Grade "Horizon"

I give this puppy a C+. It had potential but I don't think it was particularly well written. Travis will probably suffer from what I call "the Harry Kim Syndrome;" lots of potential from a good actor who is never given the chance to shine with a good script. The "Frankenstein" sub-plot was interesting, but T'Pol could have been comparing the novel to the film instead of working on "crew evaluations" or whatever she was doing. Might have made for some interesting comments.

 

I agree with reno f on the quality of acting in the initial scene between Archer and Mayweather. Otherwise this episode was basically pointless. Decent effects, a look at a family run business, adequate acting, all add up to a big C+ - only slightly above average.

However, my 12 year old Mayweather fan gave it a big A .

 

I watched for about a minute, samed old crap.

I don't even bother to give Enterprise a chance anymore, not after 2 seasons of wooden acting and re-writing history. It's boring, the acting is terrible, the writing sucks, it doesn't interest me in the slightest. Been there, done that.

Why they decided to do a show before Captain Kirk's time is beyond me. They spend 35 years building up a cool universe of characters, people, ships, races, but then they go back in time and fuck it all up for some reason. Worse part is we already know what happens in the future.

Cancel it already.

 

B+

Nice to finally see Mayweather get a chance to shine--and he does! I teared up during his scene with Archer in the beginning, and I thought the dynamic with his brother was nice. I liked the guy who played his brother, too--again, great guest casting!

 

Let's tone it down, ok? People have a right not to like the episode.

 

I give it a 'C'. Not to good, not to bad.

-Laciel

 

All you guys are taking Anthony's wooden acting as lack of talent. Look again! Mayweather is a talented ensign who has a difficult time speaking up. And Anthony interpreted that difficulty beautifully.

A+

And tell me Trip's line: "It's gonna be Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein," didn't crack you up?

Star Trek is not always about big space battles. If you want to have an exciting confrontation from the ST leads and the villain of the week, you have to first ESTABLISH the crew. That's the only way there will be suspense. This show is still establishing it's crew. I happen to think they're on the right track.

 

A - loved the show. Mayweather and his brother, so true. Loved the Archer comforting Mayweather talk, it was heartfelt. Plus, the letter that had been written to Archer regarding the son being picked. So true, sometimes parents don't tell you they are proud to your face.
T'pol being persuaded into watching Frankenstein - I think they like to see how see will react, and in the chambers foe supper, after the movie - T'pol is funny. Archer and Trip's glance at each other. Very good. Also, mention of other missions. Then, the name dropping of Soval, funny line.

 

C+
I was left with the feeling that this was an episode full of good intent...executed in a very mediocre way.

Just a couple examples (short on time):
Travis and his brother's conflict played out in the most predictable fasion. There was just no drama in it. That the Horizon could drop cargo and become essentially a fighter craft was lame too. If the plot point had to be used at all, at least the choreography and execution could have differentiated itself from stock space battle maneuvers.

 

My take is the opposite here. The premise (prodigal son comes home to the anager of dutiful son) to me inherently had to play out the way it did.

I thought good acting on the part of Montgomery and the guests saved it from being horrible.

I think it had a more subtle impact than you're giving the show credit for. It certainly factored in Travis thinking he might take an extended leave. It fueled his brother's anger at Travis, and Travis' advice to Paul.

I noticed this too, but as someone said in the other thread, it depends on how the sweet spot works. If it's an area of zero g, then that's an error. If it's an area of extremely light g attracting people to the ceiling, then it's not. Since the sweet spot occupants have typically rested on the ceiling rather than freefloating near it, it might be the second.

That's pretty nitpicky...most of the time when someone applies for a job, they don't get to learn the contents of the recommendations. It seems perfectly natural that Archer wouldn't have told Travis this earlier.

True. I would have liked a B-plot that was more related to the A-plot. Perhaps something about Archer finally finishing up the prologue to his book about his dad, getting help from the crew with their perspectives on their own fathers. Or him trying to arrange a way to cheer up Travis on his return.

