Penultimate episode before the Holiday Hiatus.
Side Note for CBS Al Access Subscribers: they are working on a Twilight Zone reboot done by Jordan Peele to air on streaming so Trek won’t necessarily be the most.
Also: Here is a pretty fair defense of Star Trek Discovery. The headline calls it the best ever made and that is crazy talk but it does stress some of the positives.
Spoiler
Say Goodbye to Admiral Cornwall
Also, finally a location shot for most of the episode
Really good episode. The second in a row to feel like Star Trek. The show is really starting to come into its own. I’m glad I gave it a chance.
Yes, it’s definitely improving. But there’s just so much that feels somewhat careless, to me. Like the shoehorned-in romance between Tyler and Burnham (OK, so at least they didn’t do years of will-they-won’t-they). The Klingons continue to be mostly cardboard cut villains, and I still can’t figure out what the hell their motivation is supposed to be. Do they just want war because well, it’s what Klingons do?
I also didn’t really get the interaction between L’Rell and the admiral (but I may not have been paying attention). Did she really want to help her? Was that a ploy? Why did the admiral grab for her knife? Are we supposed to infer that she realized she was dead anyway, so she at least tried to save L’Rell? I’d appreciate anybody clearing that up for me.
Honestly it wasn’t clear to me either. I am not sure who’s side L’rell s really on either. I was hoping someone else would clear it up for me 
My understanding was that L’Rell and the Admiral were on their way to L’Rell’s ship when they encountered Kor/Kol (?) and the other Klingon. The Admiral grabbed L’Rell’s weapon and the two then faked their fight. The Admiral pretends to be dead and L’Rell was supposedly allowed to dispose of her body and they were subsequently left alone. That way their were able to continue to L’Rell’s ship where they found her crew slain. The admiral didn’t “wake up” on camera to keep the suspension about her fate.
Why L’Rell and the Admiral did not immediately flee is unclear to me. Instead L’Rell returned to Kol/Kor which turned out badly for her.
I expect the Admiral saving L’Rell next episode and they will then flee together to meet up with Discovery. It then remains to be seen during next half-season if L’Rell’s willingness to defect are geniune or if she plans to meet up with *someone *on Discovery.
im not convinced the Admiral is dead. Not sure exactly why.
I don’t think this is quite right -
L’Rell is taking the admiral to the shuttle - just before Kor shows up there is a brief exchange where they both say the other ‘is not quite what they expected’ - which indicates (to me) that L’Rell realizes her tactics are not working on the Admiral and the Admiral realizes that her playing of L’Rell is also not working.
Kor shows up - says ‘where are you taking the prisoner’ - Then the Admiral grabs the knife and a fight ensues. Admiral is thrown against the wall and now appears dead.
L’Rell takes the Admiral’s body to the Funeral parlor on that ship - discovers her friends bodys, swears vengence on Kor. Leaves body behind and then goes and swears allegiance to Kor, Kor accepts then has her dragged away.
That exchange about “not what they expected” happens after Kor and the other guy show up and confront L’Rell about her plans with the prisoner. I take it as spontaneous or previously agreed-on acting of the admiral and L’Rell. If theories are correct, then L’Rell and another person have faked a fight before (in the same hallway probably).
Of course it is only a theory of mine, but I believe we will see it cleared up next week.
“good, the guard is gone - now we can talk freely” is clearly a setup to make the Admiral think that L’Rell may have indeed wanted to defect. I agree the setup with Kor in the hall was also meant as part of that overall plan - but Kor never quite trusted L’Rell to begin with.