Thoughts on Season Four.

SOME THOUGHTS ON SEASON FOUR

Enterprise's journey comes to an end. So how does its final season stack up?


STAR TREK: "THE PREQUEL"

More than any other season, Season Four of Enterprise actively presents itself as a prequel to Star Trek in general, and the original series in specific. Almost every story of the season ties in with something from the original series. At its best, the season fills in some interesting holes in the fabric of the Star Trek universe. The father of Data's creator (Brent Spiner) is tied together with the augments. The differences between Vulcan society in Enterprise and in the rest of Trek is explained, while tying those differences to the Romulans.  The Romulans are a constant background presence, and we see the beginnings of the buildup to the Romulan war. When it works - which is most of the time - the strong ties to the rest of the franchise create a more cohesive Trek universe, while also creating some highly dramatic stories.

When it doesn't work, mind you, it can feel like desperate fan service. Bound, for example, is a poor episode, and evoking TOS in its style while invoking the Orion slave girls does not make it one bit better. In fact, I suspect a better ship-bound cheapie could have been devised just using the many pieces of the Enterprise universe that have been established over the first three seasons. The Klingon 2-parter is much more enjoyable, and tying the Klingon continuity issues to the Augment arc is an interesting idea. But a part of me simply cannot fully buy into a need to tell a story whose main purpose is to explain variations in Klingon make-up.


STORY-ARCS

Most of this season is divided into story-arcs, a mix of 2-parters and 3-parters. Only a very small number of episodes are standalones. Even one of these, Home, isn't really an episode that stands on its own, as it effectively acts as a prologue to both the Vulcan 3-parter and the Terra Prime 2-parter.

There is much that is good about the long-form storytelling this season opts for. The longer stories allow for more complex stories and for some nice character scenes. Moments such as Reed and Mayweather dealing with a bomb in the ruins of the Earth Embassy on Vulcan simply would not fit into a strict 45-minute story... but there's plenty of room for such a character beat in a 130-minute story.  In addition, by limiting the arcs to two to three episodes each, the main pitfall of the season-long Xindi arc is avoided.  The arcs are long enough to allow for development, but contained enough that getting from beginning to end doesn't feel daunting.

The multi-part stories also allow the show to stretch the budget further. Season Four had a reduced budget, but it largely doesn't show. The Augment arc, the Vulcan arc, and the mirror universe 2-parter feature some of the strongest visuals of the entire series. This does come at a price, in the form of cheap standalones but it's a fair trade-off.

Not everything about the "mini-arc" structure works. The writers have difficulty resolving the 3-part arcs in particular. In every case, the final episode ends up being the weakest. The only one that's significantly "off" is The Aenar, which feels hopelessly rushed and only thinly-connected to the preceding episodes. As I noted in my review, The Aenar really should have been its own 2-parter. But even the season's best arc, the Vulcan story, has a final episode that feels too simplistic after the complexity of the first two parts.


"ALL ARCHER, ALL THE TIME"

Overall, Season Four is a very good season - but with one significant irritant. That irritant's name is Jonathan Archer. I quite liked the characterization of Archer across the first three seasons. He was a basically decent man, but one who vied with some deep character flaws. The Xindi arc saw Archer pushed to his limit, hammered relentlessly over the course of a full season, and that brought out the most interesting facets of both the character and Scott Bakula's performance.

For all three preceding seasons, there was always a balance. Archer was the lead, but he didn't dominate every episode. In this season, that balance disappears almost entirely. Season Four of Star Trek: Enterprise often feels like "The Jonathan Archer Show," which does neither the series nor the character any favors.

Couldn't some of Archer's material have been farmed out to other characters? I can certainly think of one example: As the ship's security chief, it would have made more sense for Reed to have escorted Dr. Soong to the slave auction than Archer. And for three seasons (and the first few episodes of this season), I really liked Archer - so I can only imagine how viewers already sick of him must have reacted!


SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

One advantage of the mini-arc structure is that, even with the show OD'ing on Archer, there's still a decent amount of material left for the supporting cast. The relationship between Trip and T'Pol runs as a sort of constant "B" plot. I do think that Trip's time away from Enterprise was a wasted opportunity, with him rejoining the ship a mere one episode after leaving it... but with the series clearly coming to a close, some rushed elements were probably unavoidable.

In addition to the "Big Three," there's at least a few decent moments sprinkled through the season for everybody. John Billingsley continues to make the most of every moment he gets as Phlox. He gets a substantial amount of focus in the Klingon arc, and he also gets some wonderful scenes as "evil Phlox" during In a Mirror Darkly. Phlox and Hoshi have some good scenes in Home as well as at the start of the Klingon arc, and it might have been interesting to have seen their friendship/potential developing relationship had the series continued.

Hoshi and Mayweather, the series' two most perpetually underused characters, get some strong material in the mirror universe 2-parter. Linda Park, in particular, has a field day with In a Mirror Darkly. Park and Anthony Montgomery also get some strong material in Observer Effect, the only of this year's shipbound standalones that actually works as an episode. Reed gets a steady supporting role across the season, too, particularly when his background with his shadowy old section comes into play in the Klingon arc and the final 2-parter. The season leaves Reed owing his former employers in a big way, something which would likely have been followed up if only the series had survived.


CANCELLED AT THE WRONG TIME

"If only the series had survived" is a running theme in my thoughts on Season Four. Usually, I think that three to four seasons is a perfectly healthy run for a show. But Enterprise was very much in the process of reinventing itself, and was doing so in some interesting ways. With a new showrunner in Manny Coto and a new focus on being a true Trek prequel, this feels almost like the first season of a new show.

A lot of the season lays groundwork for events that would doubtless have paid off in future seasons.  I suspect the series would have continued to build up the Romulans as a threat, and that Starfleet would have gradually become aware of them as such, all on the way to the eventual Romulan War. The season ends with a 2-parter that sees the beginning steps toward a Federation, a movement made with some considerable resistance from elements of humanity. Again, I suspect future seasons would have seen more problems in getting different worlds to really work together as one, and that might have been the basis for some excellent stories.

Watching Season Four, I come to one inescapable conclusion. Enterprise was a series that was cancelled at the exact wrong time.


OVERALL

Some weak final episodes to some of the arcs and the overuse (and misuse) of Archer lead me to not quite liking this season as much as I did Season Three. It's still a very strong season of Star Trek, though, and probably the only season of this show to truly make use of the concept of the series as a prequel.

Some of Enterprise's best moments occur during this season. Also, as with Season Three, it actually achieves a reasonable balance of the non-Archer regulars, with everyone getting something to do. Most of all, there is the sense that important things (within the Trek universe, at least) are happening before your eyes - a sense that wasn't necessarily there in earlier seasons.

Despite a few flaws and a misjudged series finale, a good finish to a series I generally enjoyed a lot more than its reputation would have led me to expect. It's just a shame it didn't get one more season to deliver on some of the seeds planted here.

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4-22. These Are the Voyages...

And so at last, Enterprise's infamous final episode. Will it live down to its reputation?


THE PLOT

It is six years later... and the entire crew is still together, all still at the same posts they've held for roughly a decade now.  Meaning that the story starts with a major plausibility problem. Enterprise is on its way to the signing ceremony for the founding of the Federation, when they receive a message from Shran. He tells Archer that he is calling in the favor he is owed, and will need Enterprise to make a slight diversion in its route.

Shran's child has been kidnapped by some former associates. These criminals believe that he stole something, and are threatening to kill his daughter if he does not return it. Archer agrees to help - but he doesn't count on the high price that will be exacted before this adventure is concluded.

