Star Trek: Discovery, “The Red Angel” (Episode 211) Reviews

TREKMOVIE.COM

“Plot arc revelations are just the beginning of this excellent emotional roller coaster of an episode. With standout performances from Sonequa Martin-Green, Ethan Peck, Michelle Yeoh, and Alan Van Sprang, “The Red Angel” answers questions about characters that you didn’t even know to ask…

“The Red Angel” is a delight that subverts expectations by taking a plot payoff episode, and using it to deliver emotion and character development…

It all held together in a tight package, without tangents or wasted moments…

Director Hanelle Culpepper showed that she is the right person for the job to launch the new Picard series, with a deep understanding of how to make all these emotional moments land. She knows when to let the actors showcase their talents, and when to ramp up the action.”

Read the full review here.

DEN OF GEEK

4.5/5 Stars

Read the full review here.

TREK CORE

“The Red Angel” had a lot of great character moments that continued to deepen a number of the relationships on the show.”

Read the full review here.

Counterpart, “In From the Cold” (Episode 208) Reviews

 

VULTURE

“…In From the Cold crystalizes many of the pivotal relationships on the show…

…In From the Cold ends with the thrilling certainty and direction that a late-season episode should have.”

Editor’s Rating: 4/5 Stars

Read the full review here.

 

 

SHOW SNOB

“…In from the Cold was written by Erin Levy (Madmen) and directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper (Star Trek: Discovery). Culpepper directed last week’s “No Strings Attached.” If there is a season three of Counterpart, I hope Culpepper returns. She really built on themes from last week.”

Read the full review here.

 

 

BLACK NERD PROBLEMS

“…Beautiful camera work there with the mirror showing the dual image “on the other side.”

Read the full review here.

Counterpart, “No Strings Attached” (Episode 207) Reviews

VULTURE

“…the most compelling hour of the series to date.”

Editor’s Rating: 3/5 Stars

Read the full review here.

SHOW SNOB

“The visuals and acting were some of the best of the season…

…When Quayle Alpha comes home and breaks the news to Clare Prime, she gets a blank stare and says, “What the ****?” It was one of the most honest, relatable moments of the entire series…

…A Reservoir Dogs style gun battle erupts. It’s a cool wide shot of everyone firing their guns basically once.”

Read the full review here.

The Flash, “Lose Yourself” (Episode 418) Reviews

 

 

TELL-TALE TV

The Flash  Season 4 Episode 18, “Lose Yourself,” is a fast-paced, action-packed installment… The final battle sequence at STAR Labs was amazing to watch.

Read the full review here.

 

CRITICAL BLAST

5/5 Stars

Read the full review here.

 

411MANIA

…The sequence where Harry knocks over Cisco’s Star Trek USS Enterprise model (probably the most tragic scene of the episode if you’re a collector) is extremely well done, as well as when Joe first confronts Harry about the Cap…

…Things get interesting when Barry, Caitlin, and Ralph head over to a hippie gathering in search of Gauss. This show has a problem with delivering genuine comedy, but this sequence was definitely humorous. Caitlin’s response, “The folded man?” was hilarious, as was the general atmosphere of the sequence…

…The action in the second half is engaging, and with genuine emotion.

Read the full review here.

 

MyM BUZZ

…Stunningly good stuff, from start to finish…

…The Ralph/Barry fight is brilliantly handled… The Iris/Marlize fight is BIG Fun…

…Hanelle Culpepper has directed for The Flash on several previous occasions including the brilliant ‘King Shark’. She’s also directed for Star Trek: Discovery, Empire, Gotham and many more.

Read the full review here.

 

DAILY SUPERHERO

…the episode did a great job of showing the non-powered members of Team Flash are still capable of dealing out some serious ass-kicking. In fact, perhaps tellingly, the Wests taking on the Mechanic and the Samuroid were some of the best fights we’ve had in quite a long time. Iris and Marlize’s confrontation was particularly fun to watch…

Read the full review here.

