Carbon Creek

DVD, Enterprise S2 (Carbon Creek)

Any episode which starts with the refutation that Zefram Cochrane's groundbreaking first contact with the Vulcans was indeed the first, grabs the attention, and while the episode's story was a gentle, whimsical tale not perhaps fully exploiting the possibilities of the unique situation, it's fun and subversive and shows that T'Pol was not the first member of her family to bend the rules or have a connection with humanity. The sight of Vulcans operating in 1950s America and trying to blend in is great fun, especially when one of them wears a Spock-like beanie and goes to town on the eyebrow-lifting! The idea of T'Pol telling a story for the entertainment of Archer and Trip is a rich enough development alone, but to have it be so surprising and meaningful is even better, again displaying the new level of openness she's comfortable sharing with her crewmates.

This was actually the first episode shot for Season 2, though it aired second, which is probably why none of the other cast members appear - they may have decided to get a head start by only bringing back the big three. We don't often get to see a purely Vulcan cast interacting without other species, so that was special in itself, but three Vulcans sharing a house is like a twist on a 1950s soap. As usual the series delivers Vulcans who aren't quite restrained enough, and yet walk the line of being mostly unemotional. I can't quite identify with the style, but it's so close to the 'right' way Vulcans have been portrayed in the other series' that it only niggles a little, not enough to take away from the interactions between the trio.

There are some cunning references for those in the know, such as Mestral's interest in the 'I Love Lucy' show, which was made by the studio that would go on to make 'TOS'. T'Mir's solution to the young lad's plight (not being able to go to college due to lack of funds), by introducing the world to Velcro must be a sly nod and a wink towards Scotty's similar technological introduction in 'Star Trek IV'. J. Paul Boehmer gets his first role on the series as Mestral, and made a good job of being Vulcan, having already played a Nazi and a Borg on 'Voyager'. His character makes you wonder: he could have lived into the early 22nd Century - there could even be a whole line of Vulcan genes if he decided to have a family...

I did wonder why, if the Vulcans had gone without food for five days, they were still sitting around their crashed ship, only deciding to look for food when a couple of deer pass by. What have they been doing all week? Vulcan strength also seems to have diminished with their fall to Earth as the other male Vulcan can't wrench a pipe to stop a drip, having to resort to a Vulcan tool. This isn't a complaint, but an observation: it's almost a wonder that none of the Starfleet people or aliens of the future haven't run into each other as we've had so many trips to the 20th Century (no doubt thanks to most of the series' being made in that century!). We've had people in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 80s and 90s!

I love the open ending that T'Pol teases her shipmates with, so as not to change their history with such startling revelations. This episode was the perfect example of the way 'Enterprise' could subvert the known facts and play with the detail-loving audience, and still produce heartwarming, enjoyable entertainment in a crowded universe.

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