Starting from the beginning--when does ENT get good?

[IntrepidMan]

I tuned into season 4 when it first aired 10 years ago, then recently I watched the third season on Netflix. There were some duds but overall I thought I thought the show was okay. Now I'm starting from the very beginning, and my God--it's just awful! Now I understand all the critism against Archer. He's acting like a teenager! So quick to anger and letting every remark from the Vulcans get the best of him--this is the captain we're sending to the stars? It's only the third episode and he's nearly got the crew killed at least twice. And don't get me started on Trip. Everything he says is rubbish and so many times I'm screaming at him to just SHUT UP!

I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone, but do people here feel differently? I love Trek and it's just painful to watch this. Is the whole first season this bad? When does it get better?

 

[Christopher]

I think the first season is actually pretty interesting if you look at it the right way. It was trying to be a smaller, quieter, more character-driven show, less action-packed than it later became. It sometimes felt to me like it was emulating M*A*S*H, though it wasn't quite on that level. And though I agree that the naivete of the characters is somewhat implausible, I can accept it as a dramatic contrivance to show humanity's inexperience at exploration. And I think season 1 does as well as any season of Star Trek at showcasing a sense of wonder and discovery, telling stories about people who are excited about exploration and trying new things and learning as they go. It does a really good job of creating a sense of alienness in the others they contact, a sense that they're out in a realm where they aren't in control or in authority and have to adapt and compromise and sometimes take their licks. It's refreshingly different. (Voyager was trying for a similar sense of vulnerability in an unknown frontier, but Starfleet tech was so much more advanced than everyone else's that the vulnerability wasn't really there.)

Season 1 also has a decent sense of an evolving story arc. Events in one episode have consequences later, and we see over the season how this little jaunt of exploration ends up having larger political ramifications than the crew ever expected, as Earth takes its first steps toward being a player on the interstellar stage. There's also some nice character development, particularly in the Archer-T'Pol relationship. No, it's not the best that Trek has been, but there are worthwhile things there.

Unfortunately, season 2 loses a lot of focus. It starts out strong, but then pretty much meanders, and its attempts at story arcs aren't as cohesive or effective. It's the weakest of the four.

Season 3 has some very silly elements and is maybe too heavy on the action, but it also has a lot of strengths and an effective overarching storyline, and it handles death as maturely and thoughtfully as any Trek series ever has. Deaths are really felt and mourned and have an impact, rather than being redshirt casualties that are forgotten after ten minutes.

Season 4 is widely considered the best, and it does have a lot going for it. It's certainly the most successful at delving into Trek history and continuity and showing the origins of the Trek universe we know from TOS and later, and it probably has the most consistent writing overall, with only a couple of duds (unfortunately including the dreadful series finale). But it lacks one of the things I liked most about season 1, because there isn't really any exploration in it. It's devoted mostly to interstellar politics and continuity porn. It also continues the action-heavy emphasis of season 3. The action is carried off fantastically well, with the best visual effects in the TV franchise's history, but I could've done with a little less of it overall.

 

[Goji]

Each of the four seasons has unique strengths and weaknesses, which is perhaps one of the things I find interesting about the series. For better or worse it didn't just keep pumping out samey-same episodes like its predecessor, Voyager, did. I like the series well enough from the start and it gets a reasonable increase in quality with season 3. It was never the best of Trek but in my view it was also never the worst.

Except maybe for the infamous series finale, and A Night in Sickbay.

 

[eyeresist]

Now I'm starting from the very beginning, and my God--it's just awful! Now I understand all the critism against Archer. He's acting like a teenager! So quick to anger and letting every remark from the Vulcans get the best of him--this is the captain we're sending to the stars? It's only the third episode and he's nearly got the crew killed at least twice. And don't get me started on Trip. Everything he says is rubbish and so many times I'm screaming at him to just SHUT UP!

Enterprise is consistently inconsistent. I made graphs of my ratings for the episodes, and it really is up-down-up-down. Season 1 Episode 3 is one of the weaker ones.

