Well hello there, my loves, my loves. Welcome back to The TV Doctor, a podcast where I prescribe for you exactly what television you should be watching to treat the socio-emotional ailments that might be bothering you. I’m M. Foss, and I’m not a doctor on TV, but I play one in real life.

Here in Season 5 of the podcast, my Special Guest Star, Second Opinion, Cha’Dich, Co-Pilot, and Co-Host Ashley and I have our tricorders open and we are ready to seek out the healing properties embedded in Star Trek: Discovery. We know there are parts of the show that require an even closer look, parts that could possibly do harm as well as good, and we’ll be brave and cover those parts in our examination as well. Together, we are a rookie and a veteran attempting a mind meld, if you will, inviting you to join us as we do our best to boldly go.

If you don’t think of yourself as a quote-unquote “Star Trek person,” fear not. Ashley is your patron saint. She’s proof that even those of you who aren’t quite ready to sign up for Starfleet Academy can find wonder and resolution in these tales from the stars. Feel free to watch (or re-watch) Discovery along with us. The season is still young, our journey is still long, and there is still a comfy seat just for you in our shuttle. Consider this message your sign that it’s time to see what all the fuss is about, and I’ll consider this message my sign that it’s time to beam directly to…Sickbay.

Second Opinion:

MF: And we're back. It is Season 1, Episode 7 of Star Trek: Discovery, and this episode is titled, “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.” 

AJ: Who is the sanest man? Stamets? 

MF: Where, where exactly is the sanest man? I'm not sure. Anyway, so we're Episode 7, and we're starting to get into the thick of it. I think one of the things that's really interesting about this show so far is that it is definitely asserting its right to be serial and not episodic, right? So, with Star Trek: Discovery, we are not getting a monster of the week. We are in some ways, but for the most part, if you haven't watched Episodes 1 through 6, you can't just drop into Episode 7 and know what's going on. 

AJ: Right.

MF: You have to have been following along with the mythology of what's being established here, which I kind of love. 

AJ: Yeah, that's my favorite. 

MF: It's a risk, but I think it's paying off so far because I'm deeply invested in what's going on with these characters and with this plot. So, in this episode, it is essentially a time loop episode. Maybe this is another example of the Mandela effect, but in my mind, I was like, “Oh, Star Trek loves a time loop episode and then we have all of these examples of a time loop episode,” when that's not exactly true. There's one very clear progenitor to this episode, but it's in Next Generation. It's an episode called “Cause and Effect” where the folks on the Enterprise, they're like playing poker and then they keep going through their day and boo boo boo boo. And what ends up happening is that the Enterprise explodes, and they're back playing poker again. And then at a certain point, they're like, “Oh, shit…have we done this before? Like, is this feeling familiar to anybody?” And then they start to figure out what's going on. So, it's like a classic time loop. We do this and then we do it again. And then we do it again. And then we do it again until the main players realize what's going on. So, I was like, “Oh, this is a classic Star Trek time loop episode.” In reality, I don't know that Star Trek has actually done that many time loop episodes. But there's something about this episode that felt so purely Star Trek to me, 

AJ: I love that. I love a time loop episode and it is my distinct pleasure to join you today at Discovery's Groundhog Day disco party. 

MF: A disco for Disco. 

AJ: Yeah. 

MF: Yeah, 

AJ: I I loved this episode and my recap is really short. I mean, my notes the first time around (I watched it twice) were, “Harcourt Fenton Mudd is back, which is so thrilling. Harry uses a Gormagander whale as a Trojan horse to infiltrate Discovery. And then we have a time loop scenario using a stolen time crystal to take over the ship so that he can figure out what makes Discovery so special, which we know is the Spore Drive.” And we know Stamets is sort of like the middle puzzle piece to the Spore Drive. 

MF: That's right. That’s right. 

AJ: So, we're revisiting this Discovery Disco Party as our point of reentry. Every time, the clock starts over as Mudd is trying to murder everyone on board…

MF: That part.

AJ: …until he figures out the information he needs to sell to the Klingons.

MF: And he's still your fave? 

AJ: I think he's still my favorite. He's so fun to watch. He's captivating. Every time he comes on the screen, I want to hear every little quip that he makes, and when he's not on the screen, I'm wondering, “Where is he? What is he doing?” And I, I just…I don't know. That's great writing, but it's, again, when you cast somebody like Rainn Wilson…

MF: Mm hmm. Yeah. 

