TheGodBen Revisits Enterprise

[startrekwatcher]

Proving Ground was a good--not great--episode that did a really good job weaving together various threads that ENT had introduced. We had the Xindi coming back into the game after a long absence, the anomalies wisely woven into the plot and the Federation building with Shran and the Andorians.

While I enjoyed this episode, it did remind me of how good ENT could be as a prequel series when it chose to be and found myself wanting it to get back to those less high stakes roots. Thankfully we get more of this in season four.

It was nice seeing the Xindi again but by now I was frustrated with the lack of development or exploration of the players and their motivations and who their future benefactor was. I also would have liked a bit more curiosity from Shran regarding the reason the Xindi would attack them. Learning it might have to do with time travelers might have been of concern for the Andorians. Did they know of the TCW? Also I would think the Xindi might consider the need to worry about the Andorians and the Vulcans given how T'Pol is working with the human "threat" and now Shran.

The FX were outstanding--the test on the planetoid, the anomalies pummeling the ship. I also liked the reveal of Shran with our first glimpse of only his antennae.

The Talas/Reed stuff was passable but not that interesting. Trip and Shran's brief moment was nice bonding over a loss.

I'd give it 3 stars.

 

[Mach5]

The Talas/Reed stuff was passable but not that interesting.

My inner Talas/Reed shipper is offended.

 

[SRFX]

Shran is always good value. Any episode with him in it is a winner in my view.

 

[TheGodBen]

Stratagem (***½)

I find myself torn about this episode because, on the one hand, I don't like the "3 days earlier" thing, but on the other hand, thinking that the situation is real might have been the key to me being sympathetic towards Degra. This device has been overused this season, we've already seen it used in Impulse and Similitude and it was sort of used in Twilight too, so it is about time that they put it to rest. But because this episode originally tricked me into thinking that they actually were in the "future" the first time I saw it I found it easier to buy into Degra being a normal guy than I might have otherwise.

Degra's backstory is the key to the success of this episode, he's not a moustachio-twirling mad man planning to commit genocide for fun and profit, he's a theoretical scientist with a family and he is doing what he is doing in order to protect the people he loves. And even though we learn he is disturbed about having killed 7 million humans, when he learns the truth about the deception he is still willing to kill Archer because he feels he has to. He is a man of great determination yet he still has a moral centre, which makes him a good antagonist.

However, the story is a little contrived, it is hard to believe that Enterprise could mock up such a convincing simulator and backstory within a single day, and the idea that they managed to wipe out the Xindi's memories so precisely is a stretch. As is the fact that they managed to do all this without leaving any trace of their presence. But hey, the episode humanises one of the bad guys and sends Enterprise off towards the Xindi weapon, so I'm not going to complain too much.

Archer Abuse: 24

 

[Jimmy Bob]

For me personally Stratagem marked the point when I became emotionally invested in season's 3 storyline. I was awed how the episode tricked me and I found it to be so inspired and refreshing. Also Degra and Archer have the best character moments of this season. In this episode you can still see disgust in Archer's eyes, struggle to swallow the hatred when deceived Degra is regretting his actions.

Mike Sussman has been one of the most deliveriest writers in this season. First Anomaly kept us going through Extinction and other mediocre episodes with it's awesomeness of Bakula Unleashed. Then when I was just right about to think that it's just season 2 again, then Twilight came and wham and bam - the show is inspired again. But then someone decided to shoot the show in the foot a couple of times and when all hope is seemingly lost - bam! Stratagem. The show grabbed inspiration by the balls and never let go. Okay, for a moment or two there... but it was a thrilling ride to the end. Well almost. Ironically Mike Sussman is involved in these "loose grip on inspirations balls" moments. Okay E2 was more or less good despite it's stalling effect... but Hatchery was an (fortunately failed) assassination attempt.

I just finished season 3 so I am kinda woozy-dazy by how badass Archer became, but for me season 3 is a battle between Enteprise and it's writers. Enterprise wants to be a good show with amazing stuff happening it, but the writers are untalented or unwilling to come out from their safety formulas... so they fight, and writers team up constantly to kill the poor show but in the end Enterprise wins victoriously. That's how I feel anyway right now. I was talking about Stratagem in the beginning. Oh well, rant is as rant does. I praise Stratagem for turning season 3 into goodness. And that was basically all I wanted to say. I'm needlessly wordy that way.

 

[Unicron]

"Deliveriest"? I'm not sure if that's a word or not, but I like it.

 

[Mach5]

"Deliveriest"? I'm not sure if that's a word or not, but I like it.

