5 Points of Praise/Criticism

[MoulinRouge 0]

I posted this little essay at the trekbbs under "Dorian." I thought it might generate a little discussion here as well. Enjoy or bash away. They are just my thoughts on how to improve the program. I listed five "cons" and "pros."

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Mr. Braga, if by chance you are read these boards I'd like to thank you for your hard work on "Enterprise." It's a welcome respite to have an escape like Star Trek during these troubled times. That being said, I'd like to offer my praise and some constructive criticism which might help "Enterprise" become a consistently better program. Call it my "five and five." I'll cite my five "cons" first so that we may move past the bad and go on to what's good more quickly.

 

CONS:

 

1.)A stand alone episodic format

 

While "Enterprise" has produced some outstanding stand alone episodes ("Carbon Creek," "Shuttlepod One," "Singularity," "Fallen Hero") it has also produced more than its fair share of forgettable ones ("Oasis," "Terra Nova," "Marauders," "Rogue Planet," "Vanishing Point"). At this point in franchise history, ENT can ill afford to produce forgettable episodes. It's worthwhile to point out that ENT's best received episodes have been those few connected with its story arcs ("Shockwave I," "Broken Bow," "The Andorian Incident," "Cold Front," "Future Tense," "CeaseFire"). IMHO, ENT needs more ongoing stories dealing with less eventful happenings, perhaps concerning more personal goings on of the NX-01's crew.

 

True enough, certain primetime programs (CSI) survive and even thrive with a stand alone format. However, "CSI" isn't burdened by dwindling audience numbers and a thirty-seven year legacy replete with fans demanding ever more original ideas and freshness. I appreciate Paramount executives' belief that programs which rely on story arcs are not easily sold for syndication, but that assumption isn't borne out by the facts; prime time "soaps" have found new life on TNN and other specialty networks. Even classic daytime soap operas are being rerun on SoapNet, a network created solely for that purpose. The X-Files certainly isn't suffering from a lack of airtime for its reruns. More and more, the most successful primetime dramas rely primarily on ongoing arcs intertwined with stand alone episodes to tell compelling stories: "Alias," "24," "Gilmore Girls," and "Judging Amy" being only a few examples. With an eroding audience, ENT might be better served by beefing up arcs already begun and adding a few more. Arcs needn't be overly long and convoluted. Two and three part episodes can be quite entertaining. If the audience is curious to find out what happens next, they will return.

 

2.)Lack of risk, aka "death count zero"

 

It's a cliché, but it's true. ENT doesn't take enough risks in its storytelling. What's been presented is entertaining; however, ENT is not fraught with tension and drama of the highest order. This is humanity's first deep space mission. They face unknown dangers on a weekly basis. Why has no one perished? Is it a directive set forth by Paramount's executives? If so, perhaps they could be persuaded to reconsider. "Minefield," a fine outing from ENT's sophomore season could have been far more poignant had Captain Archer's desire to save Lieutenant Reed in the face of a mounting Romulan threat been underscored by his desire not to lose another crewman. That not a single soul perished in so horrific an explosion defies logic; ENT's refusal to kill off a single member of NX-01's crew blunted the dramatic impact of a fine piece of work by Mr. Shiban.

 

Unfortunately, ENT's lack of risk taking isn't confined to an absence of death. The members of NX-01's crew get along too well. No conflict lasts more than 42 minutes. Such an opportunity was lost when Captain Archer pulled an uncharacteristic switcheroo and suddenly agreed with the possibly genocidal decision made by his ship's physician at the conclusion of "Dear Doctor." How exciting watching a continuing conflict (caused by two species' clash of ethical values) between these two characters could have been. Risk involves more than daring decon scenes which are sufficiently entertaining for the highly prized 18-24 male demographic, but has it not yet become clear to Paramount's executives that Trek's most loyal audience skews older and decidedly more female?

