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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4-7. The Forge

THE PLOT

A bomb is detonated inside the Earth Embassy on Vulcan, killing 12 Vulcans and more than 30 humans - including Admiral Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong). Since the embassy is considered "Earth soil," Enterprise is called to take charge of the investigation.

Reed and Mayweather soon discover a second bomb with Vulcan DNA that matches a member of a Vulcan splinter group known as the Syrranites.  The case seems to be closed - but Archer is not satisfied with this too-easy answer. Neither is Archer's old nemesis, Ambassador Soval (Gary Graham), who tells Archer that it makes no sense that the normally peaceful Syrranites would be involved in this incident.

When T'Pol receives a secret communication from her mother, who is a Syrranite, she and Archer beam down to find these Vulcan dissidents.  But to reach them, they will first have to traverse the Vulcan desert known as "The Forge," an area where heat and magnetic interference are so strong that technology will not work.

Meanwhile, Trip and Phlox push Soval into drastic action to follow a lead of their own...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Persists in crossing The Forge, even after Arev (Michael Nouri), the Syrranite who becomes his and T'Pol's guide, urges him to turn back. Arev tells him that The Forge will test him and destroy him. Archer's response to this is a stubborn, flinty glare. As well it should be, perhaps. Archer already has been tested in The Expanse. The Forge may be hot, but it can't compare with what he's already weathered.

T'Pol: Quite cold in her dealings with her husband, although he does not come across unsympathetically. She is startled to learn of her mother's connection to the Syrranites, but remains principally concerned with her safety. She does a good job both in guiding Archer through The Forge, and in guiding him through his dealings with Arev.

Ambassador Soval: This 3-episode arc seems likely to cast some welcome focus onto Soval, a character who was gradually developed over the course of the first two seasons from a one-dimensional thorn in Archer's side into a genuinely complex figure. In Home, we saw Soval publicly grilling Archer, then privately telling him that his actions were justified. Now, he again privately offers his support. He later makes good on that, first by providing information, then by placing his career in jeopardy to identify the bomber through a mind meld with a comatose witness.

The Vulcans: From very early on in Enterprise, it has been apparent that this series is presenting a different Vulcan society than that of other Trek shows. We have seen that there are Vulcans who follow alternate paths, and we have seen that the High Command reacts harshly against these "deviants." Here, we see that there are other sects with differing beliefs. The Syrranites, dismissed by the High Command as dissidents, are clearly the Vulcans we know from other Trek series, a connection made explicit by identifying a young T'Pau as one of their members.


THOUGHTS

I suspect this arc is pulling a trigger that would have been held until later in the series, had the show not run into ratings trouble. From the very first episode, the resentment between humans and Vulcans has been a major building block of Enterprise. Throughout the first two seasons, many hints were dropped that the Vulcan High Command had taken a hard line that perhaps overstepped logical bounds. It was clearly leading somewhere, though I suspect a resolution would have been held back for at least another season or two had the writing not been so clearly on the wall.

In any case, I am relieved that the Vulcan agenda is not going to be left as a dangling thread (perhaps to share the sonic shower with Future Guy), but is actually being resolved. The previous 3-parter gave us an action thriller. This one appears to be more of a callback to 1970's paranoid conspiracy thrillers, which should make for a welcome change of pace if that tone can be successfully held for all three episodes.

The various plot strands, involving Soval, the High Command, the bombing, and the Syrranites, are established efficiently, with each thread given enough time to register properly and none given so much time as to begin feeling drawn out. The multiple threads also help to give most of the cast members something to do. Archer and T'Pol carry the main plot, with Trip and Phlox getting a strong "B" storyline. Reed and Mayweather get a good scene discovering the second bomb. Hoshi is mostly shut out (again), but does get an amusing beat in the scene with the basketball game - itself a nice moment, in that we see the entire command crew relaxing and having a good time together, for a change.

Ultimately, the strength of this arc will depend on the next two episodes. But The Forge gets it off to an excellent start.  The Forge itself is an effective setting, with just enough CGI enhancement to make it feel like part of a deadly alien desert, while the regulars - particularly Bakula and Blalock - do some of their very best work.

