Rewatching Season Two This Week

[Anna Yolei]

I happen to find Enterprise at my local library a few weeks ago, and being glad not to have to shell out 130 bucks for each season, I picked up season two. I hadn't watched many of the episodes since their first run, and some I never saw at all.

Some things that really stuck out for me:

-Congenitor: This used to be my favorite episode of the season, and I remember being really impressed with it the first (and last) I saw it six years ago. And to be fair, I have to say I'm glad that medding in alien affairs had a clear consequence, but this really should have been a two-part episode. The whole episode felt rushed, and the moral dilemma not explored much at all. Sadly, Archer's railing at the end seems just as hypocritical as I remembered, but even that could have been improved if he'd been allowed to acknoledge that he was hardly any better than Trip in that regard.

-Precious Cargo: OMG, this board was not kidding with the Princess Fishstick nickname! At least Bounty was somewhat redeemed by Jolene's acting, but the Princess/Monarch/whatever has to have been the worst guest star to ever disgrace "Star Trek."

-The show's identity: while the writing in the later half of season three and the whole of season four seemed to have a lot more energy, season two has a different spark that the latter half of the show was missing. Maybe I'm being nogistalic here.

-The character development: I liked "Vanishing Point" for giving Hoshi not just something to do, but giving some insight into her character at that point.Same with "Horizon" with Mayweather. Too bad little of that carried over to the later seasons.

-Archer: How many fucking times can one person get kidnapped?! Besides that, I found him to be loads more tolerable than the first season. He took advice with a bit more grace, ANISB notwithstanding.

-Archer/T'Pol: I've heard both shipper camps claim that TPTB were testing the water for this couple, but I really don't see that. Like, at all. There's definately a lot more of T'Pol reach out to Archer and being more assertive in voicing her opinions and advice, but aside from ANISB and perhaps the scene in "Future Tense" where Archer and T'Pol discuss how it's possible that human and Vulcan bloodlines may meet (and I admit I loved the scene!), I honestly think there was more evidence of this couple in season one.

The Borg: The Trek canon nerd in me wants to hate this episode (and I'm quite glad we never got the one that developed the Borg Queen's history), but this is the scariest the Borg had been since the first scene of DS9. I'd also forgotten that it was tied into the events of the "First Contact" movie, which made the canon violation a tad bit more tolerable.

Trip: I was never a Tuckerite, but I noticed the humor he brought into the show this time around. I'm not entirely sold on the idea of him being Captain of Enterprise, though.

-All of that being said, the biggest flaw wasn't noticbly horrible writing, but being more of the same shoot-em-up episodes.

I noticed a pattern of every alien Archer and Co. running into being innocent of the crime that the baddie(s) --usually Klingon--accused them of, and the Enterprise rushing to save the day. Canamar was one of those stories that wasn't bad, but was easily forgettable. Very few made real good use of the premise of a pre-Kirk, pre-Federation regulation society.

I've heard this season being discussed to death, but I wanted to share this while the episodes were fresh in my mind. I'll probably do another write-up for season three, after the other six people ahead of me on the wait list get through to seeing them.

 

[commodore64]

Interesting. I do think it was the writers' intention to show how naive the characters are and then shIow their progresion to becoming smarter. I always thought season 2 is underestimated. The latter half of season 2 is very, very good. After all, the end of season 2 gives us a lead up to The Expanse where the idea of the end of Earth is introduced. (Good stuff.) It also follows it's own history by having the Klingons, TCW, etc. As far as its own canon, season 2 is probably the best.

Archer. Over the course of season 2, they show Archer has gone from something of a cowboy to someone who's starting to understand the Vulcan non-interference (prime directive) by the end.

Archer/T'Pol. You know, I think it's about caring and friendship. If you think friendship and caring is unromantic, then I can understand.

I think Trip, funnier in season 2 and my favorite Trip, is understandably a few steps behind in Cogenitor. I definitely think it's Archer's fault and I think he realizes it is -- it's why he turns to look out the window at the end. I'm sure there are people who thought he was more well-rounded in seasons 3 and 4. I just thought he became less special.

Yeah, Precious Cargo is bad. The plot wasn't terrible, just her acting.