Meanwhile, in the distant future, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) watches the entire set of events unfold, through the wonders of his Enterprise's holodeck.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: We are told that Archer hates giving speeches. Is that why he's so bad at them? In any case, we see Archer worrying and fussing over this speech in much the same way he worried and fussed over the introduction to his father's biography back in Singularity. He remains a loyal friend, and doesn't even seem to seriously consider rejecting Shran's demand for help. Scott Bakula may have been (understandably) disgruntled about this final episode, but his relaxed performance is actually better than much of the work he's done this season - though I could wish for more of a reaction to some late events.

T'Pol/Trip: In the six years since Terra Prime, they have kept up a neutral working distance. They still work together, but there is no relationship anymore. With reassignment coming up, T'Pol confesses that she is going to miss Trip.  This leads to a nice character moment in which Trip guarantees her that they will not lose touch with each other. With that level of feeling still existing, it seems strange that they would only be having that conversation now, but it does provide one of the episode's better moments.

Shran: Went on to marry Jhamel after the events of The Aenar, and eventually fell in with a criminal crowd after leaving the Imperial Guard. He faked his own death to evade them, which worked for a time. He retains trust in Archer, turning to the "pink-skin" for aid in his hour of need, and the two still work together. There's a sense in the first half of the episode that Shran is probably hiding something... but since Shran disappears from the episode's second half, this never gets any payoff.


THOUGHTS

The above points to one of the biggest problems with These Are the Voyages... There is the groundwork for a decent episode here.  The problems don't come from the basic plot.  A final adventure with Shran, just before attending the founding of the Federation?  Given the limits of a single-episode finale, that's actually not a bad starting premise.  With only one episode to work with, this was never going to be the next All Good Things...  But there's nothing wrong with the central story idea, which had the potential to at least make an enjoyable epilogue.

Then Rick Berman and Brannon Braga added the damn frame.


The story is framed by Riker (Jonathan Frakes) viewing these events in the holodeck while making a difficult decision related to the TNG episode The Pegasus.  The entire story is filtered through his viewpoint. This still didn't have to be disastrous, if the Riker/Troi bits had simply been used as bookends: A short opening scene and a closing scene to act as a button on the franchise would have been fine, had they otherwise left the Enterprise episode to work on its own.

Instead, Riker keeps interrupting the action for filler scenes.  We get pointless scenes of Riker listening to the regulars' confessions while playing the part of "Chef" (who we learn here was something of a counselor to the crew, even though that's never been alluded to in the preceding 97 episodes). Probably a good third of the episode is gobbled up by Riker - leaving inadequate time to properly develop the main story.

The result is inevitable: Dropped threads and abrupt script turns, which gradually sink a potentially decent episode.  There's much build-up to the effect that Shran is hiding something, and this feels in-character for the Andorian. The character's final mention of the episode has Archer implying that he's going to find out Shran's secret and drag it into the light.  But this is never followed up, because Shran disappears from the episode after that scene. 

Also, we are specifically told Shran's enemies cannot go faster than Warp Two.  This is a plot point, one we are given no cause to doubt.  With no explanation, however, they are somehow able to to catch up with Enterprise, and even manage to board the ship. How? Never explained. The aliens are able to do all this to generate an unconvincing crisis that comes out of nowhere, makes no sense, and is resolved (unconvincingly) just a few minutes later.

Add to that the idiocy of setting this story six years after the main series, while at the same time leaving all the characters exactly where they were in Terra Prime.  That's as idiotic as it is unnecessary. If you want a workaround that allows all of these characters to have moved on, but brings them together on the ship, simply throw in a line or two about how they've all been brought back together on their old ship for ceremonial purposes. That would be very plausible - far more so than trying to convince viewers that not a single member of the crew has moved on to anything more in their career (or personal relationships) in a six-year span!

I will say that the kidnapping plot works reasonably well for the first 30 minutes, with the rescue of Shran's daughter being one of the better-directed planetbound action scenes of the season.  Things only truly become dire in the final 15 minutes, when it's clear that the writers are trying to squeeze too much incident into too little time.

