DVD, Stargate SG-1 S5 (The Tomb)
Stargate was made for creeping around in alien tombs, so this should be a winner, but for certain reasons it didn't work for me as much as when I saw it a decade ago. Maybe it was the overdone cliches (even Daniel commenting on the fact that his Russian co-worker decided to head into a dark tunnel alone, while he stayed in a dark room alone, didn't save it), perhaps it was the Russian-baiting, but primarily it was that there were no real surprises to the story. There's all the one-upmanship and distrust we'd expect between a Russian and an American team, they have secret orders to recover some device or other, and all but one of them ends up biting the dust.
For that matter it wasn't necessary to kill off the Russian team - the guy with the moustache that stupidly stands in the doorway (was he bravely trying to hole the solid rock open?), gets crushed when it would have made more sense for him to keep running, escape the collapse and return to warn the SGC. The Russians were portrayed as cruel, ruthless, and untrustworthy, but also for the most part came across as caricatures rather than being invested with personality. I could say the same about the SG-1 team in this episode. Teal'c just wanders around looking tired, Carter's just there without any real input, leaving O'Neill's prejudice to carry the show, supported by Dr. Jackson, who was in his element and provided the strongest part of the story.
I was drawn in by his ancient tale of a Goa'uld imprisoned by its own priesthood in a sarcophagus with a flesh-eating monster, as punishment for its tyrannical behaviour. It captured the imagination and gave the creature a substance and an origin that was more believable than just some creature that had somehow lived in an empty pyramid (sorry, ziggurat), for centuries. The creature itself looked quite good scuttling up walls, and even retained reality when we see it up close, though by then it had lost its 'sting'. It worked best, however, in the sound department, with the eerie scratching very effective when listened to via headphones.
There felt like the opportunity to do something different with this story, to go into a bit more detail on the Russian side of the programme, maybe create a Russian character we can trust and see again, someone who had formed a bond with the SG team. I didn't feel the female officer was in it enough to develop that, so it became a standard story, and that was after dazzling us with continuity in the first few minutes (I couldn't remember the name of the character Marina Sirtis played in 'Watergate' last season so I assumed that was the 'mutual friend' the Colonel was talking about). It could have been much more complex, and even the get-out clause of the Ring Transporter, still active after all those years, seemed exactly that: a quick way to end the episode.
I have to remind myself that this isn't 'Star Trek' I'm watching and that the depth of characterisation, motivation and cooperation aren't going to be so pronounced. Saying that, I liked the way the Russian Colonel refused to capitulate when he could have allowed O'Neill to die, but I didn't sense an understanding had been reached, and there was no time after that because he was crushed under rubble. It could as easily have been interpreted that the Colonel was doing everything he could to keep the 'eye of whatever it was' rather than caring too much about O'Neill. I noticed inconsistency in Carter's protocol since she gives Jack the information on the Ring Transporter after previously holding back such things because she didn't know if he was a Goa'uld or not. Also, I didn't understand how the one who was taken over survived a grenade at point blank range. Maybe the whole ziggurat blowing wasn't enough to destroy him completely? And finally, I felt Carter took a huge risk by activating the C4 before they had 'Ringed' out. There'd have been egg on their faces if the Ring had malfunctioned - actually there'd have been bits of brick lodged in their faces.
I feel a little harsh not giving this a 3 star review, because it is quite atmospheric in places (and didn't turn out to be the return of Daniel's girlfriend I was expecting), and the alien POV is more alien than ever. It just didn't build the Russian characters up or do anything that was unexpected in their association with SG-1, and regrettably this took something away from the staging. Though the sets were very evocative of a tomb, dust falling down, every grain seeming to catch the light, it was almost too perfect and needed to be darker to complement the reality. You can't beat Russians running around shouting echoing words in their native tongue, though! They addressed the issue of how suspicious it looked that only one foreign soldier returned from the mission quite adequately, O'Neill pointing out that they didn't follow orders, which was something that stood out to me. I'm not sure whether I want to see more Russian collaboration or less now…
**
Monday, 5 March 2012
Snowstorm
DVD, Starsky & Hutch S1 (Snowstorm)
"You just want me to drive around in a striped tomato like you got."
"My car is a striped what?"
And thus, a legend was born! One of the good things about watching the series in order, even the episodes that aren't that good, is that you uncover little moments like this, the first time we ever heard Starsky's red and white-striped Torino referred to as a striped tomato. I think it was something viewers or production staff were calling it very early on, so by this episode they had grasped the nettle and written it into an episode. It had now been said and the series could move on, people happy to suspend disbelief that two well-known detectives could speed around in such a bright, attention-grabbing vehicle and still successfully creep up on criminals.
Hutch's car was probably thought up to be the antithesis, right from the pilot episode. It's completely unremarkable, falling apart and probably wouldn't get a second look from anyone. The running joke of the poor quality of the car is played up again with it literally falling to pieces at the touch of Starsky, and his annoyance at an insistent squeak leading to Hutch suggesting he tows him on roller skates out the back which gives the episode a very amusing visual image. It gives me one, anyway. He mentions his Uncle, in one of many attempts in the series for Hutch to give up his pile of junk and get something better. Still on a car related subject, I noticed the dull green car that Stryker's men used looked similar to the one in 'Savage Sunday' that was sprayed to disguise it, and that also cropped up in another episode. Could it be that they use the same pool of cars all the time? I'll certainly be on the lookout for it again.
Other nods to the runnings gags of the series include Huggy Bear deliberately getting S&H's names mixed up to telegraph danger; Captain Dobey with a huge pile of food in the end tag - interestingly he seems quite happy to be seen in Huggy Bear's, treats the proprietor in a civil manner, and doesn't mind when the bill for the meal and the damage to Hug's upper rooms lands on him. I thought that was going to be the frozen picture they would cut out on: Dobey having read the price on the bill, Starsky and Hutch both exiting the table as fast as possible, but no, it ended with the mysterious Dalmatian getting all the attention when perhaps they shouldn't have drawn attention to it at all! It's the most perplexing part of the episode because you assume the dog is going to be integral to catching the criminals, or explained in a clever way as to why it should pop up several times, but instead it's just there. S&H tended to flit into mystical things that were completely outside the purview of a rational detective action series (the voodoo from the start of Season 3 immediately springs to mind), and this seems to be the first indication that they were willing to do things like that, that didn't make any sense.
The dog was just one of the loose ends this episode left hanging, in a script that felt like it was falling into the trap of laziness already. It certainly wasn't a tightly drawn story, and while it had its moments, the direction was again slow and drawn out in places: case in point is the moment S&H speed up in Starsky's car and the camera looks down the road. It takes seconds before we even see their car, then it has to get all the way up to the camera position to screech to a halt, and it just seems odd that such a moment had to take so long, as if they were filling up time. I felt the same drag when Dobey was talking in his office at one point and talks really slowly, pausing, the camera sitting there like it had fallen asleep. It's not like I want quick-cutting, but there's a happy medium which the better episodes reach.
It started out quite well with a good action sequence as the drugs bust takes place - I love Starsky's leap out from behind the truck, then lightning-fast return to cover before he can be shot. As soon as I saw the chubby Crandell I thought he was the informer, whether that was a memory or he looked like the informant type, I don't know. He certainly had some unease about him, which the others didn't. Crandell was another loose end of the story - he was set up as the guy working with them, which became more complex when we find out he's raped a seventeen year old girl, but instead of getting to know him, being disgusted by him, he's a very simply written character and soon ends up out of the picture. It also didn't ring true that he would go to a known S&H hotspot; Huggy's, where he could be easily found. It wasn't like he'd agreed to meet them there, he just went for a drink. As he said, if Stryker's people caught him with S&H he'd be dead, so them talking to him there made no sense.
A good bit of that scene was the play on S&H's good cop, bad cop routine. They usually both play bad cop, or hard cop, but this time they have a little joke about Starsky wanting to be the good cop for a change because he's tired, and then at the end Hutch says he never even had time to get into his own character. The episode also isn't served well with some of the indoor sets that are supposed to be outside, such as Crandell's shack which they have to break into which is so well lit and swept clean (yes, there's litter, but the corners seem nice and tidy), and some of the end sequence when they go to the holiday home to pick up the errant cops. Saying that, I'm not entirely sure the outside portions were on a set, but they didn't look right.
There are some well done scenes which remind us that things can get exciting, such as when the three cops who share suspicion with S&H over the missing drugs, speed alongside them, forcing them to a halt. S&H have just talked about how they want to help their fellow cops and suddenly they're getting shouted at and accused of making accusations against them! I think this was to surprise them or knock them off course a little, give the villains time to carry out their plans, but it's a moment of strong tension and surprise that the episode needed more of. It's also where another loose end shows up because the third man, (Callowitz?), was never anything to do with their nefarious plan, yet they've made him suspicious of S&H. Worse, he's clearly only in the story as a blind to give us someone else to suspect, but he never really features again as if they forgot all about him.
The crooked cops could have been made to seem more dimensional in very simple ways with a little more thought in the writing. We would have felt far more horror for them if we'd seen them at home with their families before going off to murder Crandell. All we get is a mention that they're family men, and that's it. Their motivation is apparently money, so maybe we could have felt some sympathy if they needed it for a life-saving operation for one of their children, something to make us care, but instead they are simple criminals. It could be that they didn't want us to sympathise with the baddies because that might make S&H seem harsh, but it usually works in a tragic way. About the most interesting thing about them was that they seemed not to like each other, but I can't work out whether this was a show to avert suspicion that they were working together, or true. They're like an amalgamation of the villains from the first two episodes of the season - bent cops and a 'salt and pepper' team, as it was described in 'Savage Sunday,' a black guy and a white guy working together.
The real heart of the story should have been Stryker. I had previously thought the crime lord had been in two episodes, this and the pilot, but checking the credits it's an obvious mistake to make. It was the same actor (Gilbert Green), playing both Tallman and Stryker, five episodes apart. I understand that TV in those days was pretty much a one time only watch and people were expected to forget what had happened previously, but five episodes apart? It's not even like he was playing different characters, they're both rich crime lords with a verbose and slightly eccentric manner (the way Stryker keeps asking his heavy, Freddie if he wants some cheese is a good example, or watering his plants as he orders a hit). It's just confusing. What's more, this is the first really strong missed opportunity to develop Captain Dobey. We learn that he has history with Stryker, his partner, Elmo Jackson, ended up on a meathook after tangling with the crime boss, which is why it's so satisfying for Dobey to be able to put the cuffs on Stryker.
This is another case of conflict of interests, since he's got the history, but it was one of those things of the time and is reflected in the series. Dobey also bends the rules when it comes to S&H being allowed out to continue working on a case even though they're under investigation, instead of being suspended, but far from being a problem, moments like these are nice to watch because they demonstrate Dobey's special trust in his men, the heroes of the series. It still missed a chance to delve into Dobey's backstory and explore his motivations and who he is through the connection with his partner. Elmo may have been mentioned again in the series, but Dobey rarely got out of the office as many times as he did in this one, which is a real shame. It's expecting too much to see flashbacks to the time Dobey and Jackson worked the streets, but I still longed for it and it would have raised the episode.
