This was the first episode where I felt that the character building had paid off and I could enjoy just watching them interact regardless of the plot. I feel that this is an important turning point in a new series because it always takes a while to warm up to a brand new set of characters so that was a big plus. The plot was entertaining although very ''deja vu'' but what turned my rating from perhaps a 7.5 or 8 to a 6 was the terrible ending. It's as if they were trying to end the episode on a light, tongue-in-cheek note like they did in the original series with characters like Trelane for example. Which might have worked if the Mudd character had been more like he was in the old series. But this is not at all the case here as Discovery's Mudd is a dangerous and violent criminal and to just let him off with a slap on the wrist after he took over the ship by altering the timeline while going around thoroughly enjoying murdering people in painful ways is not only inappropriate but unsettling. Especially the way everyone seemed to treat him and what he did as a joke and appeared to think that it was perfectly OK to turn in this dangerous psychopath to a woman who loves him in spite of his ''flaws''. I like the show overall and hope the writers will continue to flesh out the characters in interesting and compelling ways but the consistency of the story line and it's moral implications will need to be treated with more care if this show is to live up to it's predecessors.
