Weakest Season FOUR Episode (besides TATV)

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

I'm starting this thread at HopefulRomantic's suggestion, seeing as how the Weakest Season 3 episode was veering off topic.

I actually don't think TATV is the weakest season 4 episode. I just figure that since there are already 20 anti-TATV topics going on right now all over the board that I would exclude it from this discussion.

My votes would go to "Daedalus" and "Bound", two completely pointless and predictable episodes.

Also, I know this is not a popular sentiment around here, but "In a Mirror Darkly" did nothing for me. It was two hours of the cast walking around like cartoon villains and going MWAH HAH HAH and twirling their moustaches and I found it pretty lame.

And having two episodes to explain the Klingon forehead ridges was easily the stupidest idea in all of season four. They could have spent two episodes on a lot of more worthwhile things, such as providing proper closure to the whole TCW arc that had been going on for three seasons. Instead, they decided to rationalize a makeup change.

 

[SFRabid]

Daedalus for me was bad overall and went back to the old Archer who could see no danger in the decisions he makes. At least bound did have a nice twist with the Orion women being in control.

 

[commodore64]

Bound. I was disappointed that the women (T'Pol and Hoshi) couldn't save the day in that one. Although I think other bad ones are Storm Front I and II, Home and Dadealus. Demons could've been written better, as could've a few others.

 

[Mach5]

Bound. I was disappointed that the women (T'Pol and Hoshi) couldn't save the day in that one.

Yes, some T'Pol/Hoshi buddy/buddy stuff would have been awesome. But according to Coto, the whole point of "Bound" was to show that Trip and T'pol belonged together. In the end, the ep only left an impression that they were stuck together...

 

[cooleddie74]

"Bound."

Total waste of sexy Orion slave girl makeup and costumes. A real nugget in an otherwise-great year(minus "TATV," of course).

 

[JiNX-01]

DEADalus.

The Guest Troublemaker was in no way sympathetic.
Archer behaved like a complete ass even when his chief engineer was telling him that something was up with Dr. Deadalus.
Even after a member of the crew was KILLED BECAUSE DR. D. LIED TO EVERYBODY, Archer let him further endanger the crew.

 

[number6]

Daedalus was the weakest for me. The rest of the season rocked my socks!!

 

[Broccoli]

"Daedalus" was pretty weak, mostly because it seemed really out of place, considering the rest of the season.

Bound. I was disappointed that the women (T'Pol and Hoshi) couldn't save the day in that one. Although I think other bad ones are Storm Front I and II, Home and Dadealus. Demons could've been written better, as could've a few others.

Really? I thought "Home" was great.

 

[commodore64]

^ I thought Vulcan looked and seemed more like Earth than an alien land -- harsh deserts, blinding sun(s), etc. I'm a huge fan of the Vulcans. For example, The Forge made Vulcan seem mysterious, mystical, ancient and vast. Of course, Spock is one of my favorite characters of all time, no matter the genre. Also, I thought Archer's plight coming to an unceremonious and silly end (having sex to resolve and forgive his guilt) was silly. Then again, I'm an Archer fan, so what they do with him is important to me.

But according to Coto, the whole point of "Bound" was to show that Trip and T'pol belonged together. In the end, the ep only left an impression that they were stuck together...

Interesting. You know, the episode really didn't help build the case for them being together (maybe that's your point). I thought Terra Prime, where they showed caring was a better way to go. I could go on about how the Trip/T'Pol relationship failed, imo, but that's a whole 'nother thread.

 

[Noname Given]

Gotta go with Daedalus. I've actually compe to appreciate Bound after seeing it again on HDNet recently.

 

[Mach5]

"Daedalus" and "Bound" are the two weakest S4 episodes, that's for sure.
But the difference between them for me is that I can still watch Bound from time to time and laugh at how silly it is, while there's absolutely no reason for me to re watch Daedalus. It's simply to boring.

 

[Reanok]

Daedalus I thought Dr.Emory was a very unlikeable character lying to the crew and because of him a crew member was killed and Archer made sveral bad choices. Trip was absolutely right when it came to his concerns about Emory and being upset about one of Malcolm's officers being killed and T'Pol being injured.Danica I felt sorry for her that she wa sin a difficult situation and wante dto tell Archer the truth.