Aside from the confusion over his previous non-appearance, I liked Stryker and felt he made a better villain than some, especially the previous episode's. Putting the car headlamps on S&H to blind them as he gives his ultimatum may be a cliche, but it worked quite well. It was his goons that brought down the quality of the episode - none of them were dangerous enough for S&H to handle. Admittedly it was quite close for Starsky who uncharacteristically appears to freeze when he and Hutch are shot at by a rooftop sniper. That sequence didn't make them look too clever as they get to the roof long after the assassin has driven off into the distance. Another unnecessary to moment to show. Then Freddie says he'll deal with them, and the best he can come up with is trapping himself in Huggy's upper room! At least we get to see a bit more of the place, the landing and the stairs, to give it a bit more shape. It kind of worked that they dealt with everything else and then had to go and sort out Burke and Corman, the bad cops, but it felt a little weak as an episode overall.
The only time I noticed Starsky's stunt double this time was in the fight with Burke when he kicks the villain over a table and chases him out the door, but there weren't many stunts in the episode so it was unsurprising. And of course I continue to keep my ears open for pop culture references: this time I caught 'Santa,' Dumbo and Starsky saying, "I wish I may, I wish I might…" which I believe is a nursery rhyme of some kind. Oh, and Hutch asks if Stryker's offer is 'Let's Make A Deal' which I assume was a game show of the time.
**
"You just want me to drive around in a striped tomato like you got."
"My car is a striped what?"
And thus, a legend was born! One of the good things about watching the series in order, even the episodes that aren't that good, is that you uncover little moments like this, the first time we ever heard Starsky's red and white-striped Torino referred to as a striped tomato. I think it was something viewers or production staff were calling it very early on, so by this episode they had grasped the nettle and written it into an episode. It had now been said and the series could move on, people happy to suspend disbelief that two well-known detectives could speed around in such a bright, attention-grabbing vehicle and still successfully creep up on criminals.
Hutch's car was probably thought up to be the antithesis, right from the pilot episode. It's completely unremarkable, falling apart and probably wouldn't get a second look from anyone. The running joke of the poor quality of the car is played up again with it literally falling to pieces at the touch of Starsky, and his annoyance at an insistent squeak leading to Hutch suggesting he tows him on roller skates out the back which gives the episode a very amusing visual image. It gives me one, anyway. He mentions his Uncle, in one of many attempts in the series for Hutch to give up his pile of junk and get something better. Still on a car related subject, I noticed the dull green car that Stryker's men used looked similar to the one in 'Savage Sunday' that was sprayed to disguise it, and that also cropped up in another episode. Could it be that they use the same pool of cars all the time? I'll certainly be on the lookout for it again.
Other nods to the runnings gags of the series include Huggy Bear deliberately getting S&H's names mixed up to telegraph danger; Captain Dobey with a huge pile of food in the end tag - interestingly he seems quite happy to be seen in Huggy Bear's, treats the proprietor in a civil manner, and doesn't mind when the bill for the meal and the damage to Hug's upper rooms lands on him. I thought that was going to be the frozen picture they would cut out on: Dobey having read the price on the bill, Starsky and Hutch both exiting the table as fast as possible, but no, it ended with the mysterious Dalmatian getting all the attention when perhaps they shouldn't have drawn attention to it at all! It's the most perplexing part of the episode because you assume the dog is going to be integral to catching the criminals, or explained in a clever way as to why it should pop up several times, but instead it's just there. S&H tended to flit into mystical things that were completely outside the purview of a rational detective action series (the voodoo from the start of Season 3 immediately springs to mind), and this seems to be the first indication that they were willing to do things like that, that didn't make any sense.
The dog was just one of the loose ends this episode left hanging, in a script that felt like it was falling into the trap of laziness already. It certainly wasn't a tightly drawn story, and while it had its moments, the direction was again slow and drawn out in places: case in point is the moment S&H speed up in Starsky's car and the camera looks down the road. It takes seconds before we even see their car, then it has to get all the way up to the camera position to screech to a halt, and it just seems odd that such a moment had to take so long, as if they were filling up time. I felt the same drag when Dobey was talking in his office at one point and talks really slowly, pausing, the camera sitting there like it had fallen asleep. It's not like I want quick-cutting, but there's a happy medium which the better episodes reach.
It started out quite well with a good action sequence as the drugs bust takes place - I love Starsky's leap out from behind the truck, then lightning-fast return to cover before he can be shot. As soon as I saw the chubby Crandell I thought he was the informer, whether that was a memory or he looked like the informant type, I don't know. He certainly had some unease about him, which the others didn't. Crandell was another loose end of the story - he was set up as the guy working with them, which became more complex when we find out he's raped a seventeen year old girl, but instead of getting to know him, being disgusted by him, he's a very simply written character and soon ends up out of the picture. It also didn't ring true that he would go to a known S&H hotspot; Huggy's, where he could be easily found. It wasn't like he'd agreed to meet them there, he just went for a drink. As he said, if Stryker's people caught him with S&H he'd be dead, so them talking to him there made no sense.
A good bit of that scene was the play on S&H's good cop, bad cop routine. They usually both play bad cop, or hard cop, but this time they have a little joke about Starsky wanting to be the good cop for a change because he's tired, and then at the end Hutch says he never even had time to get into his own character. The episode also isn't served well with some of the indoor sets that are supposed to be outside, such as Crandell's shack which they have to break into which is so well lit and swept clean (yes, there's litter, but the corners seem nice and tidy), and some of the end sequence when they go to the holiday home to pick up the errant cops. Saying that, I'm not entirely sure the outside portions were on a set, but they didn't look right.
There are some well done scenes which remind us that things can get exciting, such as when the three cops who share suspicion with S&H over the missing drugs, speed alongside them, forcing them to a halt. S&H have just talked about how they want to help their fellow cops and suddenly they're getting shouted at and accused of making accusations against them! I think this was to surprise them or knock them off course a little, give the villains time to carry out their plans, but it's a moment of strong tension and surprise that the episode needed more of. It's also where another loose end shows up because the third man, (Callowitz?), was never anything to do with their nefarious plan, yet they've made him suspicious of S&H. Worse, he's clearly only in the story as a blind to give us someone else to suspect, but he never really features again as if they forgot all about him.
The crooked cops could have been made to seem more dimensional in very simple ways with a little more thought in the writing. We would have felt far more horror for them if we'd seen them at home with their families before going off to murder Crandell. All we get is a mention that they're family men, and that's it. Their motivation is apparently money, so maybe we could have felt some sympathy if they needed it for a life-saving operation for one of their children, something to make us care, but instead they are simple criminals. It could be that they didn't want us to sympathise with the baddies because that might make S&H seem harsh, but it usually works in a tragic way. About the most interesting thing about them was that they seemed not to like each other, but I can't work out whether this was a show to avert suspicion that they were working together, or true. They're like an amalgamation of the villains from the first two episodes of the season - bent cops and a 'salt and pepper' team, as it was described in 'Savage Sunday,' a black guy and a white guy working together.
The real heart of the story should have been Stryker. I had previously thought the crime lord had been in two episodes, this and the pilot, but checking the credits it's an obvious mistake to make. It was the same actor (Gilbert Green), playing both Tallman and Stryker, five episodes apart. I understand that TV in those days was pretty much a one time only watch and people were expected to forget what had happened previously, but five episodes apart? It's not even like he was playing different characters, they're both rich crime lords with a verbose and slightly eccentric manner (the way Stryker keeps asking his heavy, Freddie if he wants some cheese is a good example, or watering his plants as he orders a hit). It's just confusing. What's more, this is the first really strong missed opportunity to develop Captain Dobey. We learn that he has history with Stryker, his partner, Elmo Jackson, ended up on a meathook after tangling with the crime boss, which is why it's so satisfying for Dobey to be able to put the cuffs on Stryker.
This is another case of conflict of interests, since he's got the history, but it was one of those things of the time and is reflected in the series. Dobey also bends the rules when it comes to S&H being allowed out to continue working on a case even though they're under investigation, instead of being suspended, but far from being a problem, moments like these are nice to watch because they demonstrate Dobey's special trust in his men, the heroes of the series. It still missed a chance to delve into Dobey's backstory and explore his motivations and who he is through the connection with his partner. Elmo may have been mentioned again in the series, but Dobey rarely got out of the office as many times as he did in this one, which is a real shame. It's expecting too much to see flashbacks to the time Dobey and Jackson worked the streets, but I still longed for it and it would have raised the episode.
Aside from the confusion over his previous non-appearance, I liked Stryker and felt he made a better villain than some, especially the previous episode's. Putting the car headlamps on S&H to blind them as he gives his ultimatum may be a cliche, but it worked quite well. It was his goons that brought down the quality of the episode - none of them were dangerous enough for S&H to handle. Admittedly it was quite close for Starsky who uncharacteristically appears to freeze when he and Hutch are shot at by a rooftop sniper. That sequence didn't make them look too clever as they get to the roof long after the assassin has driven off into the distance. Another unnecessary to moment to show. Then Freddie says he'll deal with them, and the best he can come up with is trapping himself in Huggy's upper room! At least we get to see a bit more of the place, the landing and the stairs, to give it a bit more shape. It kind of worked that they dealt with everything else and then had to go and sort out Burke and Corman, the bad cops, but it felt a little weak as an episode overall.
The only time I noticed Starsky's stunt double this time was in the fight with Burke when he kicks the villain over a table and chases him out the door, but there weren't many stunts in the episode so it was unsurprising. And of course I continue to keep my ears open for pop culture references: this time I caught 'Santa,' Dumbo and Starsky saying, "I wish I may, I wish I might…" which I believe is a nursery rhyme of some kind. Oh, and Hutch asks if Stryker's offer is 'Let's Make A Deal' which I assume was a game show of the time.
**
Beast of Burden
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S5 (Beast of Burden)
This season's Unas episode, and it is the best of the season so far. I wasn't keen on them 'humanising' the fearsome Unas that had been so effective as monsters of myth, but it had already happened and I suppose I should have had more faith in the writing since the last Unas episode turned out to be so good. Initially I had the impression this was just another story of another human race on another alien planet as we've seen so many times before, even this season. They could become tiresome with their fat, evil leaders, intent on personal gain and power. For that matter it didn't make much sense for the leader, Burrock, to assume they weren't of his kind since they were all human, and apart from different clothing Daniel and Jack looked the same. The town set was expansive and impressive in its own way, although seeing the captive Unas, used as slaves and mishandled was sad and apparently confirmed what kind of story this was going to be. Burrock wasn't the most rational slave trader, killing his stock before it could escape. It would have made more sense to Zat the escaping Unas into unconsciousness rather than lose such a valuable item of stock as he's just been proclaiming it to be.