On its own, The Forge is one of Enterprise's very best episodes.  If the overall quality of this installment can be maintained, then this arc will certainly be a series highlight.


Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: The Augments
Next Episode: Awakening

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4-3. Home.

THE PLOT

The Enterprise has returned to Earth - but its crew find a less than happy homecoming. Archer is grilled by Ambassador Soval (Gary Graham) over his actions on the Vulcan ship he found drifting in The Expanse.  When he snaps back at the Ambassador, Admiral Forrest orders him to take some leave - whether he wants it or not.

Meanwhile, T'Pol takes Trip back to Vulcan as her guest. But she also finds a frosty reception waiting for her. Her mother, T'Les (Joanna Cassidy), has been forced to resign from her position at the Vulcan Science Academy, punished by the Vulcan High Command for T'Pol's perceived transgressions. Further adding to T'Pol's problems, Kos, the Vulcan to whom she was promised as a child, has not accepted her refusal of marriage, and is pressing his suit - dangling the prospect of helping T'Pol's mother as an incentive.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: In Storm Front, he told Silik that he had changed, "and not for the better." Here, we see that he is truly haunted by the deeds he performed within the Expanse: torturing prisoners, stranding a ship of innocent civilians, firing on that Xindi outpost... He has nightmares about battling Xindi Reptilians on Earth, and has possibly even developed a death wish. His relationship with Erika Hernandez (Ada Maris), the captain of the Columbia, seems to have helped him deal with some of his issues.  Still, even though he comes back from his "vacation" a bit more composed in dealing with Soval, he's probably (hopefully) right in thinking that he'll never be able to go back to the man he was before the Xindi.

T'Pol: She still expresses interest in pursuing a career in Starfleet, this time to her mother. However, when she learns that her actions have been used to justify her mother's forced retirement, she seriously considers Kos' offer to restore T'Les' position in return for marriage.

Trip: Finally realizes that he is not just attracted to T'Pol, but in love with her. The suddenness of that realization leads him to react poorly when T'Pol tells him that she is planning to marry Kos. After he calms down, he refuses to tell T'Pol the extent of his feelings, even when T'Pol's own mother urges him to. He reasons that she is under enough pressure as it is, and that he would rather support her - even in making a decision he doesn't like - than try to add to the weight already on her.

Dr. Phlox: When confronted with prejudice in the bar he visits with Reed and Mayweather, he tries his usual evasion tactic: absolute, near-bubbly cheerfulness. It's probably generally effective; someone looking to pick a fight would find little pleasure in needling a man who refuses to get offended. But, as Reed has warned him, Earth has changed. In the face of hostility and outright violence, Phlox shows one of his species' instinctive defenses, puffing up to frighten would-be attackers. The drunken bullies run off... but Phlox is left rattled as everyone in the bar, save for his friends, stares at him like some sort of monster.

The Vulcans: Back out of the Expanse, and back to the dysfunction of the Enterprise-era Vulcan society. Soval privately tells Archer that the decisions he made were necessary, and that he rendered a great service to both Earth and Vulcan... but publicly, he subjects Archer to a very harsh cross-examination over the incident with the Selaya, stopping just short of calling Archer a murderer. Why such a divide between his private and public personas? On Vulcan, we see that the High Command has forced an apparently highly-qualified instructor out of the Academy because of her daughter's choices... Something in which I completely fail to see any logic. Finally, we see T'Pol "negotiating" with Kos, to allow her to both marry him and stay with Enterprise. I know there's a Vulcan 3-parter coming later this season. I do wonder, though, if that's going to be enough to resolve all of these plot threads.


THOUGHTS

After resolving the cliffhanger to Space Nazis from Beyond Time!, we finally get the actual fourth season premiere.  It's a quiet episode - which is a good thing.  After the year of hell in the Expanse, we needed a reflective space to see the impact of Season Three on our characters, and on Earth.