 

[bluedana]

Daedalus, because it could have been an awesome storyline about Archer being pulled in different directions by his personal and professional loyalties. Unfortunately, they cast Bill Cobbs, who could not evoke ANY sympathy whatsoever. So there was, for me, no reason for Archer to be pulled in that direction, against Trip who obviously is more compelling. As it was, you couldn't figure out why Archer didn't just say, Whatever, STHU, you grumpy old man, and go on with his day. A different actor for Emory would have made that choice more plausibly difficult. (Plus I love the Danica character, so I'm that much more bitter that the episode wasn't good.)

Bound. This one was just stupid. Why wouldn't you have the female security and MACOs guard the Orion women? Why didn't Hoshi and T'Pol stage a mutiny with the other non-affected female crew? Oh, right. They had headaches. Stupid.

 

[commodore64]

See, I thought Bill was good. I've seen him in other things where he was good, too. I just don't think the script made a good connection between Archer and the scientist. Trip has more screen time with him than Archer does.

 

[cooleddie74]

What's with all the "Daedalus" hatin'? It's not great. But subtle, driven by characters and not effects or battles and it helps flesh out more TREK history and backstory...not just about who invented mankind's first transporter but that person's relationship with Archer. It has cheesy, over-the-top moments with the subspace transporter accident/"ghost" stuff but it still works. I like it.

 

[TheGodBen]

While Daedalus was boring, Bound was cringe-inducing. It is one thing to fall asleep while watching a TV show, but if it makes you want to gouge your own eyes out with a stick then something has to be seriously wrong, and that is why Bound gets my vote.

 

[bluedana]

What's with all the "Daedalus" hatin'? It's not great. But subtle, driven by characters and not effects or battles and it helps flesh out more TREK history and backstory...not just about who invented mankind's first transporter but that person's relationship with Archer. It has cheesy, over-the-top moments with the subspace transporter accident/"ghost" stuff but it still works. I like it.

I liked the story line, but not the actor. He needed to be a sympathetic counterpoint to Trip's professionalism: we already knew and trusted Trip's opinion. Emory needed to convey a compelling reason for Archer not to just take Trip's advice. That wasn't a problem with the script so much as the actor.

There's a line where Archer, devastated that he's been lied to, says, "You were like a second father to me." That should have set up this dilemma. Instead, I thought to myself the first time I saw the episode, You must have had one f***ed up childhood, Jon. I don't think that's what they were going for with that line. There were no expressions, no voice inflections, no little mannerisms that in any way conveyed fatherly affection.

Contrast that with the very first few seconds that Danica is onscreen. Archer literally bounds up to her and kisses her on the lips - and right away you're like, a-ha!

It could have been real heartbreaking story, like Similitude or Cogenitor - the no-win situation, follow your heart or your head. Instead, it fell flat, and I don't think it's the fault of the script.

 

[Mach5]

Interesting. You know, the episode really didn't help build the case for them being together (maybe that's your point).

It is.

I thought Terra Prime, where they showed caring was a better way to go.

Agreed on Terra Prime. Their bickering and mistrust in "Daemons" didn't help things either.

I could go on about how the Trip/T'Pol relationship failed, imo, but that's a whole 'nother thread.

There's already a TnT appreciation thread. Maybe you should consider opening a "TnT depreciation thread" . Would be worth following.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

I could go on about how the Trip/T'Pol relationship failed, imo, but that's a whole 'nother thread.

There's already a TnT appreciation thread. Maybe you should consider opening a "TnT depreciation thread" . Would be worth following.

Mmmmnope, a Trip and T'Pol bashing thread would not be a good idea. But commie already knows this.

If you can think of a topic that would lead to a productive discussion and not a troll-o-rama, you're a better man than me, Gunga Din.

 

[Mott the barber]

Haven't yet made my way through all of S4 (I just finished "Affliction"), but definitely Daedalus. It's been done before.