 

[Mach5]

-Precious Cargo: OMG, this board was not kidding with the Princess Fishstick nickname! At least Bounty was somewhat redeemed by Jolene's acting, but the Princess/Monarch/whatever has to have been the worst guest star to ever disgrace "Star Trek."

Nope, that would be Tom Wright (Tuvix from VOY)
At least the "Monarch" was easy on the eyes...

-Archer: How many fucking times can one person get kidnapped?! Besides that, I found him to be loads more tolerable than the first season. He took advice with a bit more grace, ANIS notwithstanding.

Interesting, am I really the only one who preferred (and really liked) the Season 1 Archer? He seemed to get more and more self righteous as the show progressed. To me, Archer was in his prime in "Broken Bow."

the scene in "Future Tense" where Archer and T'Pol discuss how it's possible that human and Vulcan bloodlines may meet (and I admit I loved the scene!)

Really? I always thought it was a lame and cheap attempt at humor (but I liked FT very much, though).

I honestly think there was more evidence of this couple in season one.

"Evidence?" Name a few.

I'd also forgotten that it was tied into the events of the "First Contact" movie, which made the canon violation a tad bit more tolerable.

I never saw it as a significant canon violation at all. Borg, Picard and CO. changed the timeline in FC, and opened the door to episodes like this.

 

[Bluejay]

-Archer/T'Pol: I've heard both shipper camps claim that TPTB were testing the water for this couple, but I really don't see that. Like, at all. There's definately a lot more of T'Pol reach out to Archer and being more assertive in voicing her opinions and advice, but aside from ANISB and perhaps the scene in "Future Tense" where Archer and T'Pol discuss how it's possible that human and Vulcan bloodlines may meet (and I admit I loved the scene!), I honestly think there was more evidence of this couple in season one.

As a couple in S1? I didn't get that impression though. Archer didn't trust Vulcans, period. So it's unlikely he would even contemplate any attachment. His hackles always rise whenever he hear a Vulcan ship was nearby. And his negative opinion of them increased when the Andorian Incident came about but he came to understand that T'Pol wasn't the "typical" bad*** Vulcan. She could be trusted to support him and it took the rest of S1 for him to warm up to her, that her loyalty would always be to him as long as she was serving onboard the ENT.

-All of that being said, the biggest flaw wasn't noticbly horrible writing, but being more of the same shoot-em-up episodes.

I dislike the distractions of those because if I were on the crew, I would not be painting myself a target with a flashlight in the darkness. I would not be reporting to my CO about my colleague getting the hug of the plastic tentacles while standing near it : I'd take a look and run out of there. I would not be running past a group of supposedly comatose aliens in a firefight (Communicator ep). I would lobe stun grenades over the barricade instead of playing seesaws with the opposition.

 

[jgdst]

-Precious Cargo: OMG, this board was not kidding with the Princess Fishstick nickname! At least Bounty was somewhat redeemed by Jolene's acting, but the Princess/Monarch/whatever has to have been the worst guest star to ever disgrace "Star Trek."

Nope, that would be Tom Wright (Tuvix from VOY)
At least the "Monarch" was easy on the eyes...

I liked Tom Wright's portrayal of Tuvix... I thought he managed to capture the stoicness (stoicity? little help here ) of Tuvok, and the fun side of Neelix without either being too extreme. I was convinced he was the two characters in one body.

As for Princess Fishstick... well... Not a lot to be said there

-Archer: How many fucking times can one person get kidnapped?! Besides that, I found him to be loads more tolerable than the first season. He took advice with a bit more grace, ANIS notwithstanding.

About as many times as Reed gets shot on a mission. Which I think is practically every time he steps foot off the ship for the first two seasons

I honestly think there was more evidence of this couple in season one.

"Evidence?" Name a few.

The only one I can think off offhand is Shadows of P'Jem is it? With Archer and T'Pol tied together?

I'd also forgotten that it was tied into the events of the "First Contact" movie, which made the canon violation a tad bit more tolerable.

I never saw it as a significant canon violation at all. Borg, Picard and CO. changed the timeline in FC, and opened the door to episodes like this.

I'm so glad to see other people enjoying this episode, and actually seeing it bolstering Teh Cannonn instead of destroying it. Really good episode in my opinion.

