when she arrived, he felt he shouldn't due to her stressed state.
It is also understandable why T'Pring was hurt by Spock not immediately telling her the truth and subsequently broke off their engagement. Spock was placed in an extremely awkward situation which could have easily gone badly, whether he came clean to T'Pring or not.
@@phillychick Keeping secrets like this rarely works well. I've made my share of mistakes in relationships. Many men might make that mistake. But Spock was in the wrong.
@@nancyjay790 I don't think it was so much her stressed state as the fact that she reminded him that she would need to mind meld with her mother during the ceremony. I don't think it is possible to keep secrets during a mind meld. If Spock told T'Pring anything before that part of the ritual was completed, he might as well just tell her mother directly.
@@phillychickIt definitely makes T’pring a more sympathetic character. I HOPE this isn’t the last time we see her! I am wondering if Sybok turns her into a vindictive ex?
This was as much as we've ever had of Amanda, and it's great to see. It's a good part, well-played.
For me, the core of this episode was what Spock did to T'pring. He was obviously planning to tell her what was up on the way to Pike's quarters, the scene is 100% shot that way. But then she mentioned the mind meld, and she just can't know he's fully human when she does that, it'd blow everything. So Spock, fully human, makes the logical decision to not tell her. Later when she, fully Vulcan, tells him how hurt and distrusted she feels, he answers her in emotional tones. He has a logical reason for what he did, but... has having a logical reason for hurting your partner ever worked? No. No it hasn't. All he can do, back in full Vulcan mode, is to apologize and give a rationale based in emotion. And that will never be enough. She's deeply hurt, and she isn't wrong in feeling that way. I am so proud of the writer who set up that emotional/logical dynamic.
Ethan Peck takes the crown, but there were so many little character moments in this episode that were just perfectly played. Anson Mount was brilliant. I'll give Christina Chong big ups for her portrayal in Spock's "and I also have strange feelings" scene. Writing, directing, and acting all came together to make a cute, funny scene out of something that could have been creepy if it was mishandled.
A++++ will rewatch.
Also note the Ukraine reference. Their second largest city is Kharkiv, and their flag is blue and yellow. Slava Ukraini.
It had nothing to do with the Mind Meld, if it did he would have said
It had everything to do with how overwhelmed she was and he said so.
As a matter of fact... Vulcans are touch telepaths.
T'Pring touched his burnt hand
He was fully human with ZERO shielding
I'm sure she read the truth at that moment and succeed in shielding her mind during the mind meld that she initiated/wasn't the recipient of.
I'm old enough to have seen TOS in the original prime time run, and I have to say that I love how SNW has put so much more resonance into the Spock/Chapel relationship and the Spock/T'Pring relationship with this backstory.
If Amok Time Chapel is an older and wiser SNW Chapel, she knew pon farr and its consequences. And she showed up in a miniskirt at Spock's door when he was at his most vulnerable.
Chapel's tray of soup, once the simpiest of simp offerings, is now poised perfectly between a logical desire to save Spock's life and selfish opportunism.
Spock's flung tray isn't just Vulcan hormones - it is guilt, and bloody-minded determination to do the right thing by T'Pring when given a second chance.
T'Pring is suffering the telepathic agony of Spock's plak tow and is - yet again - left on her own until the last possible moment because Star Fleet just doesn't feel like granting one officer a few days off. Or sending a fast shuttle. Or inconveniencing itself in any way.
Spock tries to love both women and ends up replaced by another man both times.
And Spock's final words to Stonn -- "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
Ouch.
Holy crap. That Spock quote has a LOT more underlying meaning now...
I love T'Pring. Her irritation at formality at the start, putting her mother in her place near the end.
Also love that Pike actually tries to play charades with the Vulcans, "Sounds like..." "EAR!" (sigh)
But I think it's nice to see this Spock/Chapel relationship that was so 'will they/won't they' in TOS is finally blossoming into something serious in SNW.
I fully expected T'Pring's father to be revealed as a secret human also after Spock outed himself.
half-human who is "passing"
a very delightful Romulan!