AJ: You are saying that we know that as soon as you enter the episode, people are going to be wondering, “Why are you here? So glad to have you back. What's your agenda here?” 

MF: True. 

AJ: And I thought he was so funny, and I can't wait to watch previous episodes where Harry Mudd is not this, like, charming, sarcastic person… 

MF: Oh, he's always been charming. 

AJ: Oh, okay. 

MF: And he's always been sarcastic. 

AJ: Okay. 

MF: He's always been that, but Rainn Wilson bringing in the Dwight Schrute of it all… 

AJ: Yeah, so good.

MF: …does have an impact. 

AJ: It's, it's so good. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: So, I Googled “Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 6” because I wanted to see if I was, you know, missing anything from the episode. And I accidentally forgot to put “Discovery”—I just Googled “Star Trek”—and what came up was an episode called “Mudd's Women,” which aired October 6th, 1966. And the summary is, “The Enterprise picks up untrustworthy entrepreneur…

MF: Untrustworthy entrepreneur. 

AJ: …accompanied by three beautiful women who immediately put a spell on all of the male crew members.” I love this. Oh, it's so great. 

MF: No.

AJ: I'm accidentally finding out that Harry Mudd is…it's a mantle. It's like Captain America where there's different people who play him. And this version of him, I just love that it's honoring the untrustworthy entrepreneur from 1966 in 2024. 

MF: That part was consistent. That part was consistent.

AJ: Here for it. Loving it. 

MF: Well, it wasn't ‘24. This was 2017. The first season. 

AJ: That feels like millennia ago. 

MF: A lifetime ago. I know. 

AJ: Okay. So, what I wanted to ask you… 

MF: Yes. 

AJ: …because I love, again, the time loops. I love 50 First Dates. 

MF: Love. 

AJ: I love Groundhog Day. 

MF: Love. 

AJ: I love Edge of Tomorrow. 

MF: Yes. 

AJ: You've seen that with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt? 

MF: Yes, yes, yes, yes. 

AJ: So good. 

MF: Yes. 

AJ: Looper? 

MF: Looper! 

AJ: Oh my god! 

MF: I was hoping you were gonna say Looper! 

AJ: I love Looper! 

MF: Love Looper. 

AJ: Deep cut. Okay. 

MF: I'm here for it. 

AJ: But I love it. I love it. 

MF: Me too. 

AJ: So, there's always someone for whom time is not looping. They're in it the whole time. 

MF: Yes. Stamets. 

AJ: Also, Dr. Who has a number of really great time loop episodes.

MF: Yes, yes, yes. 

AJ: So, Stamets. There's a moment when Stamets asks Michael Burnham, “Tell me one thing that nobody knows so that when this starts over, I can prove to you that, like, we've already had this conversation.” 

MF: Yes. Yes. 

AJ: She says, “I have never been in love.” 

MF: Yes. “I’ve never been in love.”

AJ: I don't know if that's what I would have gone with. 

MF: Ooh. 

AJ: I don't know if that's what I would have gone with. I mean, and he was like, “Whoa.” 

MF: Yeah. Right. 

AJ: Okay. 

MF: Oh. Oh. 

AJ: So, my question to you:

MF: Oh shit. 

AJ: If I came storming in here and said, “We're in a time loop,”…first of all, I would just believe you because I'm into this kind of thing. I would be like, “I'm in, what do you need to know for me?” Like… 

MF: Same, same, same. 

AJ: But if I came barging in here and really, I was like, “We're in a time loop. Tell me something that nobody else knows so that you, on the next round, believe me,” what would that be? 

MF: But should I tell you that on a podcast? 

AJ: It's just you and me here. 

MF: That is widely available? 

AJ: It's just us. 

MF: Okay. Okay. 

AJ: And I know what mine is.

MF: And it shouldn't…it should not be connected to my thoughts about 9/11. 

AJ: No. 

MF: No. Okay. Okay. All right. Okay, go. What's yours? 

AJ: Although, I think it's interesting to think about if you were asked all of a sudden, would you go with a deep, dark secret or would you just go with something that nobody knows?

MF: Right. 

AJ: So, “I've never been in love yet.” Ooh, tough. 