Regarding the characterisations, Archer's attitude to the Vulcans in season 1 is sometimes embarrassing, which is something fans admit. It does give him somewhere to grow as he learns to respect and like T'Pol.
I'm not sure what your deal is with Trip. It may just be a personal thing that you find him irritating. For me it's Hoshi.

If you want to check out my episode ratings, they are here:
https://eyeresist.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/star-trek-enterprise-episode-ratings/
Obviously they are just based on my personal taste.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

ENT does suffer from some poor character concepts and casting.

Archer is awful, both character and actor, with little that I find of redeeming virtue.

T'Pol suffers from Seven Syndrome in that the female character has to be "smart and sexy" so they slap her in little more than body paint and have her pout. The character has an interesting arc, especially after she leaves the VHC, but in S4 she should've been in a Starfleet uniform once she officially joined them, there was no excuse for the low-cut outfits.

Trip is probably the best thought out character, with a lot of charm to him that helps overlook the more hokey Southern boy aspects--plus those of us that appreciate a man in his skivvies got all we could want from Trip

Phlox is an interesting character, though was never developed as much as he should've been, definitely someone who could've given us some interesting "alien insights".

Reed makes me cringe. The stereotypical Englishman, with his stiff upper lip and 'proper manner' was grating after a few episodes and didn't let up.

Sato never seemed to know what she was, starting off as the inexperienced rookie, but later revealed to be a martial artist and a maths genius. Part of that may be that she grew more confident with experience, but other times its like they just tacked things onto her at later dates that seemed to come out of nowhere.

And finally Mayweather. If there was ever a token black character in Trek, this is it. He was meant to have lived in space all his days, seen more than any of the other human crew, but none of that ever comes across. Instead he is little more than a glorified extra. They could've done so much more with him, instead he and Kim vye for the title of Dullest Character Ever.

 

[Christopher]

Each of the four seasons has unique strengths and weaknesses, which is perhaps one of the things I find interesting about the series.

I'd agree if not for season 2. It doesn't really have anything to make it unique in its overall approach. It's just trying to be more of what season 1 was, but with less focus and direction. It has some worthwhile episodes in isolation, but they don't really add up to a larger whole, and there's a lot of filler in between. So I don't see what its unique strengths are.

Except maybe for the infamous series finale, and A Night in Sickbay.

I don't think "A Night in Sickbay" is that bad. I like it that it's a straight-up character-driven episode without any tacked-on action or mortal peril; the only character in any physical danger is the dog. TNG would've felt obligated to throw in some random technobabble malfunction that interrupted the character story once an act and almost blew up the ship, but ENT committed to telling a pure character piece, and I respect that. And it's a good Phlox-focus episode too, with some nice insights into his character (though some annoying comedy bits too). Archer doesn't come off as well, true, but I can buy it because people are often irrational when it comes to their pets. And while the focus on the Archer-T'Pol "sexual tension" was annoying, at least it finally ended that arc for good.

T'Pol suffers from Seven Syndrome in that the female character has to be "smart and sexy" so they slap her in little more than body paint and have her pout. The character has an interesting arc, especially after she leaves the VHC, but in S4 she should've been in a Starfleet uniform once she officially joined them, there was no excuse for the low-cut outfits.

Trip is probably the best thought out character, with a lot of charm to him that helps overlook the more hokey Southern boy aspects--plus those of us that appreciate a man in his skivvies got all we could want from Trip

At first blush, that seems like a double standard, approving of the objectification of a male character but disapproving of it with a female character. But I have to agree that the way T'Pol's sexuality was handled was quite puerile and gratuitous. She wasn't a willing participant, wasn't choosing to be seductive or sexual for her own reasons, so the attempts of the storytellers to sexualize her felt exploitative. It got better in season 3 where she was actually choosing to explore her sexuality, and thus had more agency. Although, yes, it made no sense for her season 4 "uniforms" to be just her third-season civilian wear with insignia attached. Or for her Vulcan High Command uniform in the first two seasons to be so much tighter and slinkier than any other Vulcan uniform we saw.

Sato never seemed to know what she was, starting off as the inexperienced rookie, but later revealed to be a martial artist and a maths genius.

