Thoughts on Season Three.

Season Three is a huge improvement over Enterprise's second season in almost every way imaginable. Not everything works, but enough does to provide not only the best season of Enterprise, but one of the very best Trek seasons I've reviewed to date.


CHARACTERS

Most of the episodes still center on Archer, Trip, and T'Pol - which is fair enough, since they are the leads. But the supporting cast are no longer "characters in boxes," used for a single episode here or there and otherwise ignored. We get good scenes sprinkled throughout the season between Reed and Hoshi, Reed and Archer, Hoshi and Mayweather, Hoshi and Archer, Phlox and anyone he's on-screen with... in short, they are once again interacting as a crew. The actors' performances improve accordingly.

Season Three takes a darker direction than earlier seasons, which particularly benefits Scott Bakula's performance. He's always been at his best when playing Archer's anger. This season starts with Archer responding to that anger and to the responsibility thrust upon him. As Archer makes multiple hard and ruthless decisions for the sake of the mission, a sort of grim determination settles over him. He's not necessarily angry anymore. But he's not the same man he was. This is a good, and interesting, thing, and Bakula is terrific in almost every episode.

In my Season Three wishlist, I expressed hope that we would get some strong recurring characters this season. In Degra, the season delivers one of the best non-regular characters since the glory days of DS9. Degra is a complex character, who is taken on a very believable journey over the course of the season. His evolving friendship with Archer is well-scripted and well-played by both actors, and both actor Randy Oglesby and the writers deserve praise for how well this character works.

The MACO's, however, represent possibly the season's biggest missed opportunity. We are given a group of soldiers, used to a tightly disciplined command structure, now thrust into an unfamiliar environment among a close-knit crew. They're outsiders. It would have been interesting to have seen some episodes devoted to them finding their place within this structure.  Instead, they are mostly relegated to the status of cannon fodder. The only one the writers even attempt to characterize is Major Hayes. But Hayes is only in a handful of episodes, so he never feels like a part of the crew. He's characterized in broad cliches, and dies a broadly cliched death, right down to heroic words on his deathbed. This has all the impact of the burning of a wooden mannequin.


SEASON STRUCTURE

The season-long arc is well-structured. The first third of the season sets the stage, introducing the major concepts: The Xindi Council, the Anomalies, the Spheres, the Weapon, and the potential for Archer to make alliances. We end that movement with Twilight, which hammers home what is at stake by showing us a future in which the mission fails. Then, realizing that a full season of nothing but arc stories will exhaust viewers, the writers give us some standalone episodes. North Star and Carpenter Street are far from great, but they are enjoyable as a change of pace. Meanwhile, Similitude and Chosen Realm are genuinely good episodes that show that independent Trek stories can work in this new setting.

The last act of the show begins with the arrival at Azati Prime, and from that moment on the momentum builds to a very high pitch. The two linked 3-parters - Azati Prime/Damage/The Forgotten and The Council/Countdown/Zero Hour - are well executed, edge-of-your-seat stuff. These episodes showcase the advantages of a building arc. Because of the 17 episodes that went before, these episodes get to simply pull triggers. The results are explosive, with some of the best action and special effects set pieces I have seen on television.  Best still, the action comes without losing sight of the regulars' characterization.


SEASON FOUR WISH LIST

So... Season Four. Enterprise's final season, and the final season of televised Trek to date. What would I like to see from it? Well, first off, I hope that the characters are not reset to their Season 1 & 2 selves. They've been through a lot, and done a lot that should have permanently changed them. Archer, in particular, should not be able to fully come back from the hard pragmatism he's been forced to exercise. If Archer's back to whimpering about his dog while threatening to pee on annoying aliens' sacred trees, I'm going to be very irritated with the writers.

I also hope the storytelling doesn't fully return to standalone episodes. I don't want another season-long arc; that would be exhausting. But I do hope the stories feed on each other a bit more than was the case in Seasons One and Two, with individual stories building into something more. I also hope we return to some of the more interesting arcs of the first two seasons. Many hints were dropped about the Vulcans having their own agenda early in the series. The Vulcan/Andorian relations were  one of the more interesting facets of hte first two seasons. Then there's the matter of the Suliban, who were all but forgotten after Shockwave. The setting of Season Three necessitated dropping these elements. But now I'd like to see them returned, and hopefully even resolved.

