First time watching Enterprise!
- Thread starter Merlanthe
- Start date
That must have been a treat when you got to see it 
Extinction.
I love the portrayal of the lo’qek (sp?). Their makeup is not much more than what we usually get bumpy forehead wise but their mannerisms and way of moving, the hisses and clicks that punctuate their speech, make them appear far more alien in nature.
The do come across as a fairly primitive species seemingly driven by instinct and not just in their desire to return to their city but also in how they interact. Archer and Reed fight over who gets to the remaining bug pod but they don’t try to take Hoshi’s bug pod and Archer offers T’Pol some bugs before chowing down himself. When Reed crawls over displaying submissive begging behaviour he allows him to eat. Its indicative of a pack mentality/hierarchy and primitive instincts at work.
I did find myself wondering how this species driven by such primitive instincts would have been able to build an underground city with flying gardens but this is a small group of individuals altered into Lo’qek and suffering memory loss. The guy in charge of quarantining the place was scary in his determination though its hard to blame him given the harm caused by this mutagenic virus thing.
I do find it quite hypocritical of Archer at the end. He and Phlox are quite happy to preserve the last remaining sample of a dangerous and highly infectious mutagenic virus so that the species it represents wont be entirely wiped form existence but previously were quite happy to allow a living species that had asked for their help to die out because it was ‘what nature intended’.
Yeah I call bs on that but the rest of the episode was great so four stars.
Rajin.
Okay her powers are freaky. At first I wasn’t sure what she was doing though it eventually became clear that she was scanning their biology whilst influencing their minds in a date rapey kinda way.
All the scenes where Rajin uses her powers freak me out. The scene where she assaults T’Pol is especially freaky. I wonder if the really strong date rapey vibes were intentional or something that wasn’t evident in the script itself but showed up when they came to film it. Or maybe its all in my weird mind. Good thing Trip was meant to be visiting and he didn’t just assume she was asleep or something but then he knows her well enough by now to know that if she doesn’t answer her door after arranging to meet him there is something up.
Also sexual slavery in a star trek episode that doesn’t resolve itself with the crew rescuing all of the sex slaves and freeing them. I didn’t expect to see that. It is quite refreshing that they didn’t go all morally preachy but surprising that they didn’t try to interfere. Its good that they aren’t involving themselves in an alien cultures buissiness just because it goes against human morals. The alien pimp guy should still burn in a special hell though.
That apothecary who sells them the formula for manufacturing trillium D in its liquid state is delightfully weird and funny. Also I kinda wonder what happens with Rajin is she allowed to go free or does she count as the property of the Xindi now and spends her days in a cell when not being deployed on reconnaissance missions.
Three and a half stars
Impulse.
Zombie vulcans!
I love this episode. It was really atmospheric on the damaged Vulcan ship with the blinking lights and mess of the corridors and the way crazy Vulcans keep popping up and attacking our guys as they stumble about trying to find a way out. T’Pols growing paranoia and increasing inability to control her emotions is interesting to watch. It isn’t until quite far into the episode that she begins to turn on Archer and Reed and the other guy whose name I can’t recall.
The subplot with Travis and Trip trying to get some Trellion D ore from the very active/chaotic asteroid field is at first amusing then more serious. Its good that the crew finally got their hands on some of the ore and aren’t going to drag this subplot out too long though I was worried it would remove the handy plot device of ship encounters freaky special anomalies. As it turns out Trellion D is poisonous to Vulcans and the reason for the Vulcan Zombies. I really like how the two plots tie together this way.
Four and a half stars
Exile
I really like the design of the alien in this episode and how he isn’t just a bumpy forehead but something different from human aesthetics. I think they could have made him look way weirder but what they did was pretty good. Bonus points for there being a reason why he wouldn’t be welcomed by his own people that isn’t the over used last of his kind cliché.
