monkee reviews 'Demons'
First Impression: It was good, but it hit a little too close to home for me to enjoy it much. And it started getting implausible towards the end.
Innocence: At a medical clinic, a doctor is giving a report to his superior. The news is good the patient is fighting off an infection. "She looks so innocent," the superior says, looking disdainfully at the patient. "It's almost possible to forget what she represents." The camera pans in to reveal the patient it's a beautiful little baby, with pointed ears.
Prelude to Peace: In San Francisco, the entire Enterprise senior staff is watching a politician speak to a group of people that includes several alien species Tellarites, Andorians, Vulcans, and others I don't recognize. Negotiations are underway for the formation of a coalition of planets. It's a decent enough speech, but the kind that's easy to tune out after a while. When it's over, the Enterprise crew applauds politely. There's a little bit of grumbling, particularly from Mayweather, Trip and Reed, who apparently feel that Enterprise's contributions should have been mentioned. Archer tells them to knock it off, and Hoshi points out that it shouldn't be about who gets the credit.
At the reception, Archer and T'Pol talk to the speaker, Minister Nathan Samuel. T'Pol is impressed by the formidable nature of his goal to draft a charter in six weeks. "I've always believed that formidable goals produce formidable results," he says. He's smooth, the consummate politician. In another part of the room, Mayweather talks to a reporter, Gannett. They have a history. She wants to meet with him later. He's not exactly unfriendly towards her, but not exactly friendly either.
The Plot Thickens: Suddenly, there's a commotion. A woman stumbles over to T'Pol and presses a test tube into her hands. "They're going to kill her," she tells the Vulcan. "You have to stop them." The woman collapses, and her jacket falls open to reveal a gaping wound. She's been shot.
Bombshell: On Enterprise, Phlox tells Archer, Trip and T'Pol that the woman did not survive her injuries. T'Pol has discovered that her name was Susan Khouri, and she was a medical technician. Phlox has analyzed the lock of hair that was in the test tube several times, in fact, since he couldn't believe what he saw. The lock of hair is from a six month-old Vulcan/Human hybrid baby the offspring of Commander Tucker and Commander T'Pol.
In the Fair Vulcan's Quarters: If ever a girl needed to meditate...well, that's what T'Pol is doing when Trip arrives. He wants to talk. He's confused. He doesn't remember anything about a baby! Neither does she, and yet she knows, somehow, that it's true. She's never been pregnant, but she is certain that they have a baby out there somewhere. "How do you know that?" he asks. "I'm Vulcan," she says, as if that settles it. And maybe it does. Vulcans form psychic bonds with their mates perhaps something similar exists between parent and child. As a parent, I don't have any trouble believing that. I think it's really nice, too.
No Help Here: Archer talks to Samuels about the bombshell news. Samuels is disturbed this could hurt the peace talks. After the Xindi attack, there was a dangerous increase in xenophobia on Earth. If the child exists, it could inflame those who don't want alien species on Earth at all, and give them something to rally against. Archer wants to be proactive with the investigation, but Samuels doesn't want to make any waves. He wants the talks to go forward for the sake of Earth's safety. He thinks with all the hostile species out there, Earth desperately needs allies. Seeing that Samuels is going to be of no help at all, Archer asks Reed to 'contact an old friend.'
On the Waterfront: The 'old friend,' of course, is Agent Harris from Section 31. Reed meets him on the foggy San Francisco waterfront. Harris won't tell him anything until Reed agrees that he's back on board with the Section. Reed doesn't commit, but probably won't have much of a choice in the long run. Harris tells Reed that Khouri belonged to a terrorist organization called 'Terra Prime.' Reed has heard of them they want to stop all Earth contact with alien species. Harris thinks Khouri might have been trying to leave the organization. He also confirms the existence of the child, and believes the child is the key to figuring out the whole mess.
Meanwhile, on the Moon The doctor from the teaser is once again reporting to his superior, only now we can see that they're on a lunar facility. They're discussing Susan Khouri. The doctor is sorry for the mess he thinks she might have gotten a little too attached to their small patient. The superior, John Frederick Paxton, suspects that the doctor has become too attached as well, although he denies it. Later, Paxton talks to his right-hand man, Greaves, and says there's a loose end that needs tying up. Greaves understands.