@@OmegablueWolf
From the south
For a culture that professes to follow the motto "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" some Vulcans are truly disdainful of other cultures
you nailed it. I think the same.
I kinda like to think Vulcans are basically just the ultimate homebodies. Like, I'm a homebody . I like being in my own space and that's where I recharge. When I have a vacation I like to be close to home. At the same time I think being in other places and seeing other cultures is fascinating and I really kinda like seeing them... I just want to be close to home. I think it's the same for Vulcan just in more of a cultural sense. They are most comfortable around each other and that manifests as a kind of elitism, but that's not to say they don't see value in other races and other viewpoints... it's just that they aren't really for them.
Probably explains why they are so closely aligned to humans cos humans do all the exploring and send the data home for Vulcans to the trawl over and do all the theoretical work for.
@@paulscott2037 It's an interesting perspective. I think humans and as you postulate Vulcans as well like to have a safe haven to recharge. I can relate. I love travelling and life has given my wife & I the opportunity to do it a lot, but after 2 weeks far from our "private corner" I start to miss being home. I believe the beauty of the Vulcan motto "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" is that even though they have that inner necessity to be among themselves, they strive to mingle somehow. Acknowledging a flaw and doing something to help solving it is the reason why they created the motto and turned it into a life philosophy.
I don’t think anything in the history of Star Trek has ever made me laugh as hard as Pike noping his way off camera with the tray. Anson Mount is a gem.
Omfg this was the MOST HILARIOUS episode I've seen. lOVED IT😂😂😂😂😂😂. Spock going after Kirk was funny AF 😂😂😂😂
Who knew that Spock was such a neat freak? 😂
This might be one of my favourite comedy episodes from Star Trek. T'Pring's mom is the worst but her dad is great. So glad they added T'Pring as a recurring character, she's been a highlight of all the episodes she is on, I honestly don't blame her for getting fed up with Spock. Ethan Peck did an incredible job playing Spock as human and I love that they didn't have Chapel hesitate for a second in trying to get him back to his normal self, I always hate when shows have the characters be tempted to keep them changed instead of caring for them as they are.
This might be one of my favorite Star Trek episodes ever. This one hit me right in the feels for very personal reasons. It was full of laughs but it also had me ugly crying.
I found it interesting that the aliens referred to themselves as being "of Kerkov" and have the ability to make stable wormholes
It's like Anson Mount is the king of silent reaction shots.
The musical score of this episode dropped several motifs that came from the fight scene music in TOS "Amok Time."
Loved this episode. Funny, interesting. Ethan Peck & Jess Bush are both brilliant. Even though the ending goes against continuity I don't care.
The return of Mia Kirchner as Amanda was very welcome too.
It could still fit in canon. Spock and Chapel could have had a relationship and break it off before the events in TOS.
Ohhh , Captain America sister related by blood
@@phillychick..and Chapel ends up with Corby somehow. Obviously during her medical archaeology studies.
This doesn't go against continuity; Chapel hasn't met Roger Kirby yet, and S'tonn has already been introduced as T'Pring's colleague; perhaps it is the events of this episode that have her rebound onto S'tonn.
I like that Ethan Peck manages to make Vulcan Spock, Human Spock, and Human Spock Trying To Sound Vulcan all different.
I found it hilarious that when Spock became human he reverted to a teenager because he is Vulcan. I don't know how they figured that Spock is 29 in SNW but Google says he's 29, so that makes perfect sense. I never would have thought of that.
That number comes from the fact that Spock was born in 2230. (Timothy Peel, graphics department, released the image that was suppose to be on Spock's pad that you can't freeze frame to read)
Season 1 of SNW is set in 2259 (Season 2 of Discovery is 2258)
Ergo 2259-2230=29
He should be 30 in season 2 of SNW as it should be 2260
"Spock has hijinks" may be my new favorite subgenre.
The kiss. ❤
Spock: "What does this mean?"
Chapel: "I don't know. Shut up." 😄❤
... as I said before in other comment... that kiss was long overdue.