Had the Riker material been jettisoned, and the extra time used to flesh out the story, this would likely have been a reasonable final episode.  Speaking for myself, if a "button" was really needed to link Enterprise to the rest of the franchise, I'd have preferred to have seen bookends with an older Archer and T'Pol attending the launch of the TOS Enterprise.You could even have the same melding of the voice-overs (Archer, Kirk, Picard) over the TOS Enterprise in flight. The same thing would be accomplished, without gobbling up a good third of the episode or making the Enterprise regulars guest stars in their own series!

Judged simply as an episode, These Are the Voyages... is very flawed, but far from the worst of the series or even the season.  Judged as a finale, however, it is an almost complete failure, unworthy of the series (let alone the franchise!) it intends to celebrate.


Final Rating: 3/10.

Previous Episode: Terra Prime

Season Four Overview

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4-21. Terra Prime.

THE PLOT

Paxton (Peter Weller) has gained control of an array on Mars, used to divert comets, and has turned it into a weapon. He has issued a public ultimatum: All non-humans must leave the solar system, or he will begin targetting non-human strongholds, starting with Starfleet Command. 

Enterprise has been given orders to destroy the array. But Archer has an alternative plan. He is going to use an approaching comet to camouflage the ship, then send a small team down to the surface to free Trip, T'Pol, and the baby, and to defeat Terra Prime. But Archer hasn't planned for one contigency - a spy aboard his ship!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Gets to make another really bad speech. I'm not sure whether Scott Bakula is bad at delivering speeches, or whether his stiff delivery of Archer's speeches throughout the series is meant to be a character trait. Either way, "Archer makes a speech" has been reason to cringe from pretty much the very beginning. Much better is his confrontation with Paxton, in which he refuses to rise to the bait when the terrorist uses his father to try to put him off-guard. Archer is much less easily provoked than in the beginning, and remains focused in the face of jibes that would have set the Archer of Broken Bow into an uncontrolled fury.

T'Pol: When she sees the baby, her maternal instincts take over. She becomes fiercely protective, declaring that she will not allow Paxton to harm the child. When the baby's health begins failing, she attempts to use a scan she made of Paxton's DNA to coerce him into letting them go. The attempt fails, but it's a strong effort.

Trip: Connor Trinneer does some excellent acting at the end, bringing real emotion to a scene that could have come across stiffly if badly performed. Trip gets a good episode in general, cannily distracting his guard in what appears to be an attempt at sabotaging the array. His plan goes further than that. He knows Paxton will detect the sabotage, but his real agenda is to smuggle back to his cell a tool that helps him to break out. He meets up with Archer's team, on their way in, and provides valuable help in foiling Paxton's plan.

Reed: For the second time in this 2-parter, Reed makes contact with his former section chief, gaining information that helps Archer to resolve the situation and get Trip and T'Pol out alive. This would seem to put Reed back in the debt of his former employer - something which would probably have been used to interesting effect, if the series had gotten a fifth season.

Mayweather: He does not believe Gannet when she pleads her innocence to him, and insists that the real spy for Terra Prime is a crew member. He accuses her of trying to manipulate him, then heads straight off to pilot the mission. When the shuttlepod becomes the victim of sabotage, Mayweather switches to manual and successfully pilots the shuttle in, grinning at the challenge of flying the ship entirely on his own judgment, with no computer guidance. His joy at this moment is a nice payoff to his talk about the shuttlepod in the first part, a good bit of character writing for someone who usually doesn't get that kind of attention.

Hoshi: With Archer, T'Pol, Trip, Reed, Phlox, and Mayweather all off the ship, command ofEnterprise falls to Hoshi. Which, come to think of it, isn't a bad parallel with Mirror Hoshi's triumph in the last 2-parter. Her growing confidence allows her to trust both Archer and her instincts.  She resists pressure to fire on the array, allowing the landing party time to complete the mission. Fortunately, neither the writing nor Linda Park allow her to become Super!Hoshi! She is more confident than the young woman who "jumped at every engine noise," but her underlying fear remains visible even as she exercises her command.

