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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3-23. Countdown.

THE PLOT

The Reptilians have taken the Xindi weapon, but they don't have all the codes needed to activate it. What they do have is Hoshi - whose linguistics skills in the Xindi council chamber convinced the Reptilian leader that she will also be able to decrypt the other races' codes. Hoshi initially resists, until all resistance is made useless by the injection of some Wrath of Khan-like parasites directly into her brain.

Archer manages to convince the Aquatics to join the Humanoids and Arboreals in chasing down the weapon and battling the Reptilians and Insectoids. But Archer's newfound alliance may not be strong enough to stop them when the Sphere Builders decide that the time has come to intervene directly!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Scott Bakula shifts his acting gears to "grim determination" and more or less keeps them there for the entire episode. Archer is largely left barking orders or demands from the Enterprise bridge while other characters get the bulk of the action, but his intensity does set the tone and anchor the episode's sense of urgency.

T'Pol/Trip: They continue their awkward progression toward the relationship that their E2 counterparts had before/parallel to them. Trip has noticed T'Pol's more emotional behavior. Though an outburst from her does put him on the defensive, when she admits her turmoil he instantly offers his support.

Reed: Gets another very good episode, particularly in his scenes with Hayes. His emotion following the death of Hawkins is further followed up on, as he confesses to Hayes that he knows that Hawkins was his responsibility. It's an admission that gains him a measure of respect from Hayes, and the two men seem to end this episode as friends.

Hoshi: Tries very hard to resist the Reptilians' attempts to use her to activate the weapon. Even when she is injected with the parasites, she manages to resist long enough to add another layer of encryption to the weapon's arming sequence, further delaying deployment. When this is discovered and a further "procedure" is ordered, she attempts to kill herself - though she hesitates, and the next wave of parasites forestalls all further resistance.

The Xindi: The Reptilians are now the outright villains, allying themselves with the Sphere Builders for the promise that they will be the rulers of the remaining Xindi. Any sense that the leader of the Reptilians still believes that he is acting in self-defense or doing what is right for the Xindi overall is totally abandoned. He is now The Villain, and all he needs is to twirl a mustache and kick a puppy (in Hoshi, he already gets to tie down and torture a damsel in distress) to complete the image.


ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Major Hayes is brought back, after being barely referenced in the very eventful run of episodes that followed his last appearance. This time, he leads a mission to infiltrate the weapon and retrieve Hoshi. Naturally, he meets a suitably heroic end, complete with John Wayne-style last words of advice to Reed... which advice, as far as I could tell, Reed entirely ignores when putting together his new infiltration squad at the episode's end. Anyway, farewell Major Hayes. I'd like to say I'd miss you, but since you were never more than a 2-dimensional stereotype to start with, I'm afraid I'd by lying.


THOUGHTS

Countdown is not as outstanding an episode as The Council was. The script is less layered, with less of a sense of fully-rounded characters making weighty decisions and misjudgments perfectly in keeping with their nature. It's more of a straight action piece.

That said, it is a very good action piece, particularly once the action really gets going in the second half. The momentum of past episodes is kept running, and events barely pause to allow for breath. A lack of time for reflection and an absence of some of the shaded characterization of some of the previous episodes keep it from being as good as the Azati Prime trilogy or The Council. But in a run of shows that have ranged from "very good" to "outstanding," Countdown shouldn't be dismissed merely for falling on the "good" side of that scale.

The current run of episodes is easily the best Enterprise has seen, it is among the best of Trek - provided, that is, that the finale doesn't blow it.


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Council

Next Episode: Zero Hour

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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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3-15. Harbinger.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise encounters an enormous space anomaly, in the center of which is a shuttlecraft with one life sign. Archer orders the use of the grappler to pull the shuttle out, which ends up pulling the Enterprise into the anomaly's field. Trip gets the ship out again, and the shuttle is pulled into the docking bay - revealing a humanoid alien.