We soon learn, if we hadn't already guessed from the way he mercilessly gunned down Chaka on his home planet as the unsuspecting Unas offered him the food Daniel had left, that this Burrock is not a rational sort, only interested in what he can get, regardless of others. He makes a compelling case for his actions, citing the way his own ancestors were held in appalling captivity by the Unas and that he treats them better than they treated his people. That is until you realise that it's not revenge that drives him, but control, always control with these people, and as Daniel points out past equalling past wrongs doesn't make it right. The shocking thing is that he's brighter than his greed, it allows him to see further, and when his theory of the usefulness of the 'gate is proved true, unfortunately by the SG-1 team, he sees even greater potential for profit. That the team could be responsible for unleashing this bully upon the wider universe is a horrible thought, but how long would he have succeeded in enthralling other peoples? He may have eventually encountered the Goa'uld who would have put a stop to his plans, but in that time who knows how many planets he could have affected.
There was a moment in the episode when it went from being average to reaching a level of goodness that I always hope to see in episodes I watch. The visual quality was all there to back it up, but it was when Chaka first speaks to the other Unas, the servant who's previously cowered from his masters. He repeats the word and you realise this is a turning point for the captives. And that's the moment O'Neill and Jackson choose to enter on their mission of mercy to retrieve Chaka. If only they had waited, perhaps Chaka's strong and free spirit would have turned the Unas against their masters, but it merely takes longer to get to that point because of the human's intervention. It may have been that Chaka would have been shot down before his rebellion had formed so at least SG-1's presence gave him time to gain respect, though even some of the Unas are too far gone, as the guard of the young human boy, taking him to see the attacker of his Father, shows. He turns from Chaka's words, dismissively, but whether he's adapted to life as a slave or sees no alternative I'd love to know what happened to him.
I'd love to know what happened next to all the people, both human and Unas, because a war has basically broken out. It may only be two against a society, but Chaka's will was strong enough to turn others, so I'm sure a terrible time would have ensued. After I realised where things were going, and the horror of Burrok's plans, I realised just how good the episode was. It puts a different perspective on things in a very 'Star Trek' way, and this is one that franchise would have been proud to have under its belt. Daniel, usually so keen to stay passive, this time advocates the opposite, and its Jack who doesn't want to do anything. Early on he says he doesn't care about the Unas, later his views change, but he doesn't believe he can do anything. I loved the dynamic of having him and Jack as the ones trapped together, while Carter and Teal'c were the ones on the outside having to wait and hope.
As we learn more through the gradual realisation that these are truly intelligent beings (we knew it before, but now it's reinforced), there's a chill up the spine. The Unas in the barn are united in their captivity, to the detriment of one of them, gunned down by Burrock without compunction. The episode doesn't rest on its laurels and instead provides an exciting rescue by Carter and Teal'c, really well directed, as the whole episode was. The camera sweeps along as chaos reigns, people rushing to put out the fire in the town. It even has a tougher ending than might be expected: Chaka has learned to kill his enemies, and Daniel may have started a war of the species. It's a difficult position to be put in, but as he says it was Chaka's choice to fight for freedom, and they've meddled in the affairs of other worlds before. Chaka's killing of Burrock as he lay helpless on the ground doesn't bode well, but it demands to have a sequel. With Jackson leaving soon I have my doubts, but I enjoyed seeing Chaka for a second time, and it proves anyone can come back.
A word should be said for the fantastic alien prosthetics. The Unas have always looked great, and so very alien in the body language and voices. What started as a mythical creature stalking the depths of a dark cave, became a real culture that was understood through Dr. Jackson's work. I wasn't thrilled to see Unas of small stature, dressed in the American settlers style of clothing, but that can be explained away by their inbreeding and their exposure to humans, and the important thing was that they were once again used in an excellent way. Everything worked in this one - the directing, the action, the stunts (see that guy drop in the river!), the colour, the sets, the makeup and the conflict in the team and outside it. The humans could have been explored more thoroughly, their culture examined in more detail, but even there they had their moment with the young boy. If this is the shape of Unas things to come, I want more of it.
***
This season's Unas episode, and it is the best of the season so far. I wasn't keen on them 'humanising' the fearsome Unas that had been so effective as monsters of myth, but it had already happened and I suppose I should have had more faith in the writing since the last Unas episode turned out to be so good. Initially I had the impression this was just another story of another human race on another alien planet as we've seen so many times before, even this season. They could become tiresome with their fat, evil leaders, intent on personal gain and power. For that matter it didn't make much sense for the leader, Burrock, to assume they weren't of his kind since they were all human, and apart from different clothing Daniel and Jack looked the same. The town set was expansive and impressive in its own way, although seeing the captive Unas, used as slaves and mishandled was sad and apparently confirmed what kind of story this was going to be. Burrock wasn't the most rational slave trader, killing his stock before it could escape. It would have made more sense to Zat the escaping Unas into unconsciousness rather than lose such a valuable item of stock as he's just been proclaiming it to be.
We soon learn, if we hadn't already guessed from the way he mercilessly gunned down Chaka on his home planet as the unsuspecting Unas offered him the food Daniel had left, that this Burrock is not a rational sort, only interested in what he can get, regardless of others. He makes a compelling case for his actions, citing the way his own ancestors were held in appalling captivity by the Unas and that he treats them better than they treated his people. That is until you realise that it's not revenge that drives him, but control, always control with these people, and as Daniel points out past equalling past wrongs doesn't make it right. The shocking thing is that he's brighter than his greed, it allows him to see further, and when his theory of the usefulness of the 'gate is proved true, unfortunately by the SG-1 team, he sees even greater potential for profit. That the team could be responsible for unleashing this bully upon the wider universe is a horrible thought, but how long would he have succeeded in enthralling other peoples? He may have eventually encountered the Goa'uld who would have put a stop to his plans, but in that time who knows how many planets he could have affected.
There was a moment in the episode when it went from being average to reaching a level of goodness that I always hope to see in episodes I watch. The visual quality was all there to back it up, but it was when Chaka first speaks to the other Unas, the servant who's previously cowered from his masters. He repeats the word and you realise this is a turning point for the captives. And that's the moment O'Neill and Jackson choose to enter on their mission of mercy to retrieve Chaka. If only they had waited, perhaps Chaka's strong and free spirit would have turned the Unas against their masters, but it merely takes longer to get to that point because of the human's intervention. It may have been that Chaka would have been shot down before his rebellion had formed so at least SG-1's presence gave him time to gain respect, though even some of the Unas are too far gone, as the guard of the young human boy, taking him to see the attacker of his Father, shows. He turns from Chaka's words, dismissively, but whether he's adapted to life as a slave or sees no alternative I'd love to know what happened to him.
I'd love to know what happened next to all the people, both human and Unas, because a war has basically broken out. It may only be two against a society, but Chaka's will was strong enough to turn others, so I'm sure a terrible time would have ensued. After I realised where things were going, and the horror of Burrok's plans, I realised just how good the episode was. It puts a different perspective on things in a very 'Star Trek' way, and this is one that franchise would have been proud to have under its belt. Daniel, usually so keen to stay passive, this time advocates the opposite, and its Jack who doesn't want to do anything. Early on he says he doesn't care about the Unas, later his views change, but he doesn't believe he can do anything. I loved the dynamic of having him and Jack as the ones trapped together, while Carter and Teal'c were the ones on the outside having to wait and hope.
As we learn more through the gradual realisation that these are truly intelligent beings (we knew it before, but now it's reinforced), there's a chill up the spine. The Unas in the barn are united in their captivity, to the detriment of one of them, gunned down by Burrock without compunction. The episode doesn't rest on its laurels and instead provides an exciting rescue by Carter and Teal'c, really well directed, as the whole episode was. The camera sweeps along as chaos reigns, people rushing to put out the fire in the town. It even has a tougher ending than might be expected: Chaka has learned to kill his enemies, and Daniel may have started a war of the species. It's a difficult position to be put in, but as he says it was Chaka's choice to fight for freedom, and they've meddled in the affairs of other worlds before. Chaka's killing of Burrock as he lay helpless on the ground doesn't bode well, but it demands to have a sequel. With Jackson leaving soon I have my doubts, but I enjoyed seeing Chaka for a second time, and it proves anyone can come back.
A word should be said for the fantastic alien prosthetics. The Unas have always looked great, and so very alien in the body language and voices. What started as a mythical creature stalking the depths of a dark cave, became a real culture that was understood through Dr. Jackson's work. I wasn't thrilled to see Unas of small stature, dressed in the American settlers style of clothing, but that can be explained away by their inbreeding and their exposure to humans, and the important thing was that they were once again used in an excellent way. Everything worked in this one - the directing, the action, the stunts (see that guy drop in the river!), the colour, the sets, the makeup and the conflict in the team and outside it. The humans could have been explored more thoroughly, their culture examined in more detail, but even there they had their moment with the young boy. If this is the shape of Unas things to come, I want more of it.
***
The Fix
DVD, Starsky & Hutch S1 (The Fix)
The most important thing about this episode is that there's a swimming pool featured and S&H do not, repeat, do not jump into it. I'm joking of course, but not about their lack of wetness, about this being the most important thing. Incidentally, I'm sure they would have jumped in if they'd been within sight of the pool! This one is unashamedly in the 'dark underbelly' side of the series, almost as far from the lighthearted style as you can get. They may be a little depressing to watch sometimes, but they can also have the advantage of emphasising the bonds of friendship between the detective duo at their most potent. Like the pilot this is one in which the city itself is an enemy, and one which a weakened Hutch almost finds too much. Mickey, a grass of Starsky's, a pitiable figure as they often are, weakly agrees to help their enemies. Another shot shows the Torino speeding round the mean streets with the camera choosing to linger on a man asleep amongst rubbish. Hutch bounces from hedge to fence, ending up face down in the muddy concrete floor of a back alley. It all speaks of a stark and desolate city that can eat you up and spit you out if you're weak.
For once Hutch is weak, even though he proves stronger than most in his situation, kidnapped by men working for a Mr. Forest, his only motivation seemingly to get back the girl that has fled into Hutch's arms. A failing of the episode is that we don't get to know the villains and their motivation. Monk, the main henchman, shows concern over dealing with a cop, but Forest doesn't care. He seems to be a Mr. Big, but there's very little evidence except for his big house (and swimming pool!). He has these three guys doing his dirty work and there's a hint that he has other places of business when at the end he talks about Jeanie, the girl in question, as doing things in Las Vegas. The hint seems to be that she was a prostitute and that she was forced to work for him, or maybe he 'rescued' her from it. It's not clear, but there's no complicated backstory or evidence of his status that can make the bad guys three-dimensional.
I didn't buy Monk trying to persuade his boss from giving up the girl after all the trouble they've had kidnapping a cop and abusing him. I also felt he was wrong to say that Hutch hadn't seen any of their faces, because in the fight he turns round and wallops the first assailant. I suppose it could have been too fast to register. I also felt like I knew the actor that played Forest and the name Robert Loggia sounded famous, so I don't know whether I've seen him in something else or whether he played another character on the series. Similarly with Mickey the informant, but I can't imagine him coming back after the double-cross he pulled! Monk's face was also familiar, but it could be I'm simply recalling this episode. I also feel sure the back door into the delivery area of the diner where one of the henchmen drags Hutch was later used as the back of Huggy's.