MF: That's a lot. 

AJ: But it also plays into the episode. 

MF: It does. 

AJ: For me, and it's just us here, I fell asleep watching Wakanda Forever. And so, if you came barging in here and you were like, 

MF: “I know that…” 

AJ: “…you didn't like Wakanda Forever…” 

MF: Wait, there's a difference there. 

AJ: Both. It's both. 

MF: It is both?

AJ: Yeah. I would be like, “How do you know that?” Unless you were my sister who came with me and was nudging me like, “Can you wake up?” I was falling asleep. That's what I would tell you because nobody else—and it's just you and me here—nobody else would know that. 

MF: You didn't like Wakanda Forever. 

AJ: No. No. Much respect. Deepest respect to Ryan Coogler, who was also a Hornet. Iconic. 

MF: Stingers up. 

AJ: If you’re for whatever the reason listening to this, first of all, thank you for listening. Give us five stars. Tell everyone about the pod. Deeply respect Coog. Knew him in undergrad. Very, very great, very, very incredible person. 

MF: I actually loved it. 

AJ: Wasn't my thing. Wasn't for me. 

MF: Can we take a few seconds and unpack that? 

AJ: No, because we wouldn't have time. I, we wouldn't have time. And if you came in and said, “We're in a time loop…”

MF: No, there’s no time to unpack. 

AJ: “You fell asleep watching Wakanda Forever…”

MF: You're right. There's no time to unpack. 

AJ: I would think… 

MF: “She knows.” 

AJ: “Okay. All right. What do we…” ‘cause it's that magnificent. 

MF: It is that. 

AJ: So, what would I have to say about you? 

MF: That's on that level? My God. 

AJ: On some level where you can just be like, “Yeah, but I've told you that story” or like, “Yeah, but you might've seen that on…you might've listened…you might've heard that on a, on a different episode…”

MF: I'm in a little bit of shock right now about Wakanda Forever because I loved it. 

AJ: Yeah, maybe a hot take. 

MF: Okay, a hot take. Okay, wel…l 

AJ: An unpopular hot take. 

MF: Yeah. I gotta…I have to dig a little bit deeper because I'm pretty open with my hot takes. I…oh! 

AJ: You what? 

MF: All right. I'm ready. 

AJ: You what? 

MF: I didn't like The Wire. 

AJ: What? That's not true. 

MF: It is true. 

AJ: Are you serious? 

MF: I am. Yeah, I am. But I feel like I've talked about that. It's somewhat public. It's public. No, it's…so, it's not that I didn't like it, but I just I watched a few episodes and I was like, “Eh.” 

AJ: Oh, so you didn't even finish, like, a season.

MF: I did not finish the season. And there are multiple shows that I did not finish a season of that are in that same category. For example…

AJ: Such as?

MF: Yeah, such as Friday Night Lights. 

AJ: Go on. 

MF: The Sopranos. 

AJ: Wait. Whoa, whoa… 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: Wait a minute. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: So, prestige television. 

MF: Some. 

AJ: Wow. 

MF: Yeah. Not for lack of trying. 

AJ: Wow. Breaking Bad? 

MF: Loved Breaking Bad. 

AJ: Okay. Game of Thrones. 

MF: Start to finish. 

AJ: Okay. 

MF: I put multiple people… 

AJ: Mad Men. 

MF: Start to finish.

AJ: Yes. Okay. 

MF: Yeah. Yeah. 

AJ: Okay. 

MF: Yeah. But those are…that's probably my top three though. 

AJ: So, if I came barging in and said, “We're in a time loop. I know you only watched a couple episodes of The Wire,” you would be like, “What do you need from me? What are we doing?” Okay. 

MF: The Wire, Friday Night Lights, Sopranos, and Succession. I watched…Ashley's left the room, but I will just tell you all listeners that I watched probably four episodes on a flight back from Hawaii. 

AJ: What? 

MF: Yeah. And that was it. 

AJ: You have to get past Episode 3. 

MF: Yeah. I did. 

AJ: And not just like for… 

MF: I'm pretty sure I did four episodes. 

AJ: This is really tough. 

MF: I'll circle back. I’ll probably circle back. 

AJ: I don't know. I mean, you're called the TV Doctor. 

MF: I know. But, well, there's a lot of TV. 