I like that Archer is protective of Hoshi even though he is driven in his quest to find the Xindi he hasn’t let it become an obsession that erodes his moral character. His protectiveness at the beginning of the episode is quite touching. You can tell that the Archer who visits Hoshi toward the end is an illusion just by his complete change in attitude to the idea of her remaining with the exiled alien dude.
I really really love how strong and confident Hoshi is here. She is creeped out by how the alien guy can see her thoughts and memories but she is confident in her own ability to handle the situation. She isn’t entirely in control of the situation but she doesn’t lose what little control she does have over it and does a very good job of standing up to the alien guy when he tries to get what he wants by force and manipulation.
Its kind of a shame cause without him trying to force her to stay with him they could have been friends creepy mind reading aside. He backs down and lets her go and still helps because he does genuinely care about her. I think his isolation and his abilities have made him bad at interacting with people.
We get more on the spheres and an explanation for why the expanse is plagued by freakish anomalies though it only leads to more questions about the spheres where they came from their purpose other than cause anomalies and inconvenience everyone.
Four and a half stars
On Extinction I think the reason they were shown to be more primitive is becuase they has just been born so to speak and only had instinct to go on. As a species the Lo'qek were more advanced. If they had been given time to complete the transformation they would have shown a higher level of inteligence.
Sorry if I am a little impatient or if I delay gratification a little less. I just watched as far as "Proving Ground" and am enjoying the series. I am deciding tonight whether to read more of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens (1861) or to continue watching Enterprise Season 3. I could also continue reading more of "The Philosopher's Stone" by Colin Wilson (1969) which is also interesting perhaps.
I did come to that conclusion when i watched the episode i guess i didnt convey that very clearly in my post though :P
I have watched up to Chosen Realm so proving Ground is next up though im not sure when i will get round to watching more as some pretty serious real life issues have happened recently.
Even if that werent the case i believe i have already mentioned previously that my viewing habits are erratic i tend to blizt through two discs worth of episodes in a coupel days then not watch anything for a month before doing another blitz. So its not really a delayed gratification thing (why does that make me think of Tom Hiddleston and the Cookie monster?)
If youve gotten ahead of me and want to talk about episodes i havent seen yet you could always start a new thread
The Shipment
I kinda guessed early on that the sloth factory workers wouldn’t know what purpose their kemocite was being used for. I do like that the enterprise crew is getting to see that not all Xindi are involved or even aware of the plot against earth. They are individuals and capable of making their own moral choices when given the chance.
There were a couple moments that had me nervous. When Archer presents the sloth guy with the charred piece of the Xindo probe and he dismisses it as a wrecked piece of metal. I thought it might go the direction of him dismissing Archer as some irrational madman for his lack of concrete evidence or be unwilling to listen. I was relieved when he humoured Archer enough to perform tests that proved Archers story.
I was also nervous when Degra told him about the dangerous new species. The look on his face made it clear he was doubting Archer and questioning his own choices. I am glad he kept quiet and that they got to speak again so that Archer could reassure him though I expect the fact this 'dangerous new species' didn’t harm him or try to kill him and were quite willing to listen to him and place their trust in him to work together probably played into that.
Four stars
Twilight
I have seen bits of this before mainly the ending. I didn’t understand what was happening but now it makes so much more sense. I love T’Pols hairstyle in this and Dr Phlox looks good with longer hair as well.
Starting the episode with earths destruction is meant as a shocker but doesnt really work for me since i know that earth is perfectly fine and dandy in later Trek series. The fact that Archer is confined to his quarters and T’Pol is in charge is another more effective clue that something is very wrong with this scenario and there is probably time travel or some such involved. I like the structure of the narrative jumping back and forth between past and present.
I think that when Archer first wakes and stumbles into the kitchen to find T’Pol cooking breakfast is a great scene. It really gives the feeling that she is used to the routine of starting each day with an explanation over breakfast and has probably become quite good at it over the years.