You expect two-dimensional villains in the series, but in this one it made a difference and lessened Jeanie Waldon's dilemma. She's never seen to be hurt or distressed by Forest, he seems to take good care of her, it's Hutch that takes all the pain. It's not like he shows jealousy or rage at her care over Hutch, either. This is the first episode we get to see his house or bungalow, whatever its designation might be, down by the river, so at least they were beginning to have lives beyond their jobs by this point. On being snatched by the baddies: I wanted the fight to go on longer as it started promisingly enough. The episode's other flaw is that it's light on the action, so it's mainly Starsky's care of Hutch that provides the centre to the story, along with Huggy's assistance. Injecting a main character with drugs to get them addicted and helpless was a particularly terrible thing to do, and the way Forest is introduced, standing rigid and still in his dark suit and hat, back to the camera, then turning round slowly, his eyes glittering, giving him a powerful presence which went downhill from there.
Initially the episode echoes into later stories such as 'The Game' (another one where Hutch is struck down and Starsky has to find him to help him), 'Gillian' (another one where Hutch becomes involved with a woman only for it to go wrong because of her past, or even present), and perhaps a little of the series finale, 'Sweet Revenge' (this time Hutch has to do what he can to bring the villains to justice after his partner's attacked). I wonder if this was the inspiration for those other stories? The episode begins fairly lightly, Starsky once again giving out the wrong message by kicking the candy bar machine so he doesn't have to pay. Not only that, but it's a candy bar machine at the police station and he does it right in front of a criminal in cuffs whom he's dealing with. No wonder people think they can do as they please when they see the police act in that way! I guess the 70s was much looser and less moral than it is (or should be), today, but it's supposed to be a fun little scene in an episode which has a dearth of them, so it's easy to forgive.
Jeanie's fear is at first mysterious and begs the question. What's she afraid of and why is Hutch involved? But as I mentioned, once the tension of finding her is over thanks to Hutch pitifully spilling the beans, Forest walks in and takes her, without any menace or manhandling. After that she becomes a bit pointless although she's the first female-of-the-week who has to leave. It was what always happened with their girlfriends, either leaving or dying, so she was the template for the rest of the series. It makes sense, you wouldn't want women interfering with their lives for too long (except in rare cases such as 'Starsky's Lady'), as it could become a soap, but when a series lasts for several years such things do become repetitive (just like jumping into swimming pools).
The tension switches to Hutch's destiny to be killed, and my favourite scene, when he's being driven to a place of execution, still in a drugged stupor, yet aware enough that he understands what's going to happen and manages to kick his way out of the car, loping off haphazardly, almost being run over as he staggers across the road, crashes into a hedge, rebounds into a fence, then can go no further, falling to the wet and muddy concrete ground. I always remember the line from the policeman that finds him and he says Starsky's partner is a junkie, then Starsky grabs him and forcibly asks him not to tell anyone. That was something that could have been taken further as he has to deal with prejudice at the station, but episodes weren't written like that very often.
When given the opportunity in the episode David Soul does his craft proud, his awful look as the desperate, drug-addicted version begs for more giving him free rein to show what he can do. The same when he makes his weak, but essential getaway, and to some extent the cold turkey sequence. This didn't go far enough for me, I wanted to see him call Starsky names, to fight, struggle, weep, play all the emotions to get what he wants and needs, but it wasn't written or played to the maximum. It retains a lot of the internal struggle and Starsky is brilliant as the caring partner who does everything he can to get Hutch through the pain and anguish.
This is the first episode where the four main characters all pull together. We've seen them helping and protecting each other and being buddy-buddy, but the chips (or the drugs) are down in this one, allowing them to show the friendship that was at the heart of the series. Dobey gives his men great leeway and understanding, and while it might not have been sensible to allow a man with strong vested interests to go after the criminals who got his partner into such a state since he could become compromised, go too far, it shows he has some sensitivity when needed, and faith that Starsky will do all he needs to without going over the line (as broad a line as the series had in those days). He even speaks civilly to Huggy who he clearly doesn't like in many episodes, possibly unhappy with the necessary evil of dealing with people who are on the edge of the law and aren't above running a few scams, maybe even feeling Hug is a bad representative for black people. Huggy may be, but he's also charming and shows his attachment to his buddies strongly, allowing them to use his upper rooms (and us the first chance to see them), and dropping everything to help them, even, against his good sense allowing Hutch to leave. Deep-voiced barmaid Diane is spoken to and replies, but is never seen on camera for some reason. And Dobey's son is mentioned too.
Due to the serious nature of the episode there are no references to pop culture, few jokes, no appearance from the Starsky stunt guy and no running gags, although Hutch pretending to be Starsky when questioned was as close to the mistaken identity strand as there was going to be. The opening credits now feature a shot of Starsky running in his unique style from 'Savage Sunday,' but apart from that it's settled down a bit. Even the ending eschews the joke at the end for a minor snort (maybe that's not the best word to use in a drug-related episode!), from Hutch after Starsky offers to let him drive his car. Something light was needed after the bad experiences of the episode, and it resets them into their usual partnership ready for next week when something unrelated would be the story, but at least it was kept to a minimum.
The episode isn't terrible, it's not boring, but it is a little too slow, lingering on shots such as when Hutch is bundled out of the car and taken into the bad guy's house which is viewed from a distance and takes several seconds. With the lack of action and build up of the villains (one of whom looks like some 30s gangster with his hair slicked back and his sharp suit!), and the full working out of the drugs in Hutch's system not played to full strength, this was the first episode that didn't meet the standard of the others. They were careful not to show the needle going in, so there's little violence the episode could be accused of having, but at the same time there's less escalation because of it, all ending in a back alley with Starsky shooting Monk and saving Hutch. It was fine, but it wasn't that good and if only certain things had been pushed a little more it could have been more memorable.
**
The most important thing about this episode is that there's a swimming pool featured and S&H do not, repeat, do not jump into it. I'm joking of course, but not about their lack of wetness, about this being the most important thing. Incidentally, I'm sure they would have jumped in if they'd been within sight of the pool! This one is unashamedly in the 'dark underbelly' side of the series, almost as far from the lighthearted style as you can get. They may be a little depressing to watch sometimes, but they can also have the advantage of emphasising the bonds of friendship between the detective duo at their most potent. Like the pilot this is one in which the city itself is an enemy, and one which a weakened Hutch almost finds too much. Mickey, a grass of Starsky's, a pitiable figure as they often are, weakly agrees to help their enemies. Another shot shows the Torino speeding round the mean streets with the camera choosing to linger on a man asleep amongst rubbish. Hutch bounces from hedge to fence, ending up face down in the muddy concrete floor of a back alley. It all speaks of a stark and desolate city that can eat you up and spit you out if you're weak.
For once Hutch is weak, even though he proves stronger than most in his situation, kidnapped by men working for a Mr. Forest, his only motivation seemingly to get back the girl that has fled into Hutch's arms. A failing of the episode is that we don't get to know the villains and their motivation. Monk, the main henchman, shows concern over dealing with a cop, but Forest doesn't care. He seems to be a Mr. Big, but there's very little evidence except for his big house (and swimming pool!). He has these three guys doing his dirty work and there's a hint that he has other places of business when at the end he talks about Jeanie, the girl in question, as doing things in Las Vegas. The hint seems to be that she was a prostitute and that she was forced to work for him, or maybe he 'rescued' her from it. It's not clear, but there's no complicated backstory or evidence of his status that can make the bad guys three-dimensional.
I didn't buy Monk trying to persuade his boss from giving up the girl after all the trouble they've had kidnapping a cop and abusing him. I also felt he was wrong to say that Hutch hadn't seen any of their faces, because in the fight he turns round and wallops the first assailant. I suppose it could have been too fast to register. I also felt like I knew the actor that played Forest and the name Robert Loggia sounded famous, so I don't know whether I've seen him in something else or whether he played another character on the series. Similarly with Mickey the informant, but I can't imagine him coming back after the double-cross he pulled! Monk's face was also familiar, but it could be I'm simply recalling this episode. I also feel sure the back door into the delivery area of the diner where one of the henchmen drags Hutch was later used as the back of Huggy's.
You expect two-dimensional villains in the series, but in this one it made a difference and lessened Jeanie Waldon's dilemma. She's never seen to be hurt or distressed by Forest, he seems to take good care of her, it's Hutch that takes all the pain. It's not like he shows jealousy or rage at her care over Hutch, either. This is the first episode we get to see his house or bungalow, whatever its designation might be, down by the river, so at least they were beginning to have lives beyond their jobs by this point. On being snatched by the baddies: I wanted the fight to go on longer as it started promisingly enough. The episode's other flaw is that it's light on the action, so it's mainly Starsky's care of Hutch that provides the centre to the story, along with Huggy's assistance. Injecting a main character with drugs to get them addicted and helpless was a particularly terrible thing to do, and the way Forest is introduced, standing rigid and still in his dark suit and hat, back to the camera, then turning round slowly, his eyes glittering, giving him a powerful presence which went downhill from there.
Initially the episode echoes into later stories such as 'The Game' (another one where Hutch is struck down and Starsky has to find him to help him), 'Gillian' (another one where Hutch becomes involved with a woman only for it to go wrong because of her past, or even present), and perhaps a little of the series finale, 'Sweet Revenge' (this time Hutch has to do what he can to bring the villains to justice after his partner's attacked). I wonder if this was the inspiration for those other stories? The episode begins fairly lightly, Starsky once again giving out the wrong message by kicking the candy bar machine so he doesn't have to pay. Not only that, but it's a candy bar machine at the police station and he does it right in front of a criminal in cuffs whom he's dealing with. No wonder people think they can do as they please when they see the police act in that way! I guess the 70s was much looser and less moral than it is (or should be), today, but it's supposed to be a fun little scene in an episode which has a dearth of them, so it's easy to forgive.
Jeanie's fear is at first mysterious and begs the question. What's she afraid of and why is Hutch involved? But as I mentioned, once the tension of finding her is over thanks to Hutch pitifully spilling the beans, Forest walks in and takes her, without any menace or manhandling. After that she becomes a bit pointless although she's the first female-of-the-week who has to leave. It was what always happened with their girlfriends, either leaving or dying, so she was the template for the rest of the series. It makes sense, you wouldn't want women interfering with their lives for too long (except in rare cases such as 'Starsky's Lady'), as it could become a soap, but when a series lasts for several years such things do become repetitive (just like jumping into swimming pools).
The tension switches to Hutch's destiny to be killed, and my favourite scene, when he's being driven to a place of execution, still in a drugged stupor, yet aware enough that he understands what's going to happen and manages to kick his way out of the car, loping off haphazardly, almost being run over as he staggers across the road, crashes into a hedge, rebounds into a fence, then can go no further, falling to the wet and muddy concrete ground. I always remember the line from the policeman that finds him and he says Starsky's partner is a junkie, then Starsky grabs him and forcibly asks him not to tell anyone. That was something that could have been taken further as he has to deal with prejudice at the station, but episodes weren't written like that very often.