 

3.)The teflon coated captain

 

This particular complaint is related closely to ENT's lack of risk taking. Lately I have noticed a marked improvement in the way the character of Jonathan Archer is written. The staff is to be congratulated for this; however, Archer still is not wholly believable a man whose strength and professional judgment would inspire such fervent loyalty in others. While I appreciate the need to create an inexperienced captain, a fine line exists between inexperience and foolishness. That a man who has earned command of a starship could make such a drastic error in judgment as to take a dog along to a planet populated by a species as volatile and unreasonable as the Kretassens defies logic. However, per usual everything turned out okay in the end. In spite of his many questionable decisions, Archer never suffers any lasting consequences. The government of Tandar Prime could realistically have declared war on Earth after the captain took it upon himself to release 89 Suliban detainees simply because he was morally offended by the Tandaran judicial system. Archer had no way of knowing that none of the detainees sympathized with the Cabal, genetic enhancements or not. What he did was shockingly short sighted. What if one of the detainees had killed more Tandaran citizens? Of course this didn't happen because Captain Archer is inexplicably coated with teflon. Allowing him to suffer some consequences and guilt if his shortsighted decisions were to cause harm to others would redefine Archer's character and in the process give Scott Bakula meaty material which would better utilize his talent. A tormented captain is a riveting character.

 

4.)The hypersexualized first officer

 

I understand that sexuality adds a certain spice. I don't object to this. However, it is possible to hypersexualize a character to the point where it detracts from an actors' performance. While Trip and Archer have been given equal treatment in the gratuitous skin department, they are afforded the dignity of a proper uniform in which to report for duty. Jolene Blalock is a criminally underrated actress. I admire her work. Desired male demographic aside, it demeans Ms. Blalock to dress her in a unitard so tight that all attention is drawn to her breasts and buttocks. A woman dressed in such attire would command zero respect; her male coworkers would be too busy gawking at her breasts and derriere. This hypersexualization detracts from her significance as an extraordinarily intelligent, brave woman willing to risk being ostracized by Vulcan society. There is plenty of opportunity for her to dress provocatively off duty. Also, the contrived "sexual tension" between her and Captain Archer is cringeworthy. Jolene Blalock and Scott Bakula do not enjoy a great deal of natural romantic chemistry. No amount of trying to force the issue with adolescent slips of the tongue about her breasts or "swapping chromosomes" can create sparks where none exist. A romantic pairing of T'Pol and Captain Archer only serves to exacerbate a female character who has already been too sexualized. Jonathan Archer simply isn't very appealing when he's panting over a subordinate. Both Mr. Bakula and Ms. Blalock deserve better.

 

5.)Not spreading around the wealth

 

I adore the work of Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock and the ever charismatic Connor Trinneer. However, ENT is blessed with an excellent cast of seven. Travis' history as a boomer should be of use to his fellow crewmates. He's the last character who should be ignored. Linda Park's talent hasn't even begun to be tapped and, at the risk of sounding shallow, she deserves better than to play second fiddle/ugly duckling to Blalock's T'Pol when Ms. Park is every bit as attractive if not more so. Dom Keating is pure gold as the slightly malevolent, darkly mysterious Malcolm. His presence turns the "big three" into the "fantastic four." Words can't articulate how phenomenal an actor is John Billingsley. Utilize Phlox more often. Period. In every manner possible.

 

PROS

 

1.) The Vulcans

 

Pay no attention to fans who bellowed for something different from Trek then cried foul when you delivered it. Knocking the Vulcans off their pedestals was a stroke of genius. These repressive 22nd century Vulcans differentiate ENT as truly belonging to an earlier era of less enlightened times. It makes perfect sense to me that a highly ordered society like the Vulcans would react negatively to possible contamination from highly emotional Terrans. That a Vulcan subculture such as mind melders would be more discriminated against since first contact with Earth than 1000 years ago is oddly logical. Are we building to a revelation that all Vulcans are capable of learning how to meld? EXCELLENT.