Villain of the Week: The only really new wrinkle added to Paxton is a certain hypocrisy, both in his admiration of the unlamented Col. Green and in his xenophobia. It turns out that he would not have met Col. Green's standards of purity, because it is alien technology that is keeping him alive... a secret he carefully keeps from his followers. Beyond that, Paxton is a fairly shallow character, though he is again given credibility by Peter Weller's performance. 


THOUGHTS

The final "real" episode of Enterprise is a good one.  This episode is not only a strong conclusion to the Terra Prime arc, it is a very reasonable finale all-around. Writers Manny Coto, Judith Reeves-Stevens, and Garfield Reeves-Stevens were probably aware that this would be the series' last hurrah, and that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga were going to use the very last episode as a button on the franchise rather than as a proper close to this specific series.  Thus, they have crafted a script that gives every character a moment - something relatively unusual for Enterprise.

Hoshi gets to be put in charge, Mayweather gets some characterization, Reed makes a deal with his former Section, Phlox gets a steady supporting role, and the three leads all get healthy screen time. This is done without really drawing attention to itself. It's not boxes being checked off - Every character has something to do to advance the specific story. I wish that could have happened more often on this series, but it's nice to see in the crew's final adventure.

I also like that the last major threat the NX-01 must overcome is a group of humans. Star Trek always basically stood for humanity overcoming its own limitations and narrow-mindedness. I tend to believe more in Babylon 5's philosophy: that we'll take all our flaws to the stars with us. But having the Enterprise, in its last proper outing, outwitting and overcoming a group that effectively represents human ignorance is a nice embodiment of this franchise's principles. It's also a good story for a prequel. Sure, violent xenophobia and homegrown terrorism is largely a thing of the past by Kirk's time, let alone Picard's... but Archer still has to deal with the last, desperate attempt by these demagogues to thrust their agenda on humanity through a violent ultimatum.

Terra Prime is a noticeably better episode than Demons, making it this season's only multi-parter whose resolution outshines its set-up.  Overall, this is one of the "smaller" feeling multi-parters. But it's also one of the most accomplished, in terms of controlled plotting. All the different components are used, and almost every individual element ends up working, albeit some more strongly than others. Terra Prime also makes Demons a better episode in retrospect, raising the arc as a whole.

Or to put it more succinctly: Good stuff.


Rating: 9/10.

Overall Rating for Terra Prime arc: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Demons
Next Episode: These Are the Voyages

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4-20. Demons.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise crew is attending a conference involving several of the species they have met, with a goal of forming a coalition of worlds. It's an ambitious project. But no sooner has Minister Nathan Samuels (Harry Groener) made his speech than a woman stumbles in, passing a hair sample to T'Pol and telling her that "they're going to kill her." The woman collapses, revealing that she has been shot by a phase pistol.

Phlox tests the hair, and determines that it belongs to a half-human, half-Vulcan infant. The child is identified as being that of Trip and T'Pol - despite the fact that T'Pol has never been pregnant. The dead woman was a member of Terra Prime, a human separatist group that had a resurgence following the Xindi attack. 

With Minister Samuels wanting to keep things quiet, Archer decides that his crew will need to launch their own investigation.  He sends Trip and T'Pol to infiltrate the moonbase that is Terra Prime's headquarters.  But Archer is a step behind, and it all too soon becomes clear that Trip and T'Pol are walking into a trap!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Manny Coto's script showcases his competence as ship's captain: In a public setting, he makes sure that the unenthusiastic Trip knows that he's expected to be on good behavior for the cameras; when the human/Vulcan DNA is explicitly linked to his crew, he uses Reed's Section 31 connection to keep the investigation alive; finally, he adjusts his plans quickly when he learns that he's sent his people into a trap.  All of this is good, giving Archer plenty to do without allowing him to overshadow the entire story, as has been the case too many times this season.

