TL;DR – An episode filled with goodbyes and also beauty

Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Review –


It is so close to the end and you can really feel it as each episode ratchets up the tension and leaves you aghast when the credits role lamenting that you can’t just watch the next episode then and there. Well, today we are exploring the penultimate episode of Star Trek Discovery’s second season, an episode of goodbyes and of also of real beauty.   

So to set the scene, we begin today right where last week’s Through the Valley of Shadows left off. After trying literally everything to stop Control getting the Sphere data and with Leland/Control’s (Alan van Sprang) armada closing in there is only one thing left to do, destroy the Discovery. With subspace communications being blocked, Pike (Anson Mount) puts out a call of someone he knows he can trust and soon the Enterprise and his Number One (Rebecca Romijn) have arrived to evacuate all the crew. Only then to discover that things never quite go to plan. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.     

The first thing I have to talk about is the absolute beauty that was the reimagined USS Enterprise sets. Goodness, they were a work of absolute beauty, they were both true to the original design philosophy while also being updated with our current technology. Every single person that was involved with the design and construction of those sets should be incredibly thanked for all the hard work putting that together. At the end of last season with Will You Take My Hand? There was that sharp intake of breath when we saw the Enterprise for the first time, well today I had the exact same moment as we walked over to the bridge for the first time. Adding to all of this was some absolutely spectacular graphics including the escape gangplanks being deployed and the views of Xahea.

While this was an episode filled with beauty, it was also an episode marked by a number of goodbyes, some heartfelt, some emotional, some yet to come, and a couple of awkward moments. When the ship could not be self-destructed or even blown up, there was only one option left, do with the ship what they were going to do with the suit of the Red Angel, shoot the Sphere information into the future where it can’t hurt anyone. This meant sending Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) on a one-way trip, as the chances of her being able to come back after the time crystal degraded were slim at best. However, as the time came close she found out that she was not going to take the trip alone and we got a heartfelt montage of the crew saying goodbye to the ones they love. Also saying goodbye to the captain that had guided them this far.

The only weirdness in this section was Sarek (James Frain) and Amanda (Mia Kirshner) showing up in the middle of nowhere (I know Katra), saying goodbye and then nopeing out of there again. Also, this is a good point of addressing something I have seen brought up a number of times on Reddit. One of the comments used to criticise the show (criticise not critique) is that “I don’t even know the names of the bridge crew”. Firstly, the show is focused less on the bridge than other shows, it is different, but that being said. Secondly, while this may have been maybe the case in Season One, and not by the end, this season from Brother onwards they have made sure to both reinforce the names of everyone on the bridge at least once an episode, but also give each of them character moments throughout the season. Frankly, if you don’t know who Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts), Gen Rhys (Patrick Kwok-Choon), Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo), R.A. Bryce (Ronnie Rowe Jr), and Nilsson (Sara Mitich) are at this point, well then you have not been paying attention. Also, it devalues the work those actors have been doing to bring those characters to life.

Finally, I want to take a moment to speculate about the future. Before the start of the season, there were a number of Short Trek’s put out to bridge the gap throughout the seasons. While they were mostly fun little jaunts with a couple of characters, as the season has gone on they have turned into something a bit more important. Now while the crew visiting Saru’s (Doug Jones) homeworld Kaminar which we first saw in The Brightest Star was something that you could have expected. However, this episode we got a surprise visit from Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po (Yadira Guevara-Prip) introduced in Runaway, which brings us to Calypso set on an abandoned Discovery that had been set adrift for hundreds of years. Is this the new direction the show is going in, well we will find out, but if I was a betting man, at least the first chunk of Season Three is not going to be set in the current time period. Also with all the work they put into those Enterprise sets, I would not be surprised if the producers were testing the waters for a Pike led Enterprise series and the answer to that from me and a good portion of the internet was a resounding yes.

In the end, do we recommend Such Sweet Sorrow? Yes, of course, we do. When Star Trek gets the Shakespeare out you know things are about to happen, and today was no exception, now if only I could see the final episode as soon as I post this review, well then my day would be set.    

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Star Trek Discovery yet?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.   


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Star Trek Discovery
Directed by – Olatunde Osunsanmi
Written by – Michelle Paradise & Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman
Based off – Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Created by – Bryan Fuller & Alex Kurtzman  
Production/Distribution Companies – CBS Television Studios, Roddenberry Entertainment, Secret Hideout, CBS All Access & Netflix. 
Starring in Season 2 – Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Shazad Latif, Wilson Cruz & Anson Mount with Michelle Yeoh, Jayne Brook, James Frain, Mia Kirshner, Yadira Guevara-Prip, Tig Notaro, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Sonja Sohn, Alan van Sprang, Rachael Ancheril, Emily Coutts, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Oyin Oladejo, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Sara Mitich & Julianne Grossman