All in all I thought season two had a strong start and a strong end, but meandered a bit in the middle. The standout episodes for me are Minefield, Dead Stop, Future Tense (when the TCW seemed exciting and actually planned out, and we didn't mind the time travel so much), Regeneration, Horizon - well earned, well overdue Mayweather time! , and obviously The Expanse.

 

[Bluejay]

About as many times as Reed gets shot on a mission. Which I think is practically every time he steps foot off the ship for the first two seasons

To be amory officer is to be cannon fodder. nuff said.

The only one I can think off offhand is Shadows of P'Jem is it? With Archer and T'Pol tied together?

*cough* It wasn't their choice to be lumped together so. So it doesn't qualify. I found the entire rigmarole hilarious. I would have thought, perhaps the choices of using one's ivory on the bindings, a search of the surroundings would be prudent before trying out any yoga.

 

[Anna Yolei]

Archer/T'Pol. You know, I think it's about caring and friendship. If you think friendship and caring is unromantic, then I can understand.

I was in a rush when I typed that...what I was meant was that it didn't seem like the writers were going to pair them up at all. There's definitely a devloping friendship there, but looking back, it just didn't seem all that obvious T'Pol would be paired with anyone. Mileage varies greatly, as I've learned years ago, so I'll just leave it at that.

I think Trip, funnier in season 2 and my favorite Trip, is understandably a few steps behind in Cogenitor. I definitely think it's Archer's fault and I think he realizes it is -- it's why he turns to look out the window at the end.

I agree, which is why I wished the episode could have given a bit more time to develop that and Trip's point of view. I think the show could have used a few more two-part episodes prior to season three and four.

 

[commodore64]

I agree, which is why I wished the episode could have given a bit more time to develop that and Trip's point of view. I think the show could have used a few more two-part episodes prior to season three and four.

I thought they did a great job of showing us Trip's POV in Cogenitor. You know, I'm fairly critical of the show (as in critique, both positive and negative), but I think Cogenitor is pretty good as is. I definitely see why Trip did what he did and understand why Archer was angry about it. I find people's reactions on this board fairly interesting; while seeing the episode I never would've thought people would feel so angry at Archer and so understanding/forgiving of Trip.

On having two-parters, there were a few (the cliff hangers), but ... I agree. I like the idea of the arc and prefer shows that build on the last episode. I think it may be difficult for new people to catch up, but I think it enables better story telling.

 

[trj]

I agree, which is why I wished the episode could have given a bit more time to develop that and Trip's point of view. I think the show could have used a few more two-part episodes prior to season three and four.

I thought they did a great job of showing us Trip's POV in Cogenitor. You know, I'm fairly critical of the show (as in critique, both positive and negative), but I think Cogenitor is pretty good as is. I definitely see why Trip did what he did and understand why Archer was angry about it. I find people's reactions on this board fairly interesting; while seeing the episode I never would've thought people would feel so angry at Archer and so understanding/forgiving of Trip.

On having two-parters, there were a few (the cliff hangers), but ... I agree. I like the idea of the arc and prefer shows that build on the last episode. I think it may be difficult for new people to catch up, but I think it enables better story telling.

i think the reason people get mad at archer in cogenitor is hypocrisy tends to piss people off.

 

[Captain X]

That's a big part of it, especially since the cogenitor's plight was very sympathetic. But the big thing is that Archer did everything he was chewing Trip out about, including "rescuing" a sex slave in the next season (but that was ok since she was attractive, with blonde hair and blue eyes). But then I'm also pissy about this episode because Trip just took it like a bitch.

 

[Mach5]

^ Wasn't "taking it like a bitch" Trip's thing throughout the show?

 

[Captain X]

Apparently, when it came to Archer or T'Pol.

 

[Lady Conqueror]

Interesting, am I really the only one who preferred (and really liked) the Season 1 Archer? He seemed to get more and more self righteous as the show progressed. To me, Archer was in his prime in "Broken Bow."

Not the only one, I'll stick my hand up as being a fan of early Archer.

 

[miriel68]

I liked Season 2 Archer, but he didn't get much chance of development there, IMO. From this point of view Season 1 and 3 were far more interesting, while Season 4 is simply not about characters any more.