Archer probably gets the best material. He is much harder-edged than he was at the beginning, talking about the need for weapons upgrades and military personnel. That is very much in keeping with his character direction even in late Season Two, when he was realizing just how many "bad guys" they kept meeting in their explorations.  In Erika, Archer interacts with someone very much like he was at the start: full of idealistic energy and naivete. It's initially painful for Archer to be around her, because she reminds him of how much of that idealism has been sanded away by hard realities. It's a character I hope we see again, before the season/series' end.

The "C" plot, with Phlox encountering prejudice in the wake of 9/11... er, the Xindi attack, is more predictable and less interesting. John Billingsley is good, as ever, but I have a difficult time believing that a couple of belligerent drunks in a bar would trigger an instinctive defense that years of genuine crises would not. I'd rather have had Phlox encountering a string of people looking at him uneasily, or not wanting to meet his eyes, or whispering to each other as he walks away. Something more subtle and believable than a cliched bar fight. Ah, well. At least there's a cute tag scene in which Hoshi tries to give Phlox a pep talk into facing down prejudice, then gives up and just promises to bring him back some takeout.

The Vulcan material feels like set-up, and I'm guessing most of the Vulcan scenes from this episode will end up acting as a prologue to the 3-parter later in the season. This subplot does benefit from good performances, particularly by Joanna Cassidy and Connor Trinneer. It also feels like something that naturally follows on from the show's previous direction. It's always nice to have references back to early first-season episodes, just as a reminder that though the tone may have changed substantially, this is still all part of the same series.

An effective piece, all told.  I'm glad the series was willing to take an episode to catch up with the Enterprise universe before bringing out any major new stories to tell.


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Storm Front

Next Episode: Borderland

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2-26. The Expanse.

THE PLOT

An alien probe drops into Earth's orbit, cutting a thick line of destruction that runs from Florida to Venezuala. Enterprise is recalled to Earth to help study the situation.

Their trip back home is interrupted by a visit from the Suliban. Silik takes Archer aboard his ship for a meeting with his contact from the future, who tells Archer that the attack was orchestrated by a rival and carried out by an alien race known as the Xindi. Archer persuades Admiral Forrest to let him chase this lead into an area of space known as the Delphic Expanse. But the Vulcan Ambassador, Soval, warns Archer that previous expeditions into the Expanse have resulted in horrors, and urges him against this course - at the same time ordering T'Pol to leave Enterprise and return to Vulcan for reassignment!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: I've commented in earlier reviews how well Scott Bakula plays anger. Here, we have an episode in which Archer is on a slow burn through the entire run. He isn't actively shouting at people, but there's a definite tension in him in pretty much every scene, even the quieter moments. When Duras continues to attack Enterprise late in the episode, Archer is less inclined to talk and more inclined to resort to his ship's upgraded weaponry than he normally would be - which, along with his vow to Trip to do "whatever is necessary" once inside the Expanse, points to an Archer who's going to be even more volatile than usual in Season Three.

T'Pol: Put in the position of having to decide between her loyalty to the Vulcan High Command and her loyalty to Archer. Previous episodes leave very little doubt as to what choice she will make, but this is where she finally has to choose one, and let the other door close - probably forever.

Trip: Of the three leads, Trip is by far the most human, so it makes sense that he will be the one to have lost somebody in the attack. He gets a couple of very effective scenes with Reed, a quiet one in which he stands at the edge of the crater that was once his home and recalls where his sister's house and the town movie theater were while staring out into nothing, and an angry one in which he snaps at Reed when the other man encourages him to have a memorial service. He can't have such a service - not because of the lack of a body or because his sister "wasn't much into" such things, but because he's not ready to move on. This could lead Trip in an interesting direction in future episodes.

