Una, M'Benga, and Uhura are sent on a shuttle mission at the edge of Klingon space -- in a region where stellar radiation flattens the visible color spectrum to black and white. When they're forced to set down on inhabited planet, they must disguise themselves as locals to blend in among a Klingon occupation. But for Una, "blending in" isn't an option; she is mistaken for the leader of a dissident movement and is quickly drawn into its plans. Meanwhile, aboard Enterprise, La'An investigates potential tampering with a spy probe.
I felt it necessary to post my thoughts on Spider-Noir before getting to a review of this episode -- because I'm quite sure that watching that series affected the way I received this installment of Strange New Worlds. After I'd watched Spider-Noir brilliantly thread the needle of poking a little fun at film noir conventions while simultaneously honoring them, I couldn't help but feel that this episode was not that. Put simply, there's more to film noir than putting on a certain kind of costume and filming in black and white. That's where "A Case of Chiaroscuro" fell short for me.
The "A plot" of this episode is an interesting storyline for Una: as she reminds the audience, she has a lot of experience pretending to be something she's not... but this time she's doing it for a cause bigger than herself. And with a backdrop of opposing a totalitarian regime, the story has topical echoes that are ripe for Star Trek to tackle. Throw in some solid moments for Dr. M'Benga and Uhura (particularly between the two of them), and you've got the makings of a decent episode.
But the thing is... it's not film noir. Actually, it's Casablanca. This isn't a beat for beat remake of that classic film, but you can clearly see where character roles, story elements, and visuals are inspired directly by that movie. (Perhaps never more so than the scene where locals in the bar start up a beloved song to drown out interlopers.) Casablanca is, of course, a black and white film. But that's just a consequence of when it was made; that doesn't make it a film noir.
Indeed, it's the "B plot" aboard the Enterprise that tracks more closely to the elements of a true film noir. La'An is a detective trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. She sees a larger conspiracy in a place where "the authorities" have dismissed it. She uncovers the truth and learns that things aren't... (ahem)... black and white. Force this analogy past the breaking point, and maybe Spock is some kind of "femme fatale" figure who betrays the detective (by not believing in her)?
Yeah, this doesn't quite fit the film noir formula either... possibly because it feels a bit thin. Still, it highlights the jumble I felt in this episode's conception. Down on the planet you have the fedoras, the suits, the Dutch angles, the deep shadows... all the visual trappings. Up on the ship you have the actual mystery, the questioning suspects, the uncovering of a deeper plot... and none of the visual trappings. "A Case of Chiaroscuro" is nominally the episode where "Strange New World does film noir." Yet it doesn't. It prepares all the ingredients for a meal and then leaves them separate on the counter without cooking.
Yet even though I found the episode to be somewhat disappointing, I didn't think it was bad. As I mentioned earlier, I think all three main characters on the planet had interesting moments. And there was also fun in getting a (p)return of a classic Klingon character, Kor -- and getting to actually see his "mind sifter," which up until now had been mentioned only in one classic Star Trek episode to never be spoken of again.
Overall, I give "A Case of Chiaroscuro" a B-. It might be an example showing that, thanks to its great cast, Strange New Worlds will still be decent even when it stumbles.
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