Text 174, 334 rader
Skriven 2004-10-23 21:57:00 av Tony Underwood (1:278/230)
Ärende: "Home"
==============


At 01:47 hours 10/23/2004 -0500, Kevin Karmann wrote:
>
>Time to talk about "Home," the new episode of ENTERPRISE.   But before we
>get to this extra-early review, we hae the customary spoiler space.
>
>SPOILER
>
>WARNING!
>
>You
>
>don't
>
>want
>
>to
>
>read
>
>this
>
>before
>
>going
>
>:"Home!"
>
>
>
>
>Back on Enterprise, Trip comes to see T'Pol in her quarters.  T'Pol has been
>packing for her return to Vulcan.  


Anyone notice that T'Pol is starting to look more "Vulcan" of late?    



>Elsewhere in spacedock, Captain Hernandez is showing Archer the improvements
>made to the NX-02.   She asks him to look over recommendations for her crew.
>Archer suggests adding lumbar support to the captain's chair, but his main
>concern is with the defensive capabilities of the ship.  He relates how he
>argued with Captain Jefferies -- named for classic Trek production designer
>Matt Jefferies -- 

....another nice callback to TOS.   



>On Enterprise, Reed bumps into an overloaded Phlox in the corridor.  He
>offers the doctor, who plans to spend some time on Earth, help carrying his
>baggage.  He also has concerns about Phlox's well-being.   A decidedly un
>Trek-like element of xenophobia has developed on Earth in wake of the Xindi
>attack.  This fear of aliens has expressed itself in attacks on an Andorian
>and a Rigelian, as well as the Vulcans staying camped out in their own
>sanctuary.  Phlox refuses to be intimidated by such events.  Of course, this
>reflects how some Muslims post-9/11, but I'm not really sure it fits with
>the Trek mantle.   


TOS episode "Balance Of Terror" touches on this...   

>It is interesting that aliens never encountered before
>the last few years of the series -- particularly the Andorians -- are making
>their way to Earth.

Once you open the door...  


>In the wilderness of Earth, Archer prepares to climb a mountain when
>Hernandez appears.  He asks her what she's doing there and she points out
>that he knows better than to climb alone.

She obviously has intentions.   

>>should, at the very least, meet with him.  It should be noted that Koss is a
>decidedly un-Vulcan name by traditional Vulcan male naming standards that
>dictate a name starting with "S" and ending in "K," 

....you noticed this...  as mentioned in some of TOS literature, although
the first time we see another Vulcan NOT related to Spock (Amok Time) we
find out that HIS name doesn't conform to the "Vulcan norm" (Stonn).  And,
of course there was VOY and Tuvok.     Evidently this S&K thing remains
YATI.    

>which could be a hint
>for the upcoming Vulcan storyline.

I'd kinda say so considering the conclusion of the episode....  leaving the
viewe3r wondering just what's doing with T'Pol and the wedding and
wondering how TPTB will manage to get around this new development.
There's sure to  be some friction back aboard ship one way or another.
Trip is gonna simmer over this one.      



>somewhat tipsy man comes over, commenting that Phlox might feel more at home
>with Vulcans.  Phlox points out that he isn't Vulcan.  Phlox would be
>content to leave, but Reed insists they stay.  The man then turns his ire to
>Starfleet, saying how they stir up all these problems by going off to alien
>worlds.  Not content to leave the trio alone as Reed and Mayweather suggest,
>the man takes a swing at Reed.  A barroom brawl breaks out, but quickly
>comes to an end when Phlox's face puffs up like a blow-fish.

Another callback to the good doctors ability to stretch and conform his
face, although it's not completely clear  what relevance this has
considering the scattering in the bar.   Maybe drunks fear puffer-faced
aliens...?      


>T'Pol and Koss head outside for their conversation.  Although she quickly
>makes it clear she's unwilling to marry him, Koss notes things are not that
>easy.  His parents adhere to the old customs.   T'Pol says she could name
>someone else as her mate, but Koss insists they need to go through with the
>ceremony.   She tries again, bringing up that she has an illness, likely
>refering to her Trellium-D addiction.  He says his parents could provide her
>with the finest doctors.  At this point, she even brings up the possibility
>of koon-ut-kal-if-fee, but he is undetered by a fight to the death.
>Unsatisfied, T'Pol asks him to leave.  Before he leaves, Koss points out
>that his father could have T'Les reinstated at the Science Academy.  T'Pol
>says that her mother retired, but Koss says she was forced to step down.  He
>refuses to tell her any more.

