4-19. In a Mirror Darkly, Part II.

THE PLOT

Enterprise has been destroyed, but not before Archer has taken control of the Defiant. Once he gets the basic systems on line, he is able to rout the Tholians and then retrieve Enterprise's lifepods. He orders Trip to continue working on the ship's systems as he plots a course to engage the rebels.

Once that is done, Archer decides that he will not give up command of Defiant, not to the admiralty, not even to the emperor himself. He hatches a plan to seize control of the Empire, to take command away from the "criminals, in their offices," and lead from the front, using the starship's enormous power to crush all opposition!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: When they access the historical records aboard Defiant, Archer gets to feel overshadowed by his own, alternative self. Mirror Archer obviously sees himself as a potentially great warrior who has been passed over and marginalized through his whole career. When he sees that his counterpart was made captain of Enterprise from the day it left dock, it is not a validation that he should have been captain - It's a slap in the face that his other self was given that which was denied him. Through the rest of the episode, he has visions of our Archer taunting him with how much better a job he'd have done in the same situation. This is all good stuff, wonderfully written. Unfortunately, my problems with Bakula's performance remain. As in Part One, he seems to overplay everything, spitting out lines that would be more effective simply delivered.

T'Pol: Just like Mirror Spock was very recognizably Spock, just more ruthless, the same is true of Mirror T'Pol. The Vulcans in the Mirror universe appear to have had much the same development, up to the point of first contact with Earth, as the normal universe Vulcans. As a result, they are less warlike and are probably leading the rebellion mainly to save themselves and other non-Terrans from lives of servitude.

Dr. Phlox: John Billingsley gets some more great supporting material, as T'Pol and Soval entice Phlox into participating in their rebellion against Archer. Phlox shows no interest in their political arguments. But Soval reads his weaknesses all too well, striking a nerve that allows Phlox to rationalize helping the rebels. Mirror Phlox continues to differ from our Phlox, notably in his response to an injured crewman. "He could go either way," he says, completely unconcerned as he stuffs his face in the galley.

Hoshi: I think I may just be a little bit in love with Mirror Hoshi. Many of her character traits are recognizably those of our Hoshi. When she reads the records about her counterpart, she identifies with her. She also has a touch of envy over our Hoshi being "remembered for something." Unlike Archer, she doesn't see herself as truly separate from her counterpart, to the point of refusing to allow him to reveal who Hoshi married or how she died.  She continued to use her sexuality as a weapon, leading to a particularly memorable scene near the end. This 2-parter, taken as a whole, is the meatiest role Linda Park has had in the entire series, and she seems to revel in it.


THOUGHTS

Well, I was obviously wrong about the end of First Contact marking the point of divergence. Archer talks about the Terran Empire having "endured for centuries," so that's my private fan theory down the tubes. If a specific point of divergence does exist, it obviously occurred at a much earlier point. Or else it's simply a case of the nature of the two universes just being completely different.

I love the way the episode uses the basic set design and general aesthetic of the original series in such a way that it doesn't come across looking cheap. The CGI model of the Defiant is very faithful to the original series. But with angles and effects shots the original series could never have afforded, the basic design looks amazingly good. There's a particularly good shot in which Defiant is shown alongside an NX-class starship. The digital artists make sure to composite the shot so that Defiant dwarfs the other ship. The clean TOS design looks brighter and more powerful than the NX design, genuinely selling the idea that this is a vastly more advanced vessel.

Unfortunately, Part Two is not as tightly-constructed as Part One was. There's a subplot involving Archer hunting for a Gorn on board the ship.  This comes out of nowhere and connects to nothing - and it takes up most of the first half of the episode!  The CGI Gorn here really isn't an improvement over the rubber suit of Arena, and this entire superfluous strand marks the weakest spot in the two-parter.

Fortunately, the last half of the episode is terrific. With the external threats momentarily taken care of, there is time for the agendas of the various self-serving Mirror characters to return to the fore. The scheming of various factions is highly entertaining. Archer becomes more and more isolated from the other characters, to the point at which almost all of his significant dialogue scenes are opposite Hoshi. The final twist is terrific, and feels perfect as an ending to these two episodes.