Boy, there really is tones of stuff to learn from Jimmy Bob. First he taught us about all those "colored" characters in a white show, and now he even expanded my vocabulary...

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Jimmy Bob, I tend to agree about Strategem. It was the first episode I watched since Extinction and it renewed my faith in the show. Thankfully, I watched it during a little mini-season break and then got to watch Azati Prime live. I never missed an episode of Enterprise after that. Was it the greatest episode? No, it uses a lot of cliches, etc. But the episode works and it hooked me back into the show.

 

[TheGodBen]

Boy, there really is tones of stuff to learn from Jimmy Bob. First he taught us about all those "colored" characters in a white show, and now he even expanded my vocabulary...

At least I'm not the only guy around here to have racial trouble while reviewing Enterprise.


Harbinger (**½)

Not a very clever episode but there's something about the tone of it that I like. There's a ship going somewhere, they're not doing any exploring, so the crew gets a little antsy and starts acting out. Also, what little sci-fi story there is takes a back seat to the character stuff, which is fine by me.

Trip and T'Pol: I'm not a TnT fan, I never was, but since it was obvious from the start of this season that they were going to shove these two together I was glad the finally did something about it rather have it be an endless will they/wont they scenario. Boy was I pissed off by the end of this episode (and the next season and a half). Like I said, it's not all that smart and it only makes sense in light of the fact that T'Pol is secretly a drug addict. It also annoys me that they introduce Amanda Cole for this one episode and then drop her, the least they could do is have T'Pol screw her too.

Reed V Hayes: Once again, this is not that smart but I like the fact that they addressed this theme from earlier in the season. It also brings us more Steven Culp who I was familiar with at that time because he also had a recurring role on The West Wing as the Republican Speaker Haffley, so that was fun for me. The fight might have been a bit much, but it did give me a chuckle as Hayes walks away and Reed leaps down the corridor and tackles him.

The harbinger: It didn't make much sense when I saw it first, but knowing how the season plays out helps me to enjoy this plot more than I did the first time. The writers really did their homework this season because c-plots like this help things come together quite nicely when you view it in focus.

Nipples (and ass) Ahoy!: 16

 

[Mach5]

the least they could do is have T'Pol screw her too.

Are you suggesting a T/T/Amanda Cole threesome here?

 

[startrekwatcher]

Harbinger is an episode that perfectly shows why ENT was wise to stick largely with plot-driven stories. This was the first character piece in quite some time and the T/T and R/H stuff was poorly handled while the sphere builder plot was quite entertaining.

I never cared for T/T how the show handled it. I wasn't, in theory, adverse to it but instead of exploring it in a more mature compelling manner it was dumbed down. It also doesn't help that you need to care for both involved in the relationship and the only one I did care for was T'Pol. Also I think we should have seen more hints seeded through the episodes since "Impulse" that something was up with T'Pol.

Reed rarely got any spotlight and when we finally get a significant role for him in a story to headline it turns me off at how immature and annoying he behaves that I would prefer the writers to continue to neglect him if this is what we can expect. Unfortunately, the writers didn't realize this since two episodes from now we get another showcase of annoying Reed.

The Sphere Builder plot was the most interesting since we have some nice revelations and a great ominous declaration to close out the episode. Up until then I hadn't made the connection nor did it cross my mind that the Xindi arc and spheres were connected but like LOST or Heroes the writers cleverly dovetailed two seemingly disconnected threads nicely together which was probably the wisest move given that it would be too unwieldy not tying them in. From here on out now one advances the other. Loved the exotic alien design of the pod and the sphere builder make-up. I also liked the notion of a canary in the mine although I'm not sure I buy the fact that he would reveal so much to Archer painting the sphere builders as some malevolent force instead of trying to come up with a more benign story that wouldn't concern Archer of why he was there in the pod. As a result, it seems less logical character-wise and more of a clumsy way for the writers to provide necessary exposition. Also several of these pieces would come back into play in nice touches of continuity later in the season such as the scans used in "The Council" and "Zero Hour".

Unfortunately in order to drag out the season this is the first of three episodes that exist to seed elements for later use rather than being three episodes worthy in their own right.

I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 4.

 

[TheGodBen]

Are you suggesting a T/T/Amanda Cole threesome here?

Remove one of the Ts.