AJ: Yes. 

MF: And I'm aware of the, you know, prominence or whatever of those shows. Also, I know what happens in Succession, so, it's like…I don't know. 

AJ: I mean, but do you? 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: Do you? I mean, but you didn't see, like, Kendall's birthday rap song, which is one of the most iconic scenes in all of television history. I mean, it's fine. We are way off track, but that's certainly something where similar to Stamets where he was like, “Wow.” Consider me wowed.

MF: Yeah. Well, there it is. You asked for it and I gave it so… 

AJ: Wow. Okay. All right. 

MF: About Friday Night Lights, my cousin has tried so hard. She has fought valiantly to get me to, and I watched a couple of episodes and I don't know. I just think the moment has passed. 

AJ: You have something against Michael B. Jordan. 

MF: I don't. 

AJ: Because he was in both. 

MF: But he was also in Black Panther and—spoiler alert—Wakanda Forever. No, I think he's wonderful. 

AJ: You wouldn't know. You wouldn't know. I mean, let's talk about the disco party. 

MF: Let's do that. 

AJ: Because they're playing “Stayin’ Alive.” 

MF: They're playing the Fugees. 

AJ: Yes. 

MF: And it, it, it did occur to me that the equivalent of them playing ‘90s music would be like us playing…I don't know what…Beethoven at a party, just being like, “Ayyye, Ludwig.” 

AJ: But some things are just… 

MF: Timeless?

AJ: Yes. 

MF: And I don't know if I put the Fugees on that list. 

AJ: No pun intended: timeless.

MF: I don't know if I put the Fugees on that list. 

AJ: Did you catch the other song when Michael and Ash start to dance? 

MF: What was it? 

AJ: Love and Happiness, Al Green. 

MF: So, I do love that. 

AJ: And Star Trek is turning up the heat. They are turning up the heat and this is where I appreciate that Star Trek is a little sexy and fun. 

MF: Yes. 

AJ: And we've talked before about how the Jedi say you can't have attachments because they believe that it's a distraction from you becoming truly one with the Force.

MF: Yes. 

AJ: And so, I don't know if Vulcan is similar, but there are marriages to where… 

MF: Of course. 

AJ: …is it truly logical to engage in a romantic encounter or relationship? 

MF: Vulcan mating is complicated, but Michael is not Vulcan. 

AJ: Right. But she grew up in Vulcan culture. 

MF: Sure. But I don't think that she ever saw for herself, like, “I have to follow Vulcan mating rituals.” 

AJ: Right. 

MF: Well, listen, in this episode, she's like, “Eff Vulcan mating rituals. I'm about to…I'm human, baby. And I'm here for the mingle and the tingle.” 

AJ: She is. She's here for the dancing. She's willing to be led. 

MF: And I do not blame her because “Ash is giving what he needs to be giving at this party” is what I'm saying.

AJ: There are also people in the background who are making out. The captain of the ship? The person who flies?

MF: They are off duty. 

AJ: Who's the person who flies? 

MF: The pilot. 

AJ: The pilot? 

MF: Detmer. 

AJ: Detmer is in the corner getting it and I love it. 

MF: This is a moment that gave me a tiny bit of pause just because I'm not sure about Starfleet protocol when it comes to mind- and mood-altering substances. Because in Original Series, I'm pretty sure that they have, like, booze. I think they have the booze. 

AJ: I mean, one would hope. 

MF: But by the time we get to Next Generation, they're very clear that what the ship serves is called synthahol. So, it's not alcohol. It is synthetic alcohol and it doesn't give you the effect. So, it gives you like…

AJ: Cadet Tilly was feeling something. 

MF: No, Tilly was drunk. Tilly was drunkest. 

AJ: She was. 

MF: She was…she was in her cups, as were half the party, right? So, that's what I'm saying. I'm like, “That's interesting that somewhere between the events of Season 1 Discovery and Season 1 Next Generation (which is a couple of generations, right?), I think Starfleet policy on altering substances has changed. 

AJ: Right, okay. Maybe as a result of some things that we have not yet seen. 

MF: Maybe they were like, “Damn, you heard how it went down on Discovery? We got to crack down on that shit.” Yeah, maybe. I don't know, but regardless of what happens in the future, on Discovery, in the present, as we are watching it, they're having an excellent time…

AJ: They are. 

