Paloma

I also thought the MLS is only for library science, but I just did a search on types of law degrees and found that there is an online MLS degree offered by Pepperdine University (and maybe other schools) that stands for Master of Legal Studies. Unlike the JD, it does not prepare you to pass the bar or practice law, but it provides "legal skills that are useful in almost any field" (whatever that means).

That was funny, but it was another thing that made this episode less believable. My daughter went to Juilliard (dance, not music, but she was friends with a lot of the musicians and actors), and the students who go there are, for the most part, very dedicated to their craft. They do sometimes party, but someone with the drummer's immature behavior and heavy drinking would not make it at Juilliard. But maybe that's the point--he didn't say he graduated, so maybe he dropped out or was kicked out.

I loved the first 3 episodes but did not think this one was as good because both the motive and murderers did not seem believable. As you said, there really was no need to kill the drummer. And even if Ruby did think it was necessary, since she was so obsessed with getting another hit, her bandmates did not share that obsession. They both were ready to give up the touring and move on with their lives, and their decision to go along with the murder plan was far from enthusiastic. Not everybody is cut out to be a murderer! I don't know much about metal music, but I agree that the new song was not metal. But I did get a kick out of seeing how he came up with the lyrics.

She clearly doesn't carry a lot of cash (unless it is very well hidden in the car), and I'm not sure she has all that much in her account, given that the money she made in the past from gambling seemed to be long gone, and she was living in a crummy trailer in the Las Vegas desert. She has to be able to get short-term jobs that pay cash as she travels, which may not be as easy these days as it used to be. She can only provide minimal personal information, and she can't even give references to show she is honest and reliable. In future episodes I'd like to see at least an occasional reference to this problem and how she deals with it.

That reminds me that I like the way the writers use a difference in perspective when the story goes back in time to include Charlie. When this technique was used in the first episode, I was initially confused, but now I expect it in each episode and so far think it is well done. This technique could be used as an easy writing crutch to solve a mystery, but here it also amplifies the story and the characters.

Not only does she not have a good rapport with the police, she has to worry that any encounter with the police could put the casino enforcer and his boss on her trail. In this episode and the previous episode, she apparently left town without talking to the police, just as they were arriving on the scene, and I assume that is what will happen each time. You would think that the police would want to follow up with a key witness, but maybe they don't care (at least in Nowheresville USA) if the proof just falls into their hands. It strains credibility, but I can go with it.

I agree with those who felt this was a boring filler episode. And there was no suspense about the poker game for me, since I don't have the first idea about what constitutes a good hand in Earth poker, much less whatever alien world poker this was. But I did wonder if this was their Valentine's Day episode, because of Haz being all about Michael and Book's love story even while taking their latinum.

I didn't know it was coming and was really upset--almost stopped watching also. I can understand why Okja made him stop wanting to eat or cook meat forever. It was a really good movie, but hard to watch if you care about animals (even though the animals are not real--I don't want to say more in case you decide to watch it). This episode really showed the Columbo-like aspects of Charlie's character, and it was entertaining even though I didn't figure things out before the explanation. But it kind of bothers me that in each episode so far (and this is likely going to be the way it works in all), she confronts the guilty party when they are alone or in a situation where she could easily be killed before the police arrive. How does she know the person won't just kill her as soon as they realize she has figured things out? Clearly they are capable of murder and don't think they will be caught. I was writing something similar but your comment showed up first--great minds, etc.

I agree that Damian was trying to be kind, but I wondered why he brought a knife with him to the roof. Was it because he could tell that Jed was potentially dangerous and that he might need to defend himself? If so, going up to a roof to talk to him was definitely not a good idea, as he found out! It took me a few minutes to figure out where else I had seen the girl that Jed was stalking. Finally realized she was in Never Have I Ever, one of my favorite shows (and a completely different type of show from this one).

Was anyone else distracted by Jed's resemblance to Jack Black? That's who I thought the guest star was this episode (aside from "Cliff" from Cheers).

The design of that place made no sense, especially for a meeting of representatives of planets who are supposed to be equal. Who determined which level each representative would stand on, and isn't it likely that those on the lower levels would feel disrespected?

OT: Tell me it isn't so! For years when I was a kid going to the local Chinese restaurant with my parents, I always ordered shrimp with lobster sauce. My tastes got more sophisticated as an adult, and I hadn't ordered this dish for many years. But a few months ago I was thinking about how much I loved it as a kid, and I decided to order it, expecting to taste bits of lobster in the sauce over my shrimp. Not only didn't I taste any lobster, but the dish overall was very bland. No idea why I thought it was so great as a kid.

Although this is definitely not aimed at my demographic (over 65), I loved Buffy and have enjoyed some CW shows aimed at young audiences, and I also usually enjoy stories about supernatural creatures. So I decided to give Wolf Pack a shot, and I liked it enough to watch at least a couple more episodes. I'm not thrilled with the twins looking like models whose perfect makeup and hair are not even a bit messed up by running through a wildfire area, but I want to find out more about their back story. It looked like their adoptive dad rescued them as wolf cubs during a previous wildfire, but if they were wolves at birth, how did they become human or werewolves? I know how it is supposed to work the other direction (a human bitten or maybe scratched by a werewolf becomes a werewolf), but wolf cub becoming a human baby doesn't quite make sense. I guess we're not supposed to think too hard about it.

