Stardancer Supreme

I'm willing to bet that the locals just dumped the collected pomelos into different canals in between teams. That would make sense. I really enjoyed this episode and rooting for Jocelyn & Victor, Greg & John, and Andrea & Malaina. Those lotus flowers are so beautiful, despite having to swim in the muck for them. I really felt for the team members who lost their shoes.

TAR is back! This is my favorite reality show. I liked the majority of the teams, which is good. I'm rooting for Andrea & Malaina (they are from Philly!), Greg & John, and Jocelyn & Victor. I figured Alexandra & Sheridan would be the first out. I was yelling "RAAAACE!" at them while they were lollygagging with getting directions from that man with his dog. How are you the first to get to him, yet are the last to leave with the directions? Liam & Yeremi are real nice to look at. I don't think anyone should underestimate Rob. He figured out the puzzle with no help. He and Corey should do just fine in the pack. They really took 50 minutes to figure out the puzzle? Yikes. I blame GWB and that "No Child Left Behind" law. LOL! I figured that "City Of Angels" just referred to Los Angeles; I learn something new with every season of TAR! Morgan & Lena are the MVPs of this episode because I wouldn't have eaten the bugs or the spider! I don't do bugs, alive or fried, but I am definitely a huge arachnophobe. Eat the fried tarantula? Aw Hell Naw. I would have told my partner, "We don't need that Express Pass. Eff that."

Mabuheeey!!!! Time for Season 2!!! Episode 1, "Grand Opening, Part 1": Arizona Brandy - Eh. Matilduh - She is a gorgeous queen! I liked the entrance look. Tiny Deluxe - Her face. Nicole Pardaux - Her face. She paints far older than she looks. Captivating Katkat - Should have worn what was on the standee. Ms. Jade So - Looks better as herself than in her entrance look... I loves me some Mama Pao! We will see which of these girls she will read for filth later on. I'm sorry, I would have had to go home first if I had to deal with a spider of any kind. Severe arachnophobic here. That poor thing would never touch my face. Matilduh wins the spider mini challenge! I don't think I would have picked that particular photo; I know she had better ones. Girl group Maxi Challenge! Main Stage: That Joker lipstick shape didn't do Mama Pao any favors. I loved her dress, though. I do not like the "Boogsh!" song. It will not replace "Pop Off Ate!" in my heart. Runway: "Feather You Like It Or Not" Matilduh is the pretty one in this group. Her face card doesn't decline! Nicole and Arizona is not in the same class as the others. Ms. Jade was smart not to be naked on the Runway. Smart queen! Arizona Brandy wins the Maxi Challenge (purely on her Runway look, imho). Nicole and Tiny were in the bottom 2; Tiny Deluxe stays, Nicole sashays away. Episode 1, "Grand Opening, Part 2: Dee Dee Marie Holiday - This one is 19? Heh. I knew she wasn't 19. I was about to read her... Astrid Mercury - I like the dress. Hana Beshie - She is cute! Veruschka Levels - Gorgeous in drag and handsome out of drag. Trade of the Season? I think so! Bernie - Legendary. OV C*nt? - I loved the Entrance look. I guess Mama Pao will not read these queens for their shoes this season! Now snakes I can do. I'm much better with reptiles than spiders! Veruschka Levels wins the mini challenge and yes, her picture with the snake was fierce. Same Girl Group Maxi Challenge! Main Stage: I do not like this outfit Mama Pao wore in this episode. What happened to the grand beautiful gowns? And that wig was not it. Still don't like this song. This group was a bit more expressive with their presentation. Bernie was the standout, of course. Runway: "Fringe With Benefits" Astrid looked plain. Dee Dee's look was beautiful with the ornate cape. Bernie was awash in fringe. Hana went campy with Ramen Noodle fringe. OVC went full on Halloween as a haunted tree. Veruschka took the carnival route. Bernie wins the Maxi Challenge! Astrid and Hana are the bottom 2; Hana Beshie stays, Astrid Mercury sashays away.