Mostly I'd just like some good, solid storytelling, with a crew that works together and interacts. Season Three has shown that Trek can work as a "modern" science fiction series. Let Season Four show it continue to do so, in a different way.

I'm also looking forward to seeing the much-hated finale, if only to see if it's half as bad as its reputation suggests.

 

 

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3-22. The Council.

THE PLOT

Degra escorts Enterprise to the Xindi council, where he promises that Archer will have the opportunity to present his evidence against the Sphere Builders. The Reptilians and Insectoids would as soon destroy both Archer and Enterprise as listen to him, but the other three Xindi species join forces to enforce the issue. Archer has already secured the trust of two of the Xindi races. Now he'll need to win a third vote to stop the weapon from being deployed. With the Reptilians and Insectoids entrenched against him, his only hope is to focus his evidence on the Acquatics.

Meanwhile, T'Pol, Reed, and Mayweather lead a mission into the closest sphere. They penetrate the sphere's camouflaged entrance. But there are other defenses waiting for them...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: It's fortunate that this mission came after he had already been blundering around in space for two years. The Archer of Season One, or even early Season Two, would have made a hash of things. This Archer is able to act as a strategist with Degra to persuade the council. He quickly ascertains that the Reptilians and Insectoids are a lost cause, and urges Degra to focus on convincing the Acquatics, in order to get the third of the five needed votes to stop the weapon.

Trip: Has difficulty working with Degra, but manages to be "cooperative," if hostile, in preparing the Sphere Builder's pod to be used as evidence for the Council. He later does make peace with Degra - something I would have preferred him not do, because it would have been more dramatically interesting for Trip to remain hostile, but I suppose the writers did not care to jeopardize his standing as the most easily relatable of the regulars.

Reed: When Random Marine Hawkins dies on the mission to the sphere, Reed has a private meltdown. "We've become too comfortable with losing people!" he declares. He draws on his military background when he reveals that "acceptable losses" for any mission are 20%... a percentage that, with Hawkins' death, Enterprise has now exceeded.

Hoshi: Emerges from the periphery to get a fairly good episode. She has become passably comfortable with the primary languages of both the Acquatics and the Insectoids, making her invaluable to Archer in the Council. She takes a moment as they fly in to appreciate the beauty of the Avian architecture, and has a couple of amusing exchanges with Archer on the way to the council chamber.

Degra: He is now absolutely convinced of Archer's claims against the Sphere Builders. When one of the Sphere Builders tries to convince him to change his course, Degra harshly rejects her, telling her, "You were never worthy of my faith." He also swears to Archer that he will be on his side at all times in the council chamber - a promise he makes good on.

The Xindi: After their home world was destroyed, they were saved from extinction by the Sphere Builders. Degra tells Archer that the Builders are all but worshipped in Xindi society. The leader of the Reptilians seems to be particularly under their sway, threatening his own lieutenant when he dares to so much as question "The Guardians."


ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Reed selects a marine named Hawkins to accompany the shuttle team into the Sphere. That means the Away Team consists of T'Pol, Reed, Mayweather, and Hawkins. Guess which one ends up losing an argument with a robotic claw?


THOUGHTS

David Livingston directs this episode. I mention this at the start because I was thoroughly impressed with the way this episode was directed. The music, effects, design, and performances... They are all good individually, and Livingston puts them together so that they feed on each other. I said way back in my Season One reviews that Enterprise was easily the strongest of the Trek shows visually.  This episode not only reminds me of how impressed I was by the early episodes' effects, but enhances that with real craftsmanship. I'd compare it to cinema... but lately, most of the directing work I've seen in recent bigscreen movies falls well short of this level of accomplishment.

The episode grabs attention from the opening shots, as we see the Sphere Builders communicating amongst themselves. We see them one Builder at a time, speaking inside a white void. The images seem to vaguely overlap, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. It's an arresting opener, one that declares up-front that this will be a visually stylish episode.

It also has a lot of momentum. The entire season has been building to this point, and there's a sense throughout that everything is now important. It ends with another strong action sequence, one that recalls the teaser for Twilight. As it cut away to black, I found myself very glad to be able to just move ahead to the next episode. Waiting for the resolution would have made for a very long week.


