T'Pol/Archer: I can certainly see how people liked this 'ship, I thought the chemistry was fine but the main problem with this pairing was that it would've undermined the underlying theme of the show as I saw it (especially in the first 2 seasons). The show established the tensions between the Humans and Vulcans on the larger scale and then Archer and T'Pol were the microcosm of that relationship and their growing friendship and trust would then play out to the larger picture. Throwing "romantic" love into that equation would bring up doubt about whether either was really getting past their prejudices (and therefore whether general humans & vulcans could do the same) or whether they were just making an exception for each other because they fell in love.
Well said,
LC. This makes a lot of sense to me. I know I really appreciated the trust and friendship that developed between Archer and T'Pol as the series progressed, and how they both learned from each other to set aside their preconceptions.
Given the parameters of the show, I don't think Archer would ever have pursued a romantic relationship with T'Pol, because his ethics would have prevented it, based on what he said in "Home." That being said, if the parameters were different--as they were in "Twilight," for example--one could imagine a different but credible scenario. "Twilight" was more of a tragic love story, but it demonstrated that there are always possibilities. (Didn't Spock say that?...)
Anyway, from what I saw on the show, Archer and T'Pol grew to care very much about each other. A deep bond of friendship can be just as profound and meaningful as any romantic relationship.
As for T'Pol and Trip, I thought they came together credibly, over a long period of time. All the ingredients were there...the oil-and-vinegar opposites thing, T'Pol's unique status as a Vulcan who can put up with humans, her unusual emotional makeup and curiosity about emotions ("Fusion"), her little acts of rebellion against Vulcan tradition ("Breaking the Ice"), and her compassion for someone in pain and need ("The Xindi"). Then there were clues to Trip's attraction for her ("You'd look good in Triaxian silk," "I never had fun arguing with anybody before"), and the gradual respect, trust, and friendship that develops between them, culminating in the revelation by Sim that he/Trip loves her.
Sure, they drive each other crazy all the way up to "Home," when their feelings are finally made clear. But that is part of what made it realistic for me...their constant miscommunication. T'Pol seemed pretty flummoxed by the whole idea of a relationship, thus all the missteps and mistakes, which was believable to me (even though I wanted to shake some sense into 'em sometimes). I did think the "Home" derailment, and what followed, was contrived...probably a casualty of TPTB realizing that Season 4 was likely the last. If the staff had known they had 3 more seasons, I suspect the storyline might have developed differently. But I think the Trip/T'Pol storyline got back on track, on an emotional level, by "Terra Prime."
Did he even explore other remedies??). Something that could be as intricate and powerful as the Sarek/Amanda bonding was marred by this cheap and the laziest road the writers' chose to take. It just reduced the impact of the first relationship between a Vulcan and a human. Nevertheless, it is a good tie.