Samuel's Demons: The delicate peace negotiations continue on Earth. The representative from Coridan is complaining to Samuels about the Tellarites. He's a cool looking alien, with what appears to be a metal mask attached to his face. Archer is briefly introduced, but Samuels is the man he's come to see. He's not getting any cooperation from the people running the investigation, but has done some digging around on his own. He tells Samuels that Khouri belonged to Terra Prime, and what's even more disturbing is that they've discovered that Samuels once did too.
He's embarrassed and admits that it's true. He was young and foolish his father had died in a freighter accident, and the pilot had been Denobulan. He left the group long ago, though, and no longer believes in what they stand for. He has exorcised his demons. He apologizes to Archer, and says he'll give him the case file within the hour.
Old Flame: Gannet the reporter visits Mayweather in his quarters. Both monkee and Gannet shallowly observe that the man is looking fine!
Ahem. Sorry.
Anyway, the two of them spar verbally for a while. They were together once, but mutually agreed to end it when Mayweather signed onto Enterprise. Gannet didn't approve apparently, she finds the whole space travel thing kind of pointless and silly 'the last vestige of the colonial impulse.' She's not here to pick a fight, though. She's doing an article on Enterprise, and wants Mayweather's help for an insider's perspective. It takes a while, but eventually he reluctantly agrees.
Confiding in Phlox: Disturbed, Trip goes to see Phlox. He wants to know if the baby is a boy or a girl. It's a girl, and Phlox says there's no reason to believe she's anything but healthy Vulcan and Human DNA is relatively similar. Trip is pleased and relieved, but still confused about the whole thing. He admits to Phlox that he can't be completely sure T'Pol is telling the truth. Maybe she became pregnant, then had the fetus transplanted elsewhere. Even as he says the words, he sees how ridiculous they are. He doesn't really believe she's lying to him. Phlox tells him he shouldn't theorize they'll get to the bottom of this.
Hello? Why is Trip having such a difficult time believing T'Pol? Am I missing something? Didn't part of the boy's BRAIN come from the clone, Sim? Wasn't Trip himself pregnant in the first season? By now, he ought to be able to accept that strange things can happen out there. I find his lack of faith disturbing.
:P
Paxton's Hero: Paxton is watching an historic video of the infamous Colonel Green giving a speech. In TOS's equally infamous episode 'The Savage Curtain,' (the one that also featured Abraham Lincoln and Surak), we learned that Green 'led a genocidal war on 21st century Earth.' We hear snippets of the speech Paxton is watching, "Now is not the time for timidity and second guessing," and "We must reject the impure and cast it out!" Greaves enters the room, and watches the speech with his boss. They discuss how history has misunderstood Colonel Green. Apparently, after the third world war and before first contact, Green executed radiation 'damaged' people so they wouldn't contaminate Earth's gene pool. Paxton complains that no one takes into account the suffering that the mutated offspring of those victims would have had to endure. Paxton wonders if he'll be remembered by historians with any more accuracy. Greaves is certain that he will not be misunderstood. Paxton says sometimes he's not sure he even understands himself.
Pay attention, there, because it is the ONLY time Paxton expresses any doubts about what he's doing.
Greaves, however, assures him that they are doing the right thing not what they want to do, but what they must do. After Greaves leaves the room, Paxton injects himself with something...
The Stuff of Legend: Travis seems to have gotten over his reluctance, and is giving Gannett a heck of a tour. I have to wonder about that. I'm sure she must have gotten official clearance to be there, but was it wise for someone to grant her that? Will the press change all that much in the coming century? I doubt it! Travis is gleefully recounting the recent belly-to-belly maneuver with Columbia. "That was some serious flying!" he tells her. In the shuttlebay, she looks almost reverently at Shuttlepod One; the one they used to penetrate the sphere in the expanse. I like that she knows this is special. Enterprise's exploits have already become the stuff of legend maybe it DOES make sense for their story to be told. Travis takes her inside, and comments that the shuttlepods aren't getting as much use as they once did now that transporter use is becoming more common. This doesn't sit right with Travis. He feels that they've been unfaithful to the shuttles. He likes something you can actually fly!
Shuttlepod One Action: Soon, their conversation takes a serious turn. Mayweather says he's been reconsidering decisions he's made in the past. When she tries to make light of his opening up, he calls her on it, claiming it's a common defense mechanism for her. She agrees that it's a bad habit. She admits to another bad habit when she's attracted to someone, she can't hide it for long. They kiss, and Gannett's reporter headset slips to the floor...
Travis! I'm shocked! IN the shuttle? Good for you!