Agreed. As much as I love these characters and who they will come to be, I really don't need a TOS reboot. I've already watched that show when I was young. I'm gearing up to rewatch the show as an adult with my modern sensibilities...

But, Paramount isn't sticking with the 7 seasons standard for Trek Series anymore. Discovery is ending at Season 5, they just cancelled Prodigy, and probably will start doing limited series and movies. At the pace that Strange New Worlds is going, I would not be surprised if the upcoming 3rd Season is also the last one.

If any Star Trek series didn't need a cliffhanger, Strange New Worlds certainly didn't need one. Now, understanding how things work in the canon, we knew Chapel would survive this event, however improbable it may have seemed. Either Sickbay is bigger than we thought or that Lieutenant Mitchell was wrong in her assessment that Sickbay was part of the missing saucer piece. I am hopeful that Batel can survive being a Gorn hatchery. I instantly knew what was up when she faced the Gorn youngling. Did anybody bother to check if any more women were implanted? Scotty! I had assumed that it was Chapel in that shuttle. It was a smooth seamless way to introduce him. I'm not going to worry too much about the human captives on the Gorn ship. They have the Butcher of J'Gal among them. Again, this should have been a double episode. This didn't need a cliffhanger; we could have resolved the Gorn crisis and have things set in place for the final Season 3. They can't extend much more story out of this series because we are closing in on Pike's fate.

I see so many folks hot under the collar about the Kling-Pop number. Knowing that the Klingons are totally about Klingon opera and their honor, I knew that they must be singing anything but that in order for the General to come in guns ablazing. "We are dishonored by being forced to sing this human-like drivel and flounce about in undignified ways!" I loved it.

Same. I truly enjoyed this episode and yes, I will probably buy the music to keep singing along to. Ethan Peck is rising in my ranks of Most Favorite Spock. I loved his singing voice and my heart broke for him as Chapel ended their "situation". Watching Spock tear up and run out of engineering... Ethan Peck is acting! There was more TOS canon spread around with the mention of Carol Marcus. We are getting closer to the start of this great fandom. I would have loved more Kling-Pop, myself.

Christine would also know that knife was the one M'Benga took off of the body of the Andorian soldier. They showed us the knife strapped to M'Benga's side as he was preparing to end the battle on J'Gal. Same! I was wondering if Rah knew who M'Benga was before the reveal because of the full court press he was doing from the very start. Perhaps Rah noticed M'Benga having his panic attack in Sickbay and decided to amuse himself by toying with this human, not knowing what he was in for. I flinched every time Rah grabbed him; why are you being so familiar with someone you just met?

Another perspective I saw elsewhere that I hadn't considered was that once Rah learned that he was with the true Butcher of J'Gal, he decided to commit suicide in order for that knowledge not to get out. I was a bit concerned about how Pike would essentially force his Veteran crew members to entertain someone who was directly connected with their war experience. I know he cares deeply for his crew, but he seemed a bit insensitive towards the PTSD, although he didn't recognize it.

This episode was heavy. I feel for M'Benga, Chapel, and Ortegas. War is a horrible thing and people broken by it are broken forever. Ambassador Rah had tried his best to run away from the truth and it simpy caught up with him. I wonder what would have happened to him had he told the truth about who the butcher of J'Gal really was; he clearly was a Klingon who was not the warring kind. In his culture, he probably would have been killed had his true nature been revealed. But what was the worst truth; that a mere human had bested him and killed his comrades or that he was a Klingon who was not okay with killing and war? Cowardice is a four letter word to Klingons. I literally felt M'Benga's pain throughout this whole episode. I wonder if Rah had remembered him and thought that allying with the true Butcher of J'Gal would somehow relieve him of whatever guilt he held. Or did Rah not realize who was in front of him until it was too late to step back?

After sitting in this episode for a while, I can now say that this show disappointed me. For every loose thread tied sloppily, there were far more unraveled ones that might be possibly be handled in The Marvels? They just shot the MCU continuity fairy in the face. So Rhodey was snatched from the hospital as he recovered from Civil War? Was the Agent Ross we see in Wakanda Forever a Skrull or did he get snatched while on the road with Okoye? Of all of the world leaders that were replaced, Gravik decided to leave the US President alone? You would think that one of the bigger world powers you should have in your pocket, no? There was only 2 "important" MCU characters who were replaced? Told y'all we wasn't going to see Carol or any of the other Avengers. Ugh. I don't want to think too much on this show or I will pick it to pieces.