Rating: 9/10

Previous Episode: E2

Next Episode: Countdown

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3-20. The Forgotten.

THE PLOT

As Enterprise continues to limp along, stolen warp coil in place, Archer makes his rendezvous with Degra. He shows Degra and another member of the Xindi council the evidence he has gathered about the reptilian bio-weapon and the spheres.  He tries to convince these two council members the Sphere Builders are the real enemy of both humans and Xindi. But the negotiations are complicated when serious damage to the Enterprise leaves the ship all but helpless in space - just as a Xindi reptilian ship finds them!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: After a season of trying deceptions and ruthless gambits and making violent decisions, here Archer decides to... tell the truth. He deals with Degra in a completely honest manner, showing him the evidence the Enterprise has gathered within the Expanse. He openly admits that wiping Degra's memory was probably not a good way to earn the other man's trust. Here, he provides nothing but the truth, and trusts that Degra will realize that his earlier "misdeeds" were necessary. His openness pays off, and the scenes between Archer and Degra are consistently the best in a very good episode.

T'Pol: Continues to wrestle with the emotions brought to the surface by the Trellium. She finds her inability to suppress them to be overwhelming, and actually tells Trip that she envies humans their ability to deal with emotions. Though I continue to be uncertain about this direction for her character (her early scene with Phlox, restating exposition from the last episode, was more than a little tiresome), Blalock does well with the material. T'Pol actually doesn't do badly in dealing with her emotions, managing to retain professionalism and judgment in dealing with an exhausted Trip, and giving him some needed emotional support at the end.

Trip: In the wake of the attack, Trip has worked himself to the point of exhaustion. When T'Pol asks him how long it's been since he's slept, his estimate is two days. Connor Trinneer does an excellent job at showing a Trip running purely on adrenaline. At the same time, he is reacting to another loss, of a young woman who worked with him in Engineering. It's clear that this girl reminded him of his sister, or at least that her death has made her remind him of his sister. That and his lack of rest brings his anger toward the Xindi back to the surface, making him openly hostile to Degra. This is an effective plot thread, though it would be more effective if Crewman Taylor had been someone we had gotten to know, rather than simply being one of Trip's largely offscreen crew.

Dr. Phlox: Gets another terrific scene, in which he relieves Trip of duty and orders him to get some sleep. He first tries reason, pointing out to Trip how much worse off the ship will be if Trip works himself past the point of collapse. Then he simply pulls rank, ordering Trip to get some sleep, and then waiting - much like a parent or teacher with a recalcitrant teen - until he actually sees Trip leave for his quarters before going on to his appointment with the captain.

Degra: His guilt, when confronted with Trip's anger, is tangible, but it doesn't stop him from dealing honestly and occasionally bluntly with Archer. I was relieved that there was no reconciliation between Degra and Trip in this episode, and I actually hope there won't be such a reconciliation in the future. More interesting still is the episode's climax, in which Degra is pushed into making the same sort of tough-minded decision that Archer has been making repeatedly this season.

The Xindi: Though Degra's companion Xindi council member is more skeptical of Archer than Degra, he is open to reason. Like Degra, he recognizes that the Sphere Builders must have their own agenda. As Archer presents more and more evidence, he finally agrees that the council should hear the humans' case. As the episode ends, we are left with a divided Xindi. The insectoids and reptilians will clearly want war; the mammalian Xindi will clearly want peace. It will be up to the acquatics which way the council ends up going. Me? I'm still holding out hope that the intriguing mention of the avian Xindi way back in The Shipment might come into play by the season's end.


THOUGHTS

The end of the trilogy of episodes that began with Azati Prime, The Forgotten is fully up to the quality of its two predecessors. These three episodes form by far the strongest run that the series has seen to date, and the momentum is left running as we move toward the season's end.

It's striking how much this season is post-9/11 Star Trek, in a way that the first two seasons (which actually were post-9/11) were not. The parallels between the Xindi attack and the attack on the World Trade Center are blindingly obvious, of course. But there's also the changed state of the crew. Archer, dealing with the need to make harder and tougher decisions than in the past, sometimes compromising his own values. Trip, in a state of post-traumatic stress, which becomes particularly vivid in this episode as a new loss brings his old loss to the surface.

