3. Playful storytelling with purpose
"Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass" writer Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, alongside director Anna Dokoza, commit fully to the soap-opera language: soft-focus visuals, long reaction shots, secret children, evil-twin plotting, mysterious illnesses, and extravagant emotional revelations.
The title, "Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass," itself nods to the famous opening of Days of Our Lives, and the casting of longtime Days performer Deidre Hall as Dr. Chivers makes the tribute feel especially intentional. And the episode's other character beats keep the ensemble involved without overwhelming Pike’s story.
Dr. M’Benga’s (Babs Olusanmokun) “space madness,” La’an Noonien Singh's (Christina Chong) heightened romantic turmoil, and Mr. Spock’s (Ethan Peck) dual role in the episode’s absurd medical plot give the cast room to play against type. The humor works because the performers commit rather than wink too hard at the material.
By the end, “Like Chronitons Through the Hourglass” has made its case for Strange New Worlds’ genre experimentation. The soap-opera setting is not simply a gag; it gives Pike a heightened, emotionally direct space to face the pain he has kept contained. It is a strange episode, a funny one, and, thanks to Mount’s performance, a genuinely affecting one.
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