monkee reviews 'Marauders'
First Impression: YAWN.
Ho-hum: I really don't have much to say about this one. We knew we were in trouble from the first moment. How many teasers have we seen just like this? A group of colonists/miners living simply on a planet, with hints of something ominous going on – and a cute kid running around, too! Yikes!
Bullies are Bad: And the moral of the episode? Bullies are bad, but if you stand up to them, they always get what they deserve in the end. I don't know. Kirk and Janeway could pull off the bullies-are-bad thing, but Archer? I was unconvinced. Besides, bullies usually DON'T get what they deserve. They usually get just what they want. I'm not so sure that this situation should have been any different. I don't think this particular group of Klingon marauders would have given up that easily. What was to stop them from blowing the whole facility to Gre'thor the minute they got back up to their ship? I knew the episode wouldn't end that way, because it was so very predictable, but I almost wish it had. Then we'd have seen some repercussions to Archer's simplistic meddling. There really does have to be some serious backlash to his actions sometime soon. At this point, it's difficult to see why they'd ever even develop the prime directive. Interference has been working out pretty well for Archer and Enterprise so far.
Stupidest Klingons Ever? I'm not a huge Klingon fan, but they work for me when done well. They weren't done well, here. Have we ever seen such an idiotic group of Klingons? Surely they had to notice that they were beaming down to different coordinates the second time, right? They were very two-dimensional, and I think modern Klingon fans have come to expect a little more depth. Still, I'll let it go this time, since it was a rogue band. Maybe they really WERE the stupidest Klingons ever!
T'Pol Goes Yoda: Did she actually yell 'Hey!' ? THAT'S not very Vulcan! I didn't care, though – not really. I've just taken up martial arts myself, so I loved seeing T'Pol go Kung Fu on those Klingons! And Vulcans may be logical, but I'm sure they don't approve of bullies, so it was kind of nice to find her agreeing with Archer in this instance.
[So, what do we think of T'Pol's new silver-gray away mission catsuit? Personally, I don't care one way or the other. But what's with the heels? No way is anyone EVER going to convince me that heels are logical. No way.]
Redeeming Factors: The episode wasn't all bad. In addition to T'Pol's martial arts prowess, there were other things I enjoyed. I liked the whole battle-preparation montage, particularly Reed and Sato's target training, and T'Pol and Mayweather's lessons in self-defense. It wasn't much, but it was sure nice to see the rest of the crew doing something for once, albeit briefly. I also liked the little bits of continuity that were thrown in – the Kreetassins, for one, and the reappearance of Archer's 'instincts.' I also enjoyed watching Tessik, the leader of the miners, struggle with the burdens of command. Nice acting by the guest star, there.
Character Interactions: I enjoyed the montage scenes I just mentioned, as well as the Archer/T'Pol discussion about their options. I suppose Trip was cute with the kid, but I've just seen these boy/father figure scenes way too many times, now, in every single series. Yawn.
'Shipper Watch: The frank look of admiration on Reed's face when Sato revealed her newfound shooting prowess was kinda fun. And I like the notion that maybe T'Pol and Mayweather train together, now and then, in martial arts – now there's a pairing I hadn't considered! I didn't notice anything else this week, though. I was pleased that there didn't seem to be any residual simmering sexual tension between Archer and T'Pol. Yet. Knock on wood.
Archer Watch: Yes, I know he's right, and interference was acceptable in this instance because it wasn't a culture, it was just a group of people being preyed upon. Even T'Pol agreed, but I can't help but think that she was right the first time when she said anything they did would only make matters worse. In real life, she'd have been right. In real life, the rogue Klingons would have destroyed the entire facility. Archer's solution felt forced and artificial to me, because it had no basis in reality. And MERCY but those earnest speeches have got to go! Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day...Yeesh. Anyway – in the end, I suppose, Archer appears to have done well. But it shouldn't have been that way.
Best Lines:
"Sometimes I have a habit of overstaying my welcome." (Archer, to Tessic)
"You won't hurt me." "It's not you I'm worried about." (T'Pol and Mayweather)
"Hey!" (T'Pol, to bully Klingons)
"We can find deuterium anywhere. Yours isn't fit for a garbage scow." (Korok, to Tessic, but I think he meant to say that the entire facility ought to be hauled away AS garbage…)
Rating: 7/10. Ouch. That's pretty low coming from me. What can I say? I was bored! I'd rather get a few genuine moments of amusement or enjoyment out of an otherwise bad episode than be bored senseless by a mediocre one. I'll have forgotten this one by the weekend!
Next Week: Vulcan intrigue and T'Pol behaving strangely. I don't know much about this one in advance, so we'll see how it goes...
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