Crew and ship remain badly scarred at the show's end. As Archer says goodbye to Degra, we can see the bruises from the reptilians' beating beginning to yellow, a particularly effective bit of makeup. The ship still looks like it's falling apart from the inside, a far cry from the gleaming corridors of the past. The dim lighting and claustrophobic atmosphere all combine to make this a technically impressive episode, and dramatically effective at the same time.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Damage

Next Episode: E2

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3-19. Damage.

THE PLOT

Archer has successfully sown in Degra the seeds of distrust toward the reptilians and the Sphere Builders.  The Xindi scientist arranges for Archer to be secretly returned to Enterprise. He leaves Archer with a hidden, coded message, giving him rendezvous coordinates to meet in three days. Unfortunately, the Enterprise has been left badly damaged by the battle with the reptilians. The ship has no warp capability, and will not be able to meet the rendezvous.

Until they intercept a distress signal from an alien ship, which has been damaged by the Expanse's spatial anomalies. They dock with the ship, and Archer tries to barter their Trellium for the aliens' warp coil. When the aliens refuse, Archer finds himself backed into a corner. Negotiating with Degra is his only chance to save Earth, and his only chance to meet with Degra again is to have warp speed. He finds himself faced with a horrible decision: Piracy!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: From the moment the Enterprise docks with the damaged alien ship, Archer is forced into an impossible situation. He needs the aliens' warp coil, and they won't barter for it. When he discovers that he has only a three-day window to make a rendezvous with Degra to potentially stop the weapon, he makes a choice he would at one time have considered unthinkable: he turns to piracy. Scott Bakula excels in the scenes in which Archer reaches this decision and gives the orders, showing the right mix of resolve and self-disgust.

T'Pol: I'm not sure I like the direction T'Pol's character is taken in this episode. The revelation that she has been effectively mainlining heroin (in the form of Trellium) does explain some of her more emotional behavior in recent episodes, particularly her outbursts in Azati Prime. But it feels ham-handed, and is perhaps one plot strand too many in an otherwise excellent episode. At least it is strongly linked with some of the season's early episodes. But for me to fully buy into this subplot, I would have needed to see some build toward it in the midseason. See Dr. Franklin's stim addiction in Babylon 5 for this sort of story done right.

Dr. Phlox: Though very much in the background, he is an important figure in this episode. John Billingsley excels, as usual, making the most of his scenes with Archer and T'Pol. With Archer, he simply listens. When Archer tells him he's going to have to cross another line, Phlox voices his support in a sympathetic, non-judgmental fashion. He does ask Archer what he's going to do, but doesn't press for details when it is clear Archer doesn't want to voice it yet. With T'Pol, he takes a stronger tact, but is still generally non-judgmental and affirms his devotion to confidentiality.

Degra: He clearly trusts the Sphere Builders less and less as this episode goes along, and seems more willing to trust Archer... to the point that he goes to "a lot of trouble" to put Archer back on Enterprise, with a coded rendezvous Archer is clearly meant to find. As Archer notes, it's not so much that Degra has any real faith in the humans as yet.  But he has lost most of his faith in his side, and he clearly has several other members of the Council questioning their plan as well. The Sphere Builder's less-than-convincing response to Degra's questions will likely make at least some of the Council more receptive to Archer, when he finally meets with them.


THOUGHTS

...And another well-written episode, by another of the series' top writers, Phyllis Strong. I've noted this before, but it bears repeating: In Season Three, Enterprise has really put together one of the strongest regular writing teams Trek has ever seen. It's a shame so few people were still interested in watching by this point.

Damage benefits from putting the regulars in a position in which they are beat up and beaten down. Throughout the episode, the ship is practically falling apart around them. They look dirty and tired. Effective makeup, lighting, and acting really help to sell this atmosphere, which boosts the episode considerably.