Four and a half stars
I kinda guessed early on that the sloth factory workers wouldn’t know what purpose their kemocite was being used for. I do like that the enterprise crew is getting to see that not all Xindi are involved or even aware of the plot against earth. They are individuals and capable of making their own moral choices when given the chance.
There were a couple moments that had me nervous. When Archer presents the sloth guy with the charred piece of the Xindo probe and he dismisses it as a wrecked piece of metal. I thought it might go the direction of him dismissing Archer as some irrational madman for his lack of concrete evidence or be unwilling to listen. I was relieved when he humoured Archer enough to perform tests that proved Archers story.
I was also nervous when Degra told him about the dangerous new species. The look on his face made it clear he was doubting Archer and questioning his own choices. I am glad he kept quiet and that they got to speak again so that Archer could reassure him though I expect the fact this 'dangerous new species' didn’t harm him or try to kill him and were quite willing to listen to him and place their trust in him to work together probably played into that.
Four stars
Twilight
I have seen bits of this before mainly the ending. I didn’t understand what was happening but now it makes so much more sense. I love T’Pols hairstyle in this and Dr Phlox looks good with longer hair as well.
Starting the episode with earths destruction is meant as a shocker but doesnt really work for me since i know that earth is perfectly fine and dandy in later Trek series. The fact that Archer is confined to his quarters and T’Pol is in charge is another more effective clue that something is very wrong with this scenario and there is probably time travel or some such involved. I like the structure of the narrative jumping back and forth between past and present.
I think that when Archer first wakes and stumbles into the kitchen to find T’Pol cooking breakfast is a great scene. It really gives the feeling that she is used to the routine of starting each day with an explanation over breakfast and has probably become quite good at it over the years.
Four and a half stars
North star
I get the feeling this was an excuse to do a wild west setting though it does make a good call back to TOS where they were always finding worlds based on a specific era of human history like mobsters or cowboys. Trip and T’Pols adventures with horses is fun to watch.
The backstory behind the colony was that dependable old cliché of ‘humans were kidnapped by aliens to use as slaves but they managed to rebel and take charge’. Its interesting that the aliens weren’t killed off completely or enslaved in turn after the rebellion. How they are treated by the humans as less intelligent/valuable than the dirt on the bottom of a shoe is horrible but at least they don’t get kept in cages and poked with sticks when their not being worked to death. At least I assume that one who works at the bar gets something for his work. We don’t see any other aliens working anywhere so I assume its employment and not just a case of grabbing any alien who happens to walk by and making them help out.
Its also interesting that initially there was a good reason for those laws denying the aliens education and stuff since they had been guilty of abducting and enslaving the humans. But over time they became unjust and a means to oppress a race of people because of crimes that were committed by their ancestors long before they were born.
I was expecting the dilemma to be solved by Hoshi contacting the home world so that the aliens could get taken home but the actual ending with the humans learning to live together in harmony and equality was more satisfying. Also Reed looked like he was really enjoying himself and that scene where he responds to T’Pol being held hostage by shooting her was grea.
Overall three and half stars.
Similitude
I realise the whole humans can’t survive having that much brain tissue removed was partly so as to prevent the whole clone thing being used again in a similar situation. But I strongly feel that they could have had Sim live out his natural life cycle and just die of old age and everyone agrees after ward not to ever do that again because of the pain everyone would feel at losing him. After all they became so attached to him in only a short amount of time.
Also I think the ending to this would have been more satisfying if the operation was performed perfectly then Trip wakes up and meets this other version of himself who then ages to be an older version and then either dies of old age or sacrifices himself when the ship gets in danger.
One part I don’t buy and didn’t like was Archer basically ordering Sim to go through with the surgery. I think there should have been more of a dilemma on Archers hands after all he helped raise Sim. It should have been Sims choice without any pressure.