This was unsatisfactory in its entirety.   Koss spent the whole time being
devious and underhanded, something unworthy of a Vulcan.   It didn't come
off logically, no pun.  


>Archer thinks they could benefit from acting more like
>the Vulcans and sticking close to home.  He thinks she might agree with
her (sic) him
>after delivering some eulogies.

This also came off a bit forced.  Archer is supposed to be demonstrating
that the deaths aboard ENT were bothering him.  Of *course* he's be
bothered but he also should be realizing that such things happen in the
course of things...  ever since Apollo-I and then Challenger and then
Columbia (not discounting the Russian accidents as well) and then who knows
what else along the way, people have paid dearly for their contributions
towards advancing our reach and expanding our horizons.   Archer should
have well known this.   


>Now that she knows more, T'Pol confronts her mother.  T'Les gets into
>semantics, pointing out that she retired before she was forced out of the
>Science Academy.  It turns out they accused her of removing data from the
>institute, a baseless charge, but enough to force her out.  T'Pol wants to
>know why this happened, but T'Les is reluctant to tell her daughter.  T'Pol
>guesses anyway that it was because of her role in uncovering the listening
>post on P'Jem in "The Andorian Incident."   

This is also another element that doesn't come off quite right...
reprisals against T'Pols family for her part in uncovering the spy site
smacks of an emotionally driven act of retribution... again, an action
unworthy of a Vulcan.    


>The embarrassment was too much
>for the government and they couldn't do anything to T'Pol as long as she was
>on Enterprise, so they took it out on her mother.    

Again, emotionally driven.  Revenge is an emotional thing.   So is
embarrassment.   Doesn't make sense considering the dealings involved
Vulcans.   

Evidently, in this time frame Vulcans have not yet tamed their emotions...
YATI.     


> As she leaves, T'Pol tells her mother that would be none of her
>business.

A snippy retort... emotional remark.   YATI.       

I'll grant TPTB poetic license in slightly modifying Vulcan mores in these
instances.   


>>wakes up from this nightmare.   Hernandez asks him what's wrong.   Archer
>admits he came here to get away from anyone who would treat him as a hero,
>as he had to do some horrific things in the Expanse.  Hernandez points out
>he needed what had to be done, what any other captain would do.  Archer
>gathers up his gear and prepares to continue his climb, but she stops him --
>it wouldn't be a good idea at night.   He says he doesn't have a death wish,
>but he wants to get away from her.  To him, she's a reminder of that way he
>used to be, of the explorer his father wanted him to be.  He's lost that and
>doesn't know how to get him back.  Suddenly, she kisses him.  She thinks
>maybe she can help him find his way back.

Anyone who hasn't been living as a Siberian hermit for the last 5 years
would have seen that one coming a mile away.   


>With the daylight, Archer and Hernandez make it up to another cliff.
>Hernandez is willing to continue on to a higher cliff, but Archer likes the
>view from here.   He tells her he's glad she came along.   She wonders why
>they ever stopped seeing each other.  He points out he was her superior
>officer.  Since that's not the case anymore, they kiss again.

Yeah right, like we're gonna buy into that line...   ;)   


>A refreshed Archer returns to the hearing and, as they close, we find that
>the findings of the panel will be classified.  As everyone starts to leave,
>Archer takes Soval aside.  He apologizes and says he was out of line before.
>Soval is quick to agree, prompting Archer to point out that at least they
>can agree on one thing.  But Soval isn't done.  He notes some of Archer's
>actions may have been morally questionable, but they were also necessary.
>T'Pol told him about how the Expanse would have one day claimed many other
>worlds, including Vulcan, so Vulcan owes him a great debt.  Soval has
>re-evaluated his initial position against Archer's appointment and
>apologizes himself.

This was supposed to indicate that the doors between Soval (another non S&K
Vulcan name) and Archer have opened, but it's too easy.   