The title, "Damage," relates to the episode on multiple levels. There's the direct, physical level: The battle at the end of Azati Prime has left the Enterprise badly damaged, to the point that it is still a badly scarred ship at the episode's end. There's T'Pol's emotional damage, reduced to a recovering drug addict. There's the moral damage Archer alludes to, as he realizes just how many lines he's crossed the longer he stays in the Expanse. The marauder's statement way back in Anomaly, about the quality of mercy not surviving the Expanse, seems to be haunting Archer as he sees himself becoming a marauder himself, all because he can see no other choice.

The episode ends with the Enterprise moving on to its rendezvous with Degra, making this feel like the middle installment of a 3-parter. It does, at least, seem like the filler episodes are done, probably for the rest of the season.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Azati Prime
Next Episode: The Forgotten

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3-18. Azati Prime.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise finally reaches Azati Prime, where the Xindi weapon is all but ready. Trip and Mayweather use the insectoid shuttle to fly through the Xindi defenses and locate the weapon. The two return with scans showing their target is vulnerable to a shuttle attack from within - but that such a mission would be strictly one-way.

Archer insists on volunteering himself for this suicide run. But before he can leave, the time-travelling Daniels whisks him off to the future, giving him information about the Sphere Builders.  Daniels urges him to abandon his one-way mission and to make peace with the Xindi instead. Archer refuses, insisting that the weapon is too close to completion to try diplomacy at this point. But when he is found out and captured by the Xindi, he uses Daniels' information to arrange a meeting with Degra, desperate to convince the Xindi scientist that his people were misled.

Degra seems surprisingly receptive, but it may already be too late. The reptilians have located Enterprise in the space around Azati Prime.  Fighers have now been launched.  Their mission?  Destroy Enterprise!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: With Enterprise in scanning distance of a Xindi outpost, Archer makes the hard but necessary decision, and orders it destroyed. We see that these kinds of decisions - torturing prisoners, ordering the death of Trip's clone, ordering the deaths of these Xindi - weigh heavily on him. He seems almost relieved to take command of a suicide mission, waving off other volunteers by stating that he will not watch anyone else die. When captured, he uses his knowledge of Degra to arrange a meeting with the Xindi scientist.  He makes a good enough case for humanity not being the Xindi's enemy that Degra and the other Xindi council member are left feeling less than sanguine about the reptilians.

T'Pol: Accepting that Vulcans have been defined in this series (and indeed most of Trek) as beings who suppress their emotions, rather than actually lacking them, she nevertheless comes across as too emotional in this episode. Her blurting out that she does not want Archer to die, or excusing herself and shedding a single quiet tear in the ready room... That was fine, I had no problem with that much. But when she shuts herself away later, all but ignoring her duties, or when she snaps at a very reasonable Trip just before the Xindi attack - Those moments felt like a stretch. Not enough of one for me to deduct a point from the episode's score, particularly given that Jolene Blalock plays what she's given extremely well. But T'Pol's behavior in these scenes seems out of character. At least she snaps fully back to herself once the ship is under attack.

Degra: His characterization from Strategem is directly followed up on. We continue to see the mixed feelings with which he regards the weapon. On the one hand, he wants desperately to secure the future of his race and particularly of his children. On the other hand, he reflects his doubts as to how future Xindi generations will remember their actions. When Archer gives him an alternative explanation - that the future vision the Xindi were shown was a lie - he clearly wants to believe. At this point, it seems all but certain that Degra will emerge as a significant ally.

The Xindi: "The council is fracturing," we are told. This is consistent with what we saw in the season's early episodes, with the different Xindi races seeming very confrontational with each other. I do wish we could have seen some of this fracturing first-hand. Maybe we could have had a full episode entirely from the Xindi point of view? Ah, well. In any case, it seems clear that the reptilians are driving the Xindi on the warpath. By the episode's end, Degra and the other council member seem a lot less trusting of them, which I suspect will be followed up in the next episode.


THOUGHTS

Wow.

After a couple filler episodes of varying quality, the arc goes into what I'm assuming is its final act with the arrival at Azati Prime. Obviously, some of the season's budget was being saved for just this moment. Everything gets put into overdrive this episode. The result is the best Enterprise episode since Twilight.

