Osyraa’s secret that the Emerald Chain is running out of dilithium got out, so what will the consequences be?
Dr. Culber talks to the man that investigated Georgiou before, in order to talk about her illness. The problem seems to be that Georgiou traveled not only through time, like everybody of the crew did, but she also travelled through dimensions as she is from a parallel universe. The man advises Culber not to tell Georgiou anything, because her Terrarian instinct will drive her to find a way to die in battle. The computer offers another solution.
In the dining room, Georgiou is seen not being able to grab her glass, as the molecules seem to be dividing. Before Georgiou starts a fight with Tilly, Michael interrupts her to escort her to Culber. The computer found a cure for her condition on a planet called Dannus V, but the chance for her survival are only 5%. The Admiral, Culber, Michael and Saru discuss what to do next. Saru wants the crew to be ready to face the Chain near Argeth, instead of helping Georgiou. However, the Admiral authorises the mission to go to Dannus V, but warns Burnham to let Georgiou go if need be. Everyone but Saru is dismissed. The Admiral asks him what Saru would have done in his situation. Saru replies that he would have made a different choice. The Admiral reminds him that he should not forget that neglecting one crew member can lead to the entirety of the crew seeing him in a different light.
Phillipa is in the gym boxing, when Burnham wants to persuade her to trust the mission. Instead, Phillipa wants to start a fight with Burnham, in order to die in a fight. She even holds a sword to Michael’s throat, but Michael doesn’t budge. Wearing a ‘death clock’ which tells her when the time has come, Phillipa and Michael get ready for the mission.
Distress Call
Meanwhile, Adira and Stamets found a distress call. Adira seems to be missing Gray and was unable to sleep in the last days, which led to some mistakes on their side. They call Saru. While Saru is making his way over, Book stops him to ask if he might be of any help when they deal with the Emerald Chain again. Saru wants to rely on protocols, instead of Couriers like Book suggested, and turns him down.
On Dannus V, Michael and Phillipa walk through the snow to find the cure. They encounter a man sitting on an armchair reading a newspaper which says that Emperor Georgiou died of a horrible death. He introduces himself as Carl and shows them a portal. He advises Georgiou to go through it, while Burnham doesn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. They do not know what will happen on the other side of the door.
Back on the Discovery, Adira and Stamets encoded the distress signal, which shows a Kelpien, Dr. Issa, asking for help. They have been stranded somewhere for 100 years. The Khi’eth are still broadcasting this signal, so Saru wants them to analyse the signal further and to report it to the Admiral once they have more information.
Emperor Georgiou
Phillipa goes through the portal alone and finds herself on her own ship in her Terran uniform. Her old crew welcomes her. It seems that Georgiou is reliving a part of her live, the day of Lorca’s betrayal to be precise. Michael and Lorca have a relationship in this universe, and have plotted against the Emperor together. Phillipa wants to persuade Michael to change her mind, instead of punishing her right away for the treason she commits.
Kelpiens are slaves in this universe, so they serve drinks and food during what seems to be a welcoming party for the Emperor. However, one Kelpien accidentally spills a drink on someone’s shoe and is immediately taken away and sentenced to a cruel death. Another Kelpien, which seems to be this universe’s Saru, brings Michael wine. To which she responds that no one asked for it, so he will face the same fate as his Kelpien friend. Georgiou, being softer through all her experiences, stops Burnham, and takes Saru away from her as her slave. Instead, she disguises this as punishment for Saru, saying that he will wish he was dead when she is done with him.
In her chambers, Georgiou talks to Saru. The other Kelpien was in the stage of Vahar’ai. In this universe, they tell the Kelpien that they kill them during this stage as they will get insane afterwards. But actually, Kelpiens only get rid of their ganglia, which is an organ responsible for their response to fear and threat. When they lose the ganglia, they no longer have a high rate of fear. Thus, they pose a bigger threat to their masters. Saru tells Georgiou that Michael and Lorca plot her death, because she seems to have changed. Georgiou then wants Saru to be her spy.
The Assassination
A dedication ceremony for the Emperor begins. It starts with a play about the Emperor’s life. The crew shows her their new flagship, the Charon. The Emperor stands to give a speech, and Stamets, who was the play’s narrator, stands beside her. He slowly approaches Georgiou with a knife in his hand, but before he can strike, Georgiou already stabs him in the neck. Watching this unfold, Burnham grows more and more mad. But she hails Georgiou after her failed attempt.
When Burnham leaves the room, Tilly and the others corner Burnham and take away her weapons. Georgiou tells her to confess to her crimes and she will spare her life. Michael only says that Georgiou’s weakness is growing. As Georgiou asks Burnham why she did that, Burnham replies that she is nothing but a reflection of Phillipa, merely a tool. Lorca however, loves her for herself.
Michael dares Phillipa to execute her, but Phillipa only scrapes her neck. Phillipa does not kill Burnham in this scenario, because she wants to know what will happen if Burnham still lives. Instead, Burnham is taken to the agonizer.
Overall Thoughts
Oh my, the evilness is back everyone. For the first time in this season, we get to see the opposite of what the Discovery stands for, and I especially like seeing the actors variety here. Seeing the evil Burnham again makes this episode so much more exciting, in my opinion. Also, confident Tilly still being loyal to the Emperor shows that loyalty is a trait Tilly doesn’t lose in any scenario we have seen so far. Even if it means betraying her friend and roommate, as we’ve seen in the past.
Because this episode has ended so abruptly in the portal, I guess we will see more of this alternative universe for at least one more episode. It will be interesting to see how it all connects in the bigger picture, maybe it even has something to do with the Burn?
