2x07 Where Pleasant Fountains Lie

[7.1/10] It’s not really Star Trek until you have Jeffrey Combs playing a character, huh? This one was fun, albeit a bit of a step down from the past couple of episodes.

The A-story sees Mariner and Boimler stranded in a crashed shuttlecraft with an evil computer module (Combs). There’s a good throughline there, with Mariner thinking Boimler’s not ready for dangerous missions yet and bristling at his talk of being on the Titan. Boimler, for his part, seems to be duped by the A.i. (who’s funny in his blithe suggestions that he be able to interface with various other technology), when in fact he’s using its battery to send a distress signal. Mariner getting Boimler taken off a big mission he’s been looking forward to is pretty crappy, but it’s a nice fake out for Bradward and a solid resolution to the conflict.

Plus, I got a big kick out of the show making fun of all the malevolent computers in the franchise! The various versions of them making empty threats toward one another at the Daystrom institute(!!!) is a hilarious way to end the episode.

The B-story was nice too. I like that Chief Engineer Billups’ mom is a Lwaxana Troi type, with a zany scheme to get her son to lose his virginity/take the throne. It’s an amusing, if out there riff on a familiar Star Trek story shape. Billups’ people being ren faire enthusiasts is a fun bit, and Tendi worrying that she pushed Rutherford too far outside of his comfort zone, only for him to appreciate her encouragement when he spreads his wings, gives a good grounding in character.

Overall, this is a replacement level episode of Lower Decks than something that shows the series at its best, but an “okay” episode of this show is still pretty darn good!