Maybe it's me, but it seems like Jolene has been less emotional in her acting of late.

There were lots of little differences that boiled down to Horizon was all about family. Do you think anybody on Enterprise would just install changes to the ship without the captain's approval? Do they worry about the Earth Cargo Authority? Would Enterprise give up a mission just because someone bigger than they were threatened them? Do they ever express doubts about the captain's ability?

The flashy and ultimately superficial alien attack was a vehicle for doing something with the mutiny situation. Travis fears that Paul's not up to the task. He expresses these fears to his mother; he alters the ship without Paul's consent in a mutinous action and almost gets in a fist fight with him. The attack allows Paul and Travis to respect each other more and the choices they made.

We learned more details about his family and his interactions with them. He wrote his sister a lot to update her, but didn't write his mom apparently not wanting her to worry.

We learned that he still has doubts about his decision to join Starfleet and his brother Paul resented him for it. He and Paul fought a lot while growing up.

He grew up with a dad who was tremendously proud of him, but didn't express that directly.

He dreamed as a kid of making it to systems so far out that Enterprise still hasn't reached them yet.

True, but we found out a few more details about that as well. That on cargo ships it's common for people to work several jobs at once. That the ships are being preyed on by pirates from at least two species. That the fear that the boomer lifestyle is dying isn't just an isolated one.

Travis got props for flying the ship out of the Romulan minefield and for cutting short its journey in "The Catwalk." That we are told about these sorts of things rather than shown them is probably as much the fault of the special effects folks.

I'll give it a B+

 

Gets a B from me.

Along with others, I have suffered the loss of a parent and as such that aspect struck a chord with me. It was well-played by both sons and the widow. I found the prodigal son story line enjoyable as well. And I learned that AM can actually handle additional lines and more screen time. I'm starting to like him more and more.

Of course, I also got the added bonus of some more Archer/T'Pol relationship development. Not because I particularly enjoy it, but I do seem to get some perverse pleasure out of the wailing, gnashing of teeth and general hair-pulling that inevitably follows.

 

B+.
Not a bad plot and I liked the B story. We also learn that Travis can say more than one line an episode. For some reason, he still reminds me of Harry Kim, so this episode reminded me of Nightingale.

 

B+

A nice little story, it finally gives him a chance to show emotions other than that "aww shucks" grin. the scenes with his brother were well done, as was the one wih Archer. And I really liked that Horizon model - appropriately old looking yet solid.

 

Agreed. C+/B-

 

I thought AM played Mayweather well. A very good Trek episode.

 

B+. It was great to(FINALLY)get some meaningful character development for poor Travis but the episode was too short to really get as deep into his history as I'd like and the one-shot aliens-of-the-week were pure crap. Whatever happened to Orion pirates from this time frame? Hell,use another Nausicaan raider. A VOYAGER-style one-dimensional-dude-with-face-ridges-of-the-week gets old and stale after this long.

 

B-.

Travis should've destroyed the alien vessel!

 

A

 

B

 

oh man!! i LOVED this ep... i gave it a solid A!!

wanna know why?? no?? too bad.... this is probably going to turn into a review instead, so i apologize in advance....

ok, first of all, i really liked travis in this ep, so i will talk about that stuff first...

ok, first of all, to ANYONE who said he can't act, i wanna have a word with you..... he is a really good actor! i was almost surprised.... and the guest actors were a little shaky at first, but they really seemed like an actual family... the writing AND the acting were right on in that area.... i have seen WAY too many TV "families" that seem like they wish they didn't have to play relatives, but these actors all did very well!
and as for travis... (well, anthony montgomery), he actually LOOKED genuinely sadwehn him and archer were talking... it didn't look like they'd just put teardrop stuff in his eyes... his face reflected that as well, and me and my sis would have cried had the next scene not been so funny!...

speaking of that scene.... trip and tpol in this ep.... they were GREAT!!!! oh man, what to say first...