Dr. Phlox: He doesn't share the human characters' emotional reaction to the attack, nor does he have to make any substantial choice as T'Pol does. He stays because he's the ship's doctor, and he knows he will be needed. There's no other pull on his loyalties, so it is not a difficult decision. We do see his loyalty to the ship and his medical ethics when he reacts with evident anger to the Vulcan psychiatrist who is trying to examine Archer under false pretenses in Phlox's sickbay - in many ways, the inverse of the situation Phlox found himself facing in Stigma. He also has a quietly excellent scene with T'Pol, a conversation which pushes T'Pol further toward the decision we all know she will end up making.


THOUGHTS

Enterprise's second season comes to an explosive and surprising climax. I had heard that the second season finale was a change of direction for the too-often directionless series, and this episode certainly lives up to that reputation.

The Expanse opens with a probe dropping into Earth's orbit and cutting a swath of destruction with no warning and no reason given. The casualty figures start high (around a million) and are revised upward throughout the episode. The action takes place over a matter of months, as the regulars prepare for a mission completely unlike the one they have been carrying out. One major character is forced to make a choice about where her loyalties lie, another is given a trauma that will likely impact his future actions. It's the kind of episode that recalls Commander Sinclair's line at the end of Babylon 5's first season finale: "Nothing's the same anymore."

The Expanse works as a change of direction for the series, in that it creates a situation which cannot be simply "gotten over" in an episode or two. Short of going back in time to prevent the attack from ever having taken place (and I will take back every sympathetic word I've ever written about Berman and Braga if that ends up being the resolution), there is no way to hit the "reset" button on this situation. At the same time, it builds on many of the series' ongoing tensions. The Suliban and the Temporal Cold War are touched upon, as are the relations with the Klingsons and the Vulcans. It's not just a shift in direction, it's a shift in direction that uses what has gone before, leaving it all still feeling like part of the same series.

Equally important, it's a genuinely good piece of television. All of the major actors are given at least one scene, with only the terminally underused Hoshi and Mayweather given nothing to do. CGI work is excellent, from the opening attack to the edge of the abyss against which Trip stands while giving Reed a "tour" of his home town, to the expanse itself. The script is well-structured, with the quieter character scenes interspersed with a nicely ominous build-up about The Expanse itself, and some Klingon shenanigans on-hand to provide some action.

This is an episode where pretty much everything works, and I would point to this and Cogenitor being my only "10's" of the season as a suitable response to the "Berman/Braga are the devil!" hysteria within Trek fandom. They have their faults as showrunners, but they remain good television writers, something that fandom seems far too eager to forget far too often.


Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Bounty

Next Episode: The Xindi

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2-24. First Flight.

THE PLOT

While exploring a possible dark matter nebula, Archer is shaken by a call from Admiral Forrest. Forrest tells him that his old friend, A. G. Robinson (Keith Carradine), has died in a mountain climbing accident. This prompts Archer to recall the early days of the NX program, when he and A. G. were among a handful of pilots jockeying to break the Warp 2 barrier. When A. G. was involved in an accident that destroyed one of the program's two prototypes, the Vulcans interceded - with an impact that threatened to shut the program down. A. G., Archer, and a young engineer named Trip Tucker took a desperate gamble in order to prove that the program was viable. But their plan was almost certain to end their careers - if they survived the attempt!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Flashback Archer is more cautious and "by-the-book" than our Archer is. The hotheaded streak is still there, of course (people don't generally change personality, so it would be very unconvincing if it wasn't), and his resentment toward the Vulcans and protectiveness toward his father's work and memory are extremely consistent with the Archer we saw in Broken Bow. But he's also tightly focused on being a good pilot, to the exclusion of being a good commander - something that A. G. helps him to overcome.

T'Pol: While acting entirely as the dedicated science officer, T'Pol proves herself to be a very good friend to Archer. She observes his more muted, withdrawn behavior after the message from Admiral Forrest, and gets just enough information from Trip to be able to lead Archer toward telling her what has happened and why it is important to him. She directs Archer back to his story at several points, and ultimately pushes him toward paying suitable tribute to his late friend.

