3-2. Anomaly.

"Mercy is not a quality that will serve you well in the Expanse, Captain!"


THE PLOT

As the Enterprise moves deeper into the Expanse, the spacial anomalies cause greater and greater effects on the ship. When one anomaly costs them both warp and weapons power, they are left temporarily defenseless.

That's when the Osaarians come, using superior transporter technology to beam into the ship and attack, stealing everything they can lay their hands on before running off again. Archer, Trip, and the marines fight back, and capture a prisoner (Robert Rusler). Then, once the ship's engines are operational again, they pursue.

They follow the Osaarians' trail through a cloaking field, and find an ancient Sphere that the pirates are using to store their ill-gotten gains. But this turns from a simple recovery of stolen property into something more when the crew discovers that among the ships these pirates attacked was a Xindi vessel. One which left a lot of information in the Osaarians' database...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Wow. Archer has a scene in this episode that is unlike anything seen from a Star Trek captain in any Trek series or movie before. When he learns of the link between the pirates and the Xindi, all the anger he's been carrying comes out in one fiercely focused and controlled act, as he interrogates his prisoner. In an airlock. While it's decompressing. The scene is startling, because it's completely unlike anything Archer would have been willing to do before. It's also very disturbing, and deliberately so given that we go to commercial on Archer's very grim face at the end of this scene.

Trip: He continues to have difficulty sleeping, and it's now starting to affect his work as he injures himself while making a misjudgment. The ongoing anger of the past two episodes is settling, but leaving in its place a lingering bitterness. The eternally kind and good-humored Trip is now a pessimist, looking on the ship's current mission as "a one-way trip." At least he seems willing to start working with T'Pol regularly to help ease his sleep issues.

Hoshi: Gets a solid supporting role this episode, as she recognizes Xindi symbols among the material in the Sphere. She is also able to download (most of) a Xindi database from the Osaarians' computers.


ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Enterprise gets its very first confirmed redshirt with Crewman Fuller, killed during the Osaarians' attack. Trip voices his suspicion that though they've been lucky so far in avoiding casualties, Fuller "won't be the last" to die on this mission.


THOUGHTS

Another good show in a run of good shows. It's a shame they waited until the brink of cancellation for this new direction. If they had shifted gears sooner - say, right at the start of Season Two - it might have made a huge difference in how this series is regarded.

As with the last episode, the plot itself is not that far removed from what we had been seeing. Enterprise is attacked by space pirates. Again. But the new setting of The Expanse, and the complications that come with that new setting, make a big difference in how dangerous the situation feels.

There is more excellent CGI here, as the Enterprise passes through a cloaking field to discover the Sphere. The Osaarians may be using it, but they obviously did not create it, nor did they create the cloaking field. The Sphere's presence and properties raise more interesting questions about the Expanse.

The episode ends with Enterprise having gotten more information about the Xindi, and with Archer viewing that information with an obsessed look on his face. With his face reflected in the green lighting, and in light of some of his actions during the episode, the effect is disturbing. This episode shows us that Archer and Enterprise really are willing to do "whatever it takes" in pursuit of their new mission - and there's something just a little bit frightening about that thought


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Xindi
Next Episode: Extinction

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2-20. Horizon.

THE PLOT

With his father's ship, Horizon, in the vicinity of Enterprise, Mayweather takes the opportunity to make a visit back home. It's a far less cordial homecoming than he would have liked. His father has died, leaving his brother a command that he's not quite ready for. The crew is less than completely confident in their new captain, particularly as deliveries fall farther and farther behind schedule. When Mayweather attempts to help by upgrading a few systems, his brother insists on viewing his "help" as undermining his fragile authority. It all comes to a head when space pirates attack the ship, demanding that they abandon ship or face the consequences.

Meanwhile, Trip asks T'Pol to a movie that she really, really doesn't want to go see. Archer decides to intervene and get these two crazy kids to make things work. Unfortunately, there's no cameo by the Fonz - though such would not have been out of place.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: He deals with Mayweather's loss with empathy, and finds a sympathetic way to make a deal with T'Pol over the "movie night." I did appreciate how oblivious Archer was to T'Pol's reaction when he described them going to the movie together as "a date." Otherwise, there's not much for Archer to do in this episode.

