monkee reviews 'Desert Crossing'
First Impression: Yowza! Shades of gray, slash undertones, and PORTHOS! What's not to like?
Not Black and White: We're dumped into the middle of this conflict right along with Archer. Zobral says his people are oppressed, and when peaceful methods failed, they turned to violence. The Torathans claim that Zobral's people are terrorists who sometimes strike civilian targets. Is that true? Who's right? We have absolutely no idea, and that's the beauty of it. It would be like the Vulcans landing in Middle East in 2002, rather than in Bozeman, Montana in 2063. How could they possibly, over dinner, or in just a couple of days, understand the political complexities of a region that's been in conflict for thousands of years? They couldn't! Even though Archer ends up sympathizing with Zobral and his cause, he knows better, this time, than to interfere. Good call, because even though we learn very little about the Torathans, all of their actions could well be justified. It's not often that a Trek 'message episode' is allowed to be this open-ended. Nice job.
Zobral: He's charismatic, gregarious, generous and extremely friendly. There's an undercurrent of menace there, too, though, in his trademark 'I am easily offended.' His enthusiasm for Archer's 'arsenal of powerful weapons' is telling, and we aren’t fooled by his subsequent claim that he's mostly interested in Archer's experience and wisdom. Could this man be capable of organizing a suicide run on a building full of civilians? I'm afraid I can't rule it out. Still, when he learns that Archer is not what he thought, and wants to wash his hands of the situation, T'Pol is able to reach him, and convince him of his obligation to help. His assistance is useful and enthusiastic, too. What do you know? A character who isn't all good, or all bad. Go figure. I wouldn't mind seeing this guy again. Nice acting by Clancy Brown.
Gasgano and Tapestries: We get a nice look at an interesting alien culture as Zobral entertains Archer and Trip. I enjoyed the gasgano match (a lacrosse-type game), and not just because our boys were shirtless and sweaty. Okay, mostly because our boys were shirtless and sweaty, but the game itself was cool, too. As an aside, I was a bit distracted by Zobral's voice – he sounded exactly like the guy who did the voice of Watto in Star Wars: Episode One (not the same actor, though – I checked). I kept expecting him to say, "I'm a Toydarian. Mind tricks don't-a work on-a me – only money!" Adding to my confusion was the fact that Gasgano was the name of one of the podracers in that movie, too. An homage, perhaps, or are the creative minds in Hollywood just running out of ideas for alien nouns?
Meanwhile, Back on Enterprise: Mayweather only has one line, and Phlox is completely absent, but T'Pol, Reed and Sato are plenty busy figuring out what to do. I particularly enjoyed a conversation between T'Pol and Sato about the perils of first contact, and the scene in which Reed and T'Pol talk to Zobral. Good stuff.
Male Bonding: And as terrific as all of the above was, it wasn't even the best part of the episode! Feeling cornered by Zobral, and physically threatened by a Torathan raid on Zobral's village, Archer and Trip opt to head into the desert, looking for some abandoned buildings that Archer spotted on the way in, and hoping Enterprise will be able to find them. Trip, who admits that heat and dry air suck the life out of him, quickly succumbs to heat exhaustion, and it falls to Archer to get him up and moving so they can get to safety. They clearly have a deep and warm friendship, and I'm just a sucker for that. I saw shades of Kirk and Spock in them this week (or O'Brien/Bashir, or Paris/Kim – name your favorite buddy pair...) I love Star Trek not just for the stories, but for the characters. I want them to CARE about each other. It gives me a reason to care about them.
The Essence of the Male, Chopped and Seasoned: In fact, there was so much caring going on this week that I was forced to wonder...I mean, come on. Tell me that they weren't giving us a bit of a slash nod – Archer and Trip ate 'essence of male,' for crying out loud! They jumped around shirtless and sweaty during the gasgano game, helping each other up and clapping each other's shoulders. Then later, in the desert, the whole thing turned into a classic hurt/comfort fest, with Archer desperately ordering Trip to drink, and keeping him alert and conscious. And when the Torathans find them, and begin bombing the abandoned building, Archer shield's Trip's body with his own, cradling him in his arms. Now I know that Braga and Berman aren't going to get these two involved as anything other than friends, and that's fine, but this was the first time a potential m/m pairing ever made me sit up and take notice. Their chemistry was...intriguing. Very intriguing. That's all I'm saying!
And oh, what I wouldn't have given to see a Voyager Janeway/Chakotay episode like this one...
Ahem. But back to the business at hand...Regardless of what was going on between Archer and Trip, Bakula and Trinneer both did a great job this week. Trinneer did delirious convincingly, and Bakula is nearly as appealing in 'protective mode' as he is doing humor.