i'll start in their first scene... the first total flirt fest since carbon creek, if i do say so myself.... and trip looked fairly nervous about asking her to the movie... it was clear from his facial expressions that he wanted to ask if she'd go with HIM, but was too nervous to... and i also noted from tpol's face that she KNEW he was trying to ask her out.... (i've seen people do this in real life, their facial expressions were right on!)... but i don't think HE knew that SHE could tell.... also in this scene, i noted that they were trying to avoid eye contact (which also happened at dinner later, but i'll get to that) and also that tpol clearly wanted to go with him, but didn't want to see a MOVIE.... she DID suggest other options later, after all (without actually turning him down... again, i'll get to that)....

in fact, i'll get to it right now.... in the scene where tpol suggests to trip that reading the book would be best, and then he basically said "fine, you don't have to go with me if ya don't want to" and huffs off, looking quite dissapointed and a little depressed (again, i've seen that look on real life folks' faces before, and it's quite an obvious one, and he completely nails it).... but then. of course archer comes in and basically orders her to go with him, and she looks ready to faint from disgust and shock... and she goes with him (very reluctantly... much more reluctantly, i might add, than she agreed to go with trip... he merely suggested, and she agreed after a few minutes of convincing, while archer had to basically order he and she didn't want to at all... take THAT A/Ters... )... in any case, i REALLY don't even think that took away from teh T/T because she didn't even WANT to really go AND he seemed to be asking her more as a pesky dad trying to get his kid to go DO something for once that a guy askin a girl out (i mean, come on, I would NOT go out with someone if they asked me like that... sorry guys, that method just DOESN'T work.....)... plus, her reaction was just hilarious "i beg your pardon?!" oh man, me and my sis were dyin'...

and THEN came the movie.... her grabbin the popcorn all huffy was hilarious.... i think she was so huffy BECAUSE she would have to take it with her hands.... AND because archer were basically bein a jerk and MAKING her do something that she REALLY didn't want to do....

and a little side comment... archer was pretty much a jerk for askin her... even if he WASN'T really asking her out on a date (even though he SAID date).... it was still REALLY rude, having SEEN trip leave and having probably KNOWN she had originally decided to go with trip, to ask her out after that... i mean, if i were trip, i would NOT be happy at all.....

ok, back to the movie... tpol tellin phlox to shut up was really funny, as was their scene earlier... when tpol said that she wished it was something more serious, i was dyin'.... as i also was when she said she'd be back with a headache later...!!

now, onto dinner.... it was ONCE AGAIN obvoius trip and tpol were trying to avoid eye contact (i've done it before, folks.... i know what they were doin').... and i think trip and tpol were each DELIBERATELY talking to archer so as to avoid eye contact further....

CLEARLY, i like all teh T/T in this ep... and we found out archer's only a jerk when he wants to be (as he was REALLY good when talking to travis..... i mean i was SURPRISED at how nice and sincere he at least sounded....)...

ok, now that i'm FINALLY done with all the character stuff that i loved, onto the actual STORY....

ok, the ONLY thing that bugged me (but kinda didn't) was how they didn't wrap up the whole volcanoes thing (i mean, it was dumb and boring, so i REALLY didn't care, but just cuz i feel like complainin' about it, i will )....

and i thought the cargo "ship" without the cargo was really cool (i NEVER thought it would be that small.....)... and i thought the alien attack was handled well, and was NOT a boring rehash of fortunate son (which i kinda feared at first)... i was very relieved... in fact, i liked it this time around!!

ok, did i miss anything?? probably, but i hope not...

all in all, this is tied with singularity, future tense, the catwalk, dead stop, and shuttlepod one for #1 on my list!!! (ok, i'm an indecicive person....)

EDIT: HOW COULD I FORGET??? tpol teasing trip and archer about telling soval to watch it had us dyin' as well.... i don't rememebr who wrote this (i know i could check, but that would require effort), but they should just REPLACE B&B instead of just writing SOMETIMES... unless it WAS B&B, in which case they finally made a good one... but i didn't think it was...

ALso, malcolm's comment about ihs dysfunctional family was hilarious (reminds me of my family )