MF: At the disco. 

AJ: They are. 

MF: On Disco. 

AJ: The disco party on, on Disco. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: How do you feel about Michael Burnham being this sort of timid, you know, Stamets needs to convince Lieutenant Tyler, but he wasn't convincing him, so he's sending Michael Burnham? ‘Cause it's like, “I think you guys are into each other…” 

MF: Right. 

AJ: …sort of like children, but, I mean, you know, it is what it is. 

MF: Also, he wasn't wrong. 

AJ: He wasn't wrong. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: Was this an effective…was this a waste of time? I mean, how many time loops…was Stamets just desperate? Like, “I need someone to get to Tyler so that we can figure out what Harry Mudd is up to. Let me spend all of these time loops trying to convince Michael so that she can convince Lieutenant Tyler.” 

MF: Well, yeah, because I think all that was was Stamets recognizing that Tyler had tunnel vision a little bit for Michael, which is very interesting upon reflection, because if we remember the scene from the previous episode where Lorca and Tyler were breaking out of the Klingon prison, when Tyler reveals to us that the Klingon, his captor, had forced him into some extracurricular activities, and when he fought L'Rell, that person, on his way out of the Klingon prison, that felt more than just like, “You are an unnamed, unknown Klingon that I need to get past.” It felt like there was some personal stuff there. And so, I think we know that Ash feels deeply, and I definitely don't want to make the connection between you are passionate and so that results in like physical aggression, you know. I don't want to make that link, but also, I feel like we do know about Ash that he is focused and thoughtful, but more than just thoughtful. He's like… I don't want to say that he's obsessive about Michael, but we can tell that there's something about him that is heightened when it comes to his attention. I don't know. Do you know what I'm saying? 

AJ: I mean, I'm just getting lust. I'm, I'm just getting… 

MF: You think he's lusting after Michael? 

AJ: Yeah. Consistent with this running theme of the crux of the solution is centered on emotions, affection, love, instead of just logic. Scientifically, Stamets is brilliant. Surely if there is a scientific way out of this time loop, he would have figured it out. 

MF: He's also on, like, a little bit of a bender though, right? Because he's still trying to figure out what the spores are doing to him. 

AJ: Yes. 

MF: And so, he's a whole new Stamets. 

AJ: He is a whole new Stamets. I…I like him, but I've always liked him. 

MF: Of course. 

AJ: I've always liked him. Okay. 

MF: But this is the Stamets that I remember as a matter of fact. So, I don't know, a couple episodes ago, I said I didn't remember him being so immediately hostile. And I think on rewatch. I didn't remember him being so diametrically opposed to Lorca, but I think that's what it was. But then once he got that tardigrade DNA, that's the Stamets that I start to remember. I don't remember him being a jerk. 

AJ: Okay. Yeah, the further you get in, I suppose you start to forget. I mean, as we can understand with Shady Saru. 

MF: Who I love. 

AJ: Who you love. Okay. 

MF: And Tilly, who I love. 

AJ: Okay. I'm still getting to her. So, putting on our academic lens real quick… 

MF: Yes. 

AJ: Communication Theory of Affection, developed by Corey Floyd, posits that expressing and receiving affection are crucial aspects of human communication that have significant effects on both physical and mental well-being. And I can't help but wonder if the show is trying to tell us that human beings need affection. We need love. It's not enough to be logical or to be smart. You have to be able to connect with people and I wonder if Stamets thought it was a challenge, when if he sees the solution as being, “Okay, there's this connection, this affection between Ash and Michael,” and then she tells him, “I've never been in love,” does that make this mission even harder? Because it's not like she's been in love before: “Okay. Can you talk to Ash?” It's like, now you're talking to someone who is completely uncomfortable in engaging in this kind of conversation. And there's a mission we have to solve. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: I just love all of the little pieces of trying to make Michael more human in ways that I can both understand and kind of maybe miss some of the more logical parts of her, but this episode was very much contingent upon affection. 

MF: I think you're on to something in terms of Michael. She came up in a culture that did not allow her to be affectionate.

AJ: Yeah. 

MF: And she's now in a place where not only is her affection welcome, but it's also crucial… 

AJ: Yeah. 

MF: …for them to get out of this. conundrum that they're in. 