Trip: Flashback Trip is great fun. He's borderline insubordinate when faced with Forrest and the Vulcans, happily talking back in defense of an engine that he knows works. Though Forrest greets him sternly at the bar later, it's clear from his expression that he actually found Trip's behavior refreshing. Young Trip also proves his engineering capabilities.  He not only helps to get the technobabble right for the second flight to work, but by fooling all the sensors into believing that the prototype is still there until it is too late for anyone to stop it.

The Vulcans: More hints of the Vulcans having their own agenda, with regard to their "assistance" of humanity. In the flashback story, we see the Vulcans pushing for the suspension of the NX project at every turn. "It's like they want us to fail," Trip complains. It's so pointed in this episode, that taken with other hints dropped from as far back as the series' pilot, I am increasingly certain this is all going somewhere. Exactly where, I'm happy to say I still have no idea.

Guest Star of the Week: Keith Carradine is A. G. Robinson, Archer's friend and rival from the days of the NX program. If the flashback Archer is more cautious than the present-day one, then Robinson has some of the reckless, cocksure attitude that our Archer tends to display. Carradine is very good, as expected, and there are points in the episode where one can't help but re-envision this series with him as the lead.


THOUGHTS

When Enterprise was first announced, way back when, this was the kind of episode that I first pictured. Less Star Trek as we've seen it, and more a futuristic version of The Right Stuff, with a lot of time spent getting the program working before the launch of a flagship. I still think an opportunity was lost by not spending some time on Earth in the first season, before launching into space. I suppose such a version of Star Trek would have been too risky, with too much chance that Trek fans would abandon it.  Then again, that ended up happening anyway, so they might as well have tried something truly different.

In any case, this episode gives us a glimpse of what that version of Enterprise might have been. The flashback plot, which dominates the episode, centers around testing a warp engine, and eventually around choosing who will command the first starship. It's quite effective to see these characters in an Earthbound setting, with a command structure that feels more genuinely military.  There's an authenticity to seeing the characters wrestle with problems that have more to do with getting basic equipment to work than with blasting the aliens to cinders before they do it to us first.

Most of all, it's an effective character episode, with Archer recalling his friendship with the man who easily might have been Enterprise's captain, and who perhaps may have seemed a more natural choice for the job. It's important for the episode that we believe A. G. could have been Archer's equal, or even his better, and the casting of Keith Carradine helps to sell that. Meanwhile, scenes that show A. G. stubbornly refusing to abort a test that is failing, then being a little too willing to blame the failure on the engine, provide just enough hints of Robinson's weaknesses that it's equally believable that Starfleet didn't ultimately go with him over Archer.

With good guest acting across the board, including a notably expanded role for Vaughn Armstrong's Forrest, and a good balance of pace and character work, this is another strong episode. It's too bad so many viewers apparently abandoned ship during the rocky midseason, because this last chunk of Season Two has become consistently pretty good. It's too bad it seems to have gotten there just a little bit too late to salvage the viewership.


Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Regeneration

Next Episode: Bounty

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2-23. Regeneration.

THE PLOT

On Earth, an Arctic research team studies a recently-uncovered find: a large spread of alien debris, dating back about 100 years. Included among the debris, frozen in the ice, are humanoid bodies. The researchers thaw out the bodies, and discover that they are humanoids whose bodies have been enhanced by technology. Within both the bodies and the technology are nanobots which are already at work repairing both the organic and technological components.

By the end of that day, the researchers have vanished along with all traces of the technology and the researchers' transport. Admiral Forrest sends word to Archer when it becomes clear that the transport is heading in their general direction, at seemingly impossible speeds.

By the time the Enterprise encounters the transport, almost all of its functions have been heavily modified. It has weapons, which it uses to attack a Tarkalean freighter. Enterprise manages to fight it off and takes aboard two survivors from the freighter. But the survivors have already been modified, infected with the nanotechnology. When they awaken, they attack the crew, infecting Dr. Phlox and attempting to sabotage the engines before Archer ejects them into space.