My favorite part of this was the juxtaposition of all the Vulcans wanting Spock to perform at proving his Vulcan-ness, while Chapel was working hard to restore him to his true self. And she refused to hear his feelings as a human, because that would not have been his true self. That is loving someone for who they really are AND showing self-respect. I think its good for Spock to be in a relationship with Chapel because he just associates Vulcans with performance and bigotry against the human part of him. It might be too much to ask to participate do actively in a society thats always asking you to be something you are, aka full Vulcan.
The parts with T'Pring's mother reminded me a lot of the DS9 episode You Are Cordially Invited with Dax and Martok's wife.
I recognized T'Pring's father immediately as Avasarala's "2nd" husband from The Expanse. (After he was recast, the first actor being Dr. Bashir's father.)
The Vulcan dad had wonderful "cool dad" energy!
I love T'Pring so much. She is possibly my favourite character on this show - and it's tough to pick one, they are all amazing. I'm rooting for her and Spock just to see more of her.
Everything with her in it has been gold.
Your assessment is NOT required! Vulcan for "Stick it mother!"
I love her character as well...she is such a standout.
Love his bobby boucher moment,
Spock loves his momma, and of course chapel being her normal ride or die shelf is AWESOME 😎
🖖
THANKS for this!!!! YES, I adored it too!!!! A Customer Service race!!!! LOL!!!! Yes, "Spock Amok" is the episode that plays with this!!! I have *never* laughed out loud so hard at a Trek episode!!! I really did not understand how great Ethan Peck was until this morning!!! (It was also meta--"how to play a Vulcan.") Yes, fun is the word!!! (And I think that Erica got better stuff to do here than in her own episode!!!) And ever since The Kiss, I've been a Spock-Chapel super shipper!!! Blow up the canon and let Spock have both Chapel and T'Pring--who, by the way, is a good judge of character: she caught that, ironically, Spock is severely attached to everyone but her.
I really enjoyed the episode and your review, Jessie. My 3 favourite things about SNW are Nurse Chapel, Jessie’s reviews and Nurse Chapel’s uniform. Not necessarily in that order.
The joke that T'prel cant season food and T'husband ( forgot his name) really just wants good food is the best part of this episode
His excitement at more food, then when she looks at him & his disappointment "Oh really? That is I am sure it can wait" made me laugh hard. T'Pring's reactions, especially about her mom were fantastic as well.
Haha “T’husband” is a great name!
I’ll start using “T’dad”… goes well with “T’dad jokes”.
Just all the talking without words and just looks between eachother were so funny! Loved this episode
Just started the video and you are practically glowing with how much you enjoyed the episode. It's infectious and lifted my mood quite a bit, too!
There were times I wish that Spock and Chapel have a love child that Spock didn't know about. I don't care if that story is similar to Kirk and Carol Marcus, or Jean-Luc and Beverly.
P.S. I hoped sooner or later will have a Sybok episode, he is the one Vulcan I want to see in Strange New Worlds.
I just want more Angel
@@bakasta5992 One is bound to come with the other.
Spock stuffing his face with bacon was pure comedy gold. 😂 I also loved seeing the relationship between Spock and his mother, and how he stood up for her. And I hope we continue to see more of T'Pring and see how she feels about Spock and Chapel getting together. That would also add another interesting layer to the events leading to TOS.
Oh yeah, Chapel hanging up on the smarmy Vulcan and telling him that they don't deserve her was priceless.
My favourite Pike background gag is the transporter room with Spock in the toque (watch cap? I forget what Americans call them). Pike tries to get them to leave and the turbolift denies him. Turbolifts must operate on the curious principle of “defocused temporal perception.” as predicted by Douglas Adams. They go to the trouble show the doors open back up just as the scene ends with sound. Loved this episode.
Hi from the States. We call it a beanie here 😉
Btw excellent scene to pick
this episode is a lesson in why every wedding party should include someone who's only job is to remind the mother of the bride who's wedding it is.
I hope T'Pring doesn't get mad at Spock, I mean they're on a break 😂
I'm with you 100% on this episode!! Delightful! Anson Mount is a master of just giving "a look"! Fantastic. Peck? Terrific! What a talent - does his grandpa proud!