When given the opportunity in the episode David Soul does his craft proud, his awful look as the desperate, drug-addicted version begs for more giving him free rein to show what he can do. The same when he makes his weak, but essential getaway, and to some extent the cold turkey sequence. This didn't go far enough for me, I wanted to see him call Starsky names, to fight, struggle, weep, play all the emotions to get what he wants and needs, but it wasn't written or played to the maximum. It retains a lot of the internal struggle and Starsky is brilliant as the caring partner who does everything he can to get Hutch through the pain and anguish.
This is the first episode where the four main characters all pull together. We've seen them helping and protecting each other and being buddy-buddy, but the chips (or the drugs) are down in this one, allowing them to show the friendship that was at the heart of the series. Dobey gives his men great leeway and understanding, and while it might not have been sensible to allow a man with strong vested interests to go after the criminals who got his partner into such a state since he could become compromised, go too far, it shows he has some sensitivity when needed, and faith that Starsky will do all he needs to without going over the line (as broad a line as the series had in those days). He even speaks civilly to Huggy who he clearly doesn't like in many episodes, possibly unhappy with the necessary evil of dealing with people who are on the edge of the law and aren't above running a few scams, maybe even feeling Hug is a bad representative for black people. Huggy may be, but he's also charming and shows his attachment to his buddies strongly, allowing them to use his upper rooms (and us the first chance to see them), and dropping everything to help them, even, against his good sense allowing Hutch to leave. Deep-voiced barmaid Diane is spoken to and replies, but is never seen on camera for some reason. And Dobey's son is mentioned too.
Due to the serious nature of the episode there are no references to pop culture, few jokes, no appearance from the Starsky stunt guy and no running gags, although Hutch pretending to be Starsky when questioned was as close to the mistaken identity strand as there was going to be. The opening credits now feature a shot of Starsky running in his unique style from 'Savage Sunday,' but apart from that it's settled down a bit. Even the ending eschews the joke at the end for a minor snort (maybe that's not the best word to use in a drug-related episode!), from Hutch after Starsky offers to let him drive his car. Something light was needed after the bad experiences of the episode, and it resets them into their usual partnership ready for next week when something unrelated would be the story, but at least it was kept to a minimum.
The episode isn't terrible, it's not boring, but it is a little too slow, lingering on shots such as when Hutch is bundled out of the car and taken into the bad guy's house which is viewed from a distance and takes several seconds. With the lack of action and build up of the villains (one of whom looks like some 30s gangster with his hair slicked back and his sharp suit!), and the full working out of the drugs in Hutch's system not played to full strength, this was the first episode that didn't meet the standard of the others. They were careful not to show the needle going in, so there's little violence the episode could be accused of having, but at the same time there's less escalation because of it, all ending in a back alley with Starsky shooting Monk and saving Hutch. It was fine, but it wasn't that good and if only certain things had been pushed a little more it could have been more memorable.
**
The Expanse
DVD, Enterprise S2 (The Expanse)
I have very mixed feelings seeing this episode again. I haven't seen it since it was first shown in the early 2000s, and I know what happens next, the shape of the series to come. I'm sad that they had to turn their back on the simplicity of a new mission every week, and the possibilities that remaining within the realm of the familiar might have brought. It was shown to us in Season 4, but I wonder what stories involving the Klingons, the Vulcans, the Andorians and perhaps other known races might have been like. Instead they chose to do something drastic and give the series a sense of purpose which had been lacking. This was a bold move in that they were showing how willing they were to try something radical, yet it was also a safe move. They must have planned out how the story would unfold and Season 3 would turn out to be fairly straightforward, as I remember it. The positive side was that they would have licence to create new races and new situations as never before, but what they didn't realise is that they had that avenue open to them in normal space, but they got too bogged down in getting the next story done, keeping to continuity and trying to use characters that had become undeveloped, that the DNA of the series was beginning to unravel, as shown in the ratings.
At the same time as being sad about the change in direction, particularly in the ruthless way Trip and Archer resolve to do whatever it takes (which, ironically was also my favourite scene, the only time there some feeling crept into the story is when the pair drink together at a table, toasting Henry Archer, and the music, for once, reflects the weight of the mission, evoking a legendary quality), I was also glad that new urgency and motivation had been instigated. Too often in Season 2 episodes were little more than filler, with hardly any development of characters, a lack of enjoyable crew interaction and exciting or original stories and situations. The writers needed an injection of danger to play against because space had not truly been proved to be the difficult place it seemed in Season 1.
Taking Season 2 as a whole I've felt that it was the worst season in Trek history, the highest number of flops perhaps, the lowest feeling of tension and wonder for sure. Seeing it again has helped me reevaluate the season, and while I certainly haven't done a 180 on it, it reminded me that among the chaff is also the wheat, those solid, enjoyable episodes that make re-watching a series worthwhile, and even one episode which stood out as being a classic. That was 'Regeneration,' and to that list of my favourites I would add 'Marauders,' 'Canamar,' 'Future Tense,' 'Horizon' and 'The Catwalk.' A few episodes I enjoyed more this time, but still, there were too many that fell at the hurdles of story, concept and involvement. Too many consisted of stuff happening, and to some degree I'd put this episode into that category.
'The Expanse' is a mishmash. You have the Klingons, the Suliban, the mysterious Future Guy, the Xindi probe, Starfleet and some of its ships, and the Vulcans. None of them are part of a coherent plot that satisfyingly unfolds, but most are episodes; a series of happenings. Take the Suliban and their long-awaited return. I loved the race, but Season 2 only featured them in the season-opener and this, the ending. The Temporal Cold War seemed to have been pretty much dropped, where it should have been built upon. The concept was the best to come out of the series and could have provided a fantastic link to the 24th or even 23rd centuries, but it simply wasn't explored. So now that we come to it again it seems shallow and basic. Even the effects of the 'future' room that were so effective in the pilot, come across as flat here. The budget for the pilot notwithstanding, technology had moved on in the two years since then and they should have been able to match the visuals.
Instead we get a brightly lit room with Future Guy standing on his podium. Suliban ships come into play with barely a few seconds notice, and before we know it Archer's been kidnapped, unceremoniously and with ease. He's escorted in, told to go nearer so Future Guy can see him better, and promptly circles the podium so the guy can't see him at all! The effect of FG is weak, and in the harsh light his dark form looks wrong. It doesn't help that we never really know why he wanted Earth to beat the Xindi, although at least he had a plausible reason for waiting to tell humans until after the probe's attack: they wouldn't have believed him otherwise. If you can forgive the weak dramatic tension of the scene it does raise questions as to motive and the whole Cold War plot, but even getting to that point was problematic, and why doesn't FG want the timeline messed with when that's all he's been doing since the series began? The scenes should have been vibrant and energetic, mysterious and compelling, but they're too flat. Think back to 'Shockwave' and the excitement and action of the Suliban boarding, and that's what I wanted to see. It's not like they'd forgotten how to do it, as shown with the recent 'Regeneration.' They needed to top that, but they didn't even try. That sentiment stretched to the Klingons too.
Duras talks about boarding parties, but we never see them. I so wanted Enterprise crew to have to defend their ship internally, phaser battles, hand to hand throughout (think 'The Way of The Warrior'), but the size of the ship and the sets didn't lend themselves to such scenarios, a design flaw for the series, I think. Although they did find room for a briefing room instead of the little situation area at the back of the bridge. Was this an indication that they recognised a cramped ship wasn't such a good idea after all? If seeing Silik for his blink-and-miss-it cameo (and I can't imagine John Fleck was too thrilled to be called back to do such minor work - his lines could have come from anyone, there was no personal connection being developed), is a disappointment, the role the Klingons play is equally so - too fearful to enter the Expanse? These are Klingons! They were trying to make out that it was so bad even the warrior race won't go in, I get that, but it doesn't do much for their space-lane cred! I like that there was an attempt at an ongoing story this season with Archer their target, but Duras was the worst kind of a Klingon fool. He was not a villain in the same league as Archer so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's brushed off like an annoying fly - there's little doubt that he's one character that wouldn't be returning seeing a his ship gets blown up. Not that he was a good villain, but I feel they should have left a bit of uncertainty over his demise even if they never used him again.
I did like the battle at the edge of the Delphic Expanse, it showed how far CGI had come and made up for the lack of momentum in much of the episode, as well as the poor CGI that features in the same episode. The scenes at the end must have had a lot more work and a far more talented artist working on them than the scene on Earth when Reed and Trip survey the damage. I mean, this stuff is terrible - it looks like a very basic computer game, there's so little reality there. I can understand that creating naturalistic environments was harder than space effects, but even so, this looks like an end of season rush job. The way it was filmed wasn't ideal, either, with the actors viewed from below, and so obviously blue screen. What should have spoken of the terrible devastation was taken away by poor effects work. You don't get that when you see the old matte paintings, for example the devastation caused by the Borg in 'The Best of Both Worlds, Part I,' another season ender.
It's not fair to compare this with one of the best Trek episodes ever, but you'd think with technology at the state it was then that things could only have been more impressive in that department. I give credit to them for the actual attack on Earth, but again, there are no people so it's a terribly dispassionate incident, and like Trip it's hard to get past the anger of it to some actual emotion. The trouble with the episode is that it rarely takes the time to feel, preferring to brazen it out like a Vulcan, and unfortunately they seem to be the most emotional beings in the story, T'Pol almost getting upset over her orders to return to Vulcan, and Soval, as usual, free to allow his annoyance to creep into his voice. The scene with the Vulcan doctor was interesting and gave Phlox a chance to 'own' his sickbay, and he was quite well-served, what with that and the scene where he explains his loyalty to the ship for T'Pol's benefit. She really doesn't seem like the aged Vulcan we know her to be, clearly having little or no experience in divided loyalty, she comes across as the age of the actress. This would be fine, but we know she's had a previous career as a Vulcan operative thanks to 'The Seventh,' but how many times does that age wisdom and experience show through?
Mayweather is once again, basically a helm computer, and it struck me why he doesn't get the chance to be more involved in the stories: he doesn't have anyone to talk to, unlike 'TOS' where they had Sulu and Chekov, or 'TNG' where it was Data and Wesley (or Ro, or whoever). Okay, so 'Voyager' had Paris alone up front, but that bridge was massive in comparison so it was easier for Tom to banter with the other characters, whereas in this series the space is so small, Travis has the camera shoved right up his nose and has to stay stock still or he'll block the more 'important' characters for their moments.
It's sad, but Hoshi also barely featured, a symptom of one of the season's, and series', problems. Things were set to hot up for Reed. As security officer he'd be in the front line for whatever nastiness might ensue in the Expanse, as well as dealing with the military, who are mentioned, but not seen. I liked the new photonic torpedoes and their familiar oval coffin shape, and he seems almost ready to relish this new mission, but then his homeland hadn't been sliced up. It was a bit of a problem that it was only North America that had been attacked as it doesn't give us non-Americans as much personal investment in the attack, as terrible as it was. I wasn't sure if the scale was right and if it was likely that seven million would have been killed from such an attack.