Manny Coto's script does an excellent job of utilizing the many plot threads of the season. The sphere builders, an aspect of the season which really came into focus with Harbinger, are once again central. Daniels confronts Archer with the truth of the Sohere Builders and ties them into the lie used to put the Xindi on a war footing with Earth. Archer also references the things he has seen, done, and ordered over the course of the season when explaining why he is so willing to sacrifice himself. The plot even justifies Hatchery, as the insectoid shuttle gained in that rather weak episode is critical to this episode.

Coto, whom I'd currently place in a dead heat with Mike Sussman for the title of Enterprise's best writer, shares Sussman's expertise at structure. This is an extremely well put-together script. It gains momentum at the start, and just builds and builds to a finish in which everything seems lost. I doubt anyone saw the episode fade out without a howl at frustration, and I will be going straight from writing this review back to the DVD to continue watching.


Rating: 10/10. Outstanding.

Previous Episode: Hatchery

Next Episode: Damage

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3-14. Strategem.

THE PLOT

Degra, the Xindi scientist in charge of developing the weapon, wakes up in an unfamiliar place... a shuttle, taking fire by Xindi insectoids. Piloting the shuttle is a slightly grizzled, long-haired Archer, who uses his natural authority to push Degra into helping him evade the insectoids. Archer then tells him something impossible: that Degra has lost his memory due to interrogation, and that he and Archer have shared a cell on an insectoid prison planet for almost three years!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: It is no spoiler to reveal that the entire shuttlecraft scenario is an elaborate deception. Having captured Degra, Archer realizes that he has a better chance at getting information by using guile rather than blunt force. He uses what he's learned of the Xindi, particularly about the divisions between the different species, to make Degra believe the scenario he has created. Bakula gives this version of Archer an amusingly roguish element, which he effectively drops at any point when Archer steps out of the simulator and stops playing the role.

Degra: Though the episode is not the two-hander it at first appears it will be, Degra is the only other character who gets any significant focus. There have already been hints that he had reservations about the Xindi weapon. Now we see that he is developing the weapon in large part because of a fierce devotion to his children's safety. That same love for his children caused him an emotional reaction when viewing the Xindi test, however. "7 million... I wondered how many of them were children," he confesses in a vulnerable moment. He is firmly devoted to the Xindi campaign, however, sharing the other Xindi's certainty that humanity will wipe out the Xindi in the future. I hope the absolute certainty of the Xindi fears is fully explained at some point. If their terror of humanity boils down to "a guy claiming to be from the future told them so," it will feel like a cheat.


THOUGHTS

Another Mike Sussman script, another good episode. I don't think he's actually written a bad one yet. Strategem effectively picks up where Proving Ground left off. The debris field from the weapons test is used. The script even makes use of the Andorian ale Shran left Archer. I do appreciate the way this season mostly feels like one unified whole. It gives the entire thing a much greater sense of momentum than was previously the case.

Scott Bakula seems to enjoy chances to step outside "Archer the Captain," and there's a relaxed and almost roguish quality to his scenes in the simulator with Degra that is quite different from his normal performance, and quite a bit of fun to watch. The Archer/Degra scenes are the core of this episode.  They make up most of the episode's running time, and thankfully they are very well done in terms of showcasing both characters and in terms of telling the story.

I admit that I was initially hopeful that the episode would be a virtual 2-hander, a more adversarial version of Shuttlepod One. I did, at least, appreciate that the episode has enough confidence in the viewer being able to put the pieces together to allow more than a third of the episode to go by before revealing exactly what is going on. Indeed, the entire first 15 minutes of the episode is basically shown to us from Degra's point-of-view, which is an effective change-up. A part of me still wonders if the script couldn't have kept going with that, giving us the entire episode from Degra's viewpoint, at least until the end. But what we get works rather well, so I don't feel too inclined to complain.


Rating: 8/10

Previous Episode: Proving Ground

Next Episode: Harbinger

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3-13. Proving Ground.

THE PLOT

As the Xindi prepare to test the prototype of their new weapon, the Enterprise finally picks up the trail of the ship that Archer tagged. Following that signal means flying right through a series of anomalies, however, and it isn't long before the ship finds itself suffering damage.

