Stardancer Supreme

Time Travel shenanigans always give me a headache (TM Janeway). I did like how Stamets saw the spider immediately. My arachnophobia would have gotten us killed! What I didn't understand is how Zora didn't immediately sense the spider's presence... It must have been harrowing for Michael to face her younger self and knowing she would have to fight her. Linus telling her that red is her color made me chuckle. Does his people have experience with time travels? The fact that he was the only one to sense that this was Michael, but not his Michael was a nice touch. This was also a hell of a way for Rayner to learn how being connected to your crew could make the difference between life and certain death. I wonder if L'ak and Moll took the pieces Michael already had? How would they know where to go next? (Actually, they could have gotten the information Discovery already had from the unauthorized message.) I like that L'ak and Moll aren't as unintelligent as they seemed; but they would still have to explain how she got into that Trill ceremony undetected... Airiam!! I wonder if it is the same actress? It's a nice touch since we won't see Nilsson this season. ETA: Let's not forget the connection to that Short Trek! I'm going to watch it again.

Still, we are not going to downplay Maneet's accomplishments by saying she possibly had an unfair advantage. That just amplifies the unconscious bias women have been fighting against in almost every field competing against men.

Maneet is a great chef period. It may have seemed obvious to us, but the only finale judges that may have had an inkling would have been either Cat Cora or Lorena Garcia. Plus, Maneet didn't always go Indian in her choice of dishes or her opponent decided to try Indian flavors in their dishes to counteract Maneet. I believe Guy when he says that the judges are kept away from knowing who the contestants are until the very end.

That is the only thing that bugs me about Book this season. We went through his grief and despair last season about losing his planet and people; It's almost sad that he is seeking a familial connection with someone he has never met. Moll is not going to cozy up to someone carrying her father's codename. I hope that this season is not going to steer Book in that familiar trope of hope/betrayal that usually happens in situations like this one.

Hmmm. Looks like Moll isn't as slow on the uptake as we thought! I'm just curious how she was able to slide into a Trill ceremony without anyone noticing... I guess Moll and L'ak aren't concerned about getting the pieces of the puzzle themselves; I, too, would let Michael and her crew take the hits and just tag along to the end. Is there a mole on Discovery already? Is it Rayner? Now Commander Rayner's "Getting to know the Crew" sessions went off to a rousing start (*sarcasm*). I did love that Michael so gently told him to attempt to bond with the Discovery crew because they didn't like him. So we won't see Lt. Commander Nilsson anymore because she went to Voyager. And the neutered tribble now belongs to Lt. Christopher! I wanted to know what Reno and Owosekun (Joanne "Oh Wow!" Owosekun) said to him in 20 words or less. Heh. Tilly only lacked one more word to tell Rayner what she really thought of him. I think they decommissioned the Spore Drive from being reproduced for other ships. Discovery is the only ship with the Spore Drive.

Master doesn't really need to have a gender connotation. After she bulldozed through her battles using spices and effective Randa management, she deserves a higher station nickname than "Dancing Spice Queen". If I am not mistaken, didn't one of the judges say that her dish resulted from a Master of Spices? So Maneet can go by the nickname she earned in competition.

Episode 8: "And the Winner is..." Maneet Chauhan! I was rooting for Jet. I can imagine how painful it must be to miss the prize so many times. Will he have the heart to come back next season? I hope so. But I was also rooting for Maneet as she entered the finals!! Say what you want about Maneet and her temperament, you cannot deny that she is a beast in the kitchen. I just happened to watch her win her episode of Wildcard Kitchen against Marc Murphy and Shenanigans Malarkey earlier today. BM was as extra as usual and she took all of MM's money! So how did we get to the first 2-time Champion of TOC? The judges: Michael White, Cat Cora, Michael Mina, Lorena Garcia, and Eric Ripert. I really enjoyed the finalists losing their composure upon seeing ER. Matchup 1: Jet Tila vs. Antonia Lofaso - Antonia Lofaso wins! She edged him on Taste and Presentation. The judges probably didn't like the halibut being 2 ways and how it was presented on the plate. Anyway, Jet went out a winner and still the only male chef to make it to the semifinals. Matchup 2: Britt Rescigno vs. Maneet Chauhan - Maneet Chauhan wins! Britt had a solid cook! Maneet is simply too good at utilizing the Randomizer multiple ways in her dishes, so she won this battle handily. Britt will make a fine #2 Seed in TOC 6. The Final Matchup: Antonia Lofaso vs. Maneet Chauhan - Maneet Chauhan wins! This battle tied on Taste and Presentation. The winning point went to Randa and as soon as Guy said that, I knew Maneet had it in the bag. Again, no one utilizes the Randomizer like she does. I got that as soon as Guy asked Antonia if she put the cacao pods in anything besides the goat cheese sauce. She should have put it in other aspects of her dishes! After this historic win, Maneet should now be called the Master of Spices. (Do it Guy!) What also made the win even sweeter for her? It was her birthday! Happy Birthday Maneet! I know that prize money made an awesome gift. It was a very emotional win and I cried, too! What I did not like was the cameras staying on Antonia while she was deep in her disappointment. They lingered a bit too long and I was so glad Hunter didn't intrude upon Antonia in that moment. Hopefully the restaurant industry is taking note of this competition and changes the way women chefs are treated. Blind judging in competitions should be the way to go so we can really see who is the best in the kitchen. (Gender Wars! Yes, I am instigating. Heh.)