Okay. I'm still coming down from the high of the awesome Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode I watched earlier, so I had ... hopes for the Secret Invasion finale to be at least good. Anyway, I also knew it was G'iah who had to face off with Gravik. Fury, for all his prowess, is still a non-powered human being. He isn't nearly stupid enough to think that he could take Gravik on by himself. Gravik, on the other hand? He was so blinded by his love/hate for his daddy/mentor that he couldn't see that this wasn't Fury after getting hopped up on Avengers DNA? I mean, a human undergoing a Skrull infusion method should have reduced them to a puddle. I handwaved it away since G'iah had to be the one to kill him. Too bad Fury won't get to hear Gravik's last words. I am grateful for Sonya Falsworth for classing up the joint a little. I wonder what her species is; could she be a Kree? Now she and G'iah can run things a lot better than the men. Is there going to be hurt feelings and hit dogs hollering? This show should have been 10 episodes. They left so much on the cutting room floor that could have made this show as good as Wandavision. In regards to Carol's powers, isn't she half Kree? (At least she is in the comics. Don't mind me, I'll be re-reading her Captain Marvel comics series like the old school comic head I am...) I just wish that K.E.V.I.N. would just stick closer to the source material for the MCU. Good writers can make the MCU a decent mode of entertainment by embracing the casuals and not insulting the comic heads at the same damn time!

I am sitting here smiling. That episode was soooo enjoyable! I was right there with Boimler and Mariner for the ultimate geek-off. This is a nicer version of "Never meet your heroes..." and I found it quite disturbing with them about Spock's more human-like inflections. I did wonder about the non-reaction to La'an; I guess Khan must be ancient history to the Lower Decks ensigns. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

You don't have a sibling that you are competing with for the love and validation of your absent father figure? I assure you that James and Sam's relationship is quite realistic.

Agreed.

Sure! Pulling up my chair right now. I am basking in the warm and fuzzy feelings on this episode. The canon forever folk should be a little less hostile this week as we see the beginnings of TOS with the formation of Kirk, Uhura, and Spock. I liked the story of the week and I will admit to catching on to the deuterium aliens attempting to "communicate" with Uhura about their pressing issues faster than she did. If you are the only one hearing them, they were trying to talk to you! Anyway, I felt the emotional beats in between the story with Sam, Kirk, Uhura, La'an, Pelia, and Una was well done. Clearly something will happen to Sam that informs Kirk's continual Starfleet traumas, Uhura finally deals with the deaths of her family and Hemmer, Spock is trying to enjoy this brief dalliance with Chapel but he can't, La'an faces being the only one who had the knowledge of the temporal adventure with AlternateKirk that she can't really talk about, and Una resents Pelia for replacing her friend. Pike, Ortegas, and M'Benga got a few words in and that pretty much covers the whole crew. I love that Spock will forever hate Sam for being messy. I saw that Vulcan eye roll! Sibling rivalry is a bitch. Will we get to see the great George Kirk at least once? This looks like shades of the LaForge daughters grappling with their father's legacy and each other. Kirk seeing Spock and Chapel's chess game and commenting on it was a nice little throw back to his skills we saw before. I am truly enjoying what we are getting in this series.

Actually, it was the "You have to kill me to prove I'm a Skrull." bit. All Sonya had to do in the very next scene was wound the guy severe enough to make him turn. And that guy whose arm Fury broke was right there listening to all of this. Why not expose Skrhodey to that dude at least?

