Deledrius wrote: ↑Sun Oct 23, 2022 2:33 pmOn the other hand, I've been exactly in her position (for very different behaviors). I lost everyone and everything to a situation where folks assumed I did something that never even happened, because it fit an old pattern I had worked very hard to pull myself out of. It's the worst feeling, being abandoned and misunderstood and blamed like that.
It certainly is, but it's a price you paid for your past actions. Mind you, I am not judging you or anything, but the people's past experience with you informed their current actions in that situation. It's basically your past self hurting you specifically, instead of others (as your past self seems to have done).
Deledrius wrote: ↑Sun Oct 23, 2022 2:33 pmThe difference is, I didn't get back to the status quo in a week, and there was no Independent Archaeology for me to fall back on in the meanwhile. Mariner's going to be fine, and everyone will learn an important lesson about trusting her. Probably.
I feel that would be the wrong takeaway or resolution. First, there's sending Mariner, her very child, off to Crapville, Nowherestan, because of a hunch and vengeance. That's terrible. Freeman's her mother for fuck's sake. She just abandoned her child, which she personally failed to raise "properly". Second, the lesson shouldn't be to trust Mariner. She's not done that much to earn that yet, in my opinion and third, Mariner isn't fine. Her mother just abandoned her. Her girlfriend dropped her like a hot potato. Her entire framework just collapsed around her without any involvement or agency by her. The last thing she should do, is come back to this ship. She needs to get as far away from her toxic mother as she can and the same is true for abandoning her post to join the other les-yeay character, which turned out to be a thief and traitor, which I feel she primarily does because she wants to spite her mother.
And to come back to point two, the lesson should be, that Freeman needs to be relieved of command and Mariner to be transfered away from her and the clutches of her absentee father, so she actually gets a chance to be herself and develop far away from the social pressures that her parents enact upon her.
Deledrius wrote: ↑Sun Oct 23, 2022 2:33 pmI think this episode executed this dilemma perfectly.
I dispute this, because this show has displayed a consistant incapability of making the characters accountable for their actions and, especially and in particular, failings. Part of this comes from this being a comedy show, but even comedy shows have managed to let their characters develop consistantly and learn from their mistakes. At first glance Lower Decks does occasionally manage that, but this episode shows, that all the little steps are without greater consequence and for what, I do wonder? Mariner is right back to where she started, except to not being Starfleet anymore. Boimler is still a nobody, despite being shown to be one of the most competent people on the ship. Freeman is still a wrathful fury, which explodes at the first opportune moment, despite being in rehab 5 episodes earlier. The only ones who seem to get some vague story-development seem to be Tendi, who's gradually revealed to be an ex-pirate (though I do not feel that really works with her early naive characterization) and the mystery around Rutherfords implant, which comes from nowhere (and doesn't really have a reason to exist, as Starfleet itself would ask questions about that thing) and probably will lead nowhere.
Ugh, I don't know. This show just does not feel consistent to me and seems to try to chase an impossible audience-expectation, sacrificing stringent development for cheap jokes. There are moments where I laugh, but there are far more moments where the show flat out frustrates me.
"If you get shot up by an A6M Reisen and your plane splits into pieces - does that mean it's divided by Zero?
- xoxSAUERKRAUTxox