 

[commodore64]

i think the reason people get mad at archer in cogenitor is hypocrisy tends to piss people off.

As I mentioned earlier, I think they did a nice job of showing Archer realized his own hypocrisy. He's mad at Trip, sure, but he's mad at himself too. It's why he turns to look out the window at the end of the episode.

Besides, I think Archer is overly maligned here. I think he's an interesting character with a lot of intriguing faults.

while Season 4 is simply not about characters any more

Glad to see you're back (or still around). I totally agree and I think that's an intuitive statement.

 

[Broccoli]

I recently re-watched season 2 for the first time in years and I largely agree with what you said.

-Congenitor: This used to be my favorite episode of the season, and I remember being really impressed with it the first (and last) I saw it six years ago. And to be fair, I have to say I'm glad that medding in alien affairs had a clear consequence, but this really should have been a two-part episode. The whole episode felt rushed, and the moral dilemma not explored much at all. Sadly, Archer's railing at the end seems just as hypocritical as I remembered, but even that could have been improved if he'd been allowed to acknoledge that he was hardly any better than Trip in that regard.

Like others have said, I think Archer realizes that he did the same things in the past. Difference is, from his POV, is that he became fast friends with the alien's leader. So, he has this strange sort of "I agree with you, yet I am so pissed at you". If anything, I bet Archer was more mad that it would have interfered with what would have been a fantastic first contact. Also, it is worth mentioning that Archer doesn't punish Trip at all. He just yells at him and that's about it.

-Precious Cargo: OMG, this board was not kidding with the Princess Fishstick nickname! At least Bounty was somewhat redeemed by Jolene's acting, but the Princess/Monarch/whatever has to have been the worst guest star to ever disgrace "Star Trek."

I will defend Precious Cargo. It's not a great episode, but it isn't bad. I think Conner Trinner's acting really saves it. As for the guest star, again, I will totally defend her. Personally, I thought she was great. The way her character was written and depicted, the actress nailed it on the nose (the high-fluentin, prissy, I'm-better-than-you attitude). I think more people have problems with the character, but blame it on the actress.

-The show's identity: while the writing in the later half of season three and the whole of season four seemed to have a lot more energy, season two has a different spark that the latter half of the show was missing. Maybe I'm being nogistalic here.

I'll agree with that. It is definetely an "evolution year". The crew seems to really grow as they realize what they can and cannot do in space. Intentionally or not, it leads to season 3 nicely.

-The character development: I liked "Vanishing Point" for giving Hoshi not just something to do, but giving some insight into her character at that point.Same with "Horizon" with Mayweather. Too bad little of that carried over to the later seasons.

I like Horizon. It was a good character piece for Travis, but it seemed like an odd-ball out episode for the series as it followed a character off the ship. There were no other episodes really like that in the series at all.

-Archer: How many fucking times can one person get kidnapped?!

At least two times that season; one of which was in the line of duty.

-Archer/T'Pol: I've heard both shipper camps claim that TPTB were testing the water for this couple, but I really don't see that. Like, at all. There's definately a lot more of T'Pol reach out to Archer and being more assertive in voicing her opinions and advice, but aside from ANISB and perhaps the scene in "Future Tense" where Archer and T'Pol discuss how it's possible that human and Vulcan bloodlines may meet (and I admit I loved the scene!), I honestly think there was more evidence of this couple in season one.

I never got shipper vibes from Archer and T'Pol. I think the whole sexual tension was realistically handled. Archer may have found T'Pol attractive, but that doesn't mean that he was falling desparetly in love. Phlox's assessment of the situation, I thought, was accurate. Plus, Archer didn't start having those dreams until after Phlox put the idea in his head.

The Borg: The Trek canon nerd in me wants to hate this episode (and I'm quite glad we never got the one that developed the Borg Queen's history), but this is the scariest the Borg had been since the first scene of DS9. I'd also forgotten that it was tied into the events of the "First Contact" movie, which made the canon violation a tad bit more tolerable.

If anything, the Borg episode made complete sense and (intentionally or not) cleared up a huge coninuity goof that Voyager created.