I'm glad that Varra/Priscilla wasn't taken out in her home. G'iah was right about waiting for the executioners, though. So was this the Skrull operatives Gravik sent, because none of them shifted to Skrull when dispatched? Speaking of Gravik, I feel he should have seen that mutiny would happen once he started killing his own people, especially G'iah and Pagon. Those were his lieutenants and were very well liked among the Skrulls. Didn't Beto see Gravik in his Super Skrull form before? I thought that it was nice to see that the other Shrull operatives become disillusioned with their General, but why would they attack him knowing that he is not the same as them? I loves Emilia Clarke, I really do, but G'iah is not sympathetic nor do I root for her. She has that snotty young adult attitude down pat and I didn't like how she spoke to Priscilla, knowing that she needed her to properly send Taylos off this mortal coil. Is G'iah able to use any Super Skrull powers? I guess we will see once G'iah and Gravik face off in the finale. Sonya Falsworth is my favorite. I did catch that she described her "species" when she hemmed up the Skrull scientists. If she is not human... I want more of her! Did I call Fury not calling in the supes? Since he was directly responsible for the Skrulls getting radical, of course he has to fix it. ETA: Less said about Raava/Rhodey... A beeeg hole for the scene in the hospital, but I will let it ride.

I only clocked in to see my fave Priyanka be the Lip Sync Assassin. Yes, it was a bit messy, but what the hell was Kandy doing? Her facial expressions and lack of movement practically gave Priyanka the win! I guess she was trying to get out of deciding Jessica's fate, but the remaining girls wasn't going to fall on their swords. Heh.

That's right. This is the journey from young Spock to TOS Spock! We just get to see the bumps and growth real time. Here's the thing; when were the Vulcans portrayed as super nice to humans? In the earlier Trek series, it seemed to me that the Vulcans merely tolerated humans until we started to catch up to them technology and knowledge wise. That snooty stuck up attitude probably covered a lot of bigotry towards humans. Vulcans aren't horrible people; they are just horrible towards humans, whom they view as their lessors.

Damn, I was hoping for Rhodey to be the real deal. But, that means the President is NOT a Skrull. I wonder how they determined which world leader to replace? That I would like to know... and where's Rhodey?!? In all this fighting the Skrussians, no one noticed Skrhodey chilling in his car? These people don't call on him to be War Machine? I also didn't enjoy sacrificing Taylos for G'iah. I loved Taylos! I think this is the last we will see of Varra/Dr. Priscilla. She kept her word. Yeah. Even if we don't get the Avengers in this show, we are at least entitled to an explanation of why Skrulls are persona non grata other than that they tend to be a cancer to any other inhabitants of any planet they may want.

Vulcan hijinks will never not be fascinating to me! This is the journey and I am happy to come along with Spock. Ethan Peck is awesome and I love his interation as Spock. I won't call him Speck anymore! He earned my respect in this episode. T'Pril... Why agree to have the dinner on the Enterprise if you were going to say such nasty things to your human hosts? At least Pike knows he can cook Vulcan food! I felt so bad for T'Pring to have such an overbearing mother. I can imagine the Vulcan equivalent to human eyerolls every time her mother spoke to her. I could almost say that T'Pril was trying to protect her daughter but the severe dislike of humans just overrode that sentiment. That said, Spock should have told T'Pring what was up with him so she could have stood up for him more. T'Pril really went at Spock's neck talking about Sarek. Speaking of which, Sarek should have been there as well, estrangement from his son or not. Sevet played the role of cowed husband and father well. I like Amanda. Only the love for Sarek and Spock kept her from verbally slicing T'Pril's neck. Amanda is far better than me because nobody would be talking greasy to me about mine in my face! I would have been like, "Keep your daughter!" with my messy Human self. I'm also glad that Christine realized that the Vulcan Science Academy was beneath her. So now she has time to dally with Spock, which should be fun until the inevitable end of their relationship...

You want to know what the real gag is? Gravik is preparing for the Avengers to get into the fight and it is entirely possible that Fury will never call them in. We probably won't even see Carol...

I don't think it is a matter of force; it is more a matter of survival. It is the trade of spycraft and being with Fury. Varra is still a Skrull undercover on Earth and the only place she could be herself was at home alone. When Fury pops back up, she has to play the part of Priscilla Fury because she never knows who is watching. This had to be a special gun probably made to take Gravik out, I'll bet.