It’s true that this program hasn’t had a stellar track record with pirate stories. Some fare better than others; some are the viewing equivalent of the side dish that you accept a spoonful of because it’s the polite thing to do when your host is starting at you, serving dish in hand. But no matter which end of the mainsail each story is perched upon, we can always find some elements to enjoy.

This week, we thank Poseidon for Yasmin Khan.

With a keystone, a sword, and an elephant in the console room, Thirteen and friends head to 19th century China to thwart a catastrophic event. Our discussion touches on the handling of a classic villain returned, whether the writing is simply hectic or outright harried, the key Thasmin moments and how they respect the characters and their journey together, and the first look at what we now know about the series (and era) finale.

So. Many. Things. To process.