When was she ever a martial artist? And she was a linguistics genius from day one; that never changed. I don't remember math ever coming into it.

And finally Mayweather. If there was ever a token black character in Trek, this is it. He was meant to have lived in space all his days, seen more than any of the other human crew, but none of that ever comes across. Instead he is little more than a glorified extra. They could've done so much more with him, instead he and Kim vye for the title of Dullest Character Ever.

Actually Travis gets a fair amount to do in the first season. It's only later that he's pushed to the background. I tend to think it's because Montgomery gave a mediocre performance in the climax of "Fortunate Son," his first really big dramatic moment. Maybe the producers decided that he wasn't quite up to the demands of a bigger part. Although he was given more to do in season 4 again.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

At first blush, that seems like a double standard, approving of the objectification of a male character but disapproving of it with a female character.

It is a double standard, but there already is one, I've just flipped it on its head so that men can be objectified rather than women for a change . It was actually a breath of fresh air I found, though admittedly it's something that should be put to rest, regardless of gender.

But I have to agree that the way T'Pol's sexuality was handled was quite puerile and gratuitous. She wasn't a willing participant, wasn't choosing to be seductive or sexual for her own reasons, so the attempts of the storytellers to sexualize her felt exploitative. It got better in season 3 where she was actually choosing to explore her sexuality, and thus had more agency.

Which was part of her development that made sense and led to a very interesting relationship evolution between her and Trip--which I found to be a highlight of S3 and 4.

Although, yes, it made no sense for her season 4 "uniforms" to be just her third-season civilian wear with insignia attached. Or for her Vulcan High Command uniform in the first two seasons to be so much tighter and slinkier than any other Vulcan uniform we saw.

Trek has shown in the past that whenever you put a woman into a proper uniform she looks just as good (if not far better) as she ever did in any of her slinkier outfits: Troi, Kira, Seven, even the time T'Pol wore one in S3.

When was she ever a martial artist? And she was a linguistics genius from day one; that never changed. I don't remember math ever coming into it.

It all comes out in the S4 episode (the title of which I can't remember) where she and Trip are infected with the silicone-based virus. She comments that she broke an instructors arm (and I'm sure there's something slipped in about some form of martial arts she is skilled at) and is later able to bypass security lockouts with apparant ease--I believe someone makes a comment about it on the Bridge as they try to maintain quarantine.

Actually Travis gets a fair amount to do in the first season. It's only later that he's pushed to the background. I tend to think it's because Montgomery gave a mediocre performance in the climax of "Fortunate Son," his first really big dramatic moment. Maybe the producers decided that he wasn't quite up to the demands of a bigger part. Although he was given more to do in season 4 again.

I'd forgotten about "Fortunate Son"--which is kind of his problem, there's nothing truly stand out about him, which is a shame, as they could've had some fun with that (such as a mission where Archer had to defer to his greater knowledge of a certain race or phenomena), or made more of the Mayweather/Sato friendship and had the two Ensigns out on their own for an episode, or had the ship meet with an alien he befriended years ago. Mayweather really was a missed opportunity.

 

[Christopher]

It is a double standard, but there already is one, I've just flipped it on its head so that men can be objectified rather than women for a change .

TOS objectified both sexes. Captain Kirk lost his shirt on a regular basis, and so did Spock and Sulu on occasion. And it wasn't the only '60s show to do so; Jim West on The Wild Wild West took his shirt off frequently enough to made Kirk look prudish.

When was she ever a martial artist? And she was a linguistics genius from day one; that never changed. I don't remember math ever coming into it.

It all comes out in the S4 episode (the title of which I can't remember) where she and Trip are infected with the silicone-based virus. She comments that she broke an instructors arm (and I'm sure there's something slipped in about some form of martial arts she is skilled at) and is later able to bypass security lockouts with apparant ease--I believe someone makes a comment about it on the Bridge as they try to maintain quarantine.

The black belt in aikido was just a passing reference in one conversation. And what's the big deal? Lots of people have black belts in some martial art or other. It's a form of exercise or meditation. It doesn't suddenly make her some kind of super-warrior, so it's not a change in her character.

