Writers: Onitra Johnson
Director: Sydney Freeland
Not quite by chance, the Enterprise runs into the ‘unknown flat planet’, a disc-shaped world moving through space with it’s own power, air and life. Beaming down, Pike, Spock, Pelia and La’an find themselves in a fairy tale world. Complete with real fairies. And a fairy castle. After running into King Ridley, the part played by M’Benga in the season one episode, they phone the doctor and he gives them a rundown of what happened then since no one else knows or remembers and he quickly establishes it’s a La’an episode!
All the characters are back in action, this time as their own copy instead of the crew being turned into each character. Against all loathing she has for the assignment, La’an gets dolled up and assumes the identity of her fantasy doppelgänger, Princes Thalia, mingles with her prince charming in the shape of James Kirk, and in combating the latest scheme of the evil Queen Neve, works out all her issues as the therapy space aliens intended.
While La’an plays in the fantasy land on the surface, Elysium Kingdom residents Sir Ruath and the wizard Pollux turn the tables and assume the identities of Kirk and Spock on the Enterprise so that more shenanigans can ensue in the B plot.
It’s all fairly simple and in the end comes down to La’an and Princess Thalia having a scrap and realising they can only beat the evil Queen by accepting the side of themselves they kind of hate. Which has been La’an theme of the season as she realises she’s a bit more like her ancestral evil family than she’d like to be. There’s also a lot of heavy leaning on Once Upon A Time in style and presentation. Despite the effort to bring it all to life with some nice production design and everything – particularly Celia Rose Gooding – bringing all the ham to the feast, it was a bit of a let down seeing all this angst and rage fall down to La’an getting her fairytale doppelgängers puppy.
Even with comedic moments like Anson Mount and Ethan Peck as imposters practising how to be the real Pike and Spock, and it being a perfectly fine one off story, it is let down with the La’an tease of the season coming to a close in way that feels unsatisfying. A simple end to a deeply complex problem that doesn’t really give La’an the arc she deserves.
Taken on it’s own though, a perfectly fine episode, but far from the seasons best.
EPISODE DISCUSSION & SPOILERS
Highlights
- The show bent over backwards not to mention Discworld. I love that.
- M'Benga's explination cracked me up as an in-universe way of just saying "THIS IS A LA'AN EPISODE!"
- ....and surely, this title is the reason the pronounciation of La'an has been solidified this season..?
All Connected...
The Kingdom of Elysium was established in the first season of Strange New Worlds. A children’s book was converted to reality when M’Benga realised he was the only person who realised they weren’t in a fantasy world. The episode was a cry for help from his daughter who then ascended to a new form of life. This episode doesnt have such an ascension, but sheds more light (while raising more questions) on a mysterious alien healing process….
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