Though Phlox quickly determines that the alien is dying, the being cries out to be returned to the distortion field. As T'Pol determines that the anomaly was directly at the center of the influence of five spheres, and hypothezises that the alien was some sort of test subject by the makers of the spheres, Archer determines to find some answers.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Bakula gets one great, angry scene. It's a scene that has nothing to do with the alien plot, and instead connects with a subplot involving Reed and Major Hayes (Steven Culp). After the two men turn a sparring session into an all-out brawl, they both end up injured. Archer lays into them, reminding them of exactly how precarious a situation the Enterprise is in, and that he cannot afford for two key officers to regress "to the level of five year olds!" Archer's fury at the pair of them is extremely well-played, and the scene ends on a very amusing note.

For the most part, this is not an Archer-heavy episode. We do see him puzzling with T'Pol over the nature of the alien, and the connection between the spheres and the anomalies. We also see, for the second time this season, that he isn't above using torture to force answers from a subject, in this case denying the alien pain medication until he gives Archer some answers. It's an interesting element to Archer's post-Xindi characterization, particularly since he has not otherwise abandoned his previous moral principles. It does have me hoping that some of his "extreme" tactics with prisoners end up costing him something by the end, though.

T'Pol/Trip: The seeds of a Trip/T'Pol relationship were laid down back in Season One... and then mostly ignored through Season Two, before being teased through the "peekaboo" neuropressure sessions throughout this season. This episode sees that line finally crossed, after T'Pol becomes visibly jealous over Trip's friendship with an attractive female marine who grew up not far from Trip's hometown. T'Pol then quickly backpedals, finding a way to make her dalliance with Trip into something "logical" and appropriate for a Vulcan scientist. I strongly suspect, however, that neither she nor Trip will be able to entirely return to their previous relationship.

Reed/Hayes: The season premiere showed Reed reacting very badly to Major Hayes (Steven Culp), the leader of the marines, seeing Hayes' every suggestion as an attempt to undermine his authority. That is picked back up on here, and expanded upon. Trip's MACO friend compares notes with Trip about Hayes vs. Reed, and they come to the conclusion that both men are cut from the same cloth. Which means that both Hayes and Reed want to be in charge, inevitably straining their interactions. Writer Manny Coto does load the script a bit, in that Reed is in this case reacting very badly to an entirely sensible suggestion by Hayes, and there is more than a whiff of cliche about the way in which the two men settle their differences (a big brawl). Still, the two characters have been constructed in such a way that the cliche rings true. My only quibble is more with the season than the episode: namely, that the Reed/Hayes conflict would mean more if we had seen more of this conflict - and Hayes, for that matter - throughout the season.


THOUGHTS

Though the main hook of the season is the race for the Xindi weapon, a secondary arc has been developing in the background - the spheres, the anomalies, the makers of the spheres that form the Expanse. In many respects, it's actually a more interesting storyline than the Xindi one (it's not like we don't know Archer & company are going to stop them from destroying Earth). This is a genuine mystery. Why was the Expanse created, and who created it? What are the nature of the spheres? It's been built up in the background, in episodes such as Anomaly, Exile, and Chosen Realm, and this episode sees that background arc click into focus, and connect to the Xindi arc. It's an interesting reveal, one which renews some of the arc's momentum just at the point at which that momentum was starting to sag.

Harbinger is Manny Coto's third Enterprise script, and he follows up on substantial elements from his first two scripts, Similitude and Chosen Realm. He took over as showrunner in Season Four, and I'm quickly appreciating why. He has a strong grasp of all the regular characters. Despite his first scripts coming smack in the middle of a season-long arc, he has had no apparent trouble balancing and advancing the elements of that arc while still telling interesting stories. He doesn't quite have the instinctive structural mastery of Mike Sussman, but he is already developing into one of the best Enterprise writers.

Harbinger is the weakest of Coto's three episodes to date, mainly because it lacks a tight focus. This is more of a character-based episode, with the relationships between Trip and T'Pol and Reed and Hayes getting more screentime than the alien plot. We see the Enterprise following up on Degra's clue, we see Hayes and Reed sparring over enhanced combat training for the crew. Basically, it's an episode that collects side plots and character beats - a mid season "transitional" episode, which preps viewers for the final run of episodes as we near the season finale. I enjoyed the episode largely because I enjoyed seeing those character interactions, but this isn't one that's going to sear itself into any viewer's memory.


Rating: 6/10

Previous Episode: Strategem

Next Episode: Doctor's Orders

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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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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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