Four stars. Alas poor Sim we hardly knew yea
Carpenter street
This was weird. That human guy was really creepy. I find it funny how he thought Archer and T’Pol were cops. Them arriving back a mere moment after they left was kinda predictable. Not really got that much to say about the episode sorry.
Three stars. Maybe.
Chosen realm
Okay religious terrorists take over enterprise when their charismatic but crazy leader comes up with a plan to bring peace to their home world by blowing up loads of their own people. I sense there was meant to be some parallel here to how things are in the middle east.
I find it quite a good idea that some races would see the spheres as a divine artefact and build a religion around it. I also really liked those two followers who were a couple and how they were portrayed as still being devout followers of their faith just doubtful of the methods and choices of their leader. I think that’s it’s a good portrayal of how decent people can be manipulated by someone they place their trust in into following a bad path. Also their desire for an abortion isn’t portrayed as a black or white moral issue but a very grey and personal decision.
Four stars overall.
I get the feeling this was an excuse to do a wild west setting though it does make a good call back to TOS where they were always finding worlds based on a specific era of human history like mobsters or cowboys. Trip and T’Pols adventures with horses is fun to watch.
The backstory behind the colony was that dependable old cliché of ‘humans were kidnapped by aliens to use as slaves but they managed to rebel and take charge’. Its interesting that the aliens weren’t killed off completely or enslaved in turn after the rebellion. How they are treated by the humans as less intelligent/valuable than the dirt on the bottom of a shoe is horrible but at least they don’t get kept in cages and poked with sticks when their not being worked to death. At least I assume that one who works at the bar gets something for his work. We don’t see any other aliens working anywhere so I assume its employment and not just a case of grabbing any alien who happens to walk by and making them help out.
Its also interesting that initially there was a good reason for those laws denying the aliens education and stuff since they had been guilty of abducting and enslaving the humans. But over time they became unjust and a means to oppress a race of people because of crimes that were committed by their ancestors long before they were born.
I was expecting the dilemma to be solved by Hoshi contacting the home world so that the aliens could get taken home but the actual ending with the humans learning to live together in harmony and equality was more satisfying. Also Reed looked like he was really enjoying himself and that scene where he responds to T’Pol being held hostage by shooting her was grea.
Overall three and half stars.
Similitude
I realise the whole humans can’t survive having that much brain tissue removed was partly so as to prevent the whole clone thing being used again in a similar situation. But I strongly feel that they could have had Sim live out his natural life cycle and just die of old age and everyone agrees after ward not to ever do that again because of the pain everyone would feel at losing him. After all they became so attached to him in only a short amount of time.
Also I think the ending to this would have been more satisfying if the operation was performed perfectly then Trip wakes up and meets this other version of himself who then ages to be an older version and then either dies of old age or sacrifices himself when the ship gets in danger.
One part I don’t buy and didn’t like was Archer basically ordering Sim to go through with the surgery. I think there should have been more of a dilemma on Archers hands after all he helped raise Sim. It should have been Sims choice without any pressure.
Four stars. Alas poor Sim we hardly knew yea
Carpenter street
This was weird. That human guy was really creepy. I find it funny how he thought Archer and T’Pol were cops. Them arriving back a mere moment after they left was kinda predictable. Not really got that much to say about the episode sorry.
Three stars. Maybe.
Chosen realm
Okay religious terrorists take over enterprise when their charismatic but crazy leader comes up with a plan to bring peace to their home world by blowing up loads of their own people. I sense there was meant to be some parallel here to how things are in the middle east.
I find it quite a good idea that some races would see the spheres as a divine artefact and build a religion around it. I also really liked those two followers who were a couple and how they were portrayed as still being devout followers of their faith just doubtful of the methods and choices of their leader. I think that’s it’s a good portrayal of how decent people can be manipulated by someone they place their trust in into following a bad path. Also their desire for an abortion isn’t portrayed as a black or white moral issue but a very grey and personal decision.
Four stars overall.