Overall, while the narrative is more slapdash than in Part One, the momentum remains high.  Even during the Gorn scenes, the episode is never less than entertaining - and the ending sees it close on a high note.  It's not the near-perfect piece that Part One was, but it's a strong conclusion to a fantastically fun story.


Rating: 8/10.

Overall Rating for In a Mirror Darkly: 9/10.

Previous Episode: In a Mirror Darkly
Next Episode: Demons


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4-18. In a Mirror Darkly.

THE PLOT

The Terran Empire is at war. There have been large-scale rebellions, and the attempts to stamp out the rebels have gone badly. Jonathan Archer, first officer of the I. S. S. Enterprise, has come into possession of certain information which can turn the tide. A Terran ship from an alternate universe has come through a hole in Tholian space. Not only is this ship from a different universe, it is from the future - containing technology the likes of which the Empire can only dream of.

Captain Maximilian Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) is not willing to take the Enterprise on such a hazardous mission in pursuit of a goal he doesn't believe exists. So Archer stages a mutiny and, with the assistance of Major Reed's security forces, he seizes control of the ship and throws the captain in the brig. But Forrest has his own allies on board, and has no intention of simply accepting Archer's treachery...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Forrest: Vaughn Armstrong returns to the series as Forrest. Of the various mirror universe characters, he is probably the most like his counterpart. Maximilian Forrest rarely comes across as evil. He is clearly devoted to his duty, just as our Forrest was. His relationship with Hoshi appears genuine, to the point that Forrest's life is used as a bargaining chip by Archer to gain her cooperation. He is stern, jealously guarding his command - but in this reality, that is simply a matter of survival. In the battle that ends the episode, we see Forrest retaining his concern for his crew, and his last scene is a proper "hero moment." The return of both Armstrong and his character is welcome, as is seeing him in a lead role for a change.

Archer: Almost all of the regular cast visibly raise their game for this 2-parter. The exception, unfortunately, is Scott Bakula. I've commented many times how well Bakula plays different shades of anger. In this characterization, however, he tromps around with a perpetual scowl. Watching, I found myself far too aware of Scott Bakula acting, while the others seemed to inhabit these dark variants of their normal characters more naturally. I may change my mind in Part Two. But as of Part One, this usually reliable actor is the weak link in the main cast.

Trip: The Trip of this universe has become badly scarred through exposure to a warp engine that is obviously much less well-shielded than our Enterprise's warp engines. He fully expects to die young from exposure to radiation. Some elements of his character are directly inverted. He despises Reed, for instance. He does still lust after T'Pol, but his interest in her is purely carnal, as opposed to the more solicitous attitude of our Trip. Connor Trinneer does a fine job playing a version of Trip that has had all the joy and openness beaten out of him, leaving a hard and bitter man to run the engines.

Dr. Phlox: John Billingsley has always injected a note of something alien, even creepy. Here, he turns up those creepy elements, playing a sadistic Phlox. Whereas our Phlox keeps a menagerie of animals for healing purposes, this variant brutally dissects the animals, apparently for pleasure. We first meet him as he proudly displays his new invention: The Mirror Universe's first Agony Booth. He clearly enjoys placing people inside, and gets great satisfaction from torturing the Tholian for information. I particularly enjoyed Billingsley's delivery of, "Will you kindly die," as he murders the alien. A great, disturbing performance.

Hoshi: After 3 2/3 seasons of being the "good girl," Linda Park must have enjoyed this chance to cut loose. Mirror Hoshi is confidently sexual in a way that our Hoshi has never really been allowed to be, and she has no problem using that sexuality to retain her place of privilege once Archer takes over. She does have the same gifts for language that our Hoshi has, which makes her somebody that Archer needs to have on his side - which also nicely justifies the plot necessity of putting Forrest in the brig, rather than following Reed's suggestion and executing him.