That's when help arrives from a most unexpected source: Shran (Jeffrey Combs), the Andorian commander Archer has encountered several times before. With Shran's help, Enterprise's repairs go quickly enough for them to reach the site before the Xindi weapons test. That leaves Archer with an opportunity for an ambitious gambit: to steal the prototype!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Though wary about the sudden appearance of the Andorians, he is in a critical situation where he cannot refuse the offer of help. Plus, as he tells T'Pol, while he may not trust the Andorians he has developed a certain degree of trust with regard to Commander Shran.

T'Pol: After the revelations of Similitude, it seems that she may be trying to minimize contact with Trip - which is not unnoticed by the engineer. Her experience with Andorians has her urging Archer to be cautious about trusting them, but she backs up his decisions.

Reed: Security conscious to the point of paranoia, Reed is resistant to the idea of having the Andorians assist with repairs, fearing that they may steal the ship's secrets. He develops a strong bond with Lt. Talas (Molly Brink), Shran's tactical officer, and they have some highly entertaining scenes together. It's good to see him develop a brief friendship/flirtation with a "kindred spirit," without ever entirely letting down his guard.

Shran: The obligatory Shran episode of the season. Not that a Shran episode is ever a bad thing - His first appearance marked the series' first fully satisfying episode, and all of the episodes to feature him have been consistently watchable. A large part of that is the performance of Jeffrey Combs, who invests just the right touches of both brittleness and humor to make Shran interesting. His relationship with Archer is not quite a friendship, but it's built upon a lot of mutual respect, and watching their interactions is never anything but fun.

The Xindi: The various factions continue to quarrel, with the reptilian, insectoid, and acquatic Xindi seeming the most impatient about Degra's progress. That the weapons test - which all but bisects the moon on which it is tested - is deemed a failure shows just how seriously they take the "human threat." Archer credits the test's "failure" to interference from Gralik, showing the value of alliances Archer has already made.


THOUGHTS

After some episodes that were largely standalones, Proving Ground brings the Xindi arc back into focus. Archer and his people learn more about the weapon. Archer's successful theft of the prototype (at least as far as the Xindi are concerned) will probably also increase the Xindi fears about him, which may make them more active in their pursuit of Enterprise.

The Xindi prototype is very well portrayed by the CGI department. Its basic appearance and firing mechanism look very much the same as the final weapon, which we saw destroying Earth in an alternate timeline, but it's not quite identical. The fluid-like lighting is red, instead of the radioactive green, and it appears somewhat smaller. Also, portraying as a failure a weapon that would destroy Earth as a viable planet reinforces the threat the Xindi pose.  That said, one does start to wonder why they aren't simply attacking with what they have - Their technology already suffices to devastate Earth.  At this point, they seem to be holding off for the weapon to be "perfect" simply because the plot demands it of them.

In addition to furthering the Xindi arc, Proving Ground also continues the development of the Vulcan/Andorian story. To date, the series has tended to portray the Andorians more sympathetically than the Vulcans with regard to this conflict. Here, we see that the Andorians are just as capable of suspect actions as their pointy-eared foes. The Andorian High Command is willing to squander potential alliances for the sake of a tactical advantage over the Vulcans, with Shran's own objections to this dismissed and ignored. Shran flaunts the information he has gathered from the Andorians' monitoring of communications between Starfleet and Vulcan - the exact sort of surveillance that, when the Vulcans did it, led to the destruction of the Vulcan monastery at P'Jem. As T'Pol observes, though there may be movement toward some form of alliance with the Andorians, these are not people that Archer can trust.

It's another good episode, though in a season of mostly good episodes it isn't really a standout.  Still, with a strong pace, the always-reliable guest performance by Jeffrey Combs, and strong arc development, this is definitely solid entertainment.


Rating: 7/10

Previous Episode: Chosen Realm

Next Episode: Strategem

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3-7. The Shipment.

THE PLOT

Following Tarquin's coordinates, the Enterprise comes to a facility used to refine kemocite, a compound that was used in both the Xindi probe that attacked Earth and the weapon recovered from the attack on Enterprise.