The Vulcans were their usual annoying selves, mainly represented by Soval, and although his dire warnings about the Expanse were worrying, I didn't feel, as with much of the episode, that the recorded images from a Vulcan ship that returned from there caused a chill. There was too much cutting, and it had been done better in 'TNG' and 'DS9,' possibly even 'TOS.' It should have served as an intense primer for the dangers they might experience, but instead it was too indistinct, with no narrative and went on too long. Lack of sound didn't help. It was good to see a bit more of the impending future of Starfleet, with three smaller ships coming to the NX-01's rescue with an actual captain for Archer to talk to, a rare occurrence indeed. It was also lovely to get a short viewing of the NX-02 under construction. Even amid this bad news and negative mission of attack there was room for a bit of hope in the future. I'm not saying the episode was bad, I was very interested in the idea of a race from the 26th century sending a weapon back in time, or in this case, sending a message to build a weapon. How did that piece of future tech reach the Xindi if they can only communicate with the future, and not receive things? Will all be revealed or will we be left to wonder as was the case with the Temporal Cold War?
The series needed a shot in the arm, but it shouldn't have been necessary. It shows that the series had very little direction, even considering they were expecting it to last for seven years. They were coasting, and through this we learned (if we didn't know it already), Trek doesn't write itself after all. It needs all the guidance and energy it can get, it wasn't enough to take a 1960s TV model of individual episodes that have little relation and are an excuse to tell unrelated stories so they can be watched in any order, with the occasional addition of more contemporary arcs and character exploration. The TV landscape had changed. They should have taken a leaf out of 'DS9's book and worked in stronger continuing stories while seeing each episode as an opportunity to have fun with the characters. They tried to simplify what was already too simple for audiences who expected Trek to change with the times. So they did change (and took several leaves out of 'DS9's book; namely the Dominion).
I'm not going to judge Season 3 in this review, that's for me to watch and rediscover. But I will say that 'Enterprise' was a learning curve when perhaps they thought it was a done deal, not an excuse to gain more ratings by making the characters easier to write and less moral so they'd appeal to modern audiences, but a piece of work that needed all the skill and nurture the other series' were given. Season 2 ends without a 'To Be Continued…' For a while there it might have ended at that and we'd never have known what came next. It's fortunate the series was spared until it found its feet, cruel that it was cancelled once it had. But although this episode was a bit of a mess, it does leave the viewer wondering what will come next. And I did like Archer's last quote, "Let's see what's in there," an inverse of Captain Picard's famous words at the end of his pilot episode.
**
I have very mixed feelings seeing this episode again. I haven't seen it since it was first shown in the early 2000s, and I know what happens next, the shape of the series to come. I'm sad that they had to turn their back on the simplicity of a new mission every week, and the possibilities that remaining within the realm of the familiar might have brought. It was shown to us in Season 4, but I wonder what stories involving the Klingons, the Vulcans, the Andorians and perhaps other known races might have been like. Instead they chose to do something drastic and give the series a sense of purpose which had been lacking. This was a bold move in that they were showing how willing they were to try something radical, yet it was also a safe move. They must have planned out how the story would unfold and Season 3 would turn out to be fairly straightforward, as I remember it. The positive side was that they would have licence to create new races and new situations as never before, but what they didn't realise is that they had that avenue open to them in normal space, but they got too bogged down in getting the next story done, keeping to continuity and trying to use characters that had become undeveloped, that the DNA of the series was beginning to unravel, as shown in the ratings.
At the same time as being sad about the change in direction, particularly in the ruthless way Trip and Archer resolve to do whatever it takes (which, ironically was also my favourite scene, the only time there some feeling crept into the story is when the pair drink together at a table, toasting Henry Archer, and the music, for once, reflects the weight of the mission, evoking a legendary quality), I was also glad that new urgency and motivation had been instigated. Too often in Season 2 episodes were little more than filler, with hardly any development of characters, a lack of enjoyable crew interaction and exciting or original stories and situations. The writers needed an injection of danger to play against because space had not truly been proved to be the difficult place it seemed in Season 1.
Taking Season 2 as a whole I've felt that it was the worst season in Trek history, the highest number of flops perhaps, the lowest feeling of tension and wonder for sure. Seeing it again has helped me reevaluate the season, and while I certainly haven't done a 180 on it, it reminded me that among the chaff is also the wheat, those solid, enjoyable episodes that make re-watching a series worthwhile, and even one episode which stood out as being a classic. That was 'Regeneration,' and to that list of my favourites I would add 'Marauders,' 'Canamar,' 'Future Tense,' 'Horizon' and 'The Catwalk.' A few episodes I enjoyed more this time, but still, there were too many that fell at the hurdles of story, concept and involvement. Too many consisted of stuff happening, and to some degree I'd put this episode into that category.
'The Expanse' is a mishmash. You have the Klingons, the Suliban, the mysterious Future Guy, the Xindi probe, Starfleet and some of its ships, and the Vulcans. None of them are part of a coherent plot that satisfyingly unfolds, but most are episodes; a series of happenings. Take the Suliban and their long-awaited return. I loved the race, but Season 2 only featured them in the season-opener and this, the ending. The Temporal Cold War seemed to have been pretty much dropped, where it should have been built upon. The concept was the best to come out of the series and could have provided a fantastic link to the 24th or even 23rd centuries, but it simply wasn't explored. So now that we come to it again it seems shallow and basic. Even the effects of the 'future' room that were so effective in the pilot, come across as flat here. The budget for the pilot notwithstanding, technology had moved on in the two years since then and they should have been able to match the visuals.
Instead we get a brightly lit room with Future Guy standing on his podium. Suliban ships come into play with barely a few seconds notice, and before we know it Archer's been kidnapped, unceremoniously and with ease. He's escorted in, told to go nearer so Future Guy can see him better, and promptly circles the podium so the guy can't see him at all! The effect of FG is weak, and in the harsh light his dark form looks wrong. It doesn't help that we never really know why he wanted Earth to beat the Xindi, although at least he had a plausible reason for waiting to tell humans until after the probe's attack: they wouldn't have believed him otherwise. If you can forgive the weak dramatic tension of the scene it does raise questions as to motive and the whole Cold War plot, but even getting to that point was problematic, and why doesn't FG want the timeline messed with when that's all he's been doing since the series began? The scenes should have been vibrant and energetic, mysterious and compelling, but they're too flat. Think back to 'Shockwave' and the excitement and action of the Suliban boarding, and that's what I wanted to see. It's not like they'd forgotten how to do it, as shown with the recent 'Regeneration.' They needed to top that, but they didn't even try. That sentiment stretched to the Klingons too.
Duras talks about boarding parties, but we never see them. I so wanted Enterprise crew to have to defend their ship internally, phaser battles, hand to hand throughout (think 'The Way of The Warrior'), but the size of the ship and the sets didn't lend themselves to such scenarios, a design flaw for the series, I think. Although they did find room for a briefing room instead of the little situation area at the back of the bridge. Was this an indication that they recognised a cramped ship wasn't such a good idea after all? If seeing Silik for his blink-and-miss-it cameo (and I can't imagine John Fleck was too thrilled to be called back to do such minor work - his lines could have come from anyone, there was no personal connection being developed), is a disappointment, the role the Klingons play is equally so - too fearful to enter the Expanse? These are Klingons! They were trying to make out that it was so bad even the warrior race won't go in, I get that, but it doesn't do much for their space-lane cred! I like that there was an attempt at an ongoing story this season with Archer their target, but Duras was the worst kind of a Klingon fool. He was not a villain in the same league as Archer so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's brushed off like an annoying fly - there's little doubt that he's one character that wouldn't be returning seeing a his ship gets blown up. Not that he was a good villain, but I feel they should have left a bit of uncertainty over his demise even if they never used him again.
I did like the battle at the edge of the Delphic Expanse, it showed how far CGI had come and made up for the lack of momentum in much of the episode, as well as the poor CGI that features in the same episode. The scenes at the end must have had a lot more work and a far more talented artist working on them than the scene on Earth when Reed and Trip survey the damage. I mean, this stuff is terrible - it looks like a very basic computer game, there's so little reality there. I can understand that creating naturalistic environments was harder than space effects, but even so, this looks like an end of season rush job. The way it was filmed wasn't ideal, either, with the actors viewed from below, and so obviously blue screen. What should have spoken of the terrible devastation was taken away by poor effects work. You don't get that when you see the old matte paintings, for example the devastation caused by the Borg in 'The Best of Both Worlds, Part I,' another season ender.
It's not fair to compare this with one of the best Trek episodes ever, but you'd think with technology at the state it was then that things could only have been more impressive in that department. I give credit to them for the actual attack on Earth, but again, there are no people so it's a terribly dispassionate incident, and like Trip it's hard to get past the anger of it to some actual emotion. The trouble with the episode is that it rarely takes the time to feel, preferring to brazen it out like a Vulcan, and unfortunately they seem to be the most emotional beings in the story, T'Pol almost getting upset over her orders to return to Vulcan, and Soval, as usual, free to allow his annoyance to creep into his voice. The scene with the Vulcan doctor was interesting and gave Phlox a chance to 'own' his sickbay, and he was quite well-served, what with that and the scene where he explains his loyalty to the ship for T'Pol's benefit. She really doesn't seem like the aged Vulcan we know her to be, clearly having little or no experience in divided loyalty, she comes across as the age of the actress. This would be fine, but we know she's had a previous career as a Vulcan operative thanks to 'The Seventh,' but how many times does that age wisdom and experience show through?
Mayweather is once again, basically a helm computer, and it struck me why he doesn't get the chance to be more involved in the stories: he doesn't have anyone to talk to, unlike 'TOS' where they had Sulu and Chekov, or 'TNG' where it was Data and Wesley (or Ro, or whoever). Okay, so 'Voyager' had Paris alone up front, but that bridge was massive in comparison so it was easier for Tom to banter with the other characters, whereas in this series the space is so small, Travis has the camera shoved right up his nose and has to stay stock still or he'll block the more 'important' characters for their moments.
It's sad, but Hoshi also barely featured, a symptom of one of the season's, and series', problems. Things were set to hot up for Reed. As security officer he'd be in the front line for whatever nastiness might ensue in the Expanse, as well as dealing with the military, who are mentioned, but not seen. I liked the new photonic torpedoes and their familiar oval coffin shape, and he seems almost ready to relish this new mission, but then his homeland hadn't been sliced up. It was a bit of a problem that it was only North America that had been attacked as it doesn't give us non-Americans as much personal investment in the attack, as terrible as it was. I wasn't sure if the scale was right and if it was likely that seven million would have been killed from such an attack.