Repercussions: Hey! Something that Archer did in an earlier episode ('Detained') actually came back to haunt him! Now, it wasn't really Archer's fault that some Suliban transport Captain has spread around an exaggerated account of his role in the prison break, but still it's nice to see that Enterprise isn't operating in a vacuum. Their actions can have unexpected consequences.
Continuity: See how easy this is? Continuity doesn't have to be awkward or difficult – there isn't enough of it here to confuse anyone, just enough to make it feel like the first season has a bit of a flow. There are ties back to the Suliban arc, and the events of 'Silent Enemy' are mentioned as well. And the ship is en route to Risa when the episode begins, which is where next week's episode 'Two Days and Two Nights' will be taking place. Nicely done.
Lame Cameos: Three servicemen/women from the REAL Enterprise had cameos this week. Don't blink, though. They're seen walking around in the background in engineering, and, I think, in the corridor at the end of the show. Sheesh. Porthos had more screen time! Maybe there are SAG regulations that prohibited them from getting any dialog, but couldn't they at least have shown a decent shot of each of their faces?
But speaking of Porthos…
No Beach to Walk On: God, I love that dog! When Archer tells him their trip to the beach is going to have to wait, Porthos flops back down on his doggie bed with a whimper and a sigh. Poor pup. He probably hasn't seen a tree since 'Strange New World!'
Gratuitous Trip Abuse: The poor guy has been beaten, impregnated, and nearly assimilated by a giant, slimy spiderweb with tentacles. He almost froze to death on a shuttle with Reed, and this week he almost dies of heat stroke with Archer! He started out so enthusiastic, but he'll probably be the first one off the ship when it returns to earth. And who could blame him? I hope he hasn't completely lost his gusto for exploring. It made me sad to see him initially turn down an away mission in the beginning.
Character Interactions: Archer/Trip and T'Pol/Sato had the best scenes this week, but there were also a few nice T'Pol and Reed conversations. And I loved the final Archer/T'Pol scene in the corridor. T'Pol may not be able to express emotion, but she's certainly becoming more attuned to Archer's. She was nicely supportive. My only regret is that we didn't get to see a final Archer and Trip scene.
'Shipper Watch: Archer and Trip certainly got my attention this week! I know nothing will ever come of it, though, so a deep, warm friendship would be acceptable, too. There was a nice Trip/T'Pol moment, too, for those of us who are keeping an eye on them. She was awfully gentle with him when she pulled him up into the shuttle, and gave him water. Awww...
Archer Watch: Archer seems to know that he cannot interfere in this conflict intuitively. Both Trip and T'Pol caution him against it, but I don't think he was ever seriously considering it anyway, which is good. He still is pretty quick to judge the Torathans, though. "The irony is," he tells T'Pol, regarding Zobral, "I have the feeling his cause is worth fighting for." He really doesn't have enough information to make that determination. He may have liked the man personally, but he has no idea what all is going on down there. He needs to be careful. Still, at least he stayed out of it this time. Maybe he's learning, always a good quality in a Trek captain.
Best Lines:
"I should warn you, Captain – I am easily offended." (Zobral, to Archer)
"It's a dry heat." (Archer, to Trip)
"Hospitality? I hope you're aware that most likely, you'll never see your captain or engineer again." (Torathan, to T'Pol)
"Does the Great Warrior have any ideas about how we're getting out of here?" (Trip, to Archer)
"Want your chief engineers advice? Walk away." (Trip, to Archer, and it's good advice, too)
"An alien species makes contact with the United States – it could have made a lot of other countries nervous." (Sato, to T'Pol)
"It seems to me we're going to run into similar problems. We get invited to dinner, and before you know it, we're accused of taking sides in a war." (Sato, to T'Pol)
"Eventually, Captain Archer will have to create some directives of his own." (T'Pol, to Sato)
"Take the water, or I'll knock you on your ass and pour it down your throat." (Archer, who apparently likes to knock people on their asses, to Trip)
"Now THIS is my idea of a great time." (Trip, to Archer)
"A coma. That sounds nice." (Trip, to Archer)
"I'm just slowing you down. Go!" "I don't remember taking orders from you!" (Trip and Archer)
"Zobral, even if I were the warrior you thought I was – that's not why we're out here." (Archer, to Zobral)
"Decisions to get involved in the conflicts of other worlds should be left up to governments, not starship captains." (T'Pol, to Archer)
Rating: 9.5/10! I'm going out on a limb, here, but I really respected this episode's restraint in not making everything black and white. And I just loved the Archer/Trip relationship, no matter what it is.
:)
Next Week: 'Two Days and Two Nights,' the penultimate episode of ENT's first season. I love to see different sides of our familiar characters, so I'm looking forward to this one. And I'm happy for Porthos, who will finally get a nice romp on a beach!
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