It seemed to me like Spock was about to hell T'Pring when she reminded him that she has to mind meld with her mother later. I don't think it is possible for to keep any secrets from someone during a mind meld, so telling T'Pring before the ritual would have been equivalent to telling his mother-in-law everything and would negate the purpose of the subterfuge.
On Spock not filling T'Pring in, he was going to right until the moment she mentioned she'd have a mind meld with her mother. The whole charade (see what I did?) would die on its tracks right and then. 19:00
I adore watching your review right after watching the episode, it is as if I watched with you and we shared similar opinions. I really enjoyed this episode and think that this season is so 1960's alike
One thing I loved about this episode - and about this series, in general - is that i really believe the friendships that exist among the crew. They hang out and have fun together during their down time. They tease one another about personal things. They pay practical jokes on one another. When Chapel needs the help of Uhura and Ortegas, they're right there for her...not just as Starfleet officers, but as FRIENDS...friends who know exactly why restoring Spock to true self is so important. I think this is one of the ways that the writers have avoided making Chapel's whole reason for existing be her feelings for Spock. She has friends. She has history with other people. She has a career which she takes seriously. TOS Chapel was just that nurse who pined after Spock. SNW Chapel feels like a fleshed out person who doesn't have to be described in any way even related to Spock: A seasoned nurse. A veteran and survivor of The Klingon War. A loyal friend. An archeologist.
well said. The friendship among them is really touching.
Completely agree. In classic Trek tradition, the episode had a veneer of excellent comedy and hijinx, but under the surface it was an episode about repressed feelings and soft bigotry of low expectations, in this case racism based on stereotypes.
Still waiting for someone to explicitly make the very logical point that Vulcan bigotry against humans is highly illogical. T'Pol almost did, but I'd love something more explicit. It'd also be fun to eventually learn McCoy had to work under a Vulcan doctor in med school and the two went from hating each other to using racism against each other in a weirdly enduring way, and that the whole time his communication with Spock was just him being affectionate and thinking that's what Vulcans appreciate.
It is mentioned that T'pring's dad favors the mairrage because it ties a connection to Sarek. But then he starts speaking and it's clear that he wants to be close with sarek because he just adores humans.
It is also clear that he has heard of pike's cooking thru the grapevine and was very enthusiastic about sampling it. I feel like any time his wife doesn't see him he is eating everything he can get his hands on.
I wish the writers had thought (or known) to call back to the whole Vulcan vegetarianism thing before having Spock chow down on a plate of bacon.
I quite adored this episode, seemed to strike a better balance of the A&B plots and focus characters than last week, giving us a good amount of Spock and Chapel and their respective threads (with great use of the side characters, sad Pelia wasn't there, but Anson Mount proves he does have the expressive face that made him a good choice for Black Bolt, even if that show didn't work). It seems T'Pring just means it's going to be a "shenanigans episode", and that delights me to think that she's accidentally applying the sitcom buff/debuff to the Enterprise when she shows up, as that feels like something most Vulcans would hate.
I was a bit surprised with how the whole Spock-is-human storyline resolved - there was a part of me that kept yelling (okay, loudly thinking) "the weird aliens explained that there were two people on the shuttle and one seemed not to fit the template of the other so they fixed him, so why don't they just bring a Vulcan and a human with Spock to explain hybrids?" (I was expecting a really awkward shuttle ride of Spock between Chapel and T'Pring). That said, I do kind of appreciate what we got instead, particularly as I don't mind Spock & Chapel, they have decent chemistry and have had some good scenes to build a level of a relationship there (plus SNW Chapel is fantastic). It was also nice to see Spock stick up for and acknowledge everything his mom had to endure.
Oh, and T'Pring's dad is now one of my favourite Vulcans. Just let that man enjoy Pike's cooking and life.
Pike's cooking can bring everyone together 🖖
I’ve a few hours before I’m able to watch this episode, I’m so looking forward to it. I think this season has been very good so far. Episode 3 was a stone cold killer, it killed me emotionally 😭😭.
I like the idea of a lighter more whimsical episode.