AJ: Yeah. 

MF: But we don't know enough about Ash's backstory to know how affection, especially affection with Michael, affects or is translated by him. All we know about him, so far, is that he's been imprisoned by the Klingons. 

AJ: Well, but what we see is that… 

MF: He likes Michael.

AJ: He likes Michael. He will listen to her, presumably because he's into her, instead of Stamets. And so, Michael is the conduit to getting the information that they need about Harry Mudd, and it pays off. And they had their first kiss, and it was very cute, and he's sorry that he missed it because it was in one of the time loops.

MF: It was very cute. 

AJ: I loved it. I loved this episode. 

MF: So, I mean, do we have high hopes for this relationship? 

AJ: Maybe. I think that I just want Michael Burnham to get what she wants. And if that's something fun, then let it be fun. And if it's love, sure, I think it might stand in the way of her character arc here. Or maybe that's part of it is can she allow herself to love? I don't, I don't know. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: Something she says at the very end in her personal log, she says, “Just as repetition reinforces repetition, change begets change. I guess the truth is we never really know what's coming. Sometimes the only way to find out where you fit in is to step out of the routine. Because sometimes where you really belong was waiting right around the corner all along.” Now, I don't think that's about Ash. That was about fandom to me. I'm hearing, “This is why fandom is so important.” It's like, change begets change. What was I doing? I wanted to dive into something new, not because I don't love Star Wars or Marvel. Because I wanted something new. We never know what's quite around the corner. It was here all along. You've been begging me to watch Discovery all along. 

MF: I have. 

AJ: And the community that you never knew existed… 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: …or that you never knew you could fit into was right around the corner the whole time.

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: And so, I choose to take from the show not lessons about like love or being…I don't even think she was talking about Ash. Maybe she was. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: But maybe as, you know, being the science officer and having fun with Cadet Tilly at the party and allowing herself to have that little kiss with…with Ash. But the community you never knew existed, it was just right in front of you or right around the corner all along. Such a great episode. 

MF: I love this so much. I'm…I'm deeply in my feels right now. I love that you said that. And I almost want to be like, “Let's just forego the quiz.” Like, “Let's just end it there.” 

AJ: I can tell you that I'm not a Trekkie. I don't know any more shows. 

MF: Well, how about this? Tell me what about Star Trek did you learn after this episode? Like, what do you know about Star Trek now? Let's forget the questions and just talk to me about what you understand about what this show is about. What is it trying to do? ‘Cause hearing you talk about it…like, what you just said, my inside voice was like, “She gets it. She's getting it.” 

AJ: This episode really helped to humanize a number of the different characters. Some of the characters, they chose to sort of make them background characters. Like, Captain Lorca was in it, but he wasn't really in it. His agency and character and thoughts/actions were not really in it. He was sort of a, you know, an extra.

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: But the people who we did spend time with (Tilly, Ash, Burnham, Stamets)…we had a quick little Culber when he was like, “You are not okay. We are not on a time loop. You're still coming down from the mycelial networks.” Bless his heart. But he was more like an extra. 

MF: Yeah. 

AJ: They used this mechanism of the time loop to allow their characters to make mistakes or to not get things right. I have to do it over and over and over until they get there. And what's really fascinating about people is watching how they react to situations when they don't get it right the first time or the second time. There was like a fourth or a fifth time where Michael said, “Okay, so I wasted this one” or “We didn't get it. We didn't get this one.” 

MF: “We didn't get it.” 

AJ: And Stamets holds her hand and says, “We'll get the next one,” and I…I thought the time loop was so fun. I just couldn't believe it. And they had some sort of like, I don't even know what it was. It was like a stolen time crystal, but I didn't care. Nobody cares why. They just care about… 

MF: What… 

AJ: …what and I thought it was… 

MF: …and how. 

AJ: This was this is my favorite episode of the season so far.

MF: Oh. 

AJ: Yeah. 

MF: So, I think what has always been so compelling about Star Trek to me is the presentation of possibility. 

AJ: That's good. Yeah. 

MF: That's always been it for me and even in the places where the content has hit maybe too close to home, and, you know, I mentioned earlier how they talk a good talk, but sometimes they don't walk the walk. Even in those spaces, I feel like where it starts is coming from the right place and heading in the right direction. And so, I want to jump on board with that and so this episode felt to me very much like in that idea of, “We didn't get it right, but we can try again,” right? 

