Plot – Star Trek has spent a long time attempting to forget how the Klingons changed so dramatically between TOS and TNG and they even poked fun at the shift in DS9’s Trials and Tribulations. Enterprise, the continuity plugger of the Trek shows is now going to take two episodes to explain how it happened. Who honestly cares? It was a change in aesthetic? Do we really need a long-winded explanation as to what happened – in universe – to make them look so different? The explanation when it comes makes sense and has been well seeded into this season (the Augments trilogy) and the series (the Klingons have a huge impact on this show) but ultimately turns out to be technobabble to explain why make up jobs were less sophisticated in the sixties than they were in the noughties.
With Trip being transferred and Dr Phlox being offered a new position on Earth, the show feels like it is in a transition period and one where the characters are being asked to make tough questions about their future. That’s very refreshing.
Character – Thank goodness the whole Trip being transferred was only a temporary gesture. I mean, why would the creators of their show get rid of one of their few bearable characters?
Phlox. I can pretty much get behind any episode that features Phlox heavily. His scenes with the Klingon Doctor are a delight because of their very different approaches to medicine. If a patient comes to a Klingon Doctor sick then he is killed and his body used for medical science but in Phlox is committed to saving as many lives as possible.
Bashir being a member of Section 31 evolved naturally out of his character. Reed being a previous member of the department comes as a surprise from absolutely nowhere. It doesn’t threaten to make him interesting, but it does add a little colour to this monochrome of characters. Lying to his Captain makes Reed a liability and I hope there are consequences for him. I can’t help but be convinced that no matter how conclusive the writers try to be that Malcolm is exposed as a traitor that he will be back at his station at the end of next week. Nothing shifts that much in Enterprise. Only DS9 and Discovery have truly moved their characters like chess pieces in that fashion.
Performance – At this stage Jolene Balock is playing T’Pol with as though she is always at war with her Vulcan serenity and emotions. It’s a real scene stealing turn because I feel as though she could burst at any moment. It’s the only performance on this show that feels dangerous and unpredictable and that’s refreshing. The T’Pol/Trip relationship really shouldn’t work for so many reasons (I thought she would end up with Archer) but the efforts of the actors pay off and their chemistry is undeniable.
Production – The Targ in the very first shot is a gorgeous touch and strong indicator of how much Enterprise season four is pandering to fans of the franchise rather than attempting to break new ground.
CGI has evolved to such a stage now where we can enjoy some pretty sophisticated shots of Enterprise approaching Earth, the Columbia in dry dock and a stylish Manhattan skyline. Earth is realised more fully here than it ever has been. Even the scenes shot on Earth are moody and atmospheric, some moments shot in silhouette.
However, the bizarre way that some of the investigation scenes are shot – the camera flying from one person to the next – are very distracting. It’s a precursor to Discovery which makes me feel dizzy it is so over produced at times. Not every scene has to look visually arresting, sometimes less is more.
There’s an attack on the Enterprise by the Original Series Klingons that is very well executed; swift and efficient. And on a purely nostalgic level I really enjoyed seeing the TOS Klingons. On a purely shaggy level, they are pretty hot too.
Best moment – Section goddamn 31! Now I’m not suggesting that all the best things to come out of this episode sprung from DS9 but the explanation of the difference in Klingon physiology and Starfleet’s dark underbelly were both introduced in my favourite Trek show. How wonderful for something as insidious as Section 31 to be highlighted and have detail added. It looks like it is an idea that has born many fruits and is continuing to bleed into other shows in the franchise.
Worst moment – I’m not sure that CSI Enterprise is filling a gap in the schedules that anybody was crying out for.
I wish they hadn’t done that – Does every Enterprise episode have a scene with somebody being kidnapped?
A reason to watch this episode again – This is a fine episode of Enterprise, probably the finest I have seen away from the big ground-shaking episodes. It’s superbly realised, told with economy, has interesting twists and turns, features some memorable performances, nice character touches and a terrific cliff-hanger. If this was the standard the show was delivering in the last season it’s a shame it was cancelled when it was. I was impressed with the complexities of the storytelling (there are at least four distinct plots taking place here and all of them are given enough attention) and whilst the characterisation wasn’t Trek at its most vivid, it was a huge cut above what I expect on this show. Typical of Paramount to cut something off in its prime right after they let something like Voyager limp on aimlessly for seven years. The direction is both tight and imaginative and distractingly intense at times.
**** out of *****
Clue for tomorrow's episode:
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