MIRROR UNIVERSE THOUGHTS

OK, let's start with the obvious: The credits. The "mirror credits," presenting the history of humanity's evolving war machine, are a wonderful mirror to the regular "history of exploration" credits. It's a particularly nice touch that they utilize several of the same clips, only now given a different context. My ideal version of these credits would complete the mirroring of the normal ones by using a pop/rock tune, only one with a darker edge (Sympathy for the Devil would seem appropriate, or possibly Paint It Black) - but that would be ridiculously expensive for what amounts to "a neat touch," and the orchestral score used does work well... probably better than the regular credits do.

The episode begins by showing Zefram Cochrane's first contact with the Vulcans. Only this time, the scenario plays out a bit differently. As the Vulcans give their traditional greeting, Cochrane pulls out a gun and shoots the lead Vulcan. Then one of his followers calls on the rest to take everything they can get their hands on. This would appear to be the beginning of the Empire, with stolen Vulcan technology leading Earth out to the stars early, crushing everything in its path.

A scene early in Part One sees Archer speculating as to how things might have played out had Cochrane not shot that Vulcan. This has me thinking that this is intended as the moment of divergence between the two universes. Which raises an interesting question: Is the "Mirror Universe," in which the human race spreads out as lust-driven, power-thirsty conquerors, the actual "default" future, the one that happens with no intervention? Is "our" Star Trek universe, with the upright Kirk, the intellectual Picard, the pragmatic but honorable Sisko - Is that, in fact, simply a parallel possibility, made into reality when Picard and the Borg travelled back in time, with Picard's crew ultimately interfering with Cochrane (and letting him know that the Vulcans were not invaders).

Heck, I could see Daniels and his Temporal Cold War shenanigans manipulating that into happening, just to create the "Federation" future we've seen him be extremely protective of (thus indicating that the "Federation future" is not destined, but actually quite vulnerable).


EPISODE THOUGHTS

In a Mirror Darkly is routinely named as Enterprise's very best. I suspect some of that reputation may come down to it being so different from the rest of the series. With a different tone, a darker set of personalities for our regulars, and in fact a different universe to inhabit, it stands out more readily from the rest of the series than even the best "regular" episodes. But while I might argue against labelling it the objective "best," In a Mirror Darkly is definitely up there. As can be seen from how much I've written already, it is certainly an episode that offers a lot of meat for discussion. In fact, I'm abandoning my usual policy of writing a single review for a 2-parter with one title, simply because a review of both parts together would be prohibitively long.

Acting as both a prequel to Mirror, Mirror and a sequel to The Tholian Web, this 2-parter continues Season 4's strong ties to the original series.  I would highly recommend watching The Tholian Web just before this, as this episode does directly address elements of that episode. We discover that the Tholians (or rather, the "mirror" Tholians) created the hole in space into which the Defiant fell, and did so in order to study and dissect a ship from the future. This also fits with our glimpse of the Tholians in this series' Future Tense, when they also showed a strong interest in technology from the future.

The script is by Mike Sussman, and shows his usual expertise with both structure and momentum. Every character gets a moment, even Mayweather, and every scene advances either the story or the universe. It builds nicely to a very strong climax, with the closing visual virtually guaranteeing that viewers will be hungry for the next installment.


Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Bound
Next Episode: In a Mirror Darkly, Part II

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2-16. Future Tense.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise encounters a dead ship, adrift in space, and pulls it into the docking bay to examine it. To the surprise of the entire command crew, the (dead) pilot is human - which should be quite impossible, since no humans have ever been out this far! There are other impossibilities. The ship is bigger on the inside than the outside, and seems to be powered by organic technology. The pilot is not pure human.  He has traces of Vulcan DNA, Terellian DNA, and other species that Phlox cannot even identify. The only conclusion Archer can reach is that both ship and pilot come from the future - which is confirmed by Crewman Daniels' database.