 

2.)A treasure trove of friendships and character interaction

 

First and foremost, to whomever noticed the palpable chemistry between Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer...bravo. :blink: The enduring popularity of TOS was made possible in no small way by the striking emotional bond shared by Kirk and Spock (and McCoy). Had it not existed, TOS would not be remembered as something quite as special. DS9 offered the odd yet strangely lovely pairing of Bashir and O'Brien, of whom Reed and Tucker are very reminiscent. I'm not sure whether or not it was your original intention to make friends of Trip and Malcolm. In any case you did the right thing, Mr. Braga. You are to be congratulated. Tucker and Reed are the golden "couple," reminiscent of Trek's most endearing friendships. Hopefully, though, their newfound camaraderie won't overshadow the decade long bond Tucker shares with the captain. Trip's affection for Jonathan may not be that of a best friend so much as that of an adoring younger brother, but their fraternal/mentor-like affection for each other is lovely in its own right--seeing it again would be welcome. Two such well developed friendships coming from differing perspectives are an asset to any program.

 

Phlox's interactions with everyone from Travis to T'Pol are fabulous, especially with the latter since the doctor offers a more positive counterpoint to T'Pol's stoic outsider's perspective. The doctor's preternatural cheerfulness always lends a positive energy to scenes. More knowledge of his home life on Denobula would be most welcomed. Travis and Hoshi are like a pair of naughty children. What's puzzling, however, is the decision to separate Connor Trinneer and Jolene Blalock this

season. Their many shared scenes during season one have dwindled to nearly none during season two. What's going on? Their banter and reparteé was wry, sexy, smart and not at all forced. I'm not clamoring for a romance, but IMHO their chemistry far outshone that of Blalock and Bakula and still would if they were only allowed to interact. A loyal platonic friendship between Trip and T'Pol could run as deep as his friendship with Malcolm. What a pity that their dynamic was abandoned in favor of forcing a romantic connection between T'Pol and her captain. And what about a female friendship on this series? Women develop lifelong bonds as well as men. Why was the budding relationship between Hoshi and T'Pol in "Sleeping Dogs" forgotten?

 

3.) Memorable guest stars

 

ENT continues Trek's tradition of outstanding performances by its guest performers. Fionnula Flannagan's V'Lar was simply breathtaking. Another guest appearance by the wily ambassador is encouraged. Andreas Katsulas, John Fleck, Suzie Plaxson, Clancy Brown, Gary Graham's dour Soval and Vaughn Armstrong's plethora of characters also earn praise. Kudos to ENT's casting director for luring back the magnificent and versatile Jeffrey Combs as Shran. Shran is one of the more intriguing Trek "villains" to appear in years because it's difficult to decide whether he should be, loved, loathed, admired, or feared.

 

4.)The story arcs attempted so far

 

Some may criticize, but speculation still runs rampant as to the identity of Future Guy. Just because John Fleck is no longer available doesn't mean that FG shouldn't torment someone else. Resolution of the Vulcan/Andorian conflict as possible inspiration for the formation of the United Federation of Planets is tantalizing. These are intriguing arcs. A call for more doesn't mean that these storylines should be given short shrift. Keep up the good work, but add more.

 

5.)Leading men are in

 

An audience that skews older is not as appreciative of cheap titillation. Sexual humor is cute in small amounts, but captains falling face first into breasts isn't clever. ENT's casting director, whether by fortunate happenstance or by design, has assembled a group of unusually charming and handsome male cast members. Timeless romance of the kind shared by Jim Kirk and Edith Keeler is sorely missing from Trek. Not many actors project a demeanor courtly or gentlemanly enough to

successfully carry off sensual romance. On ENT, we are blessed with five. Bakula, Trinneer, Keating, Montgomery and Billingsley are all more than capable of portraying a long term romance that would sustain the interest of Trek's fans. I'm not advocating turning "Enterprise" into mawkish soap opera, but leading men as opposed to frat boys are a rare gem not valued enough by network executives. Placed against an appropriate backdrop of war, adventure, intrigue and danger, romance plays very well.