Now the ship is in a race to catch up with the runaway transport, whose speed has now increased to levels that puts strain on the Enterprise to match. Phlox is also in a race. If he cannot find a cure for the infection soon, then he will also be "assimilated," a fate which he considers worse than death...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Spends the episode in "crisis" mode, which works very well. Both the episode and Scott Bakula do a good job of starting with intensity, then raising that intensity to an increasingly higher pitch as Archer realizes how truly desperate the situation is. I appreciated Archer's desire to save everyone if possible, and how difficult it was for him to admit that "there's no one we can help" among the assimilated humans and Tarkaleans.

T'Pol: As ever, pragmatic in recognizing the harsh realities that Archer prefers to deny: Namely, that given the rapid and all-consuming nature of the Borg infection, it is probably better to prepare for destroying the transport, rather than simply disabling it.

Dr. Phlox: A major episode for Phlox, who is infected by the Borg technology and left scrambling to find a cure before the infection takes him over. His Denobulan Physiology comes in handy once again, in that the infection has trouble with his immune system. However, the Borg infection is persistent, and Phlox's unique system merely delays the inevitable. He is left to take desperate measures to flush his system of the infection - and gives very clear and vehement instructions on what to do if his attempt fails, because he does not want to "become one of those creatures."

Reed: After observing the energy shields surrounding the assimilated Tarkaleans, he goes to work stubbornly modifying the phase pistols and rifles to strengthen their energy output. He then accompanies Archer onto the transport, putting his modified weaponry to the test.

The Borg: The Borg are probably best remembered for The Best of Both Worlds, when they kicked The Next Generation up a notch and provided one of the definitive season cliffhangers of all time. The Borg were scary, in that they were utterly emotionless and all but unstoppable. As they returned, eventually their return appearances blunted their effectiveness. By the time Voyager turned a Borg into a regular cast member, while the regulars faced the Borg so many times that the Borg Cube practically became a regular in its own right, the once-terrifying villains had all but become a joke.

The good news is, the Borg are scary again in Regeneration. They are back to being implacable and relentless. Their slow awakening in the Arctic is effective, in that we know what the researchers do not - that these frozen bodies are still very, very dangerous. We see the effects of their rapid modification of the transport shuttle they commandeer, and we see them march down Enterprise corridors with no hesitation, even when they begin to be gunned down by Reed's modified weapons. If the encounter continues, the outcome is assured. The Borg will just keep coming, and coming, and coming, and Enterprise will be overwhelmed. The episode is extremely well-directed, with the design of the modified transport interior into a sort of Borg Cube in miniature evoking Hellraiser-in-Space... and doing so far more effectively than the actual "Pinhead in Space" section of Hellraiser Bloodline.


THOUGHTS

As is probably apparent, I enjoyed this episode. A lot. I have no doubt that the Continuity Police had problems with Archer & co. encountering the Borg 200 years before Best of Both Worlds. But I don't particularly care. This was 45 taut, well-acted, well-directed minutes. It's Trek in Aliens mode, with no trace of the social commentary that usually fuels the best of Trek. But for "action/horror Trek," it at least follows that template effectively. I wasn't bored for a single second of this episode, and that in itself is enough for me to squint at continuity niggles (none of which are too all-encompassing anyway), and just enjoy the show for doing a good job at telling a simple action story.

In previous episodes, writers Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong have proved themselves to be the big finds of the second season. Many of the season's strongest episodes have had their names attached, notably Dead Stop and The Catwalk. Their scripts are consistently marked by a real understanding of effective story structure. They know when to slow down to allow a storytelling beat a little extra time, such as the scene in which Hoshi tries to comfort the infected Phlox, who doesn't want her to linger in case he loses control of himself.  They also know when to push the pace for all it's worth. I would be interested in seeing them attempt an episode along the lines of The Breach or Cogenitor - something a little less action driven and a little more issue driven - just to see how they do with a different style of episode. But it can at least be said that these two understand how to do "action Trek" right, without compromising either what makes a good Star Trek story or what makes an effective action story.

