monkee reviews 'Fallen Hero'
First Impression: A decent Vulcan story, spoiled a little by some childish humor.
Vulcan-Human Relations: This episode did a good