monkee reviews 'Countdown'
First Impressions: Yowza! Enterprise is pulling out all the stops. Another riveting hour, and just in time for the good news that we will be able to look forward to another year of this! Woo-hoo - Enterprise has been renewed for a fourth season!
Brave Hoshi: Hoshi regains consciousness inside the weapon, where Commander Dolan demands that she decrypt the third launch code. She refuses to cooperate, and even spits in his scaly face - you GO, girl! Even after he has her injected with parasites that will make her more compliant, she resists, adding more layers of encryption instead of removing them. She even tries to kill herself, so they won't be able to use her to destroy her own home planet. Eventually, though, they inject her with enough parasites to force her to complete the task.
Or do they? I wonder. Even the Reptilian soldiers were surprised at how fast she did it. At episode's end, Archer still hadn't been able to question her about it...
Linda Park did a splendid job. She screams as good as Chekov (better, actually), and did a great job at conveying Sato's newfound courage in the face of adversity. Hoshi, who used to cringe when the warp engine made a funny noise, has come a long way. Now she can spit in the face of someone set on manipulating and killing her. I wish they'd give this character/actress more to do. Maybe next year!
The Away Team Returns: T'Pol, Reed and Mayweather return from the sphere with the redundant memory core. The first thing Reed has to do is tell Major Hayes that Hawkins was killed. Hayes is professional, but later admits that he considered Hawkins his responsibility and can't help but think that if he'd been there, things might have turned out differently. Hayes and Reed have a terrific, sincere conversation in which they agree that MACO or Starfleet - the uniform doesn't matter anymore. Reed felt his responsibility for Hawkins' safety keenly, and Hayes feels the same way about Hoshi - which is good, as he's just been assigned to lead the team to retrieve her. Nice job by semi-regular Steven Culp (Hayes) in this scene.
Meanwhile, T'Pol and Trip draw the job of trying to get useful information out of the memory core. They discover that all of the spheres seem to be a connected network, with just a few key 'control' spheres. Sphere 41, nearby, is one of them, and they try to formulate a plan to destroy it, hoping it will set off a chain reaction that will destroy all of the spheres and eliminate the expanse. They aren't making much progress, however, and Trip shoots down all of T'Pol's suggestions because they're too risky. She gets snarky and snaps at him. He's about to storm out of the room when she calls him back.
Trip and T'Pol: She calls him back by his nickname, Trip, which certainly gets his attention! Then they have another one of their marvelous intimate conversations that do more to convince me of the pairing than all of their neuro-pressure sessions combined. T'Pol doesn't come out and tell him about her Trellium addiction, but she does admit to being troubled by emotions she can't control. Trip tells her again how grateful he is for her help with his problems, and promises to be there for her once the current crisis is past them. Awwww...
Degra's Colleagues: I wondered if Archer would lose the support of the Xindi primates and arboreals after Degra's death, but thankfully he does not. Archer's evidence, along with Degra's certainty that it was sound, has them completely convinced now. In fact, Degra's fellow primate seems to genuinely like Archer. He believes that once the weapon is destroyed, Xindi and Humans might actually work together to realize the joint future that Archer and Degra had envisioned. Nice.
Archer Argues with Aquatics: The Aquatics remind me a little of the Ents in Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings,' who, after endless debate, are finally able to agree that the two Hobbits among them are not Orcs. It's kind of endearing, in an annoying sort of way! Archer is granted an audience with the Aquatics, but even his most heartfelt speeches can't sway them from their aggressive conservatism. Everything's just happening too fast for them, so they opt for the 'wait and see what happens next approach,' even though it might well destroy Earth, and all Xindi. Archer really needs their help, though. The Primates and Arboreals can track the weapon, but don't have enough fire power to destroy it. The Aquatics do. Finally, Archer's desperate last-ditch attempt to reason with them works. He has to promise them something he's not sure he can deliver, the destruction of the spheres, but they're finally on board.
The Honeymoon is Over: Meanwhile, there's trouble in bad guy paradise, and everyone's motivations are starting to reveal themselves. Commander Dolan begins to question the Sphere-Builders. Why can't THEY figure out the third code with all their marvelous powers and time travel abilities? The Sphere Builders claim they can only help with the big stuff. I think Dolan suspects the Sphere Builders aren't the benevolent saviors they claim to be, but he doesn't care, as long as there's something in it for him and the Reptilians.
The Showdown: Archer and his Xindi allies, the Arboreals and Primates, are joined by the Aquatics in a last-ditch attempt to destroy the weapon (and rescue Hoshi). With the firepower of the Aquatics, things actually seem to be going their way, too - the MACOs retrieve Hoshi, and the weapon is in danger. Then, however, the Sphere-Builders intervene, using spatial anomalies to create a protective bubble around the weapon to get it safely into another vortex.
The Aquatics have very cool looking ships, by the way. And the special effects in this battle were excellent. At one point, one of the Aquatic ships is destroyed by an anomaly. As it explodes, you can see the water inside being pulled into space. The weapon itself is a menacing presence throughout the battle, with it's nested shells rotating constantly. Impressive.
