monkee reviews 'Dead Stop'
First Impressions: Serviceable – one of Trek's better 'creepy' episodes.
Continuity! Whoa! Someone's been taking their continuity pills! I'm always SO happy to see this. Everything is connected, you see. Events have repercussions, and people's lives unfold, rather than start and stop. The writers made it look easy this week – seamless continuity, yet if you were just tuning in to ENT, you'd have no trouble figuring out the story. The first shot, with Archer and Tucker in the inspection pod, mirrored the first shot of them in the premier, and the scratch on the hull was mentioned, too. Both Enterprise and its armory officer were still bearing the scars of last week's episode. Hoshi even brought up those 15 dead aliens from 'Fight or Flight' again. The Mayweather/Sato friendship, the squeaky floor plating, and Archer's breakfasts with the crew were all touched upon. Beautifully done. I have to admit that whenever this happens, part of me is well and truly TICKED OFF that they couldn't manage even a fraction of this for Voyager, which sorely needed it. What a shame that was!
Okay, sorry. I'll shut up about Voyager now. It's time to put it behind me, right?
Not Sanguine about Hunches: Like Spock, T'Pol doesn't buy into gut reactions, but her captain's got them, and she'll have to get used to it. Those instincts served Enterprise well this week, and the two of them had an interesting conversation on the subject. T'Pol was willing to take the serendipity of the repair station at face value, thinking that the too-good-to-be-true aspects could be attributed to altruism by anonymous aliens. Archer felt uneasy from the start, and turned out, of course, to be right.
Expanding Docking Berths: Once again, top notch special effects. The whole station was cool, from the expanding docking berths to the mechanical arms and replicators. And the computer core was nicely creepy – it reminded me a lot of the big room in 'Coma.' ::shudder::
Those Bastards! Oh my God – they killed Travis! Oh, of course they didn't. But everyone thought he was dead for a little while, at least, so we got to see – for the first time, really – the crew's response to such a loss. Everyone reacted in a way that was true to his or her character. Phlox, Trip, Reed and T'Pol were somber and subdued, Hoshi was emotional, and Archer was angry and trying to make sense of it.
Hal: Trying to get any answers or flexibility from the fully automated station was much like pulling teeth, and I enjoyed watching their efforts. "I want to talk to a person," Archer laments. It was sort of like trying to reach any kind of government office, anywhere, via telephone! Only in this case, you have the utter indifference of a machine, like '2001: A Space Odyssey's' Hal. One of my favorite scenes was the one in which Archer is trying to get the station to help him determine exactly what happened to Mayweather. His anguish and frustration were palpable.
Suspense, or Lack Thereof: My main beef with this episode is that it simply did not have me on the edge of my seat. I knew Archer was right, and something was screwy with the station, and I didn't believe for an instant that Mayweather was really dead. It was moderately interesting to watch it all unfold, but it just didn't grab me the way it should have.
Brain and Brain! What is Brain? Despite the lack of suspense, the ending was disquieting. It was far more satisfying than, say, Voyager's 'Haunting of Deck Twelve.' Seeing all those tube-ridden aliens hooked up the computer core was edgier than I've come to expect from Trek.
I spotted a Klingon or two in there, and I could have sworn I saw a Borg, too, but when I watched it a second time, I knew I was mistaken. Which is good. I think ENT should steer clear of the Borg. They've been done to death.
The Iron Giant: GREAT last shot, with the repair station repairing itself. It was like the last scene of 'Iron Giant,' except much more ominous. One thing, though. Shouldn't Archer have set up a warning buoy, or something? It isn't very nice to just let some other hapless ship wander in there. Maybe it happened off-screen?
Like Real People: I enjoyed watching the characters this week. They're coming together nicely, and really starting to ring true. A few things that stood out: the Archer/Trip banter about the scratch on the hull, Trip and Reed getting carried away and into trouble, and the look on their faces when they suddenly materialized on the bridge under T'Pol's nose. "Evenin,' Subcommander." Hee.
PORTHOS! He's back, baby! I was starting to get a little worried. It was so great to see him again. Yay! And even though he was only on-screen for a second, there was continuity with his keen sense of hearing!
Shallow Observation: Mayweather in his underwear. Oh my.
Character Interactions: I mentioned Archer/T'Pol, Trip/Reed, and Mayweather/Sato already. Reed and Phlox, two characters that we haven't seen interact all that much yet, also had a couple of terrific scenes. I just love the idea that Phlox's Regulan bloodworm is LOST somewhere in Reed's leg! Hahaha!
'Shipper Watch: I didn't notice anything overt this week, except that Archer pulled T'Pol up through the air vent as Reed was pushing her up from behind (getting a real good look at that 'nice bum' in the process), but even that seemed innocuous. Not to worry, though – it looks like we'll get plenty of 'shipper fodder next week...
Archer Watch: He did well. It's good to see him with some gut command instincts, and the ability to act on them. I also enjoyed watching him dress down the bad boys, especially Reed, who only last week was giving him grief about lax security and discipline. I think it may be the first time we've seen him dole out any form of punishment, even if he did nearly ruin it by calling them back to ask them what they'd seen.
Best Lines:
"It's unethical to harm a patient – I can inflict as much pain as I like." (Phlox, to Reed)
"I thought I told you to have that repainted." "Well, I was getting around to it." (Archer and Trip, regarding that hull scratch)
"Your inquiry was not recognized." (the repair station, to just about everyone)
"You seem troubled." "I guess I need to do a better job of repressing my emotions." (T'Pol and Archer)
"I know you don't put a lot of faith in your feelings, but I've learned to trust mine. Something doesn't smell right." (Archer, to T'Pol)
"I KNOW something doesn't smell right. It's YOU, human!" (T'Pol, to Archer) (Not really – I made that up. But I'll bet she thought it.)
"You made it clear to me that discipline on Enterprise is getting a little too lax. I'm beginning to agree with you." (Archer, to Reed)
"He's dead, Captain." (Phlox, to Archer – an Enterprise first!)
"I wanna know how someone files a grievance around here!" (Trip, in a marvelous rant-as-distraction to the repair station)
"It needs to reach 3,000 degrees, Malcolm. Be patient." "Yes, sir." (Archer and Reed)
Rating: 8.5/10. Good character interactions bring it up a notch.
Next Week: Oh, mercy. Already? Sexual tension between the Captain and First Officer already? Did they learn NOTHING from 'Resolutions?' Still, I have to admit that the best/breast comment (and the reaction to it) in the preview was pretty funny. We'll see...If nothing else, it looks like we'll have some nice Archer and Porthos pathos. Poor pup!
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