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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3-17. Hatchery.

THE PLOT

As the Enterprise nears Azati Prime, they detect a crashed Xindi ship. When they investigate, they find that the insectoid crew has died, but not before transferring all life support to the ship's hatchery. The life support in the hatchery is starting to fail and, while examining it, Archer is sprayed in the face.

At first, it appears that the spray was a mild neurotoxin, easily controlled by Dr. Phlox. Archer continues business as usual, insisting that Trip assign a team to repair the hatchery's failing life support. Though Trip has objections, Archer's reasoning seems sound. But when setbacks make it clear that the only way to effect the repairs is to significantly deplete Enterprise's own waning reserves, Archer continues to obsessively prioritize the hatchery over the larger mission. When he begins confining senior officers to quarters in response to objections to his plans, the bridge crew and Dr. Phlox see only one possible way to get the mission back on track: Mutiny!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Though there's nothing wrong with Scott Bakula's performance here, his "crazy" acting never quite fully convinces. I think he's trying to subtly increase Archer's irrationality, making Archer more or less his normal self at first and then pushing him just a little off-center. But he never quite goes far enough. Here's an episode where Shatner-style ham would probably have been preferable, as Bakula just seems "off," and not in an entertaining way, in an episode that you'd reasonably expect him to turn into a four-course meal.

T'Pol: Has no objections to Archer's initial insistence on repairing the hatchery. She probably views Archer's reasoning at the start sound, and Trip's observations about extra time to study the Xindi insectoids, logical. But when Archer's irrationality grows, and finally results in him giving the first order to genuinely imperil the mission - the order to deplete the antimatter reserves - she balks, refusing to obey the order and later helping Trip and Reed to coordinate the mutiny.

Trip: His friendship with the captain initially wins over all else. He goes along with Archer's reasoning that it's important to show that the humans are not the barbarians the Xindi take them for. He is even willing to go along with Archer's temporary relieving of T'Pol and the depletion of the antimatter reserves. It is only when Archer's irrationality becomes glaringly clear that he finally acts, and he feels extreme guilt for it afterwards, even when Phlox verifies that it was the right thing to do.

Reed/Hayes: Though their working relationship is less strained in the wake of Harbinger, Reed still doesn't entirely trust Hayes. He reproaches the other man, groundlessly, when Hayes takes the initiative to run some simulations with the data gathered from the insectoid ship. Those same simulations end up allowing Reed to fairly easily destroy an insectoid ship shortly thereafter. Reed doesn't trust Hayes with the mutiny plan, either... though Hayes acknowledges that he probably would have sided with the captain - and the "strict chain of command" that his marine code has ingrained in him - regardless of the full situation.


THOUGHTS

Enterprise does The Caine Mutiny! The results are oddly unsatisfying. Hatchery has the feel of a last bit of filler before the run up to the season end. The concept of the alien hatchery is promising, the set and lighting design is well-done, and the focus on Hayes and the MACOs is welcome. It just never quite gels in a fully satisfying manner.

Part of the problem is that the MACOs, despite getting added screen time, just don't come into focus as characters in their own right. Daniel Dae Kim is back, for the first time since the very early part of the season. But he still has no role to speak of, and is basically a walking prop. The other MACOs are similarly interchangeable, and only Steven Culp's Hayes has anything resembling a personality. I'm assuming MACOs will start dying pretty regularly in the last set of episodes. Thus far, Hayes is the only one I can put a character name to, though, so I don't anticipate caring very much when the inevitable reaches them.

The episode does, at least, tie the bridge crew into a team. T'Pol, Trip, Phlox, and Reed are the main actors of the plan. But when push comes to shove, Hoshi and Mayweather do back them up, Hoshi respectfully but firmly refusing Hayes' orders while Mayweather physically attacks. Our regulars are confirmed as a unified team, which I hope is something that is used in the last run of episodes.

In the end, though, this is one of the least satisfying episodes of the season. It's not bad... but it feels like something that could have been and should have been much better.


Rating: 4/10.

Previous Episode: Doctor's Orders

Next Episode: Azati Prime

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3-1. The Xindi.

