As mentioned in the review for last week's episode, 'New Eden', the second season of 'Star Trek: Discovery' is really cleaving towards the more episodic nature of the franchise - and it's largely working.
By its very nature, episodic television has to be cleanly made because it's got to fit into 45 minutes. You set up the problem, show them working the problem, problem solved. The innards can change, but the structure is in place and it demands discipline in a narrative sense. 'Point Of Light' is an example of this, and also another way in which the second season really is going back to its roots.
The different plot strands weave across 'Point Of Light', but the central focus - that of Ensign Tilly (Mary Wiseman) seeing a ghost from her past and being driven mad by it - is examined and neatly wrapped up in the episode's length. As well as this, the story ties together with this season's overall theme of the inexplicable in a universe where everything has been explained. Tilly sees an insistent woman everywhere on the ship, who is later revealed to be a friend from her past.
Plot-twist - she's been dead for years, and not only that, died as a child. Therefore, how is this possible? Is she a ghost? Well, this is 'Star Trek: Discovery' and there's no such thing as ghosts - so what else can it be except some kind of alien? Again, if you've watched hours and hours of 'Star Trek' over the years, you can see this coming a mile off. It's either some kind of disease, or some alien has taken up residence in the character's brain.
'Point Of Light' works well, if for no other reason that it's fun to see this kind of storytelling back in action once again in 'Star Trek' and was almost entirely absent from the first season. Wiseman is able to carry the story easily with her likeability, and having Anson Mount's chiseled-jaw Captain Pike out of the way for an episode is a nice change of pace.
Speaking of tied-up loose ends, you've also got Ash Tyler / Vohq with the Klingons, trying to keep the peace under L'Rell. Playing out like a 'Game of Thrones' episode - complete with sword-fights and capes everywhere - it's wrapped up with a certain amount of finality, but not in a way that's particularly stylish. In a lot of ways, this felt like it was more closer to a narrative cleaning exercise than anything else.
It works, and both Mary Chieffo and Shazad Latif have an intriguing dynamic, but you just get the sense that previous Klingon storylines across 'Star Trek' were handled so much better. Not only that, dropping the Space Goths / Section 31, led by Michelle Yeoh, into the middle of it to wrap the whole thing up was way too jarring to make sense.
Pushed right to the bottom of the pile and, by far, the weakest part of this episode was Michael Burnham's continuing search for Spock and the meaning behind the red lights. As revealed in last week's episode, Spock had himself committed to a mental hospital and gave strict instructions he not be disturbed. The episode sees Spock's mother and Burnham trying to figure out why Spock has gone off the rails, but doesn't give any conclusive answer. Instead, you almost get the sense that the scenes were injected in rather than working in concert with the rest of the episode; that they're there just to remind you that this story is still moving through the season.
Three episodes in, Hipster Spock still hasn't shown his bearded face - but what of it? When there's entertaining story devices like an alien ghost and Klingon operas playing out, does it matter?