T'Pol: The "movie night" subplot, though the stuff of sit-coms, does provide T'Pol with a couple of enjoyable character beats. It's entirely predictable that, after seeking to avoid the movie, T'Pol would end up enjoying it in her own way. But the way in which T'Pol manages to enjoy the film is interesting. She relates the persecution faced by the monster to the persecution Vulcans have faced on Earth, and even says she is going to recommend screening the film for Vulcans coming to Earth, because she believes it will be helpful to them in adjusting. That is considerably more interesting and intelligent than the pat "She-loves-it!" resolution I was expecting.

Trip: One consistent aspect of Trip's characterization is this: He's a genuinely good guy. This isn't exactly a big Trip episode, but there is one lovely moment, just as Mayweather leaves for the Horizon. Trip hands him a data pad into which he has downloaded every photo of Mayweather taken during the voyage so far, on the grounds that he thought his "mom might want to see what her son's been up to." A very thoughtful thing to do, and one senses that Trip probably did this (and other little things he's done across the series) without even particularly thinking about it.

Mayweather: And here it is - Season Two's contractually obligated Mayweather-centric episode, the one episode of the season in which Mayweather gets anything remotely resembling characterization. We open the episode on Mayweather sitting upside-down in the "sweet spot." Why? Because it recalls a character scene he got back in the pilot, way back when Anthony Montgomery possibly had hopes of doing some acting on this show, and because there have been almost zero character beats for him since then! Uhura may have gone episodes at a time with no lines other than, "Hailing frequencies open," but it always felt like there was somebody in there. Here I am, reviewing a Mayweather-centric episode... and it still doesn't feel like anyone's in there!  There are still no new character beats for Mayweather. He's still the Space Boomer, born in space, whose relations with his family were strained when he joined Starfleet. Not one iota of character advancement since Fortunate Son - a full season and a half ago!


THOUGHTS

The last Mayweather-centric episode was back in early Season One. That episode was Fortunate Son, a ham-fisted, cliche-ridden piece whose basic script elements would likely have been rejected by the producers of 1930's "B" westerns. In a series that has provided such gems as Terra Nova, A Night in Sickbay, and Precious Cargo, that particular episode still stands as my pick for Enterprise's absolute worst hour.

Measured against that as competition, Horizon at least manages to be a good deal better. Horizon is watchable, even intermittently absorbing. There are some beautiful special effects, particularly surrounding the breakdown of the planet which Enterprise is observing. There is actually some mild amusement to be had from the potentially interminable "movie night" subplot. There are a handful of decent character scenes. But for all of that, this episode is still far from actually being good.

The Mayweather family dynamics are the stuff of cliche. The resentful older brother, whose resentment of Mayweather's leaving and own insecurity in his new command makes him impervious to anything resembling reason. Boiled cliche. The saintly mother, who is magnificently competent in all fields, and who still has time to dispense pearls of wisdom. Stuffed cliche. It all comes to a head in an encounter with space pirates, in which Mayweather's upgrades to the weapons system (done over his brother's objections, of course) save the day and lead to a perfect reconciliation. Baked cliche, sauteed cliche, flame-broiled cliche.

That's not even mentioning the ending. Mayweather is going to have Reed look at the device left on the Horizon's hull, to figure out a way to get that beacon removed. But then he lies to Archer that Horizon had no trouble, and that damage left by the battle was from long ago. So he's going to have Reed remove an explosive tracking device, and justify that by saying that nothing of interest happened? "Must... not... think... about... stupid... writing..."

The episode's plot also bears more than a passing resemblance to that of Fortunate Son. In that episode, Mayweather had conflicting feelings when faced with the crew of a freighter who were dealing with space pirates. In this episode, Mayweather has a crisis of conscience over having left his family's freighter when they find themselves dealing with space pirates. Does this character only get variations on one plot?

Then again, given his normal use as a character, he's probably lucky to even get that much.  We can only hope that Mayweather's next episode, in which he will doubtless deal with freighters and space pirates yet again, might see further improvement - perhaps all the way from the mediocrity here to actual adequacy?

Rating: 3/10.

Previous Episode: Judgment
Next Episode: The Breach

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1-10. Fortunate Son.

...or The Good, the Bad, and the Stupid.


THE PLOT

When the Earth freighter, the Fortunate, is attacked by Naussican space pirates, the Enterprise diverts to answer its distress call. When they arrive, they discover that the Fortunate was able to fight off the Naussicans alone. The ship's captain is injured, but will recover. Damage is minor and, with a bit of assistance from Trip, repairs proceed quickly.

