8 Ups & NO Downs From Star Trek: Lower Decks 5.2 - Shades Of Green
The Blues sail; Boimler boints; Targalans burn the green.
We had doubles in Dos Cerritos, and now an actual double feature. Two episodes of Lower Decks in one week? You spoil us! Don't worry, however! Shades of Green is not a 'clip show' to make up for the extra. Star Trek would never do that. Perish the parasitic thought!
Another extremely strong outing, Shades of Green serves, as the title might suggest, to wrap up the Orion storyline where it left off. The Tendis are back from the get-go in holographic form, and later they show us what space pirates are really all about. Avast ye, nebulae!
Meanwhile, for the Cerritos and crew, it's post-capitalist celebrations with a catch on Targalus IX. There's also a new Boimler in town with a novel set of rules, although apparently only one combadge between him and Mariner.
Like Dos Cerritos, Shades of Green splits its time pretty equally between its Orion and no-money planetary plots, managing to add a thoroughly compelling subplot between Rutherford and T'Lyn. At times, the episode is deathly hilarious; at others, it is deadly serious.
All in all, this is an impressive opening salvo for Lower Decks season five. But then, like for illegal weapons in pirate sail ship races, we were hardly expecting anything less.
Now, can someone kindly 'boint' me in the direction of one of those meditation gardens?
9. UP — You, Too, Can Slay The Slumber Party With Wing-Slug Rolls
It must be slightly trippy to watch exact miniature holographic replicas of yourself go to battle on the table next to your snacks. But maybe I'm overthinking it. Either way, the holographic night heist made for a great fake-out opener, cleverly reversing our expectations from Dos Cerritos. We were anticipating a war. We got a sleepover, instead. There are always more nuances than we think, or shades of blue to green.
It must be a universal constant to revert back to childhood when visiting one's parents, and parenthood when visiting one's children, no matter the respective ages. Orions are certainly no exception to the rule. The teaser to Shades of Green (must… not… write… Grey/Gray) was a rather heartwarming example as such.
The sisters were getting along swimmingly, D'Vana gently mocking D'Erika about the "wing-slug rolls". Mother, Shona, even popped in to remind both that they'd had "enough battle strategy for tonight". Planning a war aside, it did look like a lot of fun. You can find out what Seán did in his Ups & Downs, but the only thing I ever battled over at a sleepover was access to the fridge!
It might also be a little morally dubious (/wrong) to watch someone else's personal logs — even your sister's — but we'll forgive D'Vana for her genuine concern.