Got up to 2x23 on my big revisit the other night. The friend I'm watching the show with hasn't reached "Star Trek: First Contact" on her TNG-viewing homework so I went ahead and gave her as spoiler-free an explanation for this episode's basis as possible. She didn't have any trouble picking up the pieces.
Anyway, I went into this one with twelve years of built-up apathy about the notion of ENT tackling the Borg. I couldn't for the life of me recall my actual opinion of "Regeneration" when it first aired, because I'd bumped into so many posts complaining about the very premise since that time. "It's the Ferengi episode all over again." "Is Rick Berman trying to kill Trek?" "Oh great, the prequel show is channeling TNG. Again. Absolutely disgusting." "Does UPN want to relaunch Voyager? Is this some kind of aborted backdoor pilot to get Enterprise off the air?" "Look, it's Enterprise sucking again." I'd seen it all. Ad nauseum. I'd forgotten everything about the episode itself.
"Regeneration" is pretty fantastic, I say. Once again, ENT showcases how solid its soundtrack can be with a sweeping score perfectly befitting the events depicted. Phlox gets a subplot that's the stuff of true horrors, the poor guy. Bakula gets to channel some of his best "I'm haunted, just haunted by the decisions I've made" expressions pre-Xindi. Everything that this episode could have gotten fatally wrong -- the plethora of moments it could and maybe even should have collapsed under the weight of its immense so-called "fanwank" ratings grab -- comes together in a way that dispelled all doubt from my mind. It's played straight, and it's played well, and it gives us the Borg at their most terrifying. Wow.
I could just feel the spirit the cast and crew put into making this work. And I love how it starts off with the research team, and then briefly moves to Admiral Forrest, and only then, organically, shifts to the NX-01. I also love that ending, although I'm sure (well, as with most everything about this episode, no doubt) it's a pretty controversially-penned piece. "The Delta Quadrant! 24th century! Craziness. Craziness! Wink! Nudge!" Yeah, I can totally see how that'd make some viewers mad. I kind of adored it.
Enterprise dared to touch the Borg and it could have blown up in their face. For me, it's shocked me with a top-ten-in-the-series placement. I almost feel bad for forgetting how intense and well-crafted "Regeneration" really is.
I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts. This one compelled me to make a discussion topic for the first time since "Marauders". That's not to say there haven't been some very chat-worthy episodes in-between, but I wanted to hold off until I hit one that triggered another surprising reaction.
Anyway, I went into this one with twelve years of built-up apathy about the notion of ENT tackling the Borg. I couldn't for the life of me recall my actual opinion of "Regeneration" when it first aired, because I'd bumped into so many posts complaining about the very premise since that time. "It's the Ferengi episode all over again." "Is Rick Berman trying to kill Trek?" "Oh great, the prequel show is channeling TNG. Again. Absolutely disgusting." "Does UPN want to relaunch Voyager? Is this some kind of aborted backdoor pilot to get Enterprise off the air?" "Look, it's Enterprise sucking again." I'd seen it all. Ad nauseum. I'd forgotten everything about the episode itself.
"Regeneration" is pretty fantastic, I say. Once again, ENT showcases how solid its soundtrack can be with a sweeping score perfectly befitting the events depicted. Phlox gets a subplot that's the stuff of true horrors, the poor guy. Bakula gets to channel some of his best "I'm haunted, just haunted by the decisions I've made" expressions pre-Xindi. Everything that this episode could have gotten fatally wrong -- the plethora of moments it could and maybe even should have collapsed under the weight of its immense so-called "fanwank" ratings grab -- comes together in a way that dispelled all doubt from my mind. It's played straight, and it's played well, and it gives us the Borg at their most terrifying. Wow.
I could just feel the spirit the cast and crew put into making this work. And I love how it starts off with the research team, and then briefly moves to Admiral Forrest, and only then, organically, shifts to the NX-01. I also love that ending, although I'm sure (well, as with most everything about this episode, no doubt) it's a pretty controversially-penned piece. "The Delta Quadrant! 24th century! Craziness. Craziness! Wink! Nudge!" Yeah, I can totally see how that'd make some viewers mad. I kind of adored it.
Enterprise dared to touch the Borg and it could have blown up in their face. For me, it's shocked me with a top-ten-in-the-series placement. I almost feel bad for forgetting how intense and well-crafted "Regeneration" really is.
I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts. This one compelled me to make a discussion topic for the first time since "Marauders". That's not to say there haven't been some very chat-worthy episodes in-between, but I wanted to hold off until I hit one that triggered another surprising reaction.
It seemed he was infected a lot longer than the scientists...long enough to come up with some kind of cure. There was a quick mention about his "immune system", yet I don't recall any other species in later Borg contacts having immune systems strong enough to resist the nano probes for any length of time.
