STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE DISC #4
Dear Doctor(*****/*****) – This was certainly John Billingsley’s coming out party. He was Emmy-worthy here. My family described Star Trek as essentially a vehicle for stories about humanity and the morality of us all. This was the first episode that I have seen that truly represented that description. The idea of two races developing on a planet is incredibly captivating. This is the best episode of Enterprise I have seen to this point – and it is not close
Sleeping Dogs (**/*****) – Blah. I still really like the Klingons and the mentality they represent, but this was basically a paint by numbers haunted house story. The actors were strong and I especially liked the scene depicting T’Pol attempting to teach Hoshi to calm her nerves. Jolene Blalock was especially strong here. She’s really starting to grow on me over time.
Shadows of P’Jem (***/*****) – It was nice to see some continuity connections “The Andorian Incident” as well, as T’Pol is recalled because of her actions in that episode. Scott Bakula and Jolene Blalock were really good together here. Their chemistry has slowly but surely evolved very nicely. I loved seeing the Andorians and Commander Shran again, but in a sense I felt like Shran was kind of thrown in. He didn’t serve a true purpose. I didn’t quite buy the “I can’t sleep, so I owe you something” reasoning.
Shuttlepod One (*****/*****) – I didn’t expect to see this from a Star Trek episode at all. Two guys facing their own mortality with only each other to confide in. Again, Connor Trinneer proves why he is the strength and backbone of this show early on. Dominic Keating was also stellar here. These two actors work exceptionally well together and I hope to see them together often. By far, the most revealing and interesting character episode thus far. It gives “Dear Doctor” a run for its money as the best episode I’ve seen.
STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE DISC #5
Fusion (***/*****) – A nice idea, not effectively put together. The idea of rogue Vulcans that embrace emotions struck me as interesting right away, and I also bought T’Pol’s subtle but resistant interest in them. T’Pol’s interest in emotions has been apparent since day one. Why else would she have accepted a long-term assignment on a ship of humans? However, I hated the heavy-handed story about the Vulcan who refuses to speak with his father. It didn’t add much, and it struck me as merely an attempt to pull at heart strings.
Rogue Planet (*/*****) – This was a remarkably dull episode that (I guess) tried to talk about the immorality of hunting intelligent, living creatures. I know the planet was “rogue” and unlit by a star, but I hated the lighting. The planet was unconvincing and looked a little too much like a soundstage for my liking. The guest stars were unremarkable and brought nothing to the table. Scott Bakula was phoning it in as well, which I haven’t been able to say, until now.
Acquisition (**/*****) – Connor Trinneer and his underwear do their best to carry this one, but there isn’t really much to talk about here. Aliens board the ship, put everyone to sleep and try to steal everything (including some female crewmembers). Tucker wakes up Archer and T’Pol and they able to get rid of the aliens with nothing lost. The aliens were cool looking and I liked their unbelievably greedy and sexist traits, however. Unlike many of the previous races the crew has encountered, I probably won’t forget about these guys.
Oasis (***/*****) – Unremarkable, but solid effort. About halfway through this episode it really struck me that the entire main cast has really grown on me. I legitimately like all of these characters. The fact that almost the entire crew was an illusion was a twist that I can’t claim I saw coming. I loved the scene with T’Pol discussing Commander Tucker’s “previous repair experience” with him. They are really strong together as well. A lot of nice pairings are developing over the course of the season. Archer/T’Pol, Archer/Tucker, T’Pol/Tucker and Tucker/Reed are all really good.
STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE DISC #6
Detained(****/*****) – Nice action, adventure story. This was Anthony Montgomery’s best performance thus far as well. He’s within his element, sharing the spotlight was Bakula and he does a nice job. It was good for them to add another dimension to the Suliban. I’ve always like Dean Stockwell and he provided a really substantial and quality villain.
Vox Sola (***/*****) – Not really sure how I feel about this one quite yet. I like the character development for Hoshi and to a lesser degree T’Pol, but I didn’t really get sucked into the Archer/Tucker storyline. On the other hand, I did like the debate Phlox and Reed were having about how to handle the creature. The dialogue about the point of being penalized in water-polo also deserves special mentioning; definitely the worst exchange of dialogue so far… it did make me laugh though.
Fallen Hero(****/*****) – Very nice work by Jolene Blalock and Fionnula Flanagan. It doesn’t really stand out as anything spectacular to the level of “Dear Doctor”, “Shuttlepod One” and “Broken Bow”, but it’s a very entertaining and compelling hour. The chase sequence pushing the Enterprise right to the edge was really well put-together and executed. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Fionnula Flanagan character again at all.
Desert Crossing (****/*****) – Very nice to see the crew in a different, unique setting. I really like it when they effectively convey that nothing is as it seems in deep space. Situations are complicated and always offer more then immediately meets the eye. Clancy Brown is another great guest star that really brings a lot to the table. I like the running idea that Archer has to often decide who he is able to offer extensive help to and who he has to say no to. It offers a lot of complexity and stress to his mission.
I don't know that anyone else here watched ENT without having seen other Trek first. You may be making history! It also makes you the only person I know who can judge ENT without the bias of having watched other Trek. Since you are not comparing it to anything, it is a totally new view.