I know it wouldn't have fit with the themes of the episode... But we had Amanda Greyson on the Enterprise, and we know she has history with Commander Pelia. I would have loved to see those two catch up.
I also remember a scene from TOS - I think it was the Naked Now or whatever the everyone is drunk episode was called - where Chapel professed her love for Spock and Spock leaves and cries for his mother's hardship among Vulcans.
Also a similar lie / personal difficulty is what ended my own marriage - and I agree that you're absolutely right - but personal shame is difficult to admit even to your closest friends and family (in my case it was undiagnosed ADHD and depression that led to a mental breakdown and an inability to discuss and talk about it with my ex-wife) - I also sympathize with the hesitancy that a young spock would have. Considering how shamed he was throughout his life for being half-human without having the ability to articulate it.
Also Chapel has obvious poly vibes.
Picture the writers' room. "Let's do an episode for the midpoint of the season, where something crazy happens to Spock, RIGHT before he needs to do something important!"
It's a sitcom plot with a sci-fi twist, that's EXACTLY what they did last season. This is "Spock Amok" with a few tweaks.
Jesse, excellent review, as usual, and, you look stunning!
The humor in this show was exceptional, hilarious, but not in a silly, denegrading way. Spock screaming at Sam Kirk had me laughing in tears it was so funny, but it felt like a real thing Spock would do if he had trouble controlling his emotions. And then it pivoted to demi,a d pretty downright serious, and it did this remarkably well. His standing up to T'Pring's mon started us on the road to the serious side. It was remarkable and affirming, but still not without a touch of "gotcha" humor. But then the scene with Amanda we had happy tears, with him suddenly aware of what his mom has to pout up with, and recognizing his own lack of recognition of it. Tears. But then the heartbreak of T'Pring. She is really, really heartbroken, and Gia Sandhu pulls this off so well (as she always does) in putting forth a logical, in-control demeanor, while giving us the utter devastationbehind all that. OMG, I sobbed. SOBBED. I went from hysterics to ugly cry. She is so achingly beautiful, and the tragedy that plays across her is just a sight to behold. While Ethan Peck deserves accolades on his incredible performance, Gia Sandhu does one equally well. It was absolutely perfectly done. And Spock and Chapel finally shipping at the end? More tears, happy this time (yes, I do cry a lot at these things). And for people screaming about canon, fuck off, I love this.
Also, Anson Mount's facial expessions were superb and perfect. So, so good.
This is ABSOLUTELY my favorite episode so far. Just an amazing job done by all. Not a missed beat or overplaying things where it would have been SO tempting to overplay it. And Gia Sandhu's tremendous scene with Spock at the end brought us right back into reality. A masterpiece.
@Jessie Gender After Dark Hello Jessie hunny, OMG, I was so hanging out for an episode like Spock Amok and my wish came true. I loved this fun episode so much and I laughed my ass off. I loved the concept of a What If and before and after scenarios of Spock becoming fully human. What I am loving about Strange New Worlds is the different style of weekly episodes ranging from action, drama, romance to comedy…especially Vulcans being the brunt of the comedic narrative. I am also enjoying the character development in this show and delving more in the character’s backgrounds.
It was interesting to learn more about Vulcan traditions and it was hilarious to see that even on Vulcan, there are controlling mother in laws from hell who like to keep family members under their thumb, especially her non Vulcan like husband😂. The actress who portrays T’Pring is so impressive. Despite Tpring’s lack of emotions, you could feel her suppressed stress and frustration. She is such a strong character who see things as they are, especially in Spock.
Ethan Peck did an amazing job, conveying what a Vulcan turned into a human would go through, dealing with raw, pent up, immature/ adolescent like emotions, which he wouldn’t have worked through in his youth, such as stress eating🤣. And we find out he is a neat freak😂. It was beautiful to see how he appreciated his mother much more , seeing her strength after he had to face more prejudice as human.
I also loved seeing how Nurse Chapel gained more inner confidence and stood up to the Vulcan. I really don’t care about canon, so I was happy but also surprised to see Spock and Chapel admit their feelings, which I suspect down the road, dooms the relationship between Spock and T’Pring.