Extinction
Rajin
I was extremely annoyed at Archer being duped so easily (again...) and giving her free reign of the ship, as well as how seemingly easily the Xindi rescue her. Apparently MACO's aren't special forces quality. Even discounting their firearms not being effective, they could have used stun grenades more effectively. Overall I didn't care for this episode much either, especially with it following Extinction which I wasn't pleased with.
Twilight
At first I didn't think I would like it with its opening, but it ended up being my one of my favorites. When it skipped to the future and we realize T'Pol goes through this every morning for YEARS, I thought it was a great blend of Vulcan patience and human compassion. Then I questioned whether it was all for guilt or if she cared, but Blalock's performance was outstanding, in my opinion, because she subtly conveyed how deeply she really did care, despite what she tells the doctor later in the episode. And it was obvious there would be a reset-button at the end, but what it turned out to be surprised me. And although it didn't further the story at all, it did show the consequences of failure in their mission. And I thought the scene with T'Pol flying the docked ship into the other was friggen awesome.
Watching Twilight made me want to join the forum and start talking about the show with others.
I agree, I hated the end for the same reason. I enjoyed Linda Park in this episode though with her alien movements and body language. I actually wondered if it was a different actress.
Rajin
I was extremely annoyed at Archer being duped so easily (again...) and giving her free reign of the ship, as well as how seemingly easily the Xindi rescue her. Apparently MACO's aren't special forces quality. Even discounting their firearms not being effective, they could have used stun grenades more effectively. Overall I didn't care for this episode much either, especially with it following Extinction which I wasn't pleased with.
Twilight
At first I didn't think I would like it with its opening, but it ended up being my one of my favorites. When it skipped to the future and we realize T'Pol goes through this every morning for YEARS, I thought it was a great blend of Vulcan patience and human compassion. Then I questioned whether it was all for guilt or if she cared, but Blalock's performance was outstanding, in my opinion, because she subtly conveyed how deeply she really did care, despite what she tells the doctor later in the episode. And it was obvious there would be a reset-button at the end, but what it turned out to be surprised me. And although it didn't further the story at all, it did show the consequences of failure in their mission. And I thought the scene with T'Pol flying the docked ship into the other was friggen awesome.
Watching Twilight made me want to join the forum and start talking about the show with others.
Another good episode, albeit a fairly cliched western, I enjoyed it. I like the MACO's sniper (ish) rifle. The female MACO takes out more baddies then everyone else combined I think. In fact I think the first person Malcolm shot was T'Pol.
And Archer beats the villain in a scuffle with only one good arm. I like how Archer frequently gets into fist fights, just like Kirk in TOS. I also half expected him to tell the humans that they might be better off here in the long run with the Xindi bent on destroying Earth and all. Some people mentioned him getting involved when he wouldn't in other circumstances, but the fact that these were humans sort of made the difference to him and to me. All in all I thought it was a good stand-alone episode.
"Twilight" was one of my favorite episodes, but I've recently seem Memento and now can't help but see them in the writing room, going "we have to make a Trek version of this!"
That's certainly plausible. Memento was a cult classic, everyone I knew was renting it and spreading the word about it in the early 2000s.
Trip and T'Pol?
Okay so i recently acquired the complete all 4 seasons of Enterprise on dvd. I've only ever seen a handful of episodes from the first season back when the show first premiered on tv (gosh it seems so long long ago) and a couple episodes that were on my borg/time travel/alternate reality fan collectives.
So i wouldnt say i was a complete stranger to the series but apart from the aforementioned handful of episodes i have a lot of unseen material and am quite excited at the prospect of the many many epsiodes (entire seasons of episodes!) of unseen trek that i have yet to discover
Im going to post my thoughts on each episode on this thread in case any one is interested to read them starting with my thoughts on the pilot Broken Bow tomorrow.
I tried this with similar viewing habits for the original run. I couldn't get through season 3. 12 years since the premiere. Wow.
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