Trip: While I believe his shock at learning of his daughter, his befuddlement over how it might be possible seems odd. Cloning is a scientific possibility now, never mind more than a hundred years hence. His suspicion of T'Pol feels more like a plot device than a natural extension of his established character, and his attempts to infiltrate a separatist group by making a few vaguely xenophobic comments to a random miner seem, frankly, laughable. Not Trip's best episode, despite solid work by Connor Trinneer.

Hot Earth Babe of the Week: Gannet Brooks (Johanna Watts) is an ambitious reporter who shares a history with Mayweather. She uses that history to get herself aboard Enterprise, ostensibly to do a story on the ship from the point-of-view of the crew. It isn't long before she makes it clear that she wants to rekindle her old relationship with Mayweather, sparking doubts in Travis as to whether or not he really wants to continue his time in space.

Pompous Earth Bureaucrat of the Week: Harry Groener, one-time evil mayor of Sunnydale/giant snake, is a serpentine politician again, though this time without the evil.  Minister Samuels is extremely ambitious, which may be just what is called for. His proposed coalition is a clear stepping stone toward the Federation of Planets that will eventually form. But he is self-serving. His speech makes no mention of Enterprise and its crew, reserving all glory for himself. His reluctance to share the Terra Prime investigation with Archer has a connection with a skeleton from his own past, as well.

Villain of the Week: John Frederick Paxton (Peter Weller) is a mining industrialist who acts as the leader of Terra Prime. He was once a student of history. But his studies led him to admire a generally hated genocidal figure from the aftermath of World War III, and his clashes with the accepted view of history led him to turn his back on academia and instead pursue terrorism. Peter Weller plays his scenes with a conviction that helps sell even some of the more ludicrous moments, including his cliffhanger-inducing masterplan to hold the entire solar system hostage with a big freakin' laser (paging Dr. Evil?). I should add that Paxton didn't start seeming ridiculous to me until the moment I began typing this paragraph - which means both script and actor do their job of making his convictions seem credible in-context.


THOUGHTS

The final 2-parter of the series begins, following up on the one remaining loose end from Home - the rising xenophobia on Earth in the wake of the Xindi attack.

Even without a particularly easy-to-spot plot twist, I would have been surprised had Trip and T'Pol been able to successfully infiltrate the mining colony. After all, hasn't it been established as early on as Breaking the Ice that the ship's command staff are effectively celebrities? Their faces would be on the air regularly - something the beginning of the episode reminds us of! Imagine Neil Armstrong trying to infiltrate the mob just after the moon landing. That's basically this plan in a nutshell.

This obvious logic gaffe aside, Demons is a good episode. It perhaps feels a bit padded, with the Gannet/Mayweather material and even the Trip/T'Pol mine infiltration taking up at least twice as much screentime as is actually needed. But it's an interesting story, effectively set up. The story feeds on what we've seen before, particularly in Home.  The episode also benefits from strong production values and effective guest turns by Harry Groener and Peter Weller. 

The success of the full story will entirely depend on Part Two. But as an opening installment, Demons does its job well.


Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: In a Mirror Darkly, Part II
Next Episode: Terra Prime

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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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4-17. Bound.

THE PLOT

Enterprise is investigating a region of space which is a promising site for the first of several proposed Starbases when they come into contact with Harrad-Sar (William Lucking), an Orion privateer. Harrad-Sar offers Archer a deal to smooth relations with the Orion Syndicate, in return for Starfleet's aid in setting up a mining operation. Archer agrees, but Harrad-Sar does have one stipulation: The captain must accept a gift.

