Being head scissored by three Betazoid milfs, you say? Where do I sign up!?! Written by Jamie Loftus, who’s best known for doing nothing you’ve ever cared too much about, “Empathological Fallacies” finally gives us something between the Cerritos and the mystery ship from earlier this season. Directed by “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee” director Megan Lloyd, you know we got a visual treat of an episode. It is just a shame the story that focuses on T’lyn while the crew goes cuckoo for cocoa puffs isn’t too great until the latter half of the episode.

On a diplomatic envoy to Risa, the three Betazoids are getting what I think the kids call “slizzard,” while making advances at anything with a working heartbeat. It isn’t established early what exactly these Betazoids can do in an effort to find out more about this mystery ship. Just that they are on the Cerritos so they can hand over information that could identify the same ship we’ve seen blow up several others. It feels odd that at the halfway point of the season, we’re only just getting this story and the Cerritos intersecting.

All the while, provisional lieutenant junior grade T’lyn tries to send back a report to her Vulcan middle manager on the Sh’vhal that she may be best served outside of Starfleet. I am selfishly going to say that I don’t want her to leave because I quite enjoy Gabrielle Ruiz. As it turns out, while the Betazoids are on board and en route to deliver the information on the mystery ship, all external comms are on lockdown. This is where I think something just isn’t clicking for me. Comms are on lockdown but surely internal comms should be active.

While P!nk is doing a ship-wide concert of only her and Linda Perry’s 2001 hit and T’lyn is frustrated by comms being down, Rutherford tells Shax that Boimler is perfect for “The program.” As mysterious as that sounds, it is community center closet games and after-school club activities to keep him distracted. As set-ups and plots go, they aren’t too bad, but there is a lack of something to make me say “This is a great episode from start to finish.” The problem with that is, I don’t know exactly what is missing.

On the surface, there is the usual “mind-controlled crew plot, we need to solve what is causing it” issue. What makes it stand out, however, isn’t established until late in “Empathological Fallacies,” at which point you’ve stopped asking why the crew were mind-controlled. As it turns out, it is T’lyn. Yes, there is the obvious “Could it be the Betazoids?” question, but that’s eventually pushed aside for the big reveal. T’lyn, much like Spock, has emotions and can’t entirely control them like a Vulcan is expected to.

What I don’t think is in the writing as much as it could be is exactly how she can affect the crew mentally. The writing is set up for the Betazoid story but not that big reveal that she’s the one somehow doing it to the crew. Vulcans are established as able to meld minds. However, if this was the case all along, why doesn’t Spock affect the crew of the Enterprise in Strange New Worlds too?

Better yet, if it is in proximity to T’lyn, hence why Boimler and the security crew aren’t affected, why is the mess hall having an orgy when T’lyn, T’ana, and Beckett are in the med bay? The questions stack up more than the answers. Boimler is never in contact until the end, but Beckett and Captain Freeman are in contact with T’lyn throughout but never fully lose themselves. This could have been something of an explainer on how a Vulcan’s Bendii Syndrome affects some and not others in different ways, but there just isn’t that top layer to finish off a delightful cake.

There are sections that I actually found myself smirking at and enjoying and the majority of “Empathological Fallacies” is entertaining. I love it when T’ana takes the drink off of T’lyn and heads into surgery while sipping a yard of something green. The fact that Boimler is one of us dorks who could instantly tell Kayshon was miming Odo, great stuff. That gay kiss, and that one, and that other one, which might just be one long smooch, great.

There is a light and fun feeling about the majority of “Empathological Fallacies,” undercut by a lack of satisfyingly logical explanations. The eventual line of “I suppose, by the transit of property, I too must be ‘Vulcan as a motherf**ker’,” is a great line that allows us to have the emotional point but also the fun chaotic hurrah in the third act of Lower Decks. Ultimately, a great snack of an episode with enough to keep us satisfied for a week, but I’m always going to think of this as: “The one where T’lyn SOMEHOW caused only some people to have complete emotional breakdowns.”

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Lower Decks "Empathological Fallacies"

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• A story about mental health in the theme
• T'lyn - Gabrielle Ruiz
• Megan Lloyd's direction is wonderfully delightful to the eyes

Cons

• There just isn't something on the paper to explain who gets affected