Narrowing the Search: The autopsy has come in on Susan Khouri. She was indeed killed by phase pistol fire, but there's something else. In her bloodstream, they found traces of something that is routinely given to people who work in artificial gravity. Further digging reveals that Khouri worked in the medical clinic of a mining facility on the moon. Reed confirms that the moon is said to be a hot bed of Terra Prime activity. Mayweather has friends at the mining facility. They decided to send a couple of people in undercover. Trip and T'Pol both volunteer.
The Loose End: At the mining facility, there is a cave-in. A man is dead. It is the doctor who had been caring for the hybrid infant, the one Paxton accused of getting too attached.
I guess that'll learn him that's what you get for caring, chump!
Clearing the Air: Trip and T'Pol are lost in the mining facility. Trip typical guy brushes off T'Pol's suggestion that they ask for directions <g>. While they wander aimlessly, they talk. T'Pol knows that Trip is uneasy, that he perhaps might not even believe she's telling the truth. It irritates Trip that she can sense things in him that are only half-formed, things he knows aren't really true, but can't seem to reconcile to himself anyway. "For the last time, and for the record," he says, "I DO believe you." Their argument does have one benefit when they're done, they find themselves right where they wanted to be.
The Lovers: Travis and Gannett have finally left the shuttlepod, and are now spooned together in Travis' bed, talking. Travis is distracted. He's worried about some friends of his, he tells her, but (wisely) doesn't elaborate. They talk the way new lovers do, carefully. He asks her why she hasn't settled down yet, and she says she's not against the idea, if the right person comes along. He admits that he's thinking it might be time that he settled down, too a lifelong spacer, he's never tried that particular challenge before.
Josiah: At his new 'job,' Trip meets Josiah, a man who's griping about alien co-workers. "It seems that everywhere you go, humans are getting to be an endangered species," he complains. Trip, who has introduced himself as 'Turner,' perks up and feigns interest. Josiah invites him to a meeting that night of like-minded citizens. Meanwhile, T'Pol has discovered that the recently deceased doctor worked with Susan Khouri at the clinic. That evening, she goes to poke around at the scene of the cave-in, and Trip goes to the meeting.
Rabble Rousing: Josiah is stirring up the crowd. He cites the Xindi attack as evidence that aliens are no good. He wonders why the government never demanded an apology from the Xindi, and why there haven't been reparations for the families of the victims. He also mentions the more recent Vulcan attack that killed forty-five at the Earth embassy. He keeps it simple there's no mention of complicating factors, such as sphere-builders or internal Vulcan politics. His message is plain aliens are bad news. "We need to send a message to the people in power," he shouts. His audience approves. "And there's someone here who's going to help us do just that Commander Tucker of the Starship Enterprise!"
Doh! So much for going incognito! Here's a stupid question with Enterprise and its crew now being the stuff of legend, how in the HECK did Trip and T'Pol expect to go unrecognized?
As Trip is being hustled away from the meeting, T'Pol is caught nosing around at the accident site. She is shot, though not seriously injured. Greaves steps out of the shadows and takes her away, too.
The Spy Who Loved Him: Archer and Reed stop by Travis' quarters to take Gannett into custody. Turns out the headset she's been using has been tuned into the universal translators at the peace talks. Hoshi figured it out, and they've learned that Gannett is, in fact, a spy for Terra Prime. When Archer asks if Trip and T'Pol are in danger, she refuses to answer, demanding counsel instead. What a rude shock for poor Mayweather! That'll teach him to open up!
Confrontation: Trip is hurled into Paxton's office, where T'Pol is sitting on the ground, injured. "It's not worth it, Romeo," Paxton says, in a bored tone, when Trip tries to move toward her. "Juliet's in good hands. The star-crossed lovers..." He speaks sarcastically and wonders if their 'little drama' will end any happier than Shakespeare's did. If we were in the mirror universe, we could write this guy off as a completely unrealistic cardboard villain. We might even be able to make a joke of his obvious contempt for Trip and T'Pol's relationship something along the lines of "Earthquakes, volcanoes, riots in the streets, cats and dogs living together mass hysteria!" (Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghostbusters).
Unfortunately, this time it's NOT just for fun. We have to accept this person as a gritty, realistic part of the regular Trek universe. It's a bitter pill to swallow.
Tirade: It's both interesting and sad that Paxton even bothers talking to Trip and T'Pol, given that he so hates what they stand for. He does, though. He explains himself to them, as if he's trying to show them the error of their ways. I'm going to reprint part of his speech, here. Trip has just demanded to see the child.