It hasn't bothered me much before this episode, but this time it was really too much...though I guess it can be justified with the idea that her fear of weakness and vulnerability is making her nastier than usual. I thought it was interesting that Michael acted like a caring daughter to Philippa in the way she expressed concern, in words as well as facial expression and gently putting her (Michael's) hand on Philippa's shoulder. Of course, Philippa was having none of it (see my first paragraph).

Yeah, I mean, Rebecca Wisocky is 52 but Hetty could easily be taken as a 40-something. To me she seems in her 50s and could not be taken for 40s, but maybe that's due to her hair and dress style as well as the way she talks. I'm sure she would seem younger when in modern dress.

I'm pretty sure those glasses David Cronenberg was wearing were NOT just glasses. I was thinking that her handling of his badge (the all-purpose thingy that Starfleet personnel in this future wear on their chest) had something to do with what's wrong with her. I don't remember the dialogue leading up to it, but he handed her the badge or put it on the table, she took it from him or picked it up from the table, and after handling it a moment she tossed it on the floor and stepped on it to destroy it. Does anyone remember this scene? But it could be something with the glasses.

Although that was true in previous Trek shows, the Discovery casting seems quite diverse, with several POC (both male and female) in positions of authority or important responsibilities--especially this season, with the changes in time and place introducing new characters. And while I agree that Michael likely won't become a captain, she is clearly the lead and is meant to be the most admired--almost literally saintly--character on the show.

I don't have an issue with anyone being nonbinary (if that is true--it's hard to know since Adira is referred to as "she" and Gray is referred to as "he" in the dialogue), but I do have a problem with this great love being between characters who look like children rather than teenagers. Maybe it's because I'm in my 70s, but neither of them looks like 16 to me. At most, I would say 14, but something about their faces and their body shapes, as well as Adira's way of talking before she got the symbiote, makes them (especially Adira) seem more like 12-13. So the whole thing just feels off to me.

Do you think the issue of Stamets sexuality has been overemphasized or otherwise mishandled? I can't see any other reason for that comparison. As for Tilly, she's an interesting variant on a Mary Sue to me. The classic ones are overly competent but also otherwise perfect. I'd say Tilly is instead constructed to be socially awkward, but she doesn't face the real consequences of that. She's magically competent around the edges of being a Dork. For all the ways that Adira comes off as New Wesley Crusher, I suppose there's a good argument for Tilly being that instead. Whether or not Next Gen INTENDED for Wesley to be such a Dork, it's the reality of how he manifested. But they DID insist on him being super competent/special. The same combination has been used for Tilly. I don't think the comparison is related to Stamets' sexuality at all. I'm not expecting the character to sing, but I immediately associated him with Rent when I saw the actor's name, and that association was emphasized in earlier episodes by the in-jokes about the opera La Boheme (which Rent was sort of based on). Also, the actor who plays Stamet's partner was also in Rent. So lots of associations related to the musical that would explain why @paigow might say that. I agree with you about Tilly, Adira, and Wesley.

The actor playing Zareh was so familiar to me and my husband, and it was driving us crazy where we knew him from. Finally checked IMDB--he was Patricia Arquette's husband on Medium, one of my all-time favorite shows. On that show he was so laid-back and nice (and of course younger), so seeing him as a bad guy it was hard to recognize him.

Catching up a couple of years late, one of my main reactions was awe at the scenery on the planet where Michael landed. Some of it may have been CGI, but apparently much of it was filmed in Iceland. The spaceship and other internal sets were also cool. And, of course, any show with a cat is worth watching, as long as Grudge is not put in danger.

Did I miss a scene? Because after Tyler was stabbed (or whatever) and sent his seemingly dying message ("Leland"), and then apparently got into a rescue pod, I didn't see any scene where he was brought back to the ship and given life-saving treatment.

Chiming in much later, but I'm with you in that minority. How does someone with those characteristics get so much responsibility on a ship and fleet with (presumably) no lack of smart people who can do their jobs in a professional manner? If they want her on board for comic relief, maybe give her a job that does not have life-or-death implications (how about recreation director?). I also don't find it believable that serious, responsible Michael would become such good friends with Tilly.

Either that or Spock I don't know if it's Michael, but I don't think it could be Spock because it seemed to clearly have a woman's shape. (Sorry if someone already mentioned this--I haven't read all of the comments.) Also, I like the suggestion that it is Tilly, as I saw when I read the rest of the comments.

Coming to this show very late, my husband and I have mixed feelings about the series in general and this season (so far) specifically. We are both long-time ST fans (mostly of the original series and movies, TNG, Voyager, and the new movies), though we don't remember or recognize all the references to previous series and characters. We're finding STD enough fun to binge and we like the acting, the special effects, and the ethical dilemmas. BUT we often feel that the show is jumping the shark, or close to it. As much as I like the characters that have "died" or almost died, it's hard to care if you know that the writers will save them at the last moment or find some hard-to-believe reason for bringing them back to life (or in the case of Captain Georgiou, substituting her mirror version). It just feels like a cheat, a way to manipulate the audience emotionally. We could also make a drinking game out of all the times they refer to Spock and set up situations in which we should expect to see him, but then pull the rug out from under us and give some lame reason why he is not there. Again, it feels like a cheat, and after doing it so many times it's become a joke. Finally, I will offer the unpopular opinion that Tilly is really annoying, and I find it hard to believe that she would be accepted into command training with her over-the-top nervous personality. And I say that as someone who sometimes acts like her in real life, but I hate it and am constantly telling myself to shut up when I blather on. So it's hard to watch someone like that on the screen.