I'm more surprised that this wasn't done so much before. I'm willing to bet that once the other racers saw teams with only 1 bag between them, they reevaluated what they were carrying that they probably didn't need. Plus, it is easier to keep track of 1 bag as opposed to 2 of them.

Perhaps you are thinking of Lt. Airiam, who did sacrifice herself in Season 2? Then the actress (Sara Mitich) became Lt. Commander Eva Nilsson, who we haven't seen yet in Season 5.

I don't think that Rayner was demoted. Saru is a Captain who agreed to be Michael's Number One on Discovery. Rayner is coming out of his very short retirement to work on Discovery. ETA: I don't think not having Rayner's support will hurt Michael. She is Discovery's Captain and is beloved among the crew. Rayner is the outsider here and the question will be how will he fit in with the Discovery crew to get things done.

Yeah, it did seem like that. But we are going to get to the wedding that was teased during the end of the first episode, so nothing better happen to Saru or T'Rina... I loved the interaction between Michael and Saru. They have truly come a long way since they first met. His lines, in particular, gave me weepies; especially the one about Michael not needing another "him" but another Number One. How long are minutes in the 32nd Century? They surely seemed to be taking their time recording the Romulan message at the stone. Me and Tilly were yelling for them to hurry up almost simultaneously! Were you expecting them to be geniuses? Moll and L'ak don't know what they have; they just know that Starfleet and other folk really wanted that diary. Of course they are going to go to Betazed not knowing that they are missing vital information, like a piece of a map. I don't think that they will go back to the necropolis unless someone else tips them off about the map pieces. You can't really call Michael a Mary Sue for knowing about Romulan texts when she was raised adjacent to Vulcans and Romulans. I found it quite strange that the Federation Council (?) bumped Rayner off of his ship because of what happened on Q'Mau. Yes, he sorta kinda placed an encampment in peril, but he ultimately helped saved them in the end. Did Rayner expect Michael to throw him under the bus openly at the hearing? I am fascinated and interested to see how he and Michael will interact on Discovery now. At least he will get to see the mission through to the end.

Aah. I'm ready to fly with my captain and the DISCO crew for this finale season! Since Dr. Kovich is still skulking around, I will expect to see a cameo from Emperor Georgiou to slide us into the Section 31 movie (still should be a proper series!!!). Is there a glossary defining the numerous directives? Seems like we get new ones every season. I'm digging Captain Rayner. He seems to be the charming scoundrel type of captain, as opposed to being an overbearing jerk of one. I also liked Fred. No, we will never be free of Soongs and their legacy work. It is weird that they think that Fred is dead as opposed to being deactivated. Is it that he is so old that he could be permanently damaged? I expected Culber and Stamets to reboot him easily. Again, I must ask this; is Admiral Vance the only Starfleet Admiral? I always have to remember that the Federation and Starfleet are 2 separate entities in the 32nd Century! I like that Admiral Vance also got to join in on the mission after Kovich shut him out of the intel. Saru and T'Rina are engaged! They better let Saru have his Happily Ever After or I will riot! Let's Fly!

Episode 7: "The Great 8 Face Off!" The judges: Cat Cora, Rocco DiSpirito, Jonathan Waxman (they misspelled his name on the chyron!) Matchup 1: Jet Tila vs. Mei Lin - Jet Tila wins! Yet another Champion bit the dust! I like Mei Lin, but I think this is finally Jet's time to go all the way. She is a fierce competitor, but you just can't beat Jet on taste. Matchup 2: Britt Rescigno vs. Amanda Frietag - Britt Rescigno wins! Amanda got dinged on her use of Randa; otherwise, she might have taken it. It was cute to see the "Angry Italian" dissolve in a puddle as Rocco ate her entire dish. I wonder if the judges get to take their tasted dishes home as leftovers? Matchup 3: Antonia Lofaso vs. Kevin Lee - Antonia Lofaso wins! That porridge took Kevin out! We will see how much better he will be in Season 6. Now Antonia has to face Jet in the Final Four. Matchup 4: Tobias Dorzon vs. Maneet Chauhan - Maneet Chauhan wins! I'm glad Tobias had a solid cook; once Guy tasted the curry and noted that there was no sour in it, I knew Tobias wouldn't win. I finally got an alternative way to make pork belly! I know Maneet isn't many people's cup of tea, but she came in on her A game this episode despite her Randa nightmares. One previous TOC champion standing as we head to the Final Four! I'm going to root for Jet Tila to win TOC 5!

No, Kishori is the tall cousin. That's why I said that Karishma has mad chihuahua energy.

That was specifically said on the clue that they were not allowed to switch water taxis. I thought it was odd until Team Walla Walla had their issue. They probably only had enough of them for the teams on the leg. The abuelas didn't taste any of the food presented to them. Presentation and the food cooked properly was the only considerations for the task. Not to mention it was raining on some of the teams and they didn't even bother to cover the food.