170. Kovich Ex Machina (Discovery 5.06)

Anika and Liz infiltrate a pre-warp society, where they absolutely do not enter a race, that is clearly a trap. Not because of the human sacrifice, because of the running! 

• Like episode 3, this felt a bit predictable, but ALSO like a rebuke to "Lift Us Up Where Suffering Cannot Reach" and "Who Watches The Watchers", so we're not mad about it
• What if obeying the Prime Directive is the unethical option? 
• (Caretaker + Who Watches the Watchers) x (Lift Us Up Where Suffering Cannot Reach + Sacred Ground) - Christopher Pike/Evil Ex + Michael "Fuck the Prime Directive" Burnham
• Hugh Culber and ChatGPT therapy
• Paul and Hugh are both at turning points, but it's not a crisis for them or their relationship
• This season is the opposite of a mystery box
• Discovery has always been a series where science and religion co-exist
• Paramount, the most competent media company, accidentally took Anika off their Star Trek list and put her on the Knuckles list. So … we talk about Knuckles! 
• Is Kovich a little too omniscient?
• We are not here for fandom's fatshaming of Mary Wiseman