The gift comes in the rather fetching form of three Orion slave girls. Their presence on the ship instantly creates disturbances. Male crew members begin disregarding their duties to pay attention to the girls. The female crew members begin reporting headaches. Phlox is able to determine that the Orions' pheremones are causing the disorder... but not before the replacement chief engineer sabotages the engines, leaving Enterprise a stationary target for the returning Harrad-Sar!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: His own newfound pragmatism is what gets him in trouble here. When Harrad-Sar contacts him, he agrees to meet the Orion's terms more readily than he once would have done, largely because he doesn't feel he can pass up an opportunity to mend fences with at least one hostile race. Once he realizes that he is acting under an alien influence, he fights very hard to retain control of himself - though he has much more trouble fighting the effects when face-to-face with the girls than when on the bridge, focusing on his duties.

T'Pol: A sign that Archer is already falling under the influence of the Orion women is that he does not ask T'Pol's advice before accepting Harrad-Sar's offer. T'Pol seems surprised by this, perhaps even a little hurt. As Archer begins behaving irrationally, T'Pol tries to be a supportive Voice of Reason for him. She works well with Trip in dealing with the havoc in Engineering, and the two of them together ultimately save the ship.

Trip: With Archer struggling under the Orion influence, Trip gets cast in the "hero" role this week. Thanks to his mental link with T'Pol, he is the only male on the ship not affected. This doesn't bring him too much relief, however, as it leaves him in the situation of being the sole "adult" in Engineering, having to constantly work to keep his men focused on their duties. 

Hot Alien Space Babes of the Week: The Orion slave girls (Cyia Batten, Crystal Allen, Menina Fortunato) are expertly manipulative. Though Archer initially believes them to be innocents, it is clear to the audience almost instantly that they are using the Enterprise crew for their own ends. A late twist regarding their relationship with their "master" does not particularly come as a surprise.


THOUGHTS

I do have to give credit to the production design of the Orion ship. It's obvious that this season has taken its role as a prequel to TOS very seriously, and the Orion design is very much modeled after the original series' interiors, with the use of color in the lighting, the walls, and even the alien beverages the characters sip. It all makes for a rather neat visual tie-in.

I'm glad to be able to praise that element, because I honestly didn't find much else in Bound that's particularly praiseworthy. The setup is adroitly handled, with all the necessary exposition dealt with quickly and clearly in the opening Act. Once the Orion women are aboard Enterprise, however, things become a lot weaker, with much of the plotting relying on idiocy and convenience. 

When Archer discovers that the Orion women are deliberately working to sabotage his ship and that their pheremones are dangerous to the crew, he puts them in isolation. So far, so sensible. But then, even after directly experiencing that they retain influence through the glass, he leaves... male guards? We've seen, in numerous episodes, that there are plenty of women serving on Enterprise. We also see that the women are less affected by the pheremones. Hoshi and another female officer complain of headaches, and that seems to be about the extent. So why does Archer leave a male guard on duty instead of a female one? Or even just trust to automated security protocols, as he did in Observer Effect? Answer: Because the plot requires the Orion women to get out of the cell, so Archer has to be an idiot to keep the plot moving.

The resolution is also achieved through Technobabble Convenience. After Enterprise is rendered helpless, Trip and T'Pol send a burst of Deux Ex Machina through a grappling wire to disable the other ship. How convenient. Finally, the subplot about Trip's transfer is resolved with equal convenience, lest anything resembling a loose end be left to the next (in-universe) 2-parter.

Perhaps this was cobbled together in a hurry to tie off some character strands once the episode order was cut back from 24 to 22. Perhaps the show's writers simply forgot how to write a good, action-heavy single-parter. Season Four's one-part episodes have largely been much weaker than the multi-part ones. Enterprise has taken several big steps forward in Seasons Three and Four. But when it tries to tell the simple Trek stories that it often managed quite engagingly in its early days, that seems to be one knack this series has lost.


Rating: 3/10.

Previous Episode: Divergence
Next Episode: In a Mirror Darkly

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