“What in the minimalist hell…” Finally, someone agrees with me, this simple and minimalist design everyone is going for is horrible. Maybe I should note that Mike McMahan’s “The Inner Fight” is a two-parter and all that before I start complimenting Beckett on her hatred of minimalist styles, but the point still stands. Directed by Brandon Williams, known this season for “In the Cradle of Vexilon” and “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” he brings another enjoyable visual treat to McMahan’s writing. Writing that is actually pulling us forward, kicking and screaming, no matter how much we don’t want it to end.

Set to conclude the arc we’re on with the mystery ship, Captain Freeman and the crew find out details of who might be targeted. Also on the Captain’s list of things to deal with is Beckett’s flagrant disregard for her own health. This was something that was brought to light during “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” but if we’re honest, she’s always had this attitude. With the band mostly back together, T’lyn joins Brad and Tendi in an attempt to make Mariner excited about a highly dangerous… weather satellite repair. The most dangerous of missions!

With Beckett out of the way, Mother gets to play. Taking Samanthan and Shax, Freeman tries to convince Greedo to– no sorry, different series with a warm planet and a bar with a rogue’s gallery of criminals, Freeman just needs information from Zoltar so she can make Tom Hanks small again. I am using a lot of jokes, but given it was the B plot that was playing in the background to Beckett’s mental breakthrough with her Klingon therapist, I’m giving myself a break there.

Between these final two episodes, I think we’ve made more progress for Beckett’s character here than we have in maybe two seasons. That’s partially criticism and praise: As much as I love Lower Decks for its comedy, there are times when I think the character work does take a backseat to the punchline of “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place.” This season, up until this point, has had solid writing but we’ve not been leaping and bounding through character growth as much as I think I’ve gotten used to with Strange New Worlds, for example.

We’ve also had the “distraction” of T’lyn and her growth within the ranks of the lower deckers and this chaotic environment. I do love Gabrielle Ruiz, she’s great and T’lyn is brilliant, but something about big character pieces hasn’t been the focus this season within single episodes. The season as a whole is a piece about Beckett and her character, but again I’ll say it is a problem with the shorter episode lengths.

There are a couple of lines that could be cleaned up a little more, and some editing work that would punch up some details overall. The lines from Mariner and Ma’ah about the Bird of Prey could have made it a bit clearer of who he is, we’re in episode 9 but Ma’ah first appeared in the premier “Twovix.” It would be clumsy, but something like “treasonous cowards” could have hammered home who he was. Yes, Mariner says the Bird was his, but I took that as “your race’s ship.”

I also think some of the art department/direction, and even the writing were missing something from the opening gag. The venomous budgey and Mariner’s deathwish. There is so much about how deadly these tiny creatures are, but what danger she’s in just doesn’t show. She’s bitten, scraped, and so on, to the point where she’s missing a shoe and patches from her uniform have been bitten off, even the punchline that the thing is on her back seems a bit odd to what is said of the Tremble Lizard. I don’t know why these are “issues,” they just felt off to me.

It is a reminder about the danger and wanting-disregard she has for herself. However, something to clean it up a little wouldn’t have gone amiss. As much as these are problems to highlight, I know they are nitpicky. With a show this good that has a consistent quality that rarely falters despite my displeasure with the relationships between Tendi and Samanthan, Lower Decks will mostly get nitpicky complaints from me. I really enjoy “The Inner Fight,” it is one of two episodes that made the season as a whole click more into place.

Mariner’s emotional breakthrough is probably something that has made her whole story click a little more. Instead of being a child of high officers who wants to poke them for being parents, it is a lot more complex. Her story is much more about belief in a system that we as fans have come to adore. I think some were turned off by that as a concept. Discovery has recently bred this idea that the Fed is just so Star-Spangled-Awesome.

Back to Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes in Mos Espa. Yes, I am making a joke out of it but it isn’t even hidden, the security of the planet is the command center of every Empire ship. I think the story is fun, I think the idea that Carol had a plan that the others couldn’t know is fine, but something about it felt like the only place to truly put some comedy punches in there. There is comedy and references in both the A and B plots, but this was the focus of it.

As a whole, “The Inner Fight” is a brilliant episode that ties several things together from this season and works great as its own episode within the season. Maybe it is the fact that it is a two-parter that I’m not ready to jump on the “needs to be a few minutes longer” train, but I do think the focus of Lower Decks on character pieces is when it is at its best.

Ultimately, “The Inner Fight” did more for this season as a whole than any other episode so far. I’d possibly even rate an episode or two a little higher now, only a little though. I’ve said it already, the character pieces are what’s propelling me forward. I’m practically sitting here punching the air shouting “WOW! Yeah, Mariner’s dead friend has given us more advancement in plot than the episode on Ferenginar. You go, dead friend, you are the best!” Though I believe someone might call that “too dark” and “very macabre of you.” Thank you, I try to be.

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Lower Decks "The Inner Fight"

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Mariner's emotional breakthrough in Klingon therapy.
• I do love a good DS9 reference.
• An episode that pulls the season together.

Cons

• Some of the writing could be cleaned up.