Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - S2 E5 - Charades
July 13, 2023
'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Spock Gets a Fascinating Lesson in Humanity
A shuttle accident and an encounter with a strange alien life form turn Spock completely human ahead of an important dinner.
By Samantha Coley
Spock has been one of the most beloved Star Trek characters since the franchise first hit the air back in 1966. The latest episode of Strange New Worlds sees Spock's Vulcan DNA temporarily removed, leaving him completely human ahead of an important dinner with his fiancé T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) and her parents. In addition to exploring Spock's human side — which truly allows Ethan Peck to flex his comedy skills — the episode also finally addresses the romantic feelings simmering between Spock and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush).
Written by Kathryn Lyn and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, "Charades" is a hilarious and heartfelt romp that delivers a unique look at why love for Spock is such an enduring part of this franchise. The episode also brings back Mia Kirshner, who plays Spock's mother Amanda Grayson with an incredibly soft strength as we get a closer look at the deep connection between her and her son. For those excitedly waiting to learn about the ties between Amanda and Pelia, we'll have to wait a little long as Carol Kane isn't in this episode — she does send her regards, despite being away, indicating that the show certainly hasn't forgotten about that bit of information from the season premiere.
"Charades" does a beautiful job of exploring an oft-undervalued part of Spock's identity without devaluing his Vulcan side. While the Vulcan culture can be as harsh and unforgiving as T'Pring's mother, T'Pril (Ellora Patnaik), at times, it's still an essential part of who Spock is — one that Chapel risks her own life to restore despite getting the emotional honesty she longs for from human Spock. Spock is both human and Vulcan, and "Charades" teaches him how to see that neither of those identities should be taken for granted.
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This one reminded me of how Trek episodes were made in the '90s for some reason, and I think it's my favorite this season so far.
I got a kick out of 'human' Spock.
It was great to see Gia Sandhu as T'Pring again. She's great.
I liked T'Pring's father. Much more likable than her mother.
I thought the Kerkhovians were interesting, if a bit unimaginative when it comes to names, lol. But if the moon they were on was in the Vulcan system, then why didn't the Vulcans just investigate the anomaly themselves? And why did they make it sound like it was only detected recently? I mean, that portal was never there before? I didn't quite get that.
Anyway, a fun episode. I liked it.
That was the biggest problem I had with this episode, I mean seriously the super scientific Vulcan couldn't investigate a big, glowing, worm-hole like energy discharge on a planet in their own territory formerly the home of a mysterious but advanced civilization? Lol.
Also I had thought this season was supposed to be about battling and defeating the Gorn, yet so far it's been nothing but disjointed stories that have nothing to do with the Gorn. Are the Gorn not a storyline anymore? (I admit I have missed a episode or two)
There has to be more Gorn stuff coming. They dropped a hint at the end of the season 2 premiere, showing a Gorn ship on a sensor screen. They must be saving it for the second half of the season.
This one was a lot like the Voyager episode Faces, when B'Elanna is split into her human and Klingon parts, but with more humor than drama.
T'Pring's father is a weenie.
I also didn't understand why the Vulcans hadn't investigated the Kerkhovians. Also, if they were on a Vulcan moon, why would communications beyond a light year be a problem for Chappel, Uhura, and Singh? What moon is more than a light year from its planet?
Good call. It reminded me a little of "Riddles", where Tuvok was injured by a weapon that damaged his brain and made him act like a non-Vulcan child.
Lol. He seemed nice enough, though, and was interested in Pike's cooking, as well as charades. I kind of liked him. Much more than the mother, at least.
I don't know if the moon was supposed to be around the planet Vulcan itself. I thought they said it was somewhere in the Vulcan system, but that still seems like a awful lot of distance for a single planetary system. They keep making weird little mistakes like that, which should be easy to avoid.
I forgot about that episode with Tuvok. This episode could also be Tuvix, in reverse.
I agree Dad was pretty nice on his own. He was a weenie for not standing up to his wife.
So I loved this episode. It made me smile. To see Spock as totally human was so interesting. It also gave him a lot more awareness about the value of being human, which was something he missed even in his own mom.
As for the inlaws, I really like T'Pring and I get her "logic" for taking a break from Spock. His dad was a nice enough fellow but definitely whipped by his wife, who seemed to thrive on making everyone miserable.
It should be interesting to see where things go with nurse Chappel. I hope they just don't let that one slip on by.