THE PLOT

Travelling deeper into the Expanse, the Enterprise follows up a clue from a freighter which takes them to a mining planet. They have been told that one of the miners is a Xindi, and try to bargain with the seedy mine manager (an enjoyably disgusting Stephen McHattie) to talk to the man. But once they are in the mine's lower levels, they discover that the manager has his own agenda - to lure Enterprise into an attack and enslave the ship's entire crew for additional workers!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: He's still on edge in this episode.  There's a sense that Archer is now perpetually holding back a fierce rage that wasn't there before. He always had a temper, but now there's something genuinely volatile beneath the surface. The increased edginess suits Bakula's performance, allowing our lead to help set the new tone of this series in a way that wasn't necessarily true before.

T'Pol: Asked by Phlox to help Trip, she shows surprising tact and delicacy in getting Trip to submit to "Vulcan neuropressure." She first tries to make Trip believe that he is helping her. When that doesn't work, she tells him the truth, then gets Trip to submit rather than prove that he is too stubborn to compromise.

Trip: He's still holding back a lot of rage following his sister's death. He is a little too eager to threaten violence against the Xindi prisoner. Combined with his lack of sleep and his eagerness to resort to drugs to help him sleep, there's a sense that Trip may be in a dangerous place. It would be interesting to see that developed.

Reed: The opening scenes find his position and Archer's from last season's Minefield reversed. Then, Reed wanted Archer to be more formal and militaristic. Now, when Reed is urging caution, Archer snaps at him and establishes a more crisp and military tone. Reed got what he wanted... via the worst possible route. Reed also has a minor turf fight with the commander of the space marines (Steven Culp), which could turn into either a friendship or a rivalry between the two characters, depending on how the season develops.

Dr. Phlox: With the other characters all in an edgier, angrier place, it's reassuring to see Phlox be pretty much the same person he was last season. He's still eternally cheerful, serious about his duties, and using all means at his disposal to see to both the physical and mental well-being of the crew. He is not traumatized - nor should he be, since his planet did not get attacked. Hoshi's one character scene also sees her behaving very much the same as she always has, reminding us that not everyone goes to a dark place in the face of traumas.


THOUGHTS

The title sequence gets a slight facelift, with "Star Trek" now added to the title. Probably a sign of desperation - a network executive figured that sticking the Star Trek in the series title might get the show a handful more viewers. I actually preferred the title being just Enterprise, but it's hardly a substantial change. More irritating is the change to the title music. A change was appropriate, given the change in tone of the series itself. But the new title music should be something darker and grimmer, perhaps an orchestral score.  If they felt they absolutely had to stick with a rock song, they should at least have switched to a darker tune. Instead, they simply "jazzed up" the existing song, in a way that makes it quite grating to listen to.

As to the episode itself, it is another good one. There are some forced elements. Hoshi introduces herself to the marine detachment... a marine detachment that has been, per the previous episode, on the ship for months at this point!  I understand the reason for this scene, as none of these characters had been created yet, let alone actors hired, when the second season finale was shot. But it does make a "ping" against my suspension of disbelief.  A scene in which they interact with Hoshi and are already familiar with her would achieve the same thing in a less jarring way.

On the plus side, the marines are promising additions to a cast that's been in serious need of some non-command staff characters. With veteran television actors like Daniel Dae Kim and Steven Culp, it seems a good bet that these characters will have a role to play in the new season. This episode sees them in action, and sees some limited interaction between them and the regulars. One hopes for more of this as the season develops.

The episode's standalone plot (a breakout from a slave mine) is not terribly far removed from the types of stories we saw in Season Two. But the overall arc gives extra focus and purpose to the regulars' actions. Also, the execution is more textured. This mine is not a generic Trek prison, but a genuinely grimy place, peopled by nasty individuals. Archer and Trip are downright brutal in their treatment of both the mine manager and the Xindi they are there to meet. The Xindi's final actions may help to pull Archer back from going too far in that direction, as he is genuinely surprised to find that the man held up his end of the bargain in the end.

The episode is well-directed.  It's also well-scripted by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, who use the standalone plot to establish a "new normal" for the crew, probably as a cue to writers for the rest of the season. CGI effects are used to create a more alien planet for the mine than most of the planets we've seen to date. Also, the brief scenes in the Xindi council chamber are effectively alien, and the set-up of this heavily divided council offers a lot of potential for future episodes.


Rating: 7/10. A promising start to the reformatted Enterprise.

Previous Episode: The Expanse
Next Episode: Anomaly

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