monkee reviews 'Detained'
First Impression: Standard Trek 'message' episode – admirable, if a bit simplistic.
Star Trek's Greatest Strength: Ever since the original series, one of the very best things about Star Trek has been its ability to hide contemporary social and political commentary inside a science fiction story. The effort is admirable, even if it isn't always subtle ("Don't you see? He's black on the LEFT side!"). This week, Enterprise tackles the issue of internment camps – the disenfranchisement of a people based solely on their appearance, or ideology. Archer uses the Japanese-American internment camps of WWII as an example, but the obvious and more recent parallel is the ignorant way some Arab-Americans were treated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Shades of Gray: I suppose that it is nearly impossible to do justice to the complexity of an issue like this in forty-three minutes, but I wish they could have. It certainly would have complicated things, for example, if some of the detained Suliban had been from the Cabal. And I wish the Tandaran guards had been given a bit more dimension. Mostly they just tromped around in bad-guy black leather, poking people with their weapons. Do any of them have any doubts about what they're doing? The only one who showed any compassion at all was the one who escorted the Suliban father to isolation. Still, at least we got that much. Perhaps it is our responsibility, as viewers, to fill in the holes during these message episodes – they're supposed to make us think, so let's think outside the box.
Two-Sided: I like that the Suliban weren't portrayed as perfect. They had prejudices of their own, understandable under the circumstances. "You look like a Tandaran," the Suliban child tells Archer. She sounds both contemptuous and frightened. Their preconceptions make them overly wary of the humans, who, for better or for worse, only want to help.
Dean Stockwell as Colonel Grat: I never watched Quantum Leap, so I'm afraid the Bakula/Stockwell chemistry that everyone's talking about was lost on me. To me, he was just another guest star – a good one, for sure, but nothing exceptional. Fortunately, his character was given more depth than the other Tandarans. He seems almost reasonable at first – just a harried prison administrator. Even when the truth begins to emerge, he's got his explanations. 'The Suliban are here for their own safety,' he assures Archer. 'They're better off.' Well, Archer's not buying it and neither are we, but Grat seems to have convinced himself that it's true. On the surface, at least. His true colors are eventually revealed. When Archer won't cooperate, he uses strong-arm tactics, and in the climatic argument, he abandons his 'by freeing them, you've condemned them' speech for the more honest and raw "They HAVE no rights!" Nice acting by Stockwell in that scene.
Archer Watch: Well, I still haven't gotten my wish. Archer blatantly interferes with yet another alien culture and it doesn't come back to bite him. The ending is a bit more ambiguous this time, though. He went with his instincts and did what he felt was right, but in the end he's forced to admit that he doesn't really know what the repercussions will be. What will become of the Suliban he set free? Will they have any kind of happy ending at all? It seems unlikely. Some of them, like the Suliban father, could die trying to free other prisoners. Some may very well join the Cabal, as Grat fears, because they have no other options. The rest may never make it to a safe settlement. Perhaps ENT will re-visit these characters. It would be a good opportunity to show some negative results of interference. That could make a pretty interesting 'message episode,' too. As for Archer, I admire a Captain who leads with his heart, but he has a tendency to see in black and white at times. I'm a little mystified, for example, as to why Archer wouldn't even consider sharing information about the Cabal with Grat, who clearly knows at least as much as Starfleet does anyway. I know it was a matter of principal for him, but he may have missed an opportunity to have a more positive impact on both sides. The Cabal is a common enemy, after all – flushing them out might be beneficial to everyone, including the innocent Suliban.
Mayweather Speaks! Hey, he's actually a pretty likeable character when he's given something to do! While Archer befriends and plots with the Suliban father, Mayweather tries to gain the trust of his suspicious friend. It's an uphill battle, but Mayweather eventually succeeds. It was a nice sub-plot.
Clever: Both Mayweather and T'Pol demonstrated some creative thinking this week. Mayweather goes on a tirade about prison food to distract the guards, and T'Pol overloads the Tandaran's computers with innocuous databases and dinner invitations as a cover-up for the rescue mission. Nice work. A little subterfuge is good in a starship crew.
Reed in Disguise: Well, *I* sure didn't recognize him! This was an amusing bit of humor in an otherwise serious episode. I enjoyed his revelation scenes with Mayweather, and especially Archer. "How'd you know it was me?" he asks, plaintively. The whole rescue mission rocked, actually – it was fun to watch.
Character Interactions: Oddly enough, we didn't really get to see Archer and Mayweather together very much, which is a shame. I think I'd like their interactions if I could see more of them. Trip and T'Pol had a couple of decent scenes, though. They're starting to trust each other more, and work together more cooperatively. Trip doesn't automatically assume she's up to no good if she's not doing exactly what he thinks she should be, and it's nice to see T'Pol become more of a team player. Character development in the very first season – who'd have thunk it?
'Shipper Watch: Nothing blatant. In fact, I don't even think there was anything subtle for us to chew on this week. Oh well. I suppose we can't have underwear and sexual tension every week...
Best Lines:
"You might think about putting up a no trespassing sign." (Archer, to Grat)
"We should save this for Commander Tucker. It would make a good valve sealant." (Mayweather, to Archer, regarding the prison gruel)
"We're not animals, Captain, and we're not soldiers. The only thing we're guilty of is being Suliban." (Suliban father, to Archer)
"Be careful of their wicked smiles, and their yellow eyes. At night they'll squeeze right through your door, and everybody dies." (Tandaran nursery rhyme)
"I don't like being strong-armed. And I don't like what he's doing to you and the others." (Archer, to Suliban father)
"You have no idea what you've done. You haven't freed these people, you've condemned them!" (Grat, to Archer)
"Tell the doc to meet us in sickbay. My skin is really starting to itch." (disgruntled Reed, to Enterprise)
THE Best Quote:
"Do I think they'll get out of Tandaran space safely? Yes. Do I think they'll be all right? [silence]" (Archer, to Mayweather and Reed)
Rating: 8.5/10. It was a solid message episode, but it didn't make me sit up and say "WOW!"
Next Week: I missed the promo (damned VCR!), but read the transcript. Archer and Trip are in grave danger, and it's up to Hoshi to save them. Angst and Hoshi! Sounds good!
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