(In fact, aikido isn't an aggressive art at all; it's intended as a form of self-defense that avoids injury to the attacker. Which means that if Hoshi broke her instructor's arm with it, she was using it wrong.)

And her ability to break the lockout code (on the decon chamber, not the bridge) is justified by her saying "Math is just another language." A bit implausible, perhaps, but it's presented as an extension of her existing linguistic genius. It's hardly a random change in her character.

Mayweather really was a missed opportunity.

That's true, for whatever reason. And it's something I've tried to make up for in my Rise of the Federation novels.

 

[ALF]

Opinions incoming: I'm at the point where I just tell people to watch the fourth season and if they love it - go back and watch from the beginning. I hear ya - the beginning is awful. Season 1 is creaky. Season 2 is interesting but sloppy and season 3 only works if you buy into the whole Xindi thing. Season 4 was so good it basically validated the entire series' existence retroactively.

Wow... looking back on it, a series that I love, I realize it totally deserved to be canceled... since it is that difficult to introduce to a newcomer. I wonder if it had been any better if CBS hadn't interfered with the production at all and let the showrunners run? Both Archer and T'Pol suffered from having too many cliched Star Trek archetypes to run with. We got a bit of a whiner/explorer coupled with a non-conventional drug addict.

Anyway... season four.
And... Trip.

 

[Karzak]

Sato never seemed to know what she was, starting off as the inexperienced rookie, but later revealed to be a martial artist and a maths genius.

When was she ever a martial artist? And she was a linguistics genius from day one; that never changed. I don't remember math ever coming into it.

Hoshi kicked the shit out of some guys who eventually knocked her out and kidnapped Phlox outside of the Chinese restaurant in San Francisco at the beginning of "Affliction" in the fourth season. That was when it was revealed, though was mentioned prior to this in "Observer Effect."

I do agree though -- it was a tacked on character trait. Where were these expert martial arts skills when the Xindi Reptillians kidnapped her?

It all comes out in the S4 episode (the title of which I can't remember) where she and Trip are infected with the silicone-based virus. She comments that she broke an instructors arm (and I'm sure there's something slipped in about some form of martial arts she is skilled at) and is later able to bypass security lockouts with apparant ease--I believe someone makes a comment about it on the Bridge as they try to maintain quarantine.

The black belt in aikido was just a passing reference in one conversation. And what's the big deal?

You asked when Hoshi's martial arts background was introduced. We've answered. Marginalizing what that background is to support your previous ignorance of it doesn't really help the conversation.

 

[Goji]

Each of the four seasons has unique strengths and weaknesses, which is perhaps one of the things I find interesting about the series.

I'd agree if not for season 2. It doesn't really have anything to make it unique in its overall approach. It's just trying to be more of what season 1 was, but with less focus and direction. It has some worthwhile episodes in isolation, but they don't really add up to a larger whole, and there's a lot of filler in between. So I don't see what its unique strengths are.

Yeah, season 2 is messy. It's basically a Voyager season except with fewer truly dire episodes. But it's got a few good ones and the show rebounded, at least.

Except maybe for the infamous series finale, and A Night in Sickbay.

I don't think "A Night in Sickbay" is that bad. I like it that it's a straight-up character-driven episode without any tacked-on action or mortal peril; the only character in any physical danger is the dog. TNG would've felt obligated to throw in some random technobabble malfunction that interrupted the character story once an act and almost blew up the ship, but ENT committed to telling a pure character piece, and I respect that. And it's a good Phlox-focus episode too, with some nice insights into his character (though some annoying comedy bits too). Archer doesn't come off as well, true, but I can buy it because people are often irrational when it comes to their pets. And while the focus on the Archer-T'Pol "sexual tension" was annoying, at least it finally ended that arc for good.

I was always appreciative that Enterprise was never as in love with meaningless technobabble problems and solutions as TNG or Voyager was, but I simply have too much respect for Scott Bakula to find A Night in Sickbay less than cringe-worthy. It's the same reason why I can't sit through Profit and Lace, who wants to see Armin Shimerman reduced to that kind of thing?