A shout out to Pike for going along with the lie, and his expressions on his face were priceless. Also, I laughed so hard about the blue and yellow kerkhovains acting like a help line or call centre.
I'm sorry, I about ejected a warp core laughing when I heard and saw T'prings Mother...LOL. Great episode. Most of the comments got the rest . Yea I enjoyed this one . A Lot. Cannon? who cares? It's Star Trek! It's whatever makes a good story, from Q to Riker's Pizza to Lower decks and the California Class, with a sprinkling in of NX-01. One of the reasonings is the condition of the log tapes in the presentation in broadcast form for 21st Century devices. Just as Sammual Cogley said " Tapes can be manipulated. "A machine has no rights a man MUST". So in lies the discrepancy in televised re creations of actual events yet to happen. Re: Star Fleet Temporal Handbook, Chapter 9 Section 3
"Hi, Mom" - never has that line been funnier. More importantly, this episode begins the process of merging the loving T'Pring of Strange New Worlds back into the T'Pring of the original series who hates Spock enough to require him to fight to the death against his captain.
you may have forgotten about the TOS ep where there were spores on a planet that caused everyone including Spock to put their cares away
That initial mom meet at the transporter, and Captain Pike is trying leave and wondering why the door won't OPEN!
And then there were so many more.
In the Spock Chapel relationship another shoe is about to drop. The name Korby was dropped in the episode. Has to be Roger Korby who Chapel was engaged to. I can see the show altering canon and having Chapel run off and get married after Spock returns to T’Pring, which he has to do for the whole Amok Time episode.
Vulcan engagement dinner is like Festivus. Feats of Strength. Airing of grievances.
Spock and T'Pring are gonna get a Ross and Rachel moment with Spock shouting "WE WERE ON A BREAK!"
I like that some of the stuff they were memorizing was referred by the name "Korby" as it references the TOS Episode "What are little girls made of?"
I loved you’re “oh no someone’s gonna tell my mom on me” realization moment
R.I.P. to Pike's spinach puffs
As someone who sees "New Trek" as its own canon, I do hope that ST:SNW diverges from the canon of ST:TOS; especially since legacy characters like Nurse Chapel and Lieutenant Uhura were practically wall dressing in TOS. Give these characters more.
Regarding Spock not telling T'Pring about what happened to him, didn't anyone catch the moment when he was about to tell her, and she said she was going to have a mind-meld with her mother later to share all her thoughts? So Spock changed his mind in that moment. Because, if Spock had told her right then what had happened, her mother would have found out about it pretty quick. It seems completely understandable why he didn't tell her then. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was that she would not have been able to keep the information from her mother, and the entire ceremony would have been a bust.
My one big criticism was NO CAROL KANE! Especially since it was set up in her FIRST episode that she "KNEW Spock's Mother". So to not have her in this episode and have them interact was a big loss of an opportunity!
Great episode review. That and the episode was a lot of fun.
This was my favorite episode so far as well. I am a keeper of canon but I don't mind a little wiggle room. I just don't think they should completely disregard all that has been done before to bring in something new. So far, SNW has handled the fleshing out of the legacy characters wonderfully. The introduction of the relationship of Spok and T'Prin just made "Amok Time" from TOS better. The relationship of Spok and Christine also works and doesn't step on the dynamics of TOS. Even the kissing (and probably a deepening relationship between them later) doesn't really conflict with canon; just gives it more context. I have to admit, this particular storyline is..., to me. I look forward to more of it.
I recently did a rewatch of eight of the short Treks that take place prior to season 1 of the original series, the cage, Discovery season 1 and 2 and the first season of strange new worlds in the time while we were waiting for the start of this season. With the inclusion of this episode I am wholeheartedly of the belief by the time I get to the Voyage Home, that Spock's declaration of "I feel fine" to Sarek as a message for Amanda he's going to crush me. And the reason that I believe that finding out what kind of mother that Amanda was not only tell Michael but also to Spock, makes me feel that when they return to Vulcan and do the fol-tor-pon ritual that Amanda believes that the son that she had commiserated with while Pike was in command of the Enterprise is gone, and I may be reading too much into this but his I feel fine is a message that she will understand that her son is still the same man that he was all those years ago.