The Vulcans were their usual annoying selves, mainly represented by Soval, and although his dire warnings about the Expanse were worrying, I didn't feel, as with much of the episode, that the recorded images from a Vulcan ship that returned from there caused a chill. There was too much cutting, and it had been done better in 'TNG' and 'DS9,' possibly even 'TOS.' It should have served as an intense primer for the dangers they might experience, but instead it was too indistinct, with no narrative and went on too long. Lack of sound didn't help. It was good to see a bit more of the impending future of Starfleet, with three smaller ships coming to the NX-01's rescue with an actual captain for Archer to talk to, a rare occurrence indeed. It was also lovely to get a short viewing of the NX-02 under construction. Even amid this bad news and negative mission of attack there was room for a bit of hope in the future. I'm not saying the episode was bad, I was very interested in the idea of a race from the 26th century sending a weapon back in time, or in this case, sending a message to build a weapon. How did that piece of future tech reach the Xindi if they can only communicate with the future, and not receive things? Will all be revealed or will we be left to wonder as was the case with the Temporal Cold War?
The series needed a shot in the arm, but it shouldn't have been necessary. It shows that the series had very little direction, even considering they were expecting it to last for seven years. They were coasting, and through this we learned (if we didn't know it already), Trek doesn't write itself after all. It needs all the guidance and energy it can get, it wasn't enough to take a 1960s TV model of individual episodes that have little relation and are an excuse to tell unrelated stories so they can be watched in any order, with the occasional addition of more contemporary arcs and character exploration. The TV landscape had changed. They should have taken a leaf out of 'DS9's book and worked in stronger continuing stories while seeing each episode as an opportunity to have fun with the characters. They tried to simplify what was already too simple for audiences who expected Trek to change with the times. So they did change (and took several leaves out of 'DS9's book; namely the Dominion).
I'm not going to judge Season 3 in this review, that's for me to watch and rediscover. But I will say that 'Enterprise' was a learning curve when perhaps they thought it was a done deal, not an excuse to gain more ratings by making the characters easier to write and less moral so they'd appeal to modern audiences, but a piece of work that needed all the skill and nurture the other series' were given. Season 2 ends without a 'To Be Continued…' For a while there it might have ended at that and we'd never have known what came next. It's fortunate the series was spared until it found its feet, cruel that it was cancelled once it had. But although this episode was a bit of a mess, it does leave the viewer wondering what will come next. And I did like Archer's last quote, "Let's see what's in there," an inverse of Captain Picard's famous words at the end of his pilot episode.
**
Rite of Passage
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S5 (Rite of Passage)
This suffers from an over-long mystery and another sci-fi trope, one that doesn't even reach its conclusion: I'm not saying I wanted Cassandra to turn into some terrible psychokinetic creature that could chuck people around with her mind (although…), but it was a relief that the episode didn't turn into a base under siege tale with her as the 'monster' they have to hunt down. The saving grace of the episode was the ending, but getting there was often a chore. I like old characters returning so of course it was good to have Cassandra back if nothing else than for Dr. Fraiser to get a storyline. Her care (and Sam's), of the refugee from another planet is played so real and strongly. I gather this was a different actress playing Cassandra this time, and the character's certainly aged since her first appearance in Season 1. It was nice to hear mention of that episode, one in which Sam risked her life to help this little girl even when it seemed she was going to destroy everything. That's probably an episode I'd reevaluate if I saw it again as I didn't particularly rate it, yet I still think fondly of it as something where Carter showed her colours.
Maybe I didn't rate the episode much for the same reason I don't rate this one highly: it took a long time to say what it wanted to say or do what it wanted to do. The series can be quite slow sometimes, and gets bogged down in its labyrinthine continuity - actually it's not so much labyrinthine as wide, with little or no recapping of past events that happened episodes or even seasons ago. I'm sure that's one thing people love about it, but unless you want to sit through the episodes several times you do forget exact details and I'd appreciate a bit of explanation occasionally. Case in point: Nierte. I remembered her, but didn't remember at what point she had last appeared; what season; what the story was; what her character means in this context.
I felt the character scenes worked in terms of showing the bond Janet and Sam have for Cassandra, and was at first intrigued by the mystery of the glowing handprint in the forest and the secret Goa'uld lab it 'Ringed' to. Later it was creepy to think that Nierte had been there all the time (when the weird POV came in I thought it was one of those invisible insectile creatures they faced a while back - see, I do keep continuity in my mind!), but after the initial interest it soon died down. I also found it hard to believe Nierte had been there ever since she'd been a captive of Cronus, that she'd returned there and waited until… what? Cassandra showed up? Did she know it was going to happen? How long did she have to wait? The story really didn't go anywhere until it became a question of a girl's life versus the valuable and potentially life-saving knowledge a Goa'uld captive could provide. If only this point had been reached earlier and there had been less build-up to Cassandra's changing which ultimately never happened, the episode would have been considerably improved.
I wasn't sure if she was going to die or leave, as I thought she was in more episodes, but I never really thought things would go back to normal. I was impressed to see Fraiser holding a gun against her enemy, though I thought she was going to help her escape in exchange for healing her daughter, which, in retrospect, was even less likely. It seemed like the coercion of the moment was lost once all those soldiers were aiming at Fraiser, and O'Neill or Hammond could have disarmed her at any time. It didn't seem Nierte would back down so easily, but maybe she saw it was the best course of action. On the other hand it could have been staged, though Fraiser would have had to be a good actor if she wasn't really Cassie's Mum. There was a good visual of Nierte flipping through the glass window, but the episode was mostly devoid of such excitement. It was a character piece which left things hanging too often, though with the occasional moment of warmth.
I wondered at their bargaining with someone who had seemingly killed one of the soldiers on the base. The guy's neck gets checked and the guy checking it shakes his head, which I took to mean he was dead, yet that's never mentioned. Is the life of a soldier not worth talking about, do we only care about girls? Another funny observation I couldn't help make was that the birthday cake candles which had been lit when Cassandra left the kitchen, had been blown out when Carter and Fraiser heard the boyfriend's shouts for help. Which one of them couldn't wait for her to come back? Not a bad episode, but a late-starter. I'm all for episodes about Fraiser and Cassandra, but let's have something more interesting than the poor girl lying in bed all the time while Janet looks on concerned.
**
This suffers from an over-long mystery and another sci-fi trope, one that doesn't even reach its conclusion: I'm not saying I wanted Cassandra to turn into some terrible psychokinetic creature that could chuck people around with her mind (although…), but it was a relief that the episode didn't turn into a base under siege tale with her as the 'monster' they have to hunt down. The saving grace of the episode was the ending, but getting there was often a chore. I like old characters returning so of course it was good to have Cassandra back if nothing else than for Dr. Fraiser to get a storyline. Her care (and Sam's), of the refugee from another planet is played so real and strongly. I gather this was a different actress playing Cassandra this time, and the character's certainly aged since her first appearance in Season 1. It was nice to hear mention of that episode, one in which Sam risked her life to help this little girl even when it seemed she was going to destroy everything. That's probably an episode I'd reevaluate if I saw it again as I didn't particularly rate it, yet I still think fondly of it as something where Carter showed her colours.
Maybe I didn't rate the episode much for the same reason I don't rate this one highly: it took a long time to say what it wanted to say or do what it wanted to do. The series can be quite slow sometimes, and gets bogged down in its labyrinthine continuity - actually it's not so much labyrinthine as wide, with little or no recapping of past events that happened episodes or even seasons ago. I'm sure that's one thing people love about it, but unless you want to sit through the episodes several times you do forget exact details and I'd appreciate a bit of explanation occasionally. Case in point: Nierte. I remembered her, but didn't remember at what point she had last appeared; what season; what the story was; what her character means in this context.
I felt the character scenes worked in terms of showing the bond Janet and Sam have for Cassandra, and was at first intrigued by the mystery of the glowing handprint in the forest and the secret Goa'uld lab it 'Ringed' to. Later it was creepy to think that Nierte had been there all the time (when the weird POV came in I thought it was one of those invisible insectile creatures they faced a while back - see, I do keep continuity in my mind!), but after the initial interest it soon died down. I also found it hard to believe Nierte had been there ever since she'd been a captive of Cronus, that she'd returned there and waited until… what? Cassandra showed up? Did she know it was going to happen? How long did she have to wait? The story really didn't go anywhere until it became a question of a girl's life versus the valuable and potentially life-saving knowledge a Goa'uld captive could provide. If only this point had been reached earlier and there had been less build-up to Cassandra's changing which ultimately never happened, the episode would have been considerably improved.
I wasn't sure if she was going to die or leave, as I thought she was in more episodes, but I never really thought things would go back to normal. I was impressed to see Fraiser holding a gun against her enemy, though I thought she was going to help her escape in exchange for healing her daughter, which, in retrospect, was even less likely. It seemed like the coercion of the moment was lost once all those soldiers were aiming at Fraiser, and O'Neill or Hammond could have disarmed her at any time. It didn't seem Nierte would back down so easily, but maybe she saw it was the best course of action. On the other hand it could have been staged, though Fraiser would have had to be a good actor if she wasn't really Cassie's Mum. There was a good visual of Nierte flipping through the glass window, but the episode was mostly devoid of such excitement. It was a character piece which left things hanging too often, though with the occasional moment of warmth.
I wondered at their bargaining with someone who had seemingly killed one of the soldiers on the base. The guy's neck gets checked and the guy checking it shakes his head, which I took to mean he was dead, yet that's never mentioned. Is the life of a soldier not worth talking about, do we only care about girls? Another funny observation I couldn't help make was that the birthday cake candles which had been lit when Cassandra left the kitchen, had been blown out when Carter and Fraiser heard the boyfriend's shouts for help. Which one of them couldn't wait for her to come back? Not a bad episode, but a late-starter. I'm all for episodes about Fraiser and Cassandra, but let's have something more interesting than the poor girl lying in bed all the time while Janet looks on concerned.
**
Bounty
DVD, Enterprise S2 (Bounty)
It has come to something when both the A- and B-stories are interesting and linked to 'TOS' lore, but it's something good. Even the fact that there is a proper B-story is a positive, perhaps a sign of the sure hand of Berman and Braga rather than the newer writers on staff. It was a clever way to deal with T'Pol's Pon Farr - keeping it between her and Phlox, happening while under the influence of an alien virus or whatever, and also leaving the door open for them to do a 'proper' examination of the issue if they wanted to in future. Her behaviour reminded me of 'Strange New World' from Season 1, and makes me realise there have been few examples of the Sub-Commander getting out of character, something Spock did a little more regularly. I also felt her outlandish actions were less jarring, and thus less effective because she's a bit more emotional than Vulcans on other series', though by 'Enterprise' terms she's certainly one of the least emotional of the series. Jolene Blalock did a fine job of it, but it's a shame Vulcan superior strength didn't show itself. She might have been weakened by the virus, but I wanted to see her pick people up and throw them across rooms, not ineffectively shove them into walls!
It was wise not to hide from the famous Vulcan mating ritual, and fortunate that it was dealt with this early in the series (though comparatively, Spock dealt with it even earlier: at the beginning of the second season of 'TOS' rather than the end of the season as we are here), but as I mentioned above, it can easily be explained away as early activation by the virus meaning she could be due the real experience at any point in the series' future. I don't believe it ever was addressed again, but if the series had run for a successful length I feel sure it would have been dealt with. Then again, they also had to be wary of treading on the toes of continuity as it was an unknown custom to the crew of 'TOS,' only a century later, so perhaps the issue wouldn't have come up again, or if it had it would necessarily have had to be dealt with in a way that no, or few, humans would be aware of it.