The plan is fairly simple: Get into the complex, gather what information is possible, and then blow it up. But when Archer's interrogation of Gralik (John Cothran Jr.), the Xindi-Arboreal who is the facility's chief engineer, reveals that kemocite is not intended to be used for weaponry and that the people working here are completely innocent, he is faced with a dilemma. And when the Xindi warriors arrive to take their kemocite, that dilemma turns into a ticking clock - and possibly, an opportunity to gain still more information about their foes...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Once he realizes that this is more than just a weapons facility, his anger at Gralik cools considerably. He begins to doubt the default course of action ("blow it up") and starts searching for alternatives. The one he finds does not remove the facility from danger, but is still effective in delaying the progress of the Xindi weapon. It also shows that Archer can make allies in The Expanse by showing the very "quality of mercy" that the space pirate derided him for. Mostly, it's nice to see Archer being recognizably Archer again. There's certainly some interest to seeing Archer erupt, as in Anamoly, and it can be compelling when used in a way that's believable in context (as it was in that episode). But if I really wanted to be watching a show in which the "good guy" was every bit as ruthless as the "bad guys," I would probably not reach for a Star Trek DVD.

Reed: In this episode, Reed represents the most "hawkish" response to the situation. When Archer shows doubts about destroying the facility, fearing that he might "start a war" and "confirm the Xindi's fears about (humanity)," Reed's instant response is to remind him that the Xindi struck first, and killed 7 million in doing so. When Archer makes the decision to trust Gralik, Reed voices his doubts - though he ultimately repsects Archer's right to make that decision.

The Xindi: In addition to Archer making a Xindi ally in the form of Gralik, we also see more of Degra (Randy Oglesby), the scientist in charge of the weapon. He continues to come across as anything but a villain. He truly believes that this course of action is for self-defense, against the threat posed by humanity. Meanwhile, the insect and reptilian Xindi continue to come across as the most warlike. We also learn some of the background of the fragile alliance between the five species. Gralik tells Archer that there was originally a sixth species, an avian species, that was (apparently) destroyed during the civil war that claimed the Xindi homeworld. This does raise an interesting question. What will it mean to the Xindi alliance if some of the avians survived? I can't believe the avian issue would be raised here if it was not going to pay off down the road, so I suspect that issue will be revisited.


THOUGHTS

After establishing an edgier Enterprise crew in the first few episodes of the season, this episode affirms that the basic Trek ethos still applies, even in The Expanse. Archer comes to the facility ready to kick butt, take names, and chew bubble-gum before blowing it all to hell. He ends up spending most of the episode in a Xindi engineer's living room, having a chat and ultimately making his first real ally in The Expanse. The edgier and more focused tone of Enterprise this season is good, as it makes it a plausible series to actually air in the same general time frame as series such as Farscape, Firefly, and the new Battlestar Galactica. But Trek is not a series that is about cynicism and acting like a bad guy to defeat even worse guys, and I'm glad that even in the sheer desperation that fueled this season's change of focus, the writers and creators knew better than to go too far in that direction.

From "The quality of mercy will not serve you well in the expanse," we've gone instead to "Remember - Not all Xindi are your enemies." It's a progression I approve of, because I really don't think this story can be convincingly resolved by Archer blowing stuff up. Archer can learn more about the Xindi, maybe learn how to counteract some of their technology. But in the end, I think he's going to have to settle this through negotiation. We see him make an ally of one member of a Xindi species here. We've seen him be pleasantly surprised by the final honesty of another member of a Xindi species back in the season premiere. If he can get a couple of Xindi races firmly on his side, he can approach that Xindi council from a position of strength.

This episode is pretty much all about advancing the arc. We learn more about the Xindi, both past and present. We learn more about their big weapon. We delay the weapon, so that the arc can be stretched out to the season's full length. We learn more about the technology powering their formidable infantry weapons, and get a hint of how to counteract that technology (though they can't currently do so safely). A tracer is put on a Xindi ship; and though the signal is lost when the ship goes into a vortex, they will pick the signal back up whenever the ship is in range. It's a good episode, both in terms of firmly supporting the basic Star Trek morality and in terms of advancing the arc.

Oh, and it's nice that some of the individual space marines are being re-used from one episode to the next, rather than simply being anonymous redshirts. But they also need personalities. What's the point in paying solid television actors like Steven Culp and Daniel Dae Kim, if they're just going to play G. I. Joe action figures? The marines need personalities - That's next on my wish list.


Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Exile

Next Episode: Twilight

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