Space, the final frontier. When you’re used to living among people like you, a crew change can be a jarring experience. Doubly so if you’re used to living a life full of logic and living amongst those so illogical. Triply so when that illogical behavior grows in leaps and bounds when you’re transporting some shady characters, what’s a Vulcan to do when the world around her is going insane? Calm down, it seems. So grab your yard of Romulan ale, start finding the corner pieces of your Malcolm Reed jigsaw puzzle, and join us as we give you five thoughts on season 4, episode 5, “Empathological Fallacies.”
1. There ain’t no party like a Betazoid party
Of the various species on Star Trek , it always seems like Betazoids have come up short. It’s possible that the writers of The Next Generation found that an alien who could even vaguely sense your emotional state is too powerful, maybe it’s the fact that their moms become incredibly horny at an old age, or it’s possible that they just didn’t know how to write compelling emotions. In any case, many stories involving one of our few Betazoid main cast, Troi, has the ship’s counselor often put on the sideline. (If you know that the sketchy guy you’re transporting is evil, I suppose it’d be hard to have a plot.) But in “Empathological Fallacies,” the Betazoids are front and center, suggesting that their party girl, horny personalities are perfect for hiding being badass covert spies.
But more than that, it shows the chaotic fun of a Betazoid party. Too much fun, some might say, as the crew of the Cerritos becomes increasingly impulsive, emotional, and destructive. Of course, this is Lower Decks , so it’s primarily played for laughs, but “Empathological Fallacies” does an excellent job of making you question whether or not these Betazoid ambassadors are on the level. There’s a sinister air amongst the actresses, performed masterfully by Rachel Dratch, Janella James, and Wendy Malick, that you almost find yourself wondering if there’s something larger at play. But it turns out it’s simply a whole comedy of errors.
2. A new candidate for “The Program”
While the crew gets increasingly irrational, “Empathological Fallacies” finds Boimler in the most Boimler state possible, working himself to death, memorizing the names and faces of every crew member. (A task that, one would assume, no one on the Cerritos would achieve.) While an overworked Boimler is nothing new, his best friend and Twain Twin Rutherford calls in the big guns: Lt. Shax and “The program.”
While Boimler prepares for a badass day of punching, fighting, and firing phasers, it turns out that “The program” is the security team’s “me time.” It’s a chance for the team to practice their slam poetry, play charades, or put together puzzles. With each new, mundane activity, “Emphathologial Fallacies” continues to subvert your expectations and gets Boimler increasingly annoyed as he wants the exciting day of a security officer. While it ends with Boimler calling out their boring lives, there seems to be more than meets the eye.
3. Unregulated emotions can be a hell of a drug
While it might be fun to cut loose every now and then, “Empathological Fallacies” proves that much like “The Naked Now” or “The Naked Time,” a good crew needs to have some logical mooring. It turns out that, even though Betazoid emotional diseases can cause mass crew hysteria, the actual culprit is T’Lyn, angry that she can’t leave these illogical humans.
T’Lyn continues to be a spectacular addition to the show, and “Empathologicial Fallacies” becomes her episode over time. From her frustration about not contacting her captain to come home to her increasingly humorous logical solutions to an insane problem, Gabrielle Ruiz has been the season’s MVP. Plus, it’s nice to see the regular cast cut loose and act as insane as possible.
4. Keeping your crew safe is more than firing phasers
While Boimler is dismissive of the security team’s training, “Empathological Fallacies” proves that there are plenty of ways to keep a crew safe. When the time comes to kick it into overdrive, Shax and his team are ready to throw down, but no one should be on the clock 100% of the time.
Continued belowIn a beautiful little exchange, Shax explains that keeping a crew safe is more than just protecting them physically; it’s also looking out for your mental health and well-being. Again, a little moment sets a show like Lower Decks apart. While most think of the security team as nothing more than gun-toting meatheads in a peaceful future, “Empathological Fallacies” reminds us that your job doesn’t define you.
5. One crew’s “character flaw” is another crew’s benefit
While the majority of “Empathological Fallacies” is an entertaining bop, the show also has one of the most wonderfully heartfelt conversations on Lower Decks to date. T’Lyn’s heightened emotions leading her to early onset Bendii syndrome breaks the young Vulcan. She thinks that her time amongst the humans isn’t a mistake. Maybe her captain was right; perhaps she is broken. But with a friend like Mariner, you know that this negative self-talk isn’t going to fly.
While each episode has given T’Lyn the chance to interact with the crew in a somewhat negative way, in “Empathological Fallacies,” she gives Mariner a moment of clarity and the ability to prove to her friend that her actions aren’t one of a broken person, just the right calls of someone trying to protect her crew. It’s a wonderfully heartfelt moment and some of the show’s strongest writing. What makes us different isn’t a bad thing. It’s just about finding a place where being different works.
What did you think of the episode? Sound off below, and see you among the stars!
