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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3-24. Zero Hour.

THE PLOT

The Reptilians have successfully armed the weapon, and are on their way to Earth. Archer has taken command of Degra's ship, which can navigate the vortex and can move faster than the Reptilians. His plan is to beam a team aboard the weapon, to destroy it from the inside.

Meanwhile, T'Pol takes command of Enterprise for its last mission within The Expanse. She will make good on Archer's promise to the Acquatics to break the Sphere Builder's hold over The Expanse by destroying one of the key Spheres in the network. But this time, the Sphere Builders will do more than just observe the outcome...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: The usual grim determination and self-sacrifice. Scott Bakula is terrific, as he has been most of this season. Had the series been cancelled here, this would not have been a bad final bow for either the character or the actor. Thankfully, it's not quite the end of the series yet. Hopefully, Bakula's performance will continue to impress as it has since late Season Two, without slipping back to the intermittent awkward stiffness of the first season-and-a-half.

T'Pol: She no longer seems to be trying very hard to hide her new emotions.  I'm still not sure I like the plot turn of giving T'Pol a full set of emotions.  To me, this misses the point of having a Vulcan character.  That said, I do like that T'Pol is gradually becoming comfortable in expressing them. It should also make for some interesting developments when she has to interact with Vulcans again in the future.

Dr. Phlox: Is able to create a compound that will allow the ship's crew to survive for up to 15 minutes in the space surrounding the Sphere. He is firm that at that point, the crew will begin to die. Though as a doctor he is devoted to life, when the Sphere Builders infiltrate the ship directly, he uses the knowledge he gleaned from the captive Sphere Builder to help the marines and ship security fight back against them. He also gets a couple of terrific quieter moments opposite T'Pol, scenes that bring out the best in both of these characters and actors.

Hoshi: Her ordeal has left her very weak. Her first scene of the episode sees her in almost a fugue state.  She is simultaneously trying to decipher the weapon schematics for Archer, paralyzed with guilt over her failure to jump before the parasites she was injected with stopped her, and flashing back to being a prisoner of the Reptilians. She stabilizes after that scene, and does well during the mission, particularly when called upon to remember a critical sequence from memory.

The Xindi: The Reptilians are now open about wanting to dominate all of the Xindi. By the episode's end, the Insectoids have realized the Reptilians' duplicity and joined with the rest of the Xindi council. With only the Reptilians holding out, and the leader of the humanoids observing that they will eventually have to come back to the council, it would seem that Archer has accomplished what the Sphere Builders failed to do: He has unified the Xindi.


ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

An unspecified number of marines meet their makers when the Sphere Builders attack Enterprise. An additional two marines go into the weapon, but don't come out again.


THOUGHTS

And so the season-long Xindi arc... ends on a cliffhanger!?

In fairness, the story of the Xindi weapon is resolved. The cliffhanger is more of a tag at the end of the story - Less a case of the episode going unresolved than of the complication for the next season premiere being introduced at the end of this one. I'd assume that if the series had been cancelled here (a distinct possibility) that they'd have simply cut the episode a little shorter, ending with the arrival at Earth before it became apparent anything was wrong, probably with some stock footage of Starfleet headquarters and maybe a voice over from Bakula to close out the series. Thankfully, it did get renewed one last time, allowing for one of the more bizarre season cliffhangers I can recall. At the very least, I'm interested in knowing what happens next!

The episode itself is another good one. Berman and Braga return to the writers' chair, for yet another reminder that whatever people may have thought of them as showrunners, they are solid writers. The pace is relentless, with the cuts back and forth from the weapon to Enterprise's complications around the Sphere provoking strong tension. Before the action, Berman and Braga pause to allow Crewman Daniels to give Archer a glimpse of the future, a faraway glance at the founding of the Federation. It's a scene I suspect we'll be seeing again, with a little closer a view next time.

The episode does lack the multiple emotional layers of some of the previous episodes.  This is a flat-out action piece, with no subtext to speak of.  But that's not really a flaw.  After a season's worth of build, this is our climax.  It may come in the form of big action scenes and bigger explosions, but it's quite satisfying in doing so.  And the epilogue (pre-cliffhanger) manages to evoke a fair amount of emotion.

It's also great fun to see Shran again. I wasn't expecting that. It would be even better if his credit could have been held back to the end credits, to make his arrival a genuine surprise. Still, his entrance is well done, particularly his triumphant cry of, "Tell Archer... Now he owes me!"


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Countdown

Next Episode: Storm Front

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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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