One sustained structural beat I enjoyed was the opening Act. The entire first ten minutes is spent with the Arctic research team. This stretch is highly effective. The three researchers are there long enough to feel genuine, and the gradual awakening of the Borg creates tension - particularly when one researcher gets nervous and suggests putting them into cold storage to avoid them regenerating, dangling a moment at which these researchers might potentially avoid their fate.

I also enjoyed the way this episode played with previous/later Borg appearances. The events of the episode occur because of the events of Star Trek: First Contact. Without the Borg debris from the final battle in that movie, there would be no basis for this story... meaning that Picard and the Borg's trip back in time has changed history. But the ending of this episode also leads directly into the Borg invasion of The Best of Both Worlds... meaning that the trip back in time was always part and parcel of Picard's timeline, as it was the events of this episode that apparently started the Borg on its trip toward Earth. Trek sometimes gets accused of being overly enamored of time travel stories. But it has to be said - these kinds of little cyclical paradoxes do help to make time travel stories kind of fun.


Rating: 9/10. About as well-structured as a single-part episode of "action Trek" could reasonably be expected to be.

Previous Episode: Cogenitor

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1-17. Fusion

THE PLOT

The Enterprise is heading toward a nebula that Archer has personal reasons for wishing to chart in detail, when it encounters a Vulcan transport ship. Archer braces himself... but these are not typical Vulcans. This ship consists of several disenfranchised Vulcans who have abandoned mainstream society in an attempt to integrate emotions with logic. T'Pol finds this disturbing, but Archer finds this group almost surprisingly easy to relate to. As Trip assists the Vulcan engineer with repairs to their ship's engines, the Vulcans repay them by helping to chart the nebula. But when one of the Vulcans develops a fascination with T'Pol, and becomes obsessed with drawing out her buried emotions, the consequences may be more than any of the Enterprise crew are prepared for.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Archer's flaws are still decidedly in evidence. He decides early on that it would be good for T'Pol to interact with these Vulcans, and all but orders her to work closely with them - which directly leads to the episode's crisis. However, he is also showing signs of some progress. He admits early on that he "could be wrong" in sensing no danger from the Vulcans, which is more than he's typically admitted when brushing aside T'Pol's cautions. When Admiral Forrest contacts him with a favor for a member of the Vulcan High Command, Archer actually listens and attempts to complete that favor, which shows recognition that building a few bridges (as opposed to burning them) might be a good thing. Finally, when things get out-of-hand with T'Pol's Vulcan admirer, he deals with it extremely well, if unnecessarily melodramatically.

T'Pol: This episode is largely centered around her. Refreshingly, instead of reinforcing that she's a Vulcan woman from Vulcan (the way Mayweather's character-centric episode simply reinforced the two things we already knew about him), the writers actually fill in some new background. We learn that she has toyed with minor bits of rebellion in the past, and that one night in San Francisco, she allowed herself to experience emotion through jazz music. Her initial repulsion at these emotional Vulcans quickly turns to fascination and attraction, and she is almost eager to flirt with the very danger of which she warns Archer. Jolene Blalock does a generally good job with the material she's given here, creating a far more sympathetic version of T'Pol than Broken Bow would have had me believing possible.

Trip: Forms a fast bond with the Vulcan engineer. When he learns of that Vulcan's issues with his father, his compassionate side shows itself, and he deals very well with his new friend, earning a very positive result all-around.


THOUGHTS

As with Breaking the Ice, this is an episode that's quite light on actual incident. It is almost entirely a character episode, with only a third-act crisis creating any sense of external conflict. Mostly, the episode is content to explore our three main characters, and muse about emotion versus reason, and the balance between the two.

I find it interesting that Trip ends up coming out with a purely positive interaction, while Archer and T'Pol have more negative experiences. Obviously, this is not narratively to Archer's or T'Pol's discredit - T'Pol is assaulted (with the script none-too-subtly equating the incident with attempted rape), and Archer is responding in his capacity as ship's captain to an attack on one of his crew. Still, it should be noted that of the three leads, it is Trip who probably has the best balance between reason and emotion. Unlike T'Pol, Trip is open to his emotions. Unlike Archer, he rarely allows those emotions to override his reason and judgment. Whether it's an accident of the script or not, it therefore feels appropriate that Trip ends up with the most positive experience here. Admittedly, it doesn't hurt that Trip ends up partnered with the most emotionally balanced of the renegade Vulcans.

