Friendships

[Miss Lemon]

This thread is inspired by Alienesse’s wonderful thread Why I love Enterprise.

One of the things I like best about Enterprise is the way it depicts friendships. It’s one of the reasons I’m a big fan of DS9 as well.

Several friendships were forged during Enterprise’s run, including the friendships between Archer & T’Pol, Trip & Reed, Phlox & Hoshi, and Archer & Shran.

My favourite friendship is the one between Trip and Reed. They are opposites in many ways, with Trip being both impulsive and brash, and Reed being uptight and always playing it by the book. But they clearly have enough common ground to make their friendship work. I love their humour, I love how they work together as a great team and I love how Trip is able to rile Reed and vice-versa.

My favourite Trip & Reed episodes are: Silent Enemy, Shuttlepod One, Dead Stop and United.

What is your favourite friendship and why?

 

[ReedEnterprise]

I think it was also implied that Hoshi and Travis had a nice friendship going as well.
But as with you, I love the Malcolm/Trip relationship. It just goes to show 2 people from very different back grounds can not only work together but be the best of friends. Aside from the differences you mentioned, look at their family background. Malcolm's parents and sister had no clue what his favorite food was, showing that he kept to himself, as if he had a guarded relationship with them. While Trip's family could tell you just about everything about him. They had great times together and worked off each other well.
Favorite episode is by far Shuttlepod One. Always will be, but I do enjoy Dead Stop a lot. The looks they give each other and what they do, I can see myself getting into trouble like that with my best friend.
I do like the relationship with Archer and T'Pol a lot, how they grew to respect and truly care about each other. But Malcolm and Trip is the one for me.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I thought Trip and Malcolm had a hilarious bro friendship that was very believable.

Archer and T'Pol's friendship was great because we saw it develop. It's more bonhomie than Janeway and Tuvok but they have similarities. Both Vulcans show their respect for their human friends by not pushing forward their views, rather waiting for the human to come to them or to notice their silence and take this as something unspoken that needs to be asked about. T'Pol is more like this the greater the friendship is, presumably because her respect has grown. Janeway and Tuvok had been friends for years so you see it from the start.

 

[Miss Lemon]

Always will be, but I do enjoy Dead Stop a lot. The looks they give each other and what they do, I can see myself getting into trouble like that with my best friend.

I can't believe I didn't mention the getting in trouble thing myself! On another website someone called them the Disaster Twins, which I thought was hilarious and very apt. I wish they had done more episodes like Deadstop. When Trip got interested in T'Pol, he seemed less interested in Malcolm.

What did you think of Two Days Two Night? Personally, I didn't like it that much. Well, obviously I did enjoy the being tied up in underwear part, but their approach to women made me cringe as usual. How old are these men anyway?

BTW, congrats on your shiny avatar ReedEnterprise!

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I think they are both emotionally immature when it comes to women. The giggling school boy thing in TDTN being a prime example. But that's what they went down there for, not the scenery.

 

[Miss Lemon]

Archer and T'Pol's friendship was great because we saw it develop.

I really liked that too. It’s the opposites attract thing again. I guess that’s why I have always been less interested in the friendship between Archer and Trip. Someone once wrote somewhere that Trip is Archer’s Mini-Me which is rather apt if you ask me.

It’s interesting that you compare their friendship to that of Janeway and Tuvok. I hadn’t thought of that before and I can see the similarities. I read somewhere that their friendship was inspired by the friendship between Kirk and Spock, but I don’t quite see that though. Maybe it’s because T’Pol is a woman, maybe it’s because she such a different Vulcan than Spock (in my opinion anyway). The chemistry was there anyway.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Janeway and Tuvok have been friends for years and I see that as how the Archer T'Pol friendship will evolve. I think it's kind of touching when you see the humans valuing their Vulcan friends for wisdom, not just rote facts.

The Kirk and Spock thing works for me as far as T'Pol and Archer go because they had a mutual dependence that we see with T'Pol and Archer. Again though we see Archer and T'Pol in the very early years and Kirk and Spock is further down the track.

 

[Miss Lemon]

The giggling school boy thing in TDTN being a prime example. But that's what they went down there for, not the scenery.

They wanted to check out the ladies, I can respect that.
But couldn't they have been a little more suave about it? No wonder some people question if Reed was really interested in women. Watching his wooing techniques, one wonders how the British manage to reproduce in the first place.

 

[Alienesse]

The Kirk and Spock thing works for me as far as T'Pol and Archer go because they had a mutual dependence that we see with T'Pol and Archer. Again though we see Archer and T'Pol in the very early years and Kirk and Spock is further down the track.

Good point. I can see how Archer and T'Pol's friendship mirrors Kirk and Spock's. I think I've already mentioned that I see their relationship as the prototype for Kirk & Spock, and as another piece of Trek history that ENT showed us. As teacake says, we saw Kirk and Spock later in their friendship, when they were already comfortable with each other and acknowledged their mutual dependence. With Archer and T'Pol, we get to see how it all began, and that's why I love their relationship so much. They each take a step towards each other from the very first episode.

I love how "Broken Bow" plants the seeds of their evolving friendship. Their initial encounter at Starfleet Medical, with Archer's rather nasty remark, is openly conflictual. Then, we have the intentionally malicious first meeting in the Captain's Ready Room, where both Archer and Tucker make a point of showing T'Pol that they don't want her there. She in turn keeps preaching her Vulcan "you're not ready" mantra. I suppose things change when Archer saves her life in spite of his personal feelings. T'Pol acknowledges the selflessness of that gesture and decides to return the favor by following his orders as acting captain. By the end of the episode, T'Pol is already working together with Archer and his crew, instead of holding them back. My favorite part if their final discussion, where Archer quite maturely confesses his willingness to put aside his prejudices and receives T'Pol's critique that he also needed to let go of his pride. This is him deciding to outgrow his beef with the Vulcans, at least as far as T'Pol was concerned, and admit that there were things about himself he needed to correct. On the other hand, T'Pol makes her own concession when she yields to Archer's reluctance to request her as science officer and offers to make the request herself.

