#tarka

proper ladies know how to curtsy. and so does whatever the hell she is.

He nails an honest, subtle depiction of barely contained grief throughout the season, but what really got me was those final scenes on Book's ship. His walls have finally fallen and we get the most raw, vulnerable breakdown I've ever seen with a Star Trek antagonist.

That line read on "Why isn't he here to stop me?" gave me chills. He's crying through it, falling apart in a way that feels so very real. I feel like there's a trope of antagonists who break down in the face of defeat, they go insane or fall apart in a way that feels abrupt, but here Doyle adds a unique level of dignity to Tarka where another actor might have escalated the performance to an unrealistic level. The icing on the cake was the way that he plays out his final seconds on screen. The moment he beams Book off the ship to safety and his brave smile drops. It's perhaps the first time we see Tarka as a character not performing for someone else. The camera lingers on him just long enough to capture his fear, regret, and despair.

And then, maybe hope. Or maybe acceptance that his friend is truly gone, but holding out the transporter device anyways, just in case.

I love that it's left uncertain what happens to him, it really feels like the proper end for a character who had so much faith his grief wouldn't be forever.

Ok enough is enough! I'm gonna start uploading my art without over thinking it!