I didn't expect to like this one at the start. I've been nervous about the Chapel/Spock/T'Pring story being mishandled and I honestly thought they were gonna fuck it up, but they absolutely thread the needle here. T'Pring is excellent, and you're right she was 100% in the right through this episode. I love that Chapel is getting more to do while we're advancing her and Spock's relationship. All three actors (and really the whole cast in this one) nail the performances. I think this is my new favorite episode of the series. Sereen Squall is a close 2nd
this episode hit real hard.
Going through a similar life-partner vs work-partner dynamic going on and Spock doing his best to keep a pokerface is spot on
An amazing episode, I really hope they use this as a springboard to bring back the beard. I yearn for bearded Ethan Peck Spock. * Looks out of nearby window yearningly *
I really like how they're realling going in hard on focusing on the crew other than Pike. When they do get to him, it's really going be good, highlting why he's the captain. At least that's what I think. That said, this was a fun episode!
That's really what they did in among the lotus eaters imo. Pike is my favorite so far and I haven't even been bothered that most of these episodes so far barely have had him three, because when he is he's really there
Pike being comedic was also refreshing. Whether it's attempting to escape Amanda in the transporter room or just trying to serve Tevmel, Anson did a great job this week. That quick u-turn near the climax of him just going 'nope, time to nope on outta here' made me laugh.
I can't help but giggle at the fact that the Vulcan centric episodes involving T'Pring and Spock having to deal with HIJINKS is too funny. T'Pring probably had to deal with far fewer where Stonn was concerned and so her distaste for hijinks probably pushed her for the kal-i-fee
T'Pring's father is great. Very strong "Snacks are only logical" energy and I am here for it.
There was an opportunity for subtle fan-service which I'm a little sad the episode didn't avail itself of, specifically when Amanda declared she was going to teach Spock to lie, they could have had a scene where she explained all the ways that humans can lie without actually lying, and this could have been the list of all the things future Spock (in TOS / movies) uses as excuses when he's caught lying (an error, an omission, etc).
You have forgotten that in season one episode one T'Pring just before they go to bed, or try to, tells Spock "If you continue acting human I will end this relationship." Whew! That's a pretty nasty threat. This is why Spock does not trust her and we haven't even dealt with her lying to him about having his half brother incarcerated in her facility. How can T'Pring now claim she accepts Spock's human half?
The Kerkhovians reminded me of Vogons who are voiced by a car insurance ad voice over.
Dear Discovery: This is how quirky is done. "Sometimes I don't cry in the shower" 😁😭😁😭
This episode had me laughing and crying several times.
Fun Fact: T'Pring's dad was played by Michael Benyaer. He also played Arjun Avasarala, the husband of Chrisjen in season 4 of The Expanse.
I recognized him the moment he walked on screen.
I'm right there with you! Besides episode 2, THIS is my favorite ep. Absolutely astonished at how SNW is so comfortable with having wacky episodes that evoke the original series. I am so thankful at whoever has allowed these kinds of eps to go through. On a side note, I am very disappointed at how T'pring is treated in this particular episode. I don't ship Spaple, but I'm not against it! I just wish T'pring's feelings had been taken into consideration. Definitely here for a Chaple/Spock/T'pring throuple😅
Spock the "little polyarmorous little Vulcan boy" probably was the source material for the "Vulcan love slave" novels and holonovels everyone at DS9 was talking about.
I found this episode extremely validating from a neurodivergent perspective. You can read it so many ways, but that's what it was to me. I loved how they took the time to show Amanda showing Spock how she has to "mask her pain". It was literal in that example but also SUCH A GOOD WAY of explaining masking for us (because it often is painful). I also loved how his friends fought for him to be the way he is, that they value him for his uniqueness. It embodied IDIC perfectly and I loved it so much.
I’ve been meaning to say for a while: I love your Outer Wilds poster above your monitor.