I saw this episode as a wonderful sublimation of their relationship throughout the series. We see them both willing to accept and learn from each other.

No wonder some people question if Reed was really interested in women. Watching his wooing techniques, one wonders how the British manage to reproduce in the first place.

Booze?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

The giggling school boy thing in TDTN being a prime example. But that's what they went down there for, not the scenery.

They wanted to check out the ladies, I can respect that.
But couldn't they have been a little more suave about it? No wonder some people question if Reed was really interested in women. Watching his wooing techniques, one wonders how the British manage to reproduce in the first place.

My in universe explanation is that they were both overwhelmed by these being alien women. They were truly out of their comfort zone so reverted to the same boyish leering they would have employed when they were young teens and human women were overwhelming.

Wow I like this explanation.. it makes them look better

 

[lurok]

Watching his wooing techniques, one wonders how the British manage to reproduce in the first place.

I always loved that bit in (is it E2?) where poor old Reed is the only one who doesn't have any progeny. The look on his face...

Chalk up another one for Archer/T'Pol. The friction, particularly in early days, made it...interesting.

 

[Miss Lemon]

[snip]

I saw this episode as a wonderful sublimation of their relationship throughout the series. We see them both willing to accept and learn from each other.

Great episode analysis, Alienesse! I agree with you that their initial dislike and distrust of each other made the development of their friendship very interesting to watch.

I'm still not sure their friendship would be able to develop into Kirk&Spock epicness though.

No wonder some people question if Reed was really interested in women. Watching his wooing techniques, one wonders how the British manage to reproduce in the first place.

Booze?

Reasonable explanation.

 

[Alienesse]

[snip]

I saw this episode as a wonderful sublimation of their relationship throughout the series. We see them both willing to accept and learn from each other.

Great episode analysis, Alienesse!

Thank you!

I agree with you that their initial dislike and distrust of each other made the development of their friendship very interesting to watch.

I'm still not sure their friendship would be able to develop into Kirk&Spock epicness though.

I suppose not, and I don't think they were going for that. Kirk & Spock are inimitable.

 

[Miss Lemon]

My in universe explanation is that they were both overwhelmed by these being alien women. They were truly out of their comfort zone so reverted to the same boyish leering they would have employed when they were young teens and human women were overwhelming.

You know, this explanation does make sense. And it does make them look better. Slightly...

I always loved that bit in (is it E2?) where poor old Reed is the only one who doesn't have any progeny. The look on his face..

You are referring to the episode E2. How can you love such cruelty?! Poor Reed!

One theory about this scene is that Reed was actually trying to cover up the fact that he had married Hayes. It puts a whole other light on that scene in which he is desperately trying to chat up that female ensign, doesn't it?

 

[ReedEnterprise]

What did you think of Two Days Two Night? Personally, I didn't like it that much. Well, obviously I did enjoy the being tied up in underwear part, but their approach to women made me cringe as usual. How old are these men anyway?

BTW, congrats on your shiny avatar ReedEnterprise!

I liked Two Days Two Nights for only 1 reason, the scene with Phlox, Cutler and T'Pol! I laugh each time I see it. It was genius! Other than that, the only thing I could like about it was that it was more Malcolm and Trip but as an episode, not really. They could have done so much more with Risa, done it different. It was a let down since the worked it up so much in what the previous 2 episodes of not getting there? I know about how the react, it's not like the never saw a woman before look onboard!
But I do get the fact that they both weren't ladies men.

As far as Trip and Archer, I love their friendship and it is just a shame that they didn't put more of it in via stories. We hear about how they went thru boot camp together (or something similar) and that deleted scene in Shuttlepod One would have been so good. I like the ease of the 2 of them.
There were friendships all over, I like the one with Phlox and Cutler, I would have loved to see that one mature though I understand they couldn't because she died in real life during filming.

And naturally Shran and Archer. And to a lesser extent Archer and Soval.

But as I said, Reed and Trip were my favorite. Just makes me so sad to think what could have been.

And thank you about the avatar, I couldn't wait to put it up

 

[Alienesse]

First of all, ReedEnterprise, I've already congratulated you on your avatar on STL, but I figure it won't hurt if I do it again. I still love it! In fact, I used it as inspiration for my entry in one of the av contests.

I'm not a big fan of "Two Days Two Nights" either, except for that Phlox/Cutler/T'Pol scene, which was indeed hilarious. I cringed all the way through Trip and Malcolm's "adventures". That was... not very flattering for them.

There were friendships all over, I like the one with Phlox and Cutler, I would have loved to see that one mature though I understand they couldn't because she died in real life during filming.

She died? I had no idea! I really liked her, that's such a shame! I would have definitely loved seeing more of Crewman Cutler.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Yes it is sad. I remember she was on 6 Feet Under too.

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Kellie_Waymire

I would have loved to see her on all 4 seasons of ENT.

 

[Miss Lemon]

She died? I had no idea! I really liked her, that's such a shame! I would have definitely loved seeing more of Crewman Cutler.

It's sad, isn't it? She was still so young.

First of all, ReedEnterprise, I've already congratulated you on your avatar on STL, but I figure it won't hurt if I do it again.

Okay, now where is this secret hide-out of yours that you gals didn't tell me about?!

 

[Alienesse]

Okay, now where is this secret hide-out of yours that you gals didn't tell me about?!

PMed you with details.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Too long in fandom.. just got an email from a company with the subject line "the Shipping is on us" and I thought "the shipping?! who will it be this time?!"