Whoever decided that Trinneer's Tucker should be ENT's roving stud has made an error in judgment. There's a reason that his adolescent antics on Risa didn't play well with the audience. It doesn't suit him; such blatantly horny behavior isn't as admired by the audience as some network executives might believe. If anyone should play leading man in a timeless Trek romance, it is Trinneer. The man exudes the charm of a 1940s movie star. He needn't bed or be desired by every alien woman he meets. Perhaps Trip is the man who will finally notice the lovely communications officer (an idea I fancy). Or will it be the strikingly handsome Travis who courts Hoshi? If Reed were to take his eyes off T'Pol's bum long enough to shore up his courage and ask her to tea, the results might be positively delightful. A tempestuous Trip/T'Pol affair, mixed with a healthy dose of bittersweet romance, would certainly please a large contingent of fans with whom I'm acquainted. Is there a lovely diplomat in space to tempt Captain Archer into a passionate, tempestuous affair and keep his mind off his buxom first officer? Hopefully so. Give romance a chance, Mr. Braga. You might be pleased with the results.

 

Thank you for your attention.

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So, what do you say? Yea or nay? Too many grammatical errors? Too long winded. I'm home. I have a cold. I couldn't go to work today. I've finished my book so I'm bored.

[jdigs 0]

Wow.

 

I've sat in front of the tv some nights watching Enterprise and I just can't figure out what I don't like about it..but then I still watch it. I'm not going to agree with you nor am I going to disagree on the many good points you listed there..CSI rules...Even tho I fall into that "Desired male demographic" and enjoyed staring like everyother guy..I never did like how 7 of 9 was poured into her suit and have the same thoughts about T'pol. You wrote alot of good suff..Did you ever hear so much as a "no comment" from Mr. Braga ? I hope this was the reply you were looking for...and I feel your pain on just finishing a book.

 

BTW, welcome aboard :blink:

cheers.

[MoulinRouge 0]

Thanks. No, I can't say that I've heard from Mr. Braga, no. I am glad to hear that someone, especially someone male, shares my sentiments about T'Pol. They totally denigrate the character by over sexualizing her. You couldn't dress that way on duty around a bunch of men and be taken seriously. There's nothing wrong with the character or the actress, but how can you take seriously a lady whose breasts are cinched up to her chin? :blink: No one is saying she can't look sexy off duty.

 

ENT could be every bit as good as DS9, but they don't do gutsy writing. Too much formula. Gotta have the problems resolved in one episode; gotta have the big boobed babe. Gotta push that exciting Archer/T'Pol relationship, when there isn't any excitement to them. What ever happened to that crackling dynamic Trip and T'Pol had during season one? They're never together anymore, not by themselves. As long as TPTB and Paramount value only the young, straight, horny male demographic ENT is never going to move beyond that 4.5 million viewer mark. The season finale's spoilers sound like a step in the right direction and Mr. Berman promises that ENT will have a new feel next season, but we shall see. The proof is in the death count.

 

SPOILERS for "Expanse"

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The NX-01 has to return home upon hearing that Earth has been attacked. They run into trouble with Klingon ships, but some warp 2 ships help them out. Upon assuming orbit, they see a scar of destruction down the Floridian peninsula and also over Cuba. Whether the Klingons are actually responsible is debatable but the proof is in the pudding. Is Mr. Berman serious? If he is serious, Mama and Papa Tucker will be victims of the torpedo bombardment. If he's serious, everyone Trip loves, including Natalie the former girlfriend, will be gone. So, do we get a chief engineer who's carrying a grudge against the believed perpetrators of this attack next season--treating us to drama, angst, and character development--or were momma and pappa Tucker conveniently on vacation? You make the call. If we have dead Tuckers, this series is on its way. Somebody important has to die. They'll never have a better chance than now. I don't know about you, but I think Trinneer could break our hearts with this kind of material.