Consequences: Once the Insectoids see that the Sphere Builders really DO control the spheres and can manipulate the anomalies in the Expanse (as evidenced by the bubble anomaly around the weapon), they want nothing more to do with the bad-guy alliance. Dolan summarily destroys them. We'll have to see how big a leap the Insectoids can make. They'd be a valuable asset to the current Enterprise/Xindi alliance.
Alas, Major Hayes...And another likable semi-regular bites the dust! Another major consequence of the encounter is the loss of Major Hayes. He gets Hoshi and the rest of his people safely back to Enterprise, but just as the transporter beam catches him, a Reptilian shoots him in the chest. Phlox can do nothing for him, and he dies giving last minute advice to Reed about his MACO squad. This was quite moving, as was Reed's subsequent speech to the MACOs. Several months ago, in 'Harbinger,' Trip and Amanda decided that Hayes and Reed were really very much alike. I think that, in the end, both Hayes and Reed realized that was true. *sniff*
I'll give Dominic Keating a nod here, too - very strong performance in this episode.
A New Plan: Trip and T'Pol will take Enterprise to Sphere 41, in an effort to destroy it and the Expanse. Archer and Reed take the still unconscious Hoshi and three volunteer MACOs onto Degra's vessel to join the Xindi force attempting to intercept the weapon. They hope to board it and destroy it from within. I have no clear notion as to how this is all going to be resolved, so I am looking forward to the season finale!
Looking Toward the Future: Before the battle, Archer, Trip and T'Pol are having dinner - the first time it's happened in a while, at least on-screen. There's some refreshing talk of what will happen once the current mission is over. Trip wants to buy his engineering staff a few rounds at the 602. Archer is looking forward to continuing Enterprise's original mission - to seek out new life and new civilizations, thankyouverymuch! T'Pol is considering signing on with Starfleet (she should - she looks better in Starfleet blue than she does in the catsuits, not that anyone asked me...) . I enjoyed this hopeful scene.
I also enjoyed the scene because the FSP (fearless space pup) was present. He's cute when he begs for table scraps! And Archer is cute when he indulges his canine pal.
Archer Watch: Archer's been terrific these past few weeks. I don't like what he had to become to get here, but now that he's in the final push, he's doing a good job. Near as I can tell, he's taking all the right steps at all the right times. And he was outstanding with the Aquatics - he had a good instinct for what to say and when to say it. And he may make some rash promises, but at least he does his best to follow through on them. The Xindi were watching him closely to see if he'd keep his promise to the Aquatics, and they weren't disappointed.
When all this is over, let's see if he remembers to give those poor aliens back their warp core, if they're still alive...
'shipper Watch: As I mentioned above, Trip and T'Pol's heartfelt conversation was appealing. The pairing is growing on me. Now, if they'd just give Hoshi more to do - they could give her a pairing, too. I always kind of liked her with Reed. Or maybe her friendship with Mayweather could grow into something more (hey - it would give him something to do, too!).
Mayweather Watch: Not much for the man to do this week, though. Ah well. There's always next season!
Best Lines:
"I've heard Aquatic spoken my whole life, but still it does not come easily to me." "Maybe you should have applied yourself more." (Dolan and brave Hoshi)
"Before your primate brain is too badly damaged to understand, I want to thank you for helping us destroy your world." (Dolan, to Hoshi)
"<splat>" (brave Hoshi, hocking one in Dolan's face)
"You would sacrifice yourself to stop us? Don't worry - you won't have to live with your guilt for long." (Dolan, to Hoshi)
"You know how much I appreciate what you did for me. When this is all over, if you want to talk...I'm all ears." (Trip, to T'Pol - an unfortunate choice of words, but his heart was in the right place!)
"We only detect large fluctuations in the timescape. The details are obscured." (Sphere Builder, to Dolan. Funny - isn't that what Daniels always says?)
"Really. You've seen more than enough 'detail' to learn how to meddle in our affairs - to turn the Xindi species against each other." (Dolan, to Sphere Builder)
"When Degra spoke, only a fool would ignore him. He believed there was a future between your people and ours. When this is over, I intend to see if he was right." (Xindi Primate, to Archer)
"When we first came aboard Enterprise, we definitely felt like outsiders. None of us feel that way anymore. We're all part of the same crew, and no matter which uniform we wear...don't worry about Ensign Sato. We'll bring her home." (Hayes, to Reed)
"Can you imagine the look on Soval's face when he sees her in a Starfleet uniform?" (Trip, to Archer, regarding T'Pol. And I'll be that look won't be a pretty one!)
"Thank you for bringing her home." "All in a day's work." (Reed and Hayes)
"I don't imagine the Reptilians will make this easy for us, but that's why you're here. That's why Major Hayes picked each one of you for this mission, because he knew you'd get the job done." (Reed, to the MACOs)
"Degra was a traitor." "I'm no longer certain of that." "Then it's a good thing we already have your launch codes." (Dolan, Insectoid, Dolan. Right before Degra blows up the Insectoid's ship)
"Bring me back a piece of that weapon - a souvenir." "With pleasure." (Trip and Reed)
"I expect you to keep him in line." "I'll do my best." (Archer and T'Pol, regarding Trip. I wonder if they know he can hear them...)
Rating: Another fine action hour well balanced with nice character interactions. 9/10.
Next Week: It all comes to a head. We'll see Daniels again, and Shran is a nice surprise! I can't wait to see how this all turns out. Stay tuned...
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