monkee reviews 'The Catwalk'
First Impression: A good, solid episode! And boy, did they need one!
Catwalk in a Bottle: Not only does the entire episode take place on the ship, most of it takes place in a cramped crawlspace. The Catwalk, as Trip carefully explains, since we've never seen one in thirty-five years of Star Trek, is the heavily shielded main shaft running the length of each nacelle. The crew must take refuge there when a neutronic wave front approaches, and Enterprise is unable to outrun it. The three Takrit aliens who alerted them to the front take refuge there as well, as their ship won't be able to withstand the stress. It was a realistic problem with an imperfect solution, and I always like it when things aren't too pat. It was good to see the crew come together to meet the challenge, and it was even good to see that it wasn't all sweetness and light in there. Crewmen were claustrophobic and peevish, yet ultimately they were able to settle in like family – always a good Trek theme.
I enjoyed all the scenes of preparation – the crew battening down the hatches, the power being shut down, the emergency lighting coming on, and Archer's last look at the empty bridge. Cool.
Takrit Threat: Eventually, Archer and his staff discover that the rest of the ship is crawling with Takrits, who are apparently immune to the neutronic radiation. They confront their three guests, who eventually admit that they are military deserters, and the others are looking for them. They also reveal that the Takrit military regularly impounds aliens vessels and murders their crews, so it's in everyone's best interest to foil them. Again, I thought the alien threat was reasonable. Sure, the Takrit leader on the bridge is a bit over the top in his stubborn refusal to give up when it appears that Archer is going to destroy the ship, but it's not like an obsessive military leader is unheard of!
Archer Watch: Let's move this section up this week. Hey – guess what? I really liked Archer in this episode! He walked around reassuring his crew – he bonded more with his First Officer – he was sensibly wary of the three alien's confession. And he came up with an outstanding ruse to foil the bad guys, thinking outside the box. Not bad for a week's work! Aided by some fine flying by Mayweather, he was able to convince the alien intruders that a) the rest of his crew was dead and he was dying, and b) he would destroy Enterprise by flying it into a neutronic eddy. Part of me was a little sorry that the whole thing was an act, because I'd like to see Archer faced with that worst case scenario, but the series is young, yet. I'm sure we'll see it for real eventually. Archer was terrific this week. A Captain worthy of Trek.
Except I'm still not sold on the whole water polo thing, sorry to say. The fist-pumping macho sports fan act while watching a water polo match on his PADD just didn't do it for me. I'm trying not to roll my eyes, but...not completely succeeding.
Lingering Mystery: T'Pol tells of a Vulcan ship that encountered a similar wave front a century ago. She says the ship was nearly destroyed, but Archer looks into it and discovers that it was, in fact, lost with all hands. T'Pol says she must have 'remembered incorrectly,' but you just know that can't be! There's a story here, for sure. She was either related to or very familiar with someone on that ship! I kept waiting to hear more about it, but I suppose it's a story for another time. Should be interesting! And it's just another example of one thing ENT is doing right...
Continuity! Ambassador V'Lar from 'Fallen Hero' gets a mention, as does Hoshi's claustrophobia, and Trip's ongoing preoccupation with where the Captain is going to sit. And I may be wrong, but I think the Vulcan desert ritual that T'Pol tells Archer about is mentioned in one of the animated episodes, and perhaps by Tuvok as well. These are all good things; however, we also get a little bit of...
BAD Continuity: MUST Reed always act like a stereotypical British prig? He's constantly whining about the accommodations, his feet, his gastrointestinal difficulties and the food. It's kind of like having Niles Frasier in charge of the armory, only at least 'Frasier' turns the stereotype around by having HIM be an American. Star Trek is supposed to fight stereotypes, not perpetuate them! I think if I was a British monkee, I'd be most displeased!
But let's move on.
Character Interactions: Since I didn't care for Reed's behavior, I also didn't like his interactions with Trip. I think we needed to see a bit of discord, yes – it just needed to be done with more subtlety. Otherwise, though, the crew was a pleasure to watch. I particularly enjoyed Archer's interactions with everyone from T'Pol to a random crewman working on a crossword puzzle. Archer and T'Pol's scenes were quite nice, and I also enjoyed the T'Pol/Phlox conversation.
We also learned a bit more about Phlox – apparently, Denobula has an overpopulation problem, with ten billion Denobulans living on one continent. Phlox's comfort with alien animals is revisited, and we see further indications that he's really quite fond of his menagerie. Maybe he'll even learn to appreciate Archer's affection for his 'subservient quadruped' someday! While we don't really learn anything new about Mayweather, at least he's part of the action this week. He gets to talk 'Boomer' for the first time in a while, and his piloting skills are critical.
Valiant Space Pup! Three cheers for Porthos, who even 'braces for impact' when he's supposed to! It was good to see the little guy again.
'shipper Watch: I really enjoyed Archer and T'Pol's little bedtime chat. It's fun watching them get to know each other, no matter what comes of it in the end. Archer tried to encourage her to loosen up a bit, and she was receptive, for once. She was also a supportive First Officer. One of my favorite scenes this week was Archer admitting to her that he didn't expect such a deadly phenomenon to be so beautiful. I only wish she'd told him more about that Vulcan ship. I think she considered it! I hope they revisit the story.
All Hands Accounted For: I also loved the understated last scene, in which Archer and T'Pol see to the safety of their crew, then follow them out of the Catwalk. Nice.
Best Lines:
"I'm not accustomed to making emotional appeals. Please – don't make me choose between them." (Phlox, to T'Pol, regarding the safety of his menagerie)
"I didn't expect it to be beautiful." (Archer, in a nice, unguarded moment, to T'Pol)
"The entire crew's accounted for, including one quadruped." (Trip, to Archer)
"A few days in this place should cure anyone of claustrophobia." (Hoshi, to Archer)
"Is this bothering you?" "Only slightly." (Archer and T'Pol, and vice versa)
"There's a lot more to these people than their names. It might be good for you to fraternize. A little." (Archer, to T'Pol)
"Even if they found us, I doubt they'd simply leave. They've captured vessels far less impressive than yours." (Tagrim, to Archer)
"You're in my chair." (Archer, to the alien Captain in his chair)
"The dead man was secretly working for Sheriff Boggs." "How do you know that?" "Isn't it obvious?" (T'Pol, Trip, and T'Pol)
"Glad you could join us, Subcommander. We have movie night every Tuesday – you know – if you're interested..." (Trip, to T'Pol) (Hey! He asked her out! Sort of.)
Rating: 9/10. I even enjoyed it the second time, and I can't say the same of the last two episodes. I'm glad we're heading into the holiday hiatus on a high note.
Next Week: Christmas Day! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and happy winter solstice to everyone else. Unless you're in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case…oh, never mind. Everyone just have a nice couple of weeks, okay?
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