The incident in the Romulan minefield has left Enterprise severely damaged, only able to travel as fast as Warp Two, unable to fully shield herself, and with access only to short range communications. Archer orders Hoshi to prepare a distress signal - which fortunately nets a response: coordinates to a fully-automated repair station, with technology far in advance of Earth's.
For the compensation of a small(ish) amount of warp plasma, the station sets to work repairing every defect in Enterprise - right down to the scratch Trip put on the paint of the command module and Malcolm Reed's wounded knee. But Archer doesn't quite trust this fully-automated station, which seems too good to be true. His worst fears appear to be realized when, after Trip and Malcolm make an ill-advised attempt to breach the station's one "off limits" area, Archer is called down to one of the ship's launch bays... where he is greeted by Mayweather's dead body.
CHARACTERS
Capt. Archer: Refreshingly wary when following up on the Tellarites' coordinates to the repair station. He has learned very well that not all species are friendly and trustworthy. Even in need, he approaches the station braced for the possibility of a trap. Archer is very much a man of instinct, and his instincts tell him that something isn't right with the station - which very much proves to be the case.
Trip: Very impressed by the station's abilities... impressed enough to want a closer look. His misadventure with Reed isn't the result of suspicion. He simply wants to see how the station works. Like any tinker, he likes to know how things go together. Initially, that gets him into trouble - but he and Reed getting so far into the station ends up being a key part of the resolution.
Dr. Phlox: His exchanges with Reed are amusing. I could easily picture Dr. House delivering his line about how harm is unethical, but he can ethically inflict as much pain as he pleases. His thoroughness with Mayweather's autopsy helps to reveal the station's true nature.
Villain of the Week: The station. The sections the humans are allowed to see are brightly-lit and inviting, but there's an artificiality that strikes a discordant tone even early on. When we discover its secret, in a scene taken directly from a 1970's thriller, much is explained - and more questions are left. We never know who created the station, or why. We don't know if they're still out there, or how they will react to Enterprise's intervention. What we do know, thanks to the final shot, is that the station is self-repairing... and that, according to its ledger, Enterprise now owes it quite a bit more compensation. It would be interesting if this were followed up, though I'm not optimistic about that.
THOUGHTS
Several times, in Season One - a season I generally enjoyed - I found myself complaining about little things that weren't followed up on. For example, we were told in Oasis that Enterprise was low on supplies... but in the next episode, they seemed to be fully stocked again. The ship would get battered, beaten, and tossed around, but would be in perfect shape for the next installment. It was a minor enough quibble, but the lack of follow-up on most episodes was a touch frustrating.
That makes it rather a relief that the substantial damage inflicted last episode was remembered. In fact, this whole episode is basically devoted to repairing the damage. Better still, it's a very good episode. There's a distinct horror flavor, one which the episode nicely plays with. Everything's antiseptic, bright, and sterile, until Trip and Reed climb up into a dark corridor. Only at the end do we get to the other side of that corridor - and it's a mightily disturbing visual that we're offered. It's all very well done.
For the second episode in a row, the writers also do a good job of giving all the characters something to do. In Mayweather's case, that amounts to playing dead, but that's still more than he usually gets. I did find it a bit overdone that Hoshi gives a eulogy that attempts to give Mayweather a personality that we never saw (apparently, he was an inveterate practical joker... offscreen), but then I suppose it's tough to craft convincing reactions to the death of a character who never had any character.
Dead Stop is a solidly entertaining installment. Four episodes in, I think Season Two's actually better than Season One - though I've been told to brace myself, so I'm sure worse is to come.
Rating: 8/10.
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Next Episode: A Night in Sickbay
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