The third time proves to be the charm, as Enterprise finally reaches Risa for its long-overdue shore leave. T'Pol stays aboard to run the ship. Cutler supervises the sickbay as Dr. Phlox takes his needed time to hibernate. Meanwhile, the rest of the command crew head to the planet for very different vacation plans.
Trip and Reed are determined to expand their horizons at a local bar... but their selected one-night-stands have an unexpected surprise for them. Mayweather decides to go climbing on a cliff-face whose slope changes constantly... with predictable consequences. Hoshi decides to just settle in, free of the universal translator, and practice speaking Risan... which catches the eye of an amorous fellow vacationer (Rudolf Martin). Finally, Archer's quiet retreat to a villa overlooking the seaside connects him with an attractive woman (Dey Young)... but as he gets to know her, he discovers that they share a closer connection than he had counted on.
CHARACTERS
Archer: Despite sometimes seeming like the sort of guy who would have been a "frat boy king" in his youth, Archer is not entirely comfortable taking vacations. While Trip and Reed head for a bar to score one-night-stands as fast as possible, Archer decides to take a quiet vacation with his dog, catching up on his reading and watching the stars. He enjoys making a low-key, adult connection with Keyla. However, he cannot turn off his inner starship captain long enough to enjoy her company once she lets slip her own past with the Suliban.
Trip/Reed: The double-act they began in Shuttlepod One continues here. The two actors bounce off each other very well in their ill-fated comic quest to Get Laid Now, and their attempted improvisations ("We're both the captain... We take turns") and their continuing bickering is quite entertaining. That said, their subplot is easily the most disposable of the episode.
Hoshi: A very relaxed episode for Hoshi. She seems to be genuinely enjoying herself in every scene, whether practicing her language skills with an older Risan couple or enjoying a vacation romance with the guest star of the week. Linda Park is terrific throughout, and it's nice to see an episode focusing on Hoshi without forcing her to deal with emotional "issues." Linda Park is also quite lovely, and in the "morning after" scene, I felt a touch envious of Rudolf Martin's Ravis.
Phlox: His need for hibernation, mentioned in earlier episodes, becomes a plot point here, when he is effectively incapacitated during a minor medical emergency. John Billingsley is highly entertaining as a semi-irrational, sleep-craving Phlox. Still, this subplot does beg the question: Given that it's part of Phlox's genetic makeup that he absolutely must hibernate for a certain period each year, surely the ship needs more of a backup medic than the girl who has a crush on him? Lovely to see Cutler again, by the way - though it's a pity that this was apparently her last appearance.
Hot Alien Space Babe of the Week: Dey Young is Keyla, Archer's attractive vacation neighbor. At first, she seems to simply be a friendly, somewhat lonely and reclusive woman in early middle age, someone similar enough to Archer in both age and temperament to make a pleasantly low-key, short-term match. Given the innocuous nature of the episode's first half, it actually comes as a surprise when Keyla brings up the Suliban, reminding us of the ongoing arc. Keyla exits leaving us with more questions than answers. I find myself hoping that we will see her again, if only to see exactly what it is she is up to. Young and Bakula play off each other quite well, so a return appearance would certainly be welcome.
THOUGHTS
Enterprise seems to do very well with character-based episodes. The cast seem to do far better simply interacting in differing settings than when they have to run through Trek formulas. I also can't help but notice that, one episode from the season's end, we are yet to have even have a single "redshirt death." Enterprise may not have been different enough from the Trek formula to stand out in the early 2000's, at the tail end of a glut of Trek spinoffs. But in retrospect, it does have a very different feel than other series, and it seems far more its own show than, say, Voyager did.
There's a definite sense that this ensemble is far more comfortable in their roles than in the early episodes of the series. By this point, every character on the show is working... except Mayweather. I had to laugh when Phlox's reaction to being told there was an emergency involving Mayweather was, "Who?" Even the writers are acknowledging that Mayweather is a nonentity. The end of this season would have been a fine time to have not only acknowledged that the character didn't work, but also to drop that character (something which I already know didn't happen, but it would have been a good idea).
Rating: 7/10. A quiet, but thoroughly enjoyable, 45 minutes of television.
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