Let’s get it out of the way so the nitpickers among us can release that breath they’ll hold in early: “A Cali-class wouldn’t be this level of diplomacy.” I don’t care. Lower Decks isn’t about being the most accurate and the most true-to-form. It is about having fun in the franchise, and if that sometimes means bending the rules of who does what for a fun episode, I’m more than fine with it. Especially with the uphill climb that has been trying to enjoy the first half of this season.

“The Spy Humongous” is one of those episodes that break away from convention, not only in the franchise but also in the tropes that have been built up throughout the series. Carol is teaming up with Shaxs, Mariner is joined by Tendi and Samanthan, and Brad is on his own being accosted by Jennifer, Casey, Castro, and the fluffy one that I genuinely can’t remember the name of. Meanwhile, Ransom and Kayshon are trying to wrangle Rumbar, the Pakled spy that smuggled himself onto the Cerritos. This is a Pakled episode, which means dumb dumbs voiced by the wonderful Rich Fulcher.

Broken into four groups, it is a tale of two stories that intertwine. We have the Pakled arc that we built up with “No Small Parts,” and this season’s arc about friendship and how it is tested by Brad’s ambitions, Tendi’s enthusiasm, and Beckett’s disdain for both, balanced with a love of friends. Rutherford has his own arc that we’ve touched on, but it isn’t the focus here. I’d also argue the gags for a comedy show are further between as we get to the point of advancing the actual plot instead of twiddling thumbs. There are moments of humor, but not as many as last time.

That said, when Brad replicates the cake, drops it, sets himself on fire with the candles, slips on the cake, and nearly breaks his neck on the replicators in the mess hall, I laugh every time. Almost everything else in the show gets a smirk or a smile at a gag, but every single time I’ve watched “The Spy Humongous” that one bit of physical comedy puts me on the floor. I don’t know why. The bit with Carol where none of the Pakleds with the big hats have a big enough hat to conduct diplomacy with “Janeway” is funny, but the cake bit puts it over the top.

I find it difficult to nail down precisely what the A and B plots are here. I know when you break it down that Carol is the major focus with Ransom rounding up Rumdar, and if we’re honest Boimler’s trainee captains WhatsApp group is the A story to Tendi, Rutherford, and Beckett’s logging mission. Though I think both do the rare thing of sharing equal billing throughout “The Spy Humongous,” both in terms of moving us forward and giving us a couple of smirks and giggles. It is a fun episode first and foremost, but it also does some light character work.

“An Embarrassment of Dooplers” might have got the ball rolling in terms of getting Mariner and Brad to talk about their problems, but it wasn’t the line in the sand. We’re still dealing with that anger and resentment that holds over from Brad skipping out to play Number 1 on the Titan. Yes, the proper USS Titan and none of this “Neo-conny class” nonsense from this season of Picard. Anyway, the Red Shirts are unsurprisingly a short-lived faction once Brad once again comes to sense and returns to our main cast.

The Spy Who Loved Me might be stupid and might have taken a dump in one of the airlocks and ejected himself, but at least he was the Pakled smart enough to know Freeman isn’t Janeway. Women apparently all look the same. It is no Dominion War but the Pakled story is a fun one with something that isn’t a rehash of lesser-used races from the original series. How many Orions have we seen since Discovery premiered? This is why I love Lower Decks so much, it isn’t hanging off of S’chn T’gai’s perineum so much.

Ultimately being a good episode enhanced by just having fun, “The Spy Humongous” does a lot right to make the episode well worth your time. I like the switch-up in dynamics by putting Mariner with Tendi and Samanthan after the dressing down she got in “Kayshon, His Eyes Open.” I also enjoy the fact Casey just doesn’t get it but I’d have liked a small talking to on that just to give him the chance to grow. The one thing I’d have preferred a little bit more of is an explanation of the Pakled politics so we knew more about what some of those hats meant.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks "The Spy Humongous"

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Rumdar is so smart!
• Such a colorful and fun episode from top to bottom.
• Rich Fulcher is always a treat.

Cons

• The Red Shirts could have been established a while back.
• I'd like to know more about the Pakled politics.