"No. And 'no' is a word that Starfleet better get used to hearing from now on, because up until today, it's always been 'yes,' hasn't it? 'Yes, yes, go right ahead, roam the stars! Yes, inform potentially hostile species of the whereabouts of Earth. Yes, entrust the entire future of our world to non-human creatures who don't even FEEL like we do. Yes, promote the total degradation of mankind by encouraging alien-human...relations.' Well, 'yes' is a word that ends here and now. I am returning Earth to its rightful owners."
Wow. You could cut the hostility with a bat'leth. His delivery is impassioned, he has a rhythm going, and he builds up momentum. He sounds very much like Colonel Green did in the video, but not as over the top. He's not shouting he's speaking with complete conviction and sincerity. He's downright scary.
Dramatic Statement: He doesn't just want to pontificate at Trip and T'Pol, though. He wants them to witness something. He reveals that the entire lunar mining colony is...a warp-capable ship! With a brief burst of warp power, they're at Mars in under a minute. The ship/mining colony lands next to the Verteron Array on Mars (normally used to redirect comets). With a robotic arm, it grabs an enormous pipe on the array, and somehow ties in with the array's systems.
It's time for a political statement. Paxton sends a subspace message on all frequencies. Enterprise, following the rogue mining colony/spaceship, hears the message, as does everyone else in the neighborhood. Paxton wants every single alien in Earth's solar system to leave at once. And just to prove that he means business, he uses the array to blast a big-ass hole in Earth's moon. He doesn't intend to use the weapon again, he says, as long as everyone follows his instructions. "As of this moment," he says, "mankind casts off the shackles of alien interference and now determines its own fate. Terra Prime forever."
To be continued...
Two major things jump out at me about this episode. Let me bitch about this one first:
The CHEESE Factor: The mining colony turns out to be a giant, warp-capable STARSHIP? Give me a break! Is this the cheesiest thing we've seen since Farpoint Station turned out to be a giant space amoebae in the TNG pilot? I can't think of anything cheesier, to be honest. There have been things that have come close, but not this close!
This is the twenty-second century, here. Building a warp capable starship is still a pretty big deal in this era. This terrorist group managed to build or acquire one, and no one knew? No one even suspected? Give me a break! And what's worse, it has LANDING CAPABILITY! It lands on Mars as smoothly as the 24th century's Voyager could have!
And then, a robotic arm grabs hold of a large pipe on the array, and somehow we're supposed to believe that Paxton is completely tied into the system? Is it that simple to tie into such a potentially dangerous system a system that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction? If so, why is it sitting there unmanned? Heck, why did the Xindi even bother to build a weapon? They could have just buzzed on over to Mars and used the Verteron Array to blast Florida off the map!
Sorry. I'll suspend my disbelief a whole lot more than most people are willing to, but not this time. This just defied all logic and reason. It's a wonder it didn't ruin the entire episode.
It didn't though, which brings me to the second thing that jumped out at me about this episode...
The Zealot: Anyone who's been reading my reviews for any amount of time knows that I'm a Trek Pollyanna. I want the shiny, happy Star Trek universe that Captain Kirk and John Lennon were always going on about where there's no war, hatred, money, or hunger. I want the utopia that Troi described to Mark Twain in TNG's 'Time's Arrow.' (Speaking of cheesy! I forgot about that one. That might be a contender for cheesiest, too! Mark Twain! Heehee!)
But even I, as idealistic as I am, had to wonder about the universe Troi was describing. How are we to get from where we are now in 2005, to that happy place in the 24th century? I had always assumed that it happened after the devastating World War that Zefram Cochrane and Lily Sloane were recovering from in 'First Contact.' I thought, perhaps, that was the big wake-up call to the human race. I guess I was mistaken, though, because here we are, a hundred years later, long after the first starship has begun to roam the stars, and someone like Paxton exists and thrives.
He's a scary SOB, isn't he? And not all that unfamiliar to us, which makes it worse. There are people on the planet today who think that their causes are so just that they have a right to use any means necessary to forward them. The sad thing is that, as with so many of these zealous types, Paxton has a legitimate complaint. The Xindi killed seven million people, and came pretty close to destroying the planet. It's understandable that many people on Earth might be thinking it would be best to stay isolated from the rest of the galaxy. This might be a good time for some intense civilized debate on the subject. The problems arise when someone is so certain that they're right and everyone else is wrong that they feel they have the justification to hurt others. Or murder others. Or create a baby so they can claim it's an abomination and kill it to set an example (not that we know that's what's going to happen yet.) Paxton's means are evil. THEY are the abomination.