 

[plynch]

I watched originally on the air and stopped about halfway through. Just lost interest. No decision to stop, really.

Now my daughter (teenage Trekkie) and I are watching on Netflix. We started half way in the school year and STILL not done with S1. She's rewatching DS9 on her own.

ENT isn't like HORRIBLE or anything, right?

It's just not really any good.

A big "meh." It has no pop. So, I understand it gets better, and I believe all who say that. I'll probably witness that in like 2017, the rate we're going.

 

[eyeresist]

I'd agree if not for season 2. It doesn't really have anything to make it unique in its overall approach. It's just trying to be more of what season 1 was, but with less focus and direction. It has some worthwhile episodes in isolation, but they don't really add up to a larger whole, and there's a lot of filler in between.

Yeah, season 2 is messy. It's basically a Voyager season except with fewer truly dire episodes. But it's got a few good ones and the show rebounded, at least.

I don't think season 2 is so bad. There are a couple of strong eps in the first half (including the generally-liked Dead Stop) along with some clunkers, and the second half improves on that. It's never as bad as VOY (except maybe Precious Cargo).

I do agree though -- it was a tacked on character trait. Where were these expert martial arts skills when the Xindi Reptillians kidnapped her?

To be fair, I think the reptilians were supposed to be super-strong.

 

[Destructor]

A big "meh."

Yeah, this. It ain't bad- it's worse than bad. It's 'okay'.

 

[Destructor]

A big "meh."

Yeah, this. It ain't bad- it's worse than bad. It's... eh.

 

[tomalak301]

Some of my favorite episodes are in the first season:

Broken Bow
Breaking the Ice
Andorian Incident
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Shuttlepod One
Vox Sola
Detained
Shockwave

 

[Goji]

I'd agree if not for season 2. It doesn't really have anything to make it unique in its overall approach. It's just trying to be more of what season 1 was, but with less focus and direction. It has some worthwhile episodes in isolation, but they don't really add up to a larger whole, and there's a lot of filler in between.

Yeah, season 2 is messy. It's basically a Voyager season except with fewer truly dire episodes. But it's got a few good ones and the show rebounded, at least.

I don't think season 2 is so bad. There are a couple of strong eps in the first half (including the generally-liked Dead Stop) along with some clunkers, and the second half improves on that. It's never as bad as VOY (except maybe Precious Cargo).

I'd say I like more episodes in season 2 than I dislike. But the season has the fewest standouts, and it does have less of an overall identity than the rest. Which, again, does make it feel like Voyager. And I do like some things about Voyager (Robert Picardo, yay!)

I do agree though -- it was a tacked on character trait. Where were these expert martial arts skills when the Xindi Reptillians kidnapped her?

To be fair, I think the reptilians were supposed to be super-strong.

She was also beamed away from Enterprise and onto an enemy ship. It's pretty hard to A.) fight a transporter beam, B.) martial-arts your way through a whole shipful of enemy combatants with no obvious way off the ship.

 

[eyeresist]

Some of my favorite episodes are in the first season:

Broken Bow
Breaking the Ice
Andorian Incident
Cold Front
Silent Enemy
Shuttlepod One
Vox Sola
Detained
Shockwave

I mostly agree with this. The only one I would really disagree with is Vox Sola, as the story feels generic overall, and there's some poor CGI on the creature.

I'd say I like more episodes in season 2 than I dislike. But the season has the fewest standouts, and it does have less of an overall identity than the rest.

Standouts from season 2 (IMO):

Dead Stop
Singularity
Cease Fire
Future Tense
The Crossing
Regeneration
First Flight
The Expanse

A lot of fans also rate Carbon Creek and Cogenitor.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

It gets good in season 3 but watch the last couple eps in season 2 as your segue.

After you are converted you watch the (previously pedestrian) seasons 1 and 2 and riff on the foreshadowing. Yes this is all in your head but believe me it works.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Season three is where it gets consistently good, IMO.