 

SHOWBIZ JUNKIES

Dramatic, action-packed, and heartbreaking… This was a powerful and heavy episode with two stand-out performances as well as the exit of the best character to be introduced to the series this season. Hartley Sawyer, who has added much needed humor into the show and has wonderful chemistry with Grant Gustin, delivered his strongest performance in this episode…

…Danielle Panabaker steals every scene she’s in episode 18… The scene where she looks at the post-it notes is truly touching.

Read the full review here.

 

GEEK SYNDICATE

…there were some exciting fight sequences directed by Hanelle Culpepper…

…Joe takes on a Samurai with ease while still finding time to babysit an increasingly erratic Harry. These are the moments that really make “Lose Yourself” stand out, portraying the heroism of everyday people and the bonds that keep this team together even when they’re not fighting a great evil…

Read the full review here.

Gotham, “Pieces of a Broken Mirror” (Episode 412) Reviews

 

 

TRACKING BOARD

…Tonight, they return from winter break with a fan treat, entertaining, grand slam episode.

Read the full review here.

 

TELL-TALE TV

Gotham Season 4 Episode 12, “Pieces of a Broken Mirror,” is a jam-packed thrill ride that doesn’t plateau until the credits roll.

Read the full review here.

 

DEN OF GEEK

…Gotham has never felt more interconnected than in the midseason premiere, which sees characters running into each other in wonderful ways…

…Damn, the Gotham midseason return is good. Not only is it gorgeous to look at, but this city has never felt more lived in or interconnected…

…There was a measuredness to this episode in general that really worked. I’d like to see it continue… (How amazing was that Sirens commercial? Perhaps my favorite part of the episode.)

4.5/5 Stars

Read the full review here.

 

AV CLUB

Luckily, “A Dark Knight: Pieces Of A Broken Mirror” is a strong premiere, one that follows through on the storylines from last fall in interesting ways while also pushing the story, and the characters, in a new direction…

…What’s different about Gotham this season is that it has a confidence about it that wasn’t there before. It feels like the writers and actors have all settled into the show’s tone and found what makes it work: a bit of comedy, some dark brutality, and more attention paid to how every storyline works with the others. That confidence is present in this week’s fantastic cold open. As the camera moves around the shady alleys and buildings of The Narrows, we’re reacquainted and introduced to a number of people…

…It’s a smart, well-executed way to once again familiarize us with these stories after such a lengthy hiatus…

…There’s a great comedic cue in Cherry’s where some serious music is playing while Gordon and Thompkins see each other for the first time in ages. The scene is shot in tight closeups. Then, when Gordon disdainfully asks why she’s working with Nygma, the music abruptly stops and the camera cuts to a wider shot that reveals Nygma. “I’m right here,” he says. Great use of music and shot composition.

Read the full review here.

Star Trek: Discovery,”Vaulting Ambition” (Episode 112) Reviews

 

TLDR

I have to take my hat off to the team over at Star Trek Discovery, tonight had a reveal that spent episodes building up, the reveal felt completely justified and not contrived, and I did not see it coming at all. That is such a difficult task to pull off and make it feel natural, it was magnificent to watch… wow, this is one of the best episodes of Star Trek I have seen in a very long time…

…[Yeoh’s] outfit/costume/imperial robes were intricately detailed and used visual language to tell a story about who this character was even before she started her speech… Her weapons the agony booth, her sword, and flying fidget spinner of death, are both wonderful and also help tell the story. It is visual storytelling to the max, and I love the details that went into this…

…I think the last time a show did a reveal as well as this [Lorca’s], was The Red Wedding in Game of Thrones, or maybe the end of Season One of The Good Place

…Both Doug Jones and Mary Chieffo should be applauded for how much emotion they can convey under all those prosthetics…

…The best episode of Star Trek Discovery so far, and one of the best episodes of Star Trek I have seen in a very long time. This was a wonderfully written, directed, acted, filmed, and designed episode, and it was amazing to watch.

