Star Trek: Lower Decks 2.4 Review - Ups & Downs From Mugato, Gumato
And we're back with the ups and downs! How many does this week's Star Trek episode have?
This week's episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks went a little lighter on the Easter Eggs, which gave us all a chance to catch out breath after the last few weeks. Having said that, the title of the episode itself is an egg. Here, no one quite seems to know how to pronounce the word Mugato properly. Shax, in particularly, struggles with it. Is it Mugato? Is it Mugatu? Is it Gumato?
This is a callback to the script for A Private Little War, the episode in which they first appeared. Deforest Kelley was unable to pronounce the word Gumato, as they were originally called. Therefore, they were renamed to Mugato, and even then the word was mispronounced. So, there really has always been a struggle with them!
All that aside, how does the episode stand up against the first three episodes of the season? Are there more downs than ups this week? Does the lack of a billion easter eggs hurt the episode in any way? Should the episode and its reviewer be summed up by Rutherford?
Huh. I guess he likes to watch.
Let's find out.
9. Mariner Vs The Boys - UP
The return of Anbo Jitsu to Star Trek is a very welcome one, having been first introduced in the Next Generation episode The Icarus Factor. There, Commander Riker engaged his father in the violent sport, with the entire scene being played for pathos. Neither man truly understood the other, so beating on each other seemed the best way to go about it.
Mariner's engagement with Rutherford and Boimler is far less complicated. The pathos is completely abandoned for comedy as the two men are quickly and decisively flattened by Beckett. Anbo Jitsu is a game of skill, resilience, and patience. Or, the way Mariner plays it, it's a game of kicking seven levels of crap out of the lads.
Their confidence in entering the ring, thanks to their late-night practice sessions, is completely shattered when she easily bests them. Things look like there might, almost, be an equal footing when they get in a lucky shot, putting out one of her teeth and causing a nosebleed - but if they thought that would be the end of things, they are sorely mistaken. The gleeful dragon is awakened, and she fights back.
Up! I may like Rutherford and Boimler, but this was a truly funny scene.