The episode is well-directed, as has been the case with most Enterprise episodes. Here, we see particularly strong flourishes in T'Pol's memories/dreams/flashbacks to her night out in San Francisco. These scenes are shot in such a way, with attention to color and lighting, that a dreamlike haze is evoked with every cut. It's effective, and visually very well-accomplished.

In the end, this is a quiet episode, almost certainly not a critical one, but reasonably effective. The "attempted rape" metaphor is perhaps a touch too blatant, and the "bad apple" among the Vulcans is far too easy to spot. But I genuinely enjoyed the piece. I doubt it will linger in my mind, but it was decent viewing, if expendable.


Rating: 6/10

Previous Episode: Shuttlepod One
Next Episode: Rogue Planet

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1-15. Shadows of P'Jem

THE PLOT

When the Andorian government takes action against the sanctuary on P'Jem, destroying the monastery, the Vulcans order T'Pol transferred back home, to take the blame for her part in the Andorian discovery of the listening post. Archer is told that a Vulcan ship will rendezvous with Enterprise in two days, after which he will no longer have a Vulcan science officer.

Archer decides to take T'Pol on one last mission, to make contact with an alien race who have advanced starship capabilities. However, his shuttle is intercepted by a ship belonging to rebels fighting against the government, claiming that this government is a corrupt, unrepresentative puppet of the Vulcans. Archer and T'Pol are taken hostage, with the rebels demanding weapons.

Now Reed and Tucker must launch a desperate rescue attempt. An attempt that may just be complicated by the arrival of a Vulcan starship...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Though unrepentent about his actions at P'Jem, he does regret the destruction of the sanctuary. He also has clearly come to value T'Pol, and reacts against the ordered transfer. From the outset, he urges T'Pol to fight against the effort to scapegoat her, Despite his distaste for the Vulcans, he does find it in himself to negotiate reasonably with the captain of the Vulcan ship.

T'Pol: Spends the first half of the episode, after receiving her transfer orders, going into a near-shutdown. She adopts a ultra-logical, ultra-unemotional facade... which demonstrates to both Archer and the viewers just how upset she is.

Trip: With Archer and T'Pol off the ship, Trip gets to take command. He works with Reed to try to plot out a rescue operation... though it's a rather rushed and reckless plan, saved from disaster only by very good luck.


THOUGHTS

Finally, some consequences from The Andorian Incident! I was starting to wonder whether those rather significant events would ever have ramifications for the crew. In my Breaking the Ice review, I noted the disapproval with which other Vulcans seemed to view T'Pol and her current assignment. Here, we see that expanded on.

The events of P'Jem have the Vulcans eager to make T'Pol a scapegoat. As Archer observes, since they can't punish him, they're going to take it out on her... and, of course, accept no culpability whatsoever for their own treaty violations. We also get more hints of a darker side to the Vulcan government at this point in their history, with them being accused (we never do find out exactly how justly) of setting up "puppet governments" - a government that, in this case, appears to be highly repressive against a large portion of its own population. At this point, I'm thinking that all of this material painting the Vulcans in an unflattering light has to be building to something, though I'm not sure exactly what.

Jeffrey Combs returns as Shran. This time, he's actually allowed to show some of his facility with humor, particularly when he complains about feeling indebted to Archer. One does wonder just how closely the Andorians might be tied to these rebels, however. We already have a Temporal Cold War in this series... Is there another Cold War going on, with Vulcans and Andorians backing repressive regimes and violent rebellions against those regimes? There's the potential to explore some very interesting avenues here.

Character work and performances are generally strong throughout. All of the non-Mayweather regulars have settled into their roles nicely, and all of the non-Mayweather characters are shaping up to form an interesting and dynamic crew.


Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Sleeping Dogs
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