[Bakula Bird 0]

 

You are right there, that is the kind of storyline that ENT needs right now to throw it head first into seriousness. A death or deaths are always a good way of making the bond between characters even stronger, just look at the cast of 'Angel' when Joss Whedon surprised everyone by killing off Doyle... That story with Trip's family would be interesting and would serve to give connor some more meaty lines... we will have to wait and see what B+B manage to serve up to us.... :)

[MoulinRouge 0]

 

Indeed. All of ENT's characters are really coated with teflon, not just the captain. However, it is Archer's decisions that should matter most and affect storyline most. ENT needs a dose of real drama and sadness. In spite of the cries of the technogeeks who only notice whether or not the NX-01 is Akira as opposed to Daedelus class, ENT and Trek in general needs to focus inward on these characters. The best drama on television focuses inwards. I wish TPTB had gone even more primitive and set the show on Earth for its first several episodes--make these people more like astronauts. This is the first generation on Earth completely untouched by war. Trip did remark in "Broken Bow" that Earth had gotten rid of war during the last 50 years, but his generations' parents grew up with parents who were raised by folks who remember war. Trip and Archer's generation is untouched. Their parents don't remember war, thus the generation of the 2150s thinks itself "above" war-like impulses. Seeing Earth attacked should shock them into some serious regression.

 

I'm not rooting for a 9/11 tribute per se, but I am acquainted with a great many people who considered themselves total pacifists until our shores were touched personally by those hijackers and then they changed big time. It's the difference between North Americans and Europeans. Europeans grandparents remember what it's like to lose a war, to have their own shores invaded. North Americans don't. Seeing the destruction on Earth, which the NX-01's crew considered untouchable, should shock them into some seriously aggressive impulses--what a great new direction for ENT if Bermaga have the guts to play it. By 2152, all of Earth's inhabitants are like North Americans prior to 9/11. None of them grew up with bombs or threats of terrorism. In short, I want to see an Earth in transition on ENT--people who aren't quite so inclined towards peace just yet. The folks on TOS were a bit more quick to jump the gun. The people of ENT should be that much more quick. If Jonathan had to hold together a crew hungry for revenge (against the unjustly blamed Klingons, perhaps) ENT would be fraught with tension. Big time. If his chief engineer held the biggest grudge--FANTASTIC. Archer would have to balance his responsibilities to keep the peace with his desire to comfort Trip. A grieving person often doesn't understand the push to forgive and let go. Archer and Trip's friendship would suffer, but that suffering is what makes excellent drama. Circumstances would cause Trip to drift more towards Malcolm and identify with his militaristic viewpoint. Trinneer and Keating enjoy the best chemistry of any pairing on the show. It's even better than Trinneer and Bakula's, which is the epitome of brotherly sweetness. I'd rather see a "triangle" between Jon, Trip and Malcolm than all this drooling over T'Pol business we are subjected to at the moment. T'Pol's sexuality needs to be deemphasized quickly.

 

In light of the new spoilers for "Cogenitor" being published at Trek Today, I'd wager that the tension between Trip and Jonathan might be starting a little sooner than we expected. Berman and Braga might actually have learned something. I was shocked. spoiler space

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Apparently Jon is furious at Trip for going behind his back and taking it upon himself to teach this kid to read because it (I'm trying to misspell a badword but can't)s up first contact royally with the Vissians. After the cogenitor is returned (perhaps involuntarily?) the Vissians contact Enterprise after a few days to tell them that he committed suicide. :) :) Consequences. Someone we've been introduced to dies. Truly a big step for B&B.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

I don't remember seeing this the first time around and I don't have enough time to read the full post right now but what I have read so far looks interesting so I'm going to bump this for everyone to see.

[nik 0]

Nice essay. I really agree with the comment about T'Pol. As a guy, that's all I

see in T'Pol when she's on screen - her body. It is quite distracting.

Have a day.

[MoulinRouge 0]

Wow! My old post.