But the crew of the Fortunate is hiding something. One Naussican was taken captive in the battle, and is being held in the ship's hold, tortured for information that Matthew Ryan (Lawrence Monoson) - the Fortunate's First Officer and acting commander - plans to use to get revenge against the raiders. When Archer discovers this, Ryan lures him into a trap, then leaves Archer and his landing party in a situation where the Enterprise must rescue them, and let Ryan's ship go. Now Archer must catch up to Ryan before Ryan catches up to the Naussicans - or else no particularly dire consequences will ensue!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: His strict moral code will not allow him to stand by while the crew of the Fortunate tortures a prisoner. Confronted with a lack of authority over the space freighter, he shows cleverness by threatening the removal of all the repairs Enterprise completed - something well within his authority. Shows minor progress from earlier episodes in his willingness to negotiate with the Naussicans at the end to avoid a bloodbath.

Mayweather: The most underdeveloped character on the show finally gets an episode devoted to fleshing him out a bit. What do we learn? Well... We learn that Mayweather is a boomer. Which means he was born in space. Space boomer, geddit? Mayweather joined Starfleet for new opportunities, which may have put him at odds with his family. Because boomers need to stick together. Because they were born in space. Space boomers, geddit? Mayweather sympathizes with Ryan, because Ryan is also a boomer. Who was born in space. Space boomer, geddit? To cement their bond, Mayweather gives a tedious, horrible, godawful long speech. I think Ryan may have submitted just to shut Mayweather the heck up.

Anyway, just as Hoshi's character-building episode, Fight or Flight, just reaffirmed what we already knew about Hoshi (she's good at languages and a bit jumpy when it comes to space travel and unfamiliar situations), this episode basically just reaffirms the one thing we already knew about Mayweather (boomer... born in space... you know the rest). If this is Enterprise's notion of a character-building episode, then I'd honestly rather they just stick with the Big Three of Archer, T'Pol, and Trip. Didn't go so badly when TOS did it for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, did it? And at least we didn't get stuck with "character-building" episodes telling us at length that Scotty is a Scottish engineer from Scotland.

Villain of the Week: Matthew Ryan is effectively the villain of the episode, and as such he manages the not inconsiderable feat of being the least formidable villain yet seen in any of the Trek series I'm reviewing. Ryan's principle character trait (other than being a boomer, like Mayweather) appears to be stupidity. Exhibit A: Even with the Naussican laughing at his torture methods, Ryan never considers for a fraction of an instant that the Naussican may have given him a false code.

Exhibit B: After Archer threatens to remove the repairs, Ryan ambushes Archer and then escapes. Why? The first time the two meet, Ryan tries to decline Archer's offers of assistance, repeatedly insisting that his crew can handle the repairs. Assuming this was true - and we are given no indications otherwise - then all Ryan needs to do to get Acher completely off his back is say, "Go ahead," and then wait for his crew to complete the reapirs that we've already been told they're perfectly capable of completing before going after the Naussicans. But Ryan has to ambush the captain and his crew members, fire at them, and leave them in a potentially fatal situation - all of which are, I strongly suspect, things Starfleet does have some jurisdiction over.
Ryan is a moron. Which is why I think he might be one of the co-writers of this episode.



THOUGHTS

You can probably tell that this was not my favorite Enterprise episode. In fact, I think it was worse than Terra Nova. Focus is given to the series' least-developed character, and yet he does not develop one iota by the end. The only thing different about Mayweather is that now I hope he remains wallpaper, because at least when he has nothing to do, he isn't actively annoying. My least favorite scene was, of course, the speech at the end (I started rooting for the Naussicans). But a close second was his "confrontation" with Archer.

"Those people who shot at you and left you to, potentially die? I think we should leave them to their own business. Boomers look out for their own." Except I don't think Mayweather managed to make his case even that well. Given that Mayweather has no valid point, Archer easily overcomes his arguments and makes a stirring, wave-the-flag type speech that leaves Mayweather worshipping his wise and benevolent captain.

*thunk*

Couldn't the writers at least try to give Mayweather a valid argument, and maybe give Ryan an I. Q. at the same time? Honestly, given that the sum total of negative consequences either way, without Archer's interference, would have been either (a) the deaths of some space pirates; or (b) the deaths of a terminally stupid freighter crew that just collectively committed what was surely a criminal offense against Archer, I'm not entirely sure why the captain didn't just leave them to blow each other up.

Bad and boring. I can honestly think of no redeeming features. We didn't even get a cute Porthos bit.


Rating: 1/10.

Previous Episode: Civilization
Next Episode: Cold Front

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