>Trip puts on a Vulcan suit as T'Les comes to check on him.   She helps him
>finish, as she says the suit belonged to her husband.  He asks if it
>bothered her that T'Pol was marrying someone she didn't love, but T'Les sees
>it as just fulfilling a family obligation.   She asks why he didn't tell
>T'Pol that he loved her.  Trip is taken aback, but points out that he didn't
>realize it himself until they had the conversation over the lava field.  And
>once she told him about marrying Koss, he realized he couldn't.  Hesitating
>a moment, she says there's still time.  He points out that she was opposed
>to the concept of such a relationship, but she notes that Vulcans may
>repress their emotions, but they are sensitive to them.  Trip thinks about
>it, but he doesn't want to make anything more complicated for T'Pol.

This entire scene seems very "unVulcan" in its procession.   T'Les appeared
a bit excessively empathic towards Trip, someone she only just met.   Add
to this the fact that she was rather not excessively pleased with T'Pol the
entire time, yet she's giving Trip pointers?    

It seemed uncomfortable in the presentation.   Maybe it's just me... but
I'd have expected something a little less "casual" from a Vulcan.    Again,
perhaps this is yet another indication of maybe Vulcans NOT having quite
conquered their emotions in spite of the TOS revelations with Spock and
Surak (or the visualization of Surak) which were supposed to have happened
long ago in the Vulcan past.   YATI...?    Still, it's nothing serious and
might possibly be construed as providing some insights into the Vulcan
varieties we've come to see along the way.    Perhaps not ALL Vulcans are
as strict and strack as Spock and his father and/or some of the other
Vulcans we've seen along the way... some of them anyway.    Then again,
we've seen others who weren't quite up to the Vulcan ideal... such as the
arms dealing customers buying weapons from  Quark in DS9...  when a Ferengi
can outlogic a Vulcan, you know the Vulcan isn't quite up to snuff.   


>Trip and T'Les join the wedding party.  T'Pol tells Trip she's glad he's
>there and gives him a peck on the cheek before heading for the marriage
>rites.   As the priest begins the ceremony, we see Trip looking on.   It
>should be noted that the priest here is played by Jack Donnner, who has
>previous experience as a Vulcanoid -- specifically, a Romulan waaay back in
>"The Enterprise Incident."

Spotted his name in the credits, expected to see him at the debriefing,
instead found him at the wedding...  which by the way had (word for word)
the same opening soliloquy as T'Pau spoke at the commencement of Spock's
wedding in "Amok Time".   


>I think I should also point out my impressions of the other Vulcans in this
>episode.  I think Joanne Cassidy as T'Les 

Been a while since she's been  in much of anything, at least anything I
remember seeing but then again I have no life...  last time I recall her
doing anything memorable was as Eddie Valiant's girlfriend in "Roger
Rabbit".    Of course, she was also the "snake stripper" in "Bladerunner"
for those who might not recall.         


>and Michael Reilly Burke as Koss
>portrayed some of the best Vulcans we've seen of late.  Their mannerisms
>simply seemed to fit with what we've seen on earlier series.  By the end of
>the episode, even Soval didn't seem quite as bad as previously.  Plus, the
>setting of Vulcan -- from T'Les' home to the lava field

I still think Koss was a bit slimy as a Vulcan... making subtle little
suggestions that if T'Pol "played ball" he'd get her mother her job back.
  And T'Les seemed to have a bit too much "humanity" for a Vulcan... again,
forgivable.  I'm picking nits here.    


>"Home" provides a good opportunity to start the series on a new path.    

Indeed.   It's a whole new ballgame.   There's also NX-01 and its refit.
I'm curious to see what sort of improvements we're gonna see when it comes
out of spacedock.   


>There's some nice characterization here, especially from Archer, T'Pol, and
>Trip.  The events of this episode -- from Archer getting closer to Hernandez
>to the Vulcan wedding -- clearly sets up things for the future.   Like
>"Family," this slower episode provides a necessary bridge to give the
>characters -- and us -- a chance to get ready for what is to come.   

Maybe this is a hint of the different "direction" that ENT was promised.    



>We also
>see some nice references to both ENTPERPRISE and Trek history.   

I'm anticipating more of the same.    Now that Archer and NX-01 are home
and they're a part of history,  maybe some of what we saw in TOS will be
seen getting kicked off in ENT as well.   



>After a
>rather forgetable openner, this provides a positive sign for the future of
>the season.
 

Yep.   All in all, this was a very good episode.    


And, this was a pretty good review.   


tony..  

-----   "To go where no roaming gnome has gone before."   




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