 

Since I wrote this way back when they have improved T'Pol's attire a little, which pleases me. At least they're not padding her in the breasts so much anymore that she looks like she has one big uniboob. I like her red outfit the most, but I concede that the character could function in Vulcan robes if need be. She could wear that brown away mission jacket over her suit on away missions. Even the massage scenes make my point. TPTB are so enamored of making her and Trip "the hot ones" but the scenes come across as more sweet and courtly than I'm sure they intended with Trip giving her peaches and worrying about salacious rumors and all. B) I remember the funny moments when he insisted he wasn't under the impression that she was making sexual advances (no.....no...no no no no :angry: ) much more than her taking off her top.

 

They still need to spread the wealth more and treat their leading men as handsome leading men. I'm still waiting for that one tragic consequence to bite Jonathan in the butt and that huge conflict to materialize. Perhaps the weight of the world now on his shoulders qualifies. At least someone on the crew has died. I may fall so in love with Archer after he does what he does to save Trip in "Similitude" that I'll never want them to fight. B)

Edited October 27, 2003 by MoulinRouge

[Klingonmike 0]

I agree with some of your statements and I also dis-agree with some. I don't see Captain Archer as teflon coated at all. To me he's been very believeable since the beginning. He's the first human Captain to go into deep space, he wants to explore and looks at everything with wonderment. he meets new aliens and tries to be a nice guy in the hopes they will be nice back,thats just plain being a normal human, when he and his ship is threatened he takes the approperate actions to save his ship and not cause a war with another race. Now this season we see him being more angry because the Xindi have attacked Earth, he no longer seems to care about being nice because after a couple of years in space he now knows that being nice to everyone does not work and he now has a new mission to stop the Xindi from attacking Earth.I find Archer to be very believable and true to the human condition.After seeing what was done to Earth has shocked them and most,especially Trip who wants revange. To qoute Admiral Yamamoto after bombing Pearl Harbor,"I'm afraid we have awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with great resolve." I see it in Archer's eyes now, he wants to stop the Xindi and damn anyone that tries to stop him.

As for the sexuality,well Star Trek has always had a touch of that since it began with TOS ( do you relize how many times Gene Roddenberry had to struggle with network censors because they claimed Star Trek was to sexually explicit?) As for what T'Pol wears, well they have changed that this new season and I admit I like her new look much better,but then again in other Star Trek shows the form fitting costumes have been around for awhile,take 7 of 9 from Voyager for example and on DS9 Jadzia looked hot in that tught Starfleet uniform and Kira had extra padding in her uniform to make it look like she had bigger breasts than she really had.In TNG Troi went from tight clothes to low cut showing the cleavage (Which I admit looked great) to then wearing a regular uniform.

 

I agree with your choices of great episodes, but there are more that you left out,I assume because you just didn't want post every good episode and I understand that,But "Cogenitor", "Regeneration" and "Carbon Creek" are other outstanding episodes. Yes Enterprise has done some episodes that are not up to par, but then again there are many bad episodes from TOS,TNG,DS9, and Voyager as well. I'm sure when the writers come up with scripts they all look good on paper but some just do not come across well on screen,thats not really anyone's fault, thats just the nature of the beast.

I also agree they need to utilize the other characters on the show. I'm a big Hoshi fan and I would like to see her more involved ( I loved the episode "Exile" she was great in that) and Mayweather needs more screen time too. I really enjoy the Trip and Reed friendship thats developed, reminds me alot of Bashir and O'Brian from DS9.

Is Enterprise perfect? No, but then again neither were the other shows carrying the Star Trek name, but they are all great shows and very entertaining. I think if Mr. Roddenberry were alive today he would have been very proud of Enterprise.

Edited October 27, 2003 by Klingonmike

[archerfan 0]

As usual MoulinRouge I agree with you on many points.lol :angry:. I think that the stand alone episodes definitley need some improvement. By far the best episodes have been in some way related to a story arc. I feel this is the #1 problem with the ratings. I think the biggest problem is we are so used to great stand alones with TNG and VOY (I haven't seen DS9, but I'm sure it had good ones as well.) We are spoiled. Rick Berman has been involved with so many series and stories, imagine how hard it must be for them to write this 5th series, as a prequel, with no holodeck, and to try to make it fresh every week. I mean just think how many of those stand alones were on the holodeck. It is an enormous challenge. I think that this series is gettting better and will be hitting its stride this season and really come into its own.