Before Archer can properly decide what to do with this information, the Enterprise finds itself targeted by those who want the ship. The Suliban Cabal wants its technology, to turn the tide of their Temporal Cold War. The Tholians, a xenophobic species with highly advanced technology, also try to lay claim to the ship. With both hostile species determined to gain this prize, Archer finds himself in a desperate race to a rendezvous with a Vulcan battle cruiser.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: For the first time in a while, Archer returns to being stubborn past the point of being reasonable. Once it becomes clear that both the Suliban and the Tholians, both of whom are more advanced than Enterprise, are determined to get hold of the ship, he should be willing to consider destroying it.  It certainly wouldn't be unreasonable to prepare some kind of warhead if the need quickly arises. His desire for answers to the frustrating Temporal Cold War issue overrides his common sense in this instance - something he seems to realize at the end, as he takes upon himself the doubtless bitter task of preparing both an apology to the Vulcan High Command and an expression of gratitude for their help.

T'Pol: In some ways, she's just as unreasonably stubborn as Archer. The Vulcan position is that time travel is impossible, a position which T'Pol describes as "not an opinion," even in the face of the evidence the Temporal Cold War presents. Her recommendation to Archer to destroy the ship is logical, and ends up being proved by what awaits them at the Vulcan ship. But there's a distinct sense that her recommendation is at least partially motivated by a desire to protect herself from evidence that the Vulcan Science Directorate could be (gasp) wrong.

Trip/Reed: These two make an entertaining double act, particularly in the early stages of the episode. Trip's wish to explore the impossible ship contrasts with Reed's urgency for security.  Trip drops a spanner down the ship's shaft to test that the shaft actually is that deep, and not just a hologram. Then he overrides Reed's objections to simply going down the shaft by pointing out that he has to retrieve his tool. The pair also get to experience a time loop together, which foreshadows the time loop in which Reed and Archer later find themselves.

The Tholians: It's been far, far too long since I saw The Tholian Web, so I can't comment on how the ships here match up with the originals. The design is effective, though, as are the clicks and screeches that punctuate the Tholians' communication with Enterprise. I was glad to see how horribly outmatched our heroes are by the Tholians, in both military and technological terms. I've missed that early element of Enterprise, of the humans being near the bottom of the technological food chain.  It's something that's been lost as the show has gone along, and a return to that helps this episode to build tension.


THOUGHTS

Another strong episode, and it's probably no coincidence that it's another one which revisits one of the first season's too-long-neglected running arcs - in this case, that of the Suliban and the Temporal Cold War.The Temporal Cold War episodes tended to be among the stronger episodes of the first season, with Cold Front particularly standing out. Even if the Temporal Cold War was added at the network's insistence, it's interesting, particularly as we receive just a tiny bit more information about it each time it is revisited. It's a heck of a lot more interesting than watching Archer protect miners from Klingon bandits, or other episodes of that ilk.

It also allows the writers to explore some of the Archer/T'Pol character conflict that has so substantially eased since the series began. Season Two Archer, with the horrible exception of A Night in Sickbay, has learned his lessons well and has abandoned much of the pure muleheaded tendencies that made him such a flawed commander in the beginning. This progress has been nicely gradual, almost invisible on an episode-to-episode basis.

Still, the easing of both the stubbornness and the hostility has made Archer a bit more generic than he was at the beginning. By putting him into a situation in which he believes he has a genuine chance to get some answers to questions that have been hanging over him, the writers create a plausible scenario to bring some of that muleheadedness back.  For all the progress both have made, he and T'Pol sometimes do come at situations with directly opposed priorities and agendas.

Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong, whose scripts have been the consistent highlights of Season Two, do it again here. They even manage to layer in some decent character moments. Mayweather and Hoshi are basically set dressing again, but all of the others get at least one or two good scenes. Veteran television director James Whitmore Jr. helms the piece with a confident hand, using lighting to particularly good effect inside the future ship.

It zips along at a good pace, furthers the Temporal Cold War arc, and introduces the humans to the Tholians in a way that keeps the Tholians both mysterious and threatening. In short: it's a good one... though something I can't quite put my finger on keeps it from crossing over into being a great one.


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Cease Fire
Next Episode: Canamar

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