AJ: And we trust each other… 

MF: Get back on the horse. 

AJ: …to try again. 

MF: Yeah, exactly. Get back on the horse. That part of it is so, I think, close to the heart of what Star Trek is trying to do that it makes sense to me that I would see this episode and be like, “Oh, of course…the classic Star Trek time loop episode,” when there really haven't been that many Star Trek time loop episodes. But there's just something about the idea of going back and trying again that is so Star Trek to me. So, I also loved this episode. I loved that it was a disco on Disco, and I loved that it gave us a peek. You know, some Star Trek episodes are very science forward. We're here for that, of course. But this is a story about people and the internal story, not just the external story. 

AJ: Yeah. 

MF: Right. Not just where did you go and what happened when you got there, but how did you feel and how did you process that and what did that mean to you? What a beautiful text. 

AJ: It was a flawless episode. 

MF: I'm getting all mushy at the end. Well, I don't know if it was flawless. The music? 

AJ: It was flawless.

MF: I don't know. I don't know. 

AJ: “Love and Happiness.” Al Green. Come on. 

MF: That was a redemptive moment. It gets a grade of A for sure. I don't know if it's an A plus though.  

AJ: Yeah. Fair enough. 

MF: All right, so I'm gonna forego the quiz. It's almost like when the professor is like, “You know what? I know we had a planned quiz, but just…As for everybody.” 

AJ: Right. “I can tell you did the reading.” 

MF: “I can tell you did the reading. You've got the night off.” All right. So, we'll see you next time. 

AJ: I'll see you in Sickbay.

Urgent Care (the Prescription): 

Welcome back. Before we get to the prescription, can we chat for a second about how the algorithm brought me a little gift and I’m somewhat freaked out about it because it’s a concept I’ve never heard of and I certainly didn’t mention and how is it that an article about it just appeared before me as I was working on this episode? So, either the algorithm is legit predicting the future based on things I think but have not even so much as whispered, or we’re just in a full-blown simulation. I mean, every other day I think we’re probably just sims in a video game, so whoever is controlling me is going to get a real kick out of this next part. 

Late last night, I learned about a little something called The Tiffany Problem. The Tiffany Problem is the name used to describe the issue that occurs when an audience’s perception of history doesn’t match actual history. It’s what happens when you’re reading a book that’s set in the distant past, like the 1400s or something, and you come across a character named Tiffany. Not Beatrix or Matilda or Peregrine, but Tiffany, and you’re snapped out of the magic of the moment because you’re like, “Wait…Tiffany? Nobody was named Tiffany in the 1400s.” But, surprise surprise, people were named Tiffany as far back as the 12th century, so what we have is a disconnect between your perception of the past and the actual historical record.

Let me give you a Star Trek example of the same thing. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, there’s a two-parter episode called “Time’s Arrow” (Season 5, Episode 26 and Season 6, Episode 1). I’m not going to say too much, but I will say that the events of these episodes take the crew of the Enterprise back to 1860s San Francisco. Whoopi Goldberg is there in her role as Guinan, and she’s very much presenting as a Black woman, in—again—the 1860s, and she’s just moving quite easily around San Franciscan high society, mixing and mingling with the muckity-mucks. I remember seeing this episode and thinking it was really cute how Star Trek was just pretending that a Black woman in the 1860s could be accepted and included and appreciated in social circles, especially fancy social circles, even in California, even in San Francisco, California in the 1860s. 

BUT, turns out there is some historical accuracy behind this depiction. I don’t mean that history notes the presence of El-Aurians on Earth in the 19th century. But history does note that the Black population of San Francisco in the 1860s was around 2%, and most of those folks were what we’d consider middle class. A woman who looked like Guinan hanging out in swanky gathering places was not unheard of. But my modern perception of what the 1860s looked like and felt like in the United States jolted me into a meta-analytical point of view, as opposed to the view from inside the narrative that I’m sure the storytellers were hoping I’d adopt. It didn’t last long, and I cuddled back up in the fantasy fast enough, but looking back on it, I do wonder if the fact-checkers pounded that research pavement and scrounged up the census data on 19th century Black San Franciscans and then patted themselves on the back for placing a woman looking like Whoopi Goldberg in a place they knew she could have been. OR did they (probably correctly) assume that most of us wouldn’t linger any longer than a blink on the thought of it? Either way, they’re positioned for a liberal-progressive win across most interpretations.