 

Character development is the easiest thing for TPTB to focus on. If they want the series to be fresh and have less eps that seem to repeat the other series all they need to do is create stories based on these new characters. They are original. The more they develope the characters the more the fans are going to want to tune in every week and see what happens to them. Maybe some of the fans will even stop complaining when an eps seem familiar. Because now it's happening to a new character that we really care about and we want to see them go through it.

 

I agree with you that they have over sexualized T'Pols character. Her catsuit doesn't bother me as I am used to it by now with Troy and Seven. However the pajamas that she wears while conversating with crew members is not realistic. at least she wears a robe sometimes. Also, there was no reason she had to remove her shirt for Trip to give her the massage. Those types of scenes I do feel have no place because I dont feel a woman would behave that way. Especially her character as she is written as fairly non sexual.

 

Last but not least the Teflon coated captain? WARNING I can be biased on this subject...

I'm going to mostly disagree with you on this subject. Yes, we can all find a couple episodes where you can say some decisions he has made are fool hearty. But as I see it, this is Archer. He makes emotional decisions. He is doing what he feels is right in his heart. There is no prime directive.Yes, in some instances the ramifications are not shown to affect him. But I can see it in his eyes when he is wrestling with his conscious. If he doesn't seem like he is feeling guilty it's because he feels like he has made the correct decision. They do affect him and I think we can really see the pressure this season. The Kretassens episode was written at the expense of his character, that eps would not of existed if he didn't take Porthos with him. TPTB let Archer be ridiculous. That is probably one of my least favorite eps in the whole series. That stupid dance he had to do in the end was horrible!

 

Anyway as far as all your pros, Agree,Agree,Agree,Agree,Agree!lol

[MoulinRouge 0]

Well, Cogenitor hadn't aired at the time I wrote this post.

 

Oh, I like Archer now very much this season. Don't get me wrong. He's super duper sexy and adorable even when he's a little grumpy. I may not have conveyed what I meant by "teflon" very well. I just wanted to see more tangible on screen consequences for some of his mistakes. Everything seemed to work out a little too magically well for Jonathan for the first two seasons. Cogenitor, fabulous episode that it was, proved the point. Jonathan had already orchestrated a prison break, pissed off a group of Klingons that should have immediately beamed back down to a colony and toasted it with lasers and bat'leths, and handed over secret surveillance information to the Andorians when he didn't have all the information about the conflict, yet......the Klingons suddenly turned cowardly; there was no one killed in the prison break; all the Suliban were magically innocent, the demonstrably aggressrive Tandarans never raised a stink with Starfleet and of course the Andorian commandos gave the Vulcans three hours warning before they destroyed the P'Jem sanctuary. Trip tried to help one poor pathetic creature who's treated like a slave and she kills herself.

 

Teflon. The consequences just seemed out of whack. They slid off Archer but not Trip. Somebody should have died indirectly because of one of Jonathan's mistakes by now. To me it just defied logic that there would have been zero repercussions from that prison break and his meddling in Vulcan/Andorian conflicts. What about the lies he told in "The Communicator" about the alliance's capabilities? Trip almost dying in the desert and Zobral having a most convenient pang of conscience resulting in his helping T'Pol and Malcolm find them doesn't cut it. Had we been treated to a lovely, delightful, angsty follow up to Cogenitor wherein a hysterical, inconsolable Archer trashed Trip for not being smart enough not to follow his captain's lead and indirectly causing a tragedy thus inflicting guilt upon himself for his unintentional part in the tragedy--then we would have been cooking. :angry: I want to see those two BLOW UP at each other just once. It would be MAH-VE-LOUS. B)