The other interesting thing about the story was getting to know a little more about Phlox, not the least his alien physique: brown markings on his torso and limbs, and most interestingly a ribbed backbone. It was also fascinating to hear that Denobulan males are quite subdued and private, probably even more so in Phlox' case. I like the hint that he was responsible for installing curtains in the decon chamber because not everyone is comfortable with the procedure. Ironically it humanises the sequence and is also a sly nod back to the pilot when companionable decontamination was made such a fuss of! This episode also sees the return of T'Pol's white uniform, which I think had been used before, in 'Marauders' and foreshadowed her new uniforms for Season 3.
The main story and the main import of it is the first chronological appearance of that mainstay of 'The Original Series,' the Tellarites. Okay, so they weren't exactly prevalent like the Vulcans and Klingons, but they cropped up more than once and looked different enough that they were always remembered, and even mentioned in later episodes (I remember Captain Sisko talking about a Tellarite friend of his who was killed by the Klingons on 'DS9'). At the time everyone was waiting for the next race to be updated as the Andorians had been in Season 1, but it had taken this long before they finally gave us another one, preferring to chart their own course and make up new aliens. Makeup chief Michael Westmore made noises early on that he wanted to do the Tellarites so perhaps this was written thanks to his wish, who knows? I wouldn't have done the makeup quite as it was. I preferred the deeper set eyes that didn't reveal the eyeball, and the stronger pig-like nose of the original creations, but I still like this version and its 'high-res' detail (including the old hairy hands, this time with added bony protrusion), and I'm glad they mentioned the style of the species, their argumentative nature, even if it didn't come across in the two Tellarites we met in the episode.
If anything, I felt Skalaar wasn't very representative of his race, but I can understand that having him argue and obstruct all the time might have made for a difficult story, but because of this, the race didn't work out (at first), as well as the Andorians did. I think partly it was that they came along right before the big sea-change in direction away from the familiar and into the truly unknown, something that was both a blessing and a curse for the series and to be discussed when I review Season 3. As an introduction to the species it did its job, regardless of the fact it could have been any alien that had captured Archer. I enjoyed the surprise opening with Archer getting kidnapped by the burly Tellarite, but Skalaar was taking an awful risk. How did he know the Captain would be there at the airlock or that he wouldn't bring a team of security with him? He didn't, I suppose - for these bounty hunters risk is all part of the deal.
I liked that Skalaar was given a bit more backstory than we sometimes get, his troubles with his brother, his wish to get back the freighter the Klingons had impounded, helped to make him a more rounded person (and let's face it, for a Tellarite he wasn't that rounded physically so he needed all he could get!). After seeing Robert O'Reilly's name in the opening credits I was trying to work out if he was playing Skalaar, but it wasn't until he showed up in a bit part as the alien (Kago?), that the unmistakable tones of Gowron growled out at me. I like that they bring back familiar faces (or voices in this case), but, as with Casey Biggs next season, it's a shame when they aren't important to the episode.
As much as I enjoyed the content of the episode for its Trek crowd-pleasing use of previously owned aliens and lore (Orion slave girls and the Klingons' 'nasty-looking swords' also get a mention), I rarely felt excited by the action on screen. T'Pol escapes from decon and goes on the rampage but is stopped without trouble. It only needed a shot of the deck being evacuated by hurrying crew-members to make it more urgent. Similarly, the only time things really got going for Archer were in the initial scuffle with Skalaar and at the end, on the Klingon ship. But I will say I enjoyed the twist of Archer and Skalaar's collusion and the Captain running down Klingon corridors having a firefight with the warrior race. But where were all the crew of that ship? I wanted to see Archer pinned down and having to make a last desperate dive as he leaps into the escape pod, firing all the way, but I suppose that's down to a TV budget and a TV time limit and I'm not going to criticise Roxann Dawson who was back in the director's chair, for not being John Woo, as much as I might like that.
The story was also neatly tied into Archer's earlier Klingon adventures of this season, which I believe would continue into the season finale. Such continuity is always a pleasure, especially on a series that isn't known for its story arcs. Although the CGI ships and action were fine, especially when the NX-01 was involved, I found the Tellarite ship lacking in distinctiveness where most races have strong design. Another case of end of season time limits? Equally the design for the ship of alien, Kago, was lacking, although the Klingon vessel, almost boomerang-shaped, did pique my interest as being so different to the usual Birds-of-Prey or battlecruisers. I would also say it was good to see Archer having to do things the old-fashioned way, on his own, using his fists as well as his talk. I would have liked to see Skalaar again, but although he didn't return we did at least get stronger episodes for the Tellarites thanks to Season 4.
***
It has come to something when both the A- and B-stories are interesting and linked to 'TOS' lore, but it's something good. Even the fact that there is a proper B-story is a positive, perhaps a sign of the sure hand of Berman and Braga rather than the newer writers on staff. It was a clever way to deal with T'Pol's Pon Farr - keeping it between her and Phlox, happening while under the influence of an alien virus or whatever, and also leaving the door open for them to do a 'proper' examination of the issue if they wanted to in future. Her behaviour reminded me of 'Strange New World' from Season 1, and makes me realise there have been few examples of the Sub-Commander getting out of character, something Spock did a little more regularly. I also felt her outlandish actions were less jarring, and thus less effective because she's a bit more emotional than Vulcans on other series', though by 'Enterprise' terms she's certainly one of the least emotional of the series. Jolene Blalock did a fine job of it, but it's a shame Vulcan superior strength didn't show itself. She might have been weakened by the virus, but I wanted to see her pick people up and throw them across rooms, not ineffectively shove them into walls!
It was wise not to hide from the famous Vulcan mating ritual, and fortunate that it was dealt with this early in the series (though comparatively, Spock dealt with it even earlier: at the beginning of the second season of 'TOS' rather than the end of the season as we are here), but as I mentioned above, it can easily be explained away as early activation by the virus meaning she could be due the real experience at any point in the series' future. I don't believe it ever was addressed again, but if the series had run for a successful length I feel sure it would have been dealt with. Then again, they also had to be wary of treading on the toes of continuity as it was an unknown custom to the crew of 'TOS,' only a century later, so perhaps the issue wouldn't have come up again, or if it had it would necessarily have had to be dealt with in a way that no, or few, humans would be aware of it.
The other interesting thing about the story was getting to know a little more about Phlox, not the least his alien physique: brown markings on his torso and limbs, and most interestingly a ribbed backbone. It was also fascinating to hear that Denobulan males are quite subdued and private, probably even more so in Phlox' case. I like the hint that he was responsible for installing curtains in the decon chamber because not everyone is comfortable with the procedure. Ironically it humanises the sequence and is also a sly nod back to the pilot when companionable decontamination was made such a fuss of! This episode also sees the return of T'Pol's white uniform, which I think had been used before, in 'Marauders' and foreshadowed her new uniforms for Season 3.
The main story and the main import of it is the first chronological appearance of that mainstay of 'The Original Series,' the Tellarites. Okay, so they weren't exactly prevalent like the Vulcans and Klingons, but they cropped up more than once and looked different enough that they were always remembered, and even mentioned in later episodes (I remember Captain Sisko talking about a Tellarite friend of his who was killed by the Klingons on 'DS9'). At the time everyone was waiting for the next race to be updated as the Andorians had been in Season 1, but it had taken this long before they finally gave us another one, preferring to chart their own course and make up new aliens. Makeup chief Michael Westmore made noises early on that he wanted to do the Tellarites so perhaps this was written thanks to his wish, who knows? I wouldn't have done the makeup quite as it was. I preferred the deeper set eyes that didn't reveal the eyeball, and the stronger pig-like nose of the original creations, but I still like this version and its 'high-res' detail (including the old hairy hands, this time with added bony protrusion), and I'm glad they mentioned the style of the species, their argumentative nature, even if it didn't come across in the two Tellarites we met in the episode.
If anything, I felt Skalaar wasn't very representative of his race, but I can understand that having him argue and obstruct all the time might have made for a difficult story, but because of this, the race didn't work out (at first), as well as the Andorians did. I think partly it was that they came along right before the big sea-change in direction away from the familiar and into the truly unknown, something that was both a blessing and a curse for the series and to be discussed when I review Season 3. As an introduction to the species it did its job, regardless of the fact it could have been any alien that had captured Archer. I enjoyed the surprise opening with Archer getting kidnapped by the burly Tellarite, but Skalaar was taking an awful risk. How did he know the Captain would be there at the airlock or that he wouldn't bring a team of security with him? He didn't, I suppose - for these bounty hunters risk is all part of the deal.
I liked that Skalaar was given a bit more backstory than we sometimes get, his troubles with his brother, his wish to get back the freighter the Klingons had impounded, helped to make him a more rounded person (and let's face it, for a Tellarite he wasn't that rounded physically so he needed all he could get!). After seeing Robert O'Reilly's name in the opening credits I was trying to work out if he was playing Skalaar, but it wasn't until he showed up in a bit part as the alien (Kago?), that the unmistakable tones of Gowron growled out at me. I like that they bring back familiar faces (or voices in this case), but, as with Casey Biggs next season, it's a shame when they aren't important to the episode.
As much as I enjoyed the content of the episode for its Trek crowd-pleasing use of previously owned aliens and lore (Orion slave girls and the Klingons' 'nasty-looking swords' also get a mention), I rarely felt excited by the action on screen. T'Pol escapes from decon and goes on the rampage but is stopped without trouble. It only needed a shot of the deck being evacuated by hurrying crew-members to make it more urgent. Similarly, the only time things really got going for Archer were in the initial scuffle with Skalaar and at the end, on the Klingon ship. But I will say I enjoyed the twist of Archer and Skalaar's collusion and the Captain running down Klingon corridors having a firefight with the warrior race. But where were all the crew of that ship? I wanted to see Archer pinned down and having to make a last desperate dive as he leaps into the escape pod, firing all the way, but I suppose that's down to a TV budget and a TV time limit and I'm not going to criticise Roxann Dawson who was back in the director's chair, for not being John Woo, as much as I might like that.
The story was also neatly tied into Archer's earlier Klingon adventures of this season, which I believe would continue into the season finale. Such continuity is always a pleasure, especially on a series that isn't known for its story arcs. Although the CGI ships and action were fine, especially when the NX-01 was involved, I found the Tellarite ship lacking in distinctiveness where most races have strong design. Another case of end of season time limits? Equally the design for the ship of alien, Kago, was lacking, although the Klingon vessel, almost boomerang-shaped, did pique my interest as being so different to the usual Birds-of-Prey or battlecruisers. I would also say it was good to see Archer having to do things the old-fashioned way, on his own, using his fists as well as his talk. I would have liked to see Skalaar again, but although he didn't return we did at least get stronger episodes for the Tellarites thanks to Season 4.
***
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