I think we almost encountered another example of the Tiffany Problem in our current episode, even though we’re talking about the future, not the past. In this episode, the music playing at the disco party comes from what we surely recognize as “our” time. Admittedly, I did initially have that sensation of being snapped out of the moment when I heard “We Trying to Stay Alive” played on a starship. “Love and Happiness” I can respect, because if any song deserves to make it to the 23rd century, it’s that one because it’s just a perfect song. But as much of a Fugees fan as I am, I was like, “Wait…what? Not Wyclef. Not Pras.” I think I want to give the credit to Discovery, though, that I’m unwilling to give to TNG. In TNG, the nod to those Black San Franciscans might have been intentional or it might have been accidental. The speculative nod to R&B and hip hop and soul music in Discovery, though, screams intention. It’s giving audacious Afrofuturism. It’s a small but potent inclusion. They could have invented some space music; Star Trek has done so many, many times. But instead, here, they tipped the hat to the old school. They’re telling us who they are as a show, and it just makes me love them for it even more. 

Okay, let’s get to this prescription, shall we? You’ve been in the waiting room long enough. I just spent 84 years here talking about stuff other than the prescription, so I owe it to you to keep this one short and sweet, and I think I can do that. 

So, as I see it, one of the most painful aspects of the human condition is the fact that our existence is linear. We are born, we grow, we live as much as we can, and then it ends. Time loops are, as far as I’m aware, not real. We can’t rewind reality. We can’t re-do what has been done, but the idea of doing so is…yummy. It’s seductive, right? Who among us would not jump at the chance to go back and fix a mistake or, to channel last week’s prescription, cleanse a regret? Who would look the other way when given the opportunity to do what Ashley mentioned, to grasp the hand of someone trusted and say, “Okay, we didn’t get it right that time, but let’s try it again”? 

I know I’d be tempted by a time loop, but I know that my linear existence, while painful, is also beautiful. Every shitty decision I’ve made, every wrong step I’ve taken, every regret I can’t seem to release just yet…every one of those things had to happen exactly as it did to bring me where I am. Emerging from a time loop means you’ve found your way back to the correct or real timeline, right? I think I’m already there. I feel, today at least, like I’m getting it right. But I’m going to be honest with you. There’s also a part of me that thinks, well, that hopes, that this whole life is one massive time loop, and when it ends, maybe we get to go back and make adjustments and try again. We might not be able to change the big stuff, but maybe we can do some little things differently. You still say the thing, but this time you say it with a little more kindness. You still choose to go, but maybe you choose to go earlier. You still make the promise, and this time you keep it. Things like that. Maybe when we experience deja vu, it’s a memory of our last time around the loop. Maybe we shouldn’t shake off the sensation so quickly. Next time, let’s take account of our surroundings and circumstances. Let’s look internally: what were we doing just then? Is there another way it could be done? Let’s look externally, too. Where are our helpers? Where is our Stamets? Where is the person in our lives about whom people say, “Oh, she’s BEEN here before”? She’s our guide. Let’s trust and follow that person and hope that doing so means that the next time, we’ll get it capital R Right.

That’s gonna do it for this episode. Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Episode 7, “Music to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” was directed by David Barrett. The writers for the episode included Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman as creators of the show, along with Aron Eli Coleite and Jesse Alexander. We’ve got Bowie Kim and Erika Lippoldt as the executive story editors, Kirsten Beyer and Sean Cochran as staff writers, and Gene Roddenberry for planting the seed from which an entire universe has grown. 

We have now reached the part of our appointment where it’s time for me to give you some instructions for what to do when we part ways just in case you don’t remember what we’ve discussed. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard here, please check out all the previous TV Doctor episodes. We would love to see you give us your highest ratings and reviews. Yes, we do read them, and yes, we do care. If you think we’re doing some good work here, let the powers that be know about us in the language they speak, and they only seem to understand five stars and glowing reviews.

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On behalf of my number one and I, we are so grateful to be sharing this time loop with you, and we hope you don’t forget to schedule your next appointment on your way out. See you next time!