Read the full review here.

 

BOLDLY GO

Vaulting Ambition is a wonderful (not-quite) hour of television, and sets up the season for an explosive final three episodes…

…This episode is just spectacularly produced. The amount of set work being done on this show simply blows me away… and it’s obvious the massive budget of the show is being put to good use…

…Similarly, the acting on display is absolutely top notch… The ways Emperor Georgiou is so fundamentally different from Captain Georgiou are captured beautifully without needing some forced line of dialogue pointing them out. Conversely, we see that in many ways she is a lot like her Prime Universe counterpart. This is a perfect fusion of delicate writing on Nardino’s part, skillful direction from Culpepper, and incredible talent from Yeoh. Every scene with the Emperor is a delight…

Read the full review here.

 

INDIEWIRE

Grade: A-

Overshadowing everything else that happened in “Vaulting Ambition” is the big twist regarding Lorca… Damn was that a good twist, and well-executed.

Read the full review here.

 

A/V CLUB

The scenes between the Emperor and Burnham are some of the most effective the show has done so far, managing a suspenseful mix of subtext, uncertain motives, and shocking twists…

…Judged on its own merits, “Vaulting Ambition” is strong. In sticking to the show’s strengths—rapid story development, a willingness to make big choices—it manages to downplay the weaknesses, and the result is a suspenseful, occasionally moving entry.

Read the full review here.

 

DEN OF GEEK TV

“Vaulting Ambition” is so good…

…It is only Hugh, who is somehow between planes of existence following his death, who is able to warn his partner. It’s a gutting interaction for two men who have become the heart of this show.

Read the full review here.

 

BIRTH DEATH MOVIES

It also gives its core characters some interesting developments, and supplies possibly the goriest character death in Star Trek since The Next Generation’s notorious “Conspiracy” episode. Woof…

…The final minutes of “Vaulting Ambition” are incendiary and shocking in ways new to Star Trek.

Read the full review here.

 

TV FANATIC

Editor’s Rating: 4.9 out of 5

User Rating: 4.9 out of 5

There was a lot to OOOH and AAAH over here, in terms of set design visuals. The mycelial world is bright and moody and beautiful and sinister all at once…

…The I.S.S. Charon, which serves as the Imperial Palace, is appropriately impressive and the throne room similarly intimidating…

…And the return of Michelle Yeoh, now as Emperor (Mirror-)Georgiou is breathtaking in her bad-assery…

…The scenes between Culber and Stamets were incredibly heart-wrenching and yet so very thoughtful. Understated and tender, it was the kindest closure they could’ve achieved.

Read the full review here.

 

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Revealing Lorca to be the Mirror Universe version of himself was the season’s most jaw-dropping moment — and I was into it…

…Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz have excellent chemistry… It was very sweet to see brief glimpses of Stamets and Culber as they shared happy recollections about their relationship, especially on a show so filled with anger and bitterness…

…Sonequa Martin-Green is brilliant as Burnham in the scene when Mirror Georgiou tells Burnham, “Everything will be the way it was.” It’s clear that Burnham actually wishes this were the case… her face paints a vivid picture of her internal monologue.

Read the full review here.

 

 

IGN

Michelle Yeoh’s return as this world’s ruler also brings a much improved performance from the actress… Yeoh’s scenes with Sonequa Martin-Green are pretty effective, particularly as we know Burnham is suffering doubly so because she’s also dealing with the “ghost” of her Georgiou…

…The interplay between the two Stamets (yes, Mirror Stamets seems cranky too) is a lot of fun, but it unfortunately doesn’t last too long before they’re both sent back to reality — the wrong realities. And Wilson Cruz persists despite Dr. Culber’s death two episodes back, with him and Rapp sharing a really nice scene together where Stamets just can’t let the past go.

Read the full review here.