matt-rouse-212-667348

...... if your eyes are still dry at the end of this episode your as stone cold as Lo-Pan." The last two episodes have the best acting and tightest scripting of the whole of season one. Very predictable, but in a nice way. Definitely makes up for the 3 or 4 filler episodes in the season which is nice but still feel if they'd have just had 6 (maybe 8) episodes this show would be regarded more highly.

Now if you're one of those crazy people that reads all the reviews of a show before you actually watch it, please take my advice and do yourselves a favour, watch the first 3 episodes in a block, the following episodes while you're 'working from home' and the last two as a mini movie, you'll enjoy S1 much better that way. Ps the flashback scenes are the best throughout, they could've made a full show just on this time period (and I'm not usually a fan of prequels).

I've given a 10 only to counteract some of the (quite frankly) weird harsh reviews.

This is the second of the trilogy and is vastly superior to it's procedural predecessor. The script is tighter (although tbf it isn't bogged down by having to set up the backstory by assuming you've already watched part 1). The acting, by the two leads, is head and shoulders a above part 1. As long as you go into this knowing it's more an 18+ Goosebumps than a Friday the 13th pt2 and it's actually telling a story first and giving you gore second you'll enjoy it.

The only real(ish) negative I could give it is it's very ESB in as much as it does feel like the mid part of a trilogy, it needs parts 1 & 3 to complete it and doesn't really stand alone, but much like ESB it's probably the best of the 3.

Whilst I still find the series as a whole to be a little hit or miss, when Lower Decks gets it right it sits right alongside the best that Star Trek has to offer. This episode in particular ticks every box required and it came as a bit of a revelation to me that I actually care about these characters.

The wait between seasons is going to be a long one!