Doctor's Orders (*)

Once upon a time there was a guy called P... (I can't remember his name because I'm very tired, but it began with a P) and he was lonely so he pretended that there was a woman with him. The woman wasn't real, it was all just him pretending to himself, but there was an audience watching and because of the clever way things were structured they thought the woman was real and felt that the two provided very good support for one another. The audience bought into this, and when she revealed she had a medical/emotional problem they bought into this too. When the truth was finally revealed to the audience, that this woman wasn't real, they had a hard time accepting it, they were utterly shocked and very confused as to what had actually happened. "The woman wasn't real?" they asked, "But what about all those things I saw her do?" Some refused to believe the revelation, and some got very angry about the whole situation and stirred up quite the fuss.

Wait, nobody reacted like that to Doctor's Orders. I don't know what I was thinking of just then.

"2 days ago" If I see that sort of stunt used again I may just have to crush my own fingers in a door to stop myself from using them to strangle the writers.

Not content with being a very obvious rip-off of Voyager's One, this episode changes the colour of the transdimensional realm to make it look like the nebula from One so the slower amongst us could make the connection. The only thing this episode tries to do differently is the twist about T'Pol, but that was so obvious that I actually called it before T'Pol even showed up. (And before any smartarses point out that I've seen the episode before, I'm referring to the first time I watched the episode.) In the mean time we're treated to scenes of Phlox chasing imaginary ghosts, Phlox jogging, and, most inexplicably of all, Phlox walking around the ship completely starkers.

In a final insult to the audience we learn that there was no problem going to warp within the transdominospizza realm, so there was no need for any of this episode. Fan-bloody-tastic. Sorry, but not even John Billingsly could save this episode for me.

 

[SRFX]

I am a big Phlox fan, but really, Billingsley was the only thing that made this watchable ONCE. I think I have randomly seen parts of it on Foxtel - but it's a real doozy and I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again.

Although some part of me gets a kick out of seeing Blalock portraying T'Pol as a clueless idiot.

 

[apenpaap]

I like Doctors Orders, and I like the '2 days earlier' thing too.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

It worked for me. Phlox (and Billingsley) are always fun for me to watch. I went along with the ride, so the reveal at the end was a surprise for me, and a satisfying one on clickback.

Although some part of me gets a kick out of seeing Blalock portraying T'Pol as a clueless idiot.

That scene in engineering, when Phlox is trying to figure out how to go to warp, and T'Pol panics -- her expressions were priceless.

 

[Mach5]

Are you suggesting a T/T/Amanda Cole threesome here?

Remove one of the Ts.

Wouldn't be a threesome then...

 

[Skywalker]

Are you suggesting a T/T/Amanda Cole threesome here?

Remove one of the Ts.

Wouldn't be a threesome then...

Just replace said T with an H.

I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

 

[TheGodBen]

Just replace said T with an H.

I like the way your mind works!


Hatchery (*½)

Those of you that read these threads know how smart I am, it is obvious for all to see. One day somebody will invent some sort of compendium of words and when explaining the word "genius" they will use me as an example, along with Einstein, da Vinci, Mozart and Brannon Braga. Perhaps it was because of my superior brain power that I was able to predict how the plot would turn out for two weeks running. Or maybe it was because this episode was so unbelievably telegraphed and I'm not actually as smart as you guys think I am.

When somebody gets sprayed with something alien in a sci-fi show of course it isn't benign, it's a major plot point not so cleverly hidden. When characters question orders so strongly early in the episode it is going to lead to a mutiny. When the military is involved they are going to act like mindless drones. And that's exactly what happens, Archer gets sprayed, he goes weird and obsessive, officers mutiny against him but the military stand by his orders. In the end Trip beams down to the planet, he confronts Archer, an insect climbs up Archer's arm, Archer tells Trip that he seeks peaceful coexistence and so Trip shoots him.

The episode isn't as bad as I remembered it, this time I felt that T'Pol was acting just as much out of character as Archer for the much of the episode, but that could be because she's a crack whore now. But the episode is too obvious; I knew the way the plot was heading early on and I knew the way the plot was going to end, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about the events on screen.

Archer Abuse: 25
Captain Redshirt: 27
Transporter: 10

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, there's no way to get around how obvious this episode is. There are things I like in it (the MACO/Starfleet conflict, a brief moment with the Xindi Insectoid ship they chase after, and, uh, probably something else). There needed to be some way to make the incident that infects Archer more subtle and they probably should have changed the focus a bit. One of my complaints about Harbinger was that there was too much packed into too little time. This episode would have been a good opportunity to explore the Reed/Hayes rivalry, rather than that episode.

 

[SFRabid]

I consider Hatchery the worst episode of the season. As said, it was too obvious and thus should have been obvious to the crew.