I hated Paxton and everything he represents, both in the present reality, and in my shiny, fictional Trek universe. But the actor who plays him, Peter Weller...Wow! He was amazing! Only an outstanding actor could have made us loathe him so much! He's the scariest thing I've ever seen on Enterprise.
And The Rest: There are many other things going on in the episode the baby, Travis and Gannett, the peace conference...I love the baby! Who wouldn't? She's beautiful! I hope she survives the second part, and find myself wondering how she might fit into Trip and T'Pol's lives if she does. Travis and Gannett didn't interest me as much, but more on that later. As for the peace conference I have a feeling it will ultimately be successful. There are, after all, only two more episodes of Enterprise!
On the Moon: It was a minor thing, but I'm a huge fan of the real lunar exploration program, so I just loved all the shots of the mining colony. And I loved seeing the Earth hanging in space outside the colony's viewports. Nice. We need to go back to the moon, darn it!
Archer Watch: Hey, guess what? Archer didn't do one single thing that annoyed me this week! I guess anyone would look good next to Paxton, but he did everything right. He was assertive and respectful with Samuels, yet he knew when to go behind his back, too. He took all the right steps at all the right times. I suspect he'll be playing a bigger role in the proceedings in the second part of the arc.
Mayweather Watch: Hey, what do you know? Anthony Montgomery can act! We've seen it before, but only on the rare occasions when he's been given the opportunity. And that's a problem, because I found that I know so little about the character that I didn't really much care about his relationship with Gannett. Mayweather is almost as much a stranger to me as she is! Watching them was like watching a television show I've never seen before. Still, Travis/Anthony seems like a nice guy. I'm glad he finally got a story line of his own before the end.
'shipper Watch: Seeing Trip and T'Pol treated with so much disdain makes me want to pull for them all the more. I like them together, even when they're just sparring or talking. I like the way they care about each other. I like his sense of humor when he talks to her. I like the way she says 'Trip.' I have a casual interest in seeing them end up happy. I hope it happens. And I hope the baby is somehow part of their lives, too.
Best Lines:
"Clap louder. That's an order." (Archer, to Trip)
"There haven't been many slow news days since the Xindi attack." (Gannett, to Mayweather)
"Phlox says DNA doesn't lie." "Neither do I. I've never been pregnant, Trip." (Trip and T'Pol)
"Trip, the minute the doctor said that the child was ours, I knew it was true." (T'Pol, to Trip)
"This isn't 'anyone else,' it's an abomination. When the time comes, it will be treated as such." (Paxton, to clinic doctor)
"She has your eyes. And T'Pol's ears." (Phlox, to Trip, regarding the baby)
"I think I know what the problem is." "What?" "We're lost." (Trip, T'Pol, Trip)
"I'm glad we finally left the shuttlepod." "I thought you liked shuttlepods." "I like FLYING them." "It sure felt like we were flying." (Mayweather and Gannett)
"I've spent my whole life in space going from one place to the other. Seeing you, I was wondering maybe if the next challenge, at least for me, is to stay in one place for a while." (Mayweather, to Gannett)
"You're behind this." "Behind this, no. I LEAD this, and proudly, too." (Trip and Paxton)
"Before you ask, your child is safe and sound, FINALLY sleeping through the night. I forgot how much trouble a newborn can be." (Paxton, to Trip and T'Pol)
"I don't know what you're talking about." "You sure knew what everyone else was talking about." (Gannet and Reed, regarding her doctored headset)
"A new era is at hand an era that will expose the concept of interspecies unity as an absolute and vicious lie. An era that will witness the advent of a human-centered consciousness that will place our world above all others." (Paxton, to everyone)
Rating: 8.5/10. It probably deserves better or at least Weller does but the story made me heartsick, and it just got too silly towards the end. A mining colony that's really a spaceship. Oy.
Next Week: The conclusion of Demons, 'Terra Prime,' followed by the series finale, 'These are the Voyages...' I can't believe the end is really here. I think I've been in some serious denial! I'm feeling rather despondent, but I've been impressed with what I've heard about the final episode. Here's to hoping the writers do the franchise justice.
I'm not sure which episode I'll review first, or how fast the reviews will get done. I hope you'll bear with me. Over the summer, I'll also be posting my annual season review, and a review of the series as a whole. Stay tuned!
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