monkee reviews 'Exile'
First Impression: Beauty and the Beast, Enterprise-style. It's a story that's been told before, but no matter. The sets were gorgeous, and it certainly wasn't a waste of time to watch the beautiful and talented Linda Park act in them for an hour. And there was a surprising amount of arc development in the B-story.
The Old Fairy Tale: Hoshi is contacted telepathically by an alien, Tarquin, who tells her that he can provide Enterprise with information about the Xindi. When they arrive at his planet, he says that if Archer gives him a Xindi object, he'll be able to find an imprint on it and get information about the people who made it. His only condition is that Hoshi remain with him for a few days while he does it. Archer and Reed are wary, but Hoshi agrees, saying it's worth the risk. While there, Hoshi discovers that Tarquin has an ulterior motive – he's been exiled from his homeworld for being telepathic, and he's very lonely. He wants her to remain with him as his 'companion.' She finds him intriguing, but is disturbed by his intimate knowledge of her – her past, her favorite foods, and even her own feelings of isolation.
Linguists in White Satin: Tarquin lives in a gothic fortress built into a mountain which is illuminated primarily by firelight, and I have to point out how ludicrous it is that Hoshi opts to wear short spaghetti-strap dresses of satin while she wanders around in it, but what the hell. I enjoyed it anyway. Linda Park did a wonderful job conveying Hoshi's discomfort with the situation. Because of Tarquin's telepathic abilities and Hoshi's 'unique mind,' he's able to read her so well that he knows exactly what interests and excites her. He gives her a book written in a dead language from a species that's been gone for over a thousand years. He shows her how to use his mindwave-boosting crystal to 'read' lifeforms and events all around her. He tells her things about herself that she's never revealed to anyone. She likes him, but their connection makes her uncomfortable and understandably so. In my favorite scene, she wanders outside, where he's told her not to go, and discovers the graves of his four previous companions, who all died of old age. They have a confrontation, and she tells him "I'm grateful for your help, and I'm happy to stay here while you work, but I have NO intention of becoming your next companion."
The story breaks absolutely no new ground. The plot was lifted directly from 'Beauty and the Beast' (any version). Even Star Trek has told the tale before. 'Exile' contains elements of TOS's 'The Squire of Gothos,' TNG's 'Sub Rosa,' and VOY's 'Alter Ego.' There was no suspense here. The instant we see the crystal, we know she's going to have to break it (or threaten to) in order to escape him – it's the Disney Beast's rose-in-a-bell jar, or Trelane's mirror, or Ronin's oil lamp. But just because it's an old story doesn't mean it can't be told well again. And it was. I empathized with Hoshi, of course, but also found Tarquin's life to be tragic and poignant. "Sometimes I don't know which is worse," he tells her. "Being alone, or having to bury the people I've come to care about."
Abrupt Ending: My only complaint is that the story ended so abruptly. Tarquin threatens to kill everyone on Enterprise unless she stays, then she threatens to break his crystal until he backs down. And that was it! She returns to Enterprise, and Tarquin remains on the planet, probably already warming up the crystal to try again with some other hapless 'unique mind.' There's a brief epilogue, in which he returns to her telepathically after Enterprise has departed to give her the information on the Xindi after all, as a gesture of good will, hoping that someday she'll change her mind and return to him, and this is nice. But otherwise, there's no hint of how the incident has changed either of them. Pity.
Hoshi Backstory: I love it when we get background information on the regulars! We learn that once Hoshi's parents found out how gifted she was, they hired special tutors for her. She spent a lot of time alone, and thought it was normal to do so. Even now, she feels isolated, even among others. This adds an interesting dimension to the character. We also learn that the last person she truly felt a connection to was her grandfather, Meechio. See? Now information like that is absolutely vital to the fanfic writer – now they'll have a name for Hoshi's son with Reed. Or Trip. Or Archer. Or T'Pol...whoever!
Oh, and her favorite foods include hamburgers and San Francisco-style pizza. It's always good to know these things.
Even better was the consistent development of Hoshi's personality. Tarquin had presented himself to her telepathically as an attractive human male, but she barely blinks when he turns out to be an alien with tentacles all over his head. She's always been open to new species and cultures – she was one of the first crewmen to forge a genuine friendship with Phlox. And gone are the days when she jumps at the slightest wobble of the ship, or screams 'like a twelve year-old,' when confronted with the frightening and unexpected. Here, she never once allows Tarquin to turn her into a victim. She's assertive and quick thinking throughout the ordeal, and this is as it should be. She made the decision to stay on Enterprise for its new, dangerous mission, which is not something she'd have done unless she'd found a deep source of courage and strength. I'll be disappointed if she reverts back to her 'Fight or Flight' persona again. It was understandable, but she's moved past it.
Meanwhile, Back on Enterprise...In analyzing the waves emanating from the anomaly-generating sphere Enterprise discovered earlier in the season, T'Pol discovers that the interference patterns suggest a second sphere. Enterprise goes to investigate, which is why they leave Hoshi alone, at her insistence, with Tarquin. When they approach the location of the sphere, the frequency of the anomalies increases drastically, and they can't proceed with Enterprise. It's starting to defy believability that one of these anomalies hasn't yet caused a catastrophic failure or a gruesome death. A little too con-veeeee-nient, if you ask me. But perhaps this will come later, and bring the T'Pol and Trellium-D situation to a head...
D'OH: Instead, they line the hull of one of the shuttles with Trellium-D, and Trip and Archer take it in, to get some sensor readings on the sphere. First, though, there's a wee mishap. They have to set down on the sphere to repair the sensors, which have been damaged during the attempt. Trip accidentally turns on the port thruster while he's tinkering under the hood, and the shuttle takes off without them! They have to take out the thruster with their phase pistols, which causes the shuttle to fall back to the sphere and come skidding to a halt directly in front of them. Sure, a shuttle wouldn't behave that way under the normal laws of gravity, but we are, after all, in the Expanse. I'll happily arm-wave logic away here for the look on Trip's face. Hee.
The Plot Thickens: Once T'Pol analyzes the data they bring back, she discovers that multiple spheres, perhaps more than fifty, are implied. It begins to occur to Archer that the spheres are being used to CREATE the Expanse. Cool. Who built them, and why? And this will go a long way toward explaining why we won't hear anything about the Expanse in 'future' Treks – it likely won't be there anymore. Very clever.
Continuity Abounds! In the end, Tarquin tells Hoshi that there's a Xindi colony nearby where they are making part of the weapon. Archer sets a course, intent on getting some answers. I want the answers now, too. The arc has gotten my attention. Good job! The ending ties in with episodes yet to come, and Archer's admonition to T'Pol, to stay away from the Trellium-D shuttle operation, ties in with 'Impulse.' Hooray!
Character Interactions: Nice scenes between Archer and Trip, and Archer and T'Pol this week. I enjoyed all of Hoshi's interactions with Tarquin, but thought Park's performance was stronger than the guest actor's was.
'shipper Watch: Archer and T'Pol's interactions were nice, although they implied comfortable friendship and teamwork more than anything else. I loved Reed's obvious concern for Hoshi, both when she was having 'visions' on Enterprise, and when she agreed to stay with Tarquin. Awww – how sweet!
Archer Watch: Investigating the second sphere was a proactive choice, and the correct one, despite the risk. I do think it might have waited a few days, though. He should absolutely not have left Hoshi ALONE with Tarquin, an alien they knew next to nothing about! At the very least, he could have insisted on leaving some security with her – Reed, perhaps, or that MACO, what's-his-face from Duluth.
[Yeah...he should have left Reed. Then there would have been a love triangle in the gothic fortress...Reed and Hoshi, bonding in white satin, while Tarquin looks on, jealous, wanting Reed out of the way...hmmm...]
Ahem. Sorry. Sometimes my 'shipper tendencies get out of hand. Seriously, though, bad call on Archer's part.
Best Lines:
"My telepathy only works in rare instances. It takes a unique mind to process it. Yours is the first I've found in many years." (Tarquin, to Hoshi. Hey, Hoshi – red alert!)
"If he can tell us something about the Xindi, it's worth the risk. I can take care of myself, Captain." (Hoshi, to Archer)
"Did you bring a phase pistol?" "I'll keep it under my pillow." (Archer and Hoshi)
"You might want to steer clear of the launch bay for the next couple of days." "Indeed." (Archer and T'Pol)
"No one will ever understand you the way I can." (Tarquin, to Hoshi)
"I can't let you leave, Hoshi. I've waited too long to find you." (Tarquin, to Hoshi. Don't say I didn't warn you, Hoshi!)
"You'll kill over eighty people to keep me here?" (Hoshi, to Tarquin. Hey, Hoshi – that's eighty people and ONE FEARLESS SPACE PUP!)
"As long as I'm with you? Another sixty, seventy years – then what? What will you do when I'm grave number five out there?" (Hoshi, to Tarquin, while threatening to break his precioussss...)
"Did it ever occur to you that whoever built these things may have done it to create the Expanse?" "Why would anyone create a web of crippling anomalies?" (Archer and T'Pol)
The Best Line:
"SONUVABITCH!" (Trip, to the fleeing shuttle)
Rating: 8.5/10. It's chick-flick Trek, but I'm a chick, so I liked it!
:P
Next Week: A repeat of 'The Xindi,' and a chance for this reviewer to catch her breath. I'm looking forward to November sweeps, though. See you then!
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