THE PLOT
It's a fairly typical first contact situation, one that is by now more or less familiar to both Enterprise and the viewers. Archer is preparing to make first contact with an alien colony, which has some vague similarities to 20th century Earth with some mild cultural reversals (it's a matriarchal society where the men are only just beginning to attain equal rights). Archer leads an Away Team to go down to the surface to make contact, and we're all set for a fairly typical, potentially preachy, likely mediocre standalone episode...
Then disaster strikes, as an accident causes the shuttlepod to apparently ignite the atmosphere, destroying the colony and wiping out its more than 3,000 inhabitants!
Enterprise now faces a recall by Starfleet, with the Vulcans advising that its mission be canceled, with the humans waiting at least another 10 - 20 years before attempting such a mission again. It appears that the Vulcans have finally gotten what they've wanted from the beginning: Humanity cowed into staying in their own solar system. Archer is too wracked by guilt over the accident to protest.
Then he receives an unexpected visitor: Daniels (Matt Winston), the time traveler apparently killed by Silik, returns to inform Archer that this accident never occurred in the proper, "prime" timeline. It was the work of the Suliban, attempting to sabotage Enterprise's mission. Daniels gives Archer all the information he needs to retrieve evidence to clear Enterprise. However, unexpected developments leave Archer's ship at the mercy of the Suliban, and prompt Daniels to action which destroys the entire 800 years from Archer's mission to Daniels' present.
It's the end of the world as they knew it. So what do they do now?
CHARACTERS
Capt. Archer: He's spent all of the first season gradually learning (and sometimes forgetting) lessons about responsibility and consequences. Now, the moment a lot of viewers have probably been waiting for seems to occur: a moment of carelessness causes a catastrophe. Archer keenly feels the guilt, which is compounded when he hears that this incident will be used as an excuse to delay humanity's progress. He briefly allows himself to be paralyzed by that, to an extent that is probably unbecoming in a commanding officer.
Once given a way to fight, Archer throws himself into that fight with all the energy and enthusiasm at his disposal. When all seems lost, he takes the lead to prompt Daniels to find a way to salvage the situation. By Part 2, Archer seems to finally be growing into his leadership role. Broken Bow Archer was resourceful, but careless and too quick to judge the people under his command. The Archer of Shockwave (particularly Part 2) confidently takes charge of a dire situation and uses the skills of his people to turn a horrible situation to his advantage.
T'Pol: Given her initial adversarial relationship with Archer, it is quite pleasing to see how fully she has grown into the role of his second-in-command. When Archer allows himself to wallow in guilt, T'Pol is the one to try to pull him out of it, insisting that he needs to mount a defense for his command. In Broken Bow, Archer was constantly suspicous of T'Pol, and hated the idea of her taking command of the ship. In this episode, he yields command to her with absolute confidence - which she repays by the competence with which she commands the ship and crew.
Silik: The slimy Suliban's third appearance is, perhaps, a comedown from his triumph in Cold Front. He's less confident here, more clearly a lackey to his mysterious superior from the future. However, the character becomes more rounded, in a way. He seems fully in control when engaging Archer and the Enterprise crew on his terms. But when he is cut off from "Future Guy," he all but falls apart. He spends most of Part 2 snapping at his own lackeys while desperately trying to re-establish connection with his "benefactor." At one point, he is literally on his knees begging for this man from the future to appear to tell him what to do. Far from the sinister man in control of all he surveys, Silik is almost like a child, pleading for a father to guide him, to show him what his destiny should be. It makes him less powerful, but in some ways more interesting. I wonder what might be expected from his next appearance.
Ambassador Soval: He seems to almost revel in the opportunity to cut short Enterprise's mission, insisting on the ship's recall even when Archer has proved his ship's innocence. Most interesting is that he doesn't seem very interested in the destruction of the colony. He doesn't inquire for more details about the Cabal. He isn't even mildly intrigued at the "Temporal Cold War," even though by the end of this 2-parter, there is a fair amount of evidence of its existence. In fact, when Archer tries to elaborate on these areas, Soval firmly brings the discussion back to Enterprise's mistakes and disruptions.
I can't help but wonder if Soval might be in league with the Cabal. This 2-parter touches again on the enhanced Sulibans' ability to shape-shift. Do we know for certain that Soval is a Vulcan? Could an enhanced member of the Cabal have taken Soval's place, to influence events? Soval has behaved in a very un-Vulcan manner on multiple occasions (an emotional outburst in the pilot, a decidedly emotional exit in this episode). I'm sure my musings are far off the mark - but there is definitely something going on, if not with the Vulcans in general than at least with Soval in particular.
THOUGHTS
As befits any season climax, Shockwave is a big episode, with a story that literally spans 1,000 (well, 800) years. There are multiple battle scenes, chases, escapes, time travel, post-Apocalyptic landscapes... It's about two steps away from being Enterprise: The Movie. With a fast pace and plenty of incident, the 90 minutes of this 2-parter go by very, very quickly.
Pretty much every character gets a moment to shine. Though the bulk of the action goes to Archer and T'Pol, the supporting cast also get their moments. Trip and Hoshi work surreptitiously to free the command crew to retake the ship. Dr. Phlox provides key assistance in this, and also displays a refreshingly different perspective on Enterprise's recall. Reed discovers key evidence in the initial accident and undertakes the least pleasant, but most necessary, part of the escape from the Suliban. Everyone gets a page.
Well, everyone except Mayweather, who, as per usual, largely sits around like set dressing. By this point, it must have been clear to all and sundry that his was the one character that truly didn't fit. Cutler (R. I. P., Kellie Waymire) was in exactly three episodes, and she feels more like an intrinsic part of the crew than Mayweather! So why didn't the producers take the opportunity of a season finale to jettison this useless character? The Suliban attack on Enterprise would give a perfect opportunity to do some house-cleaning. Why renew Anthony Montgomery's contract for another season of Mayweather, when by this point it's clear that the writers have no intention of even trying to do anything interesting with the character?
Ah, well. It's a good 2-parter, with some excellent visual effects, well-directed action pieces, and a handful of rather good character scenes in the bargain. As is almost always the case, Part 1 is stronger than Part 2, but the two parts together form a coherent and satisfying whole. It's no Best of Both Worlds, but it is a very satisfying piece, effectively tying off the first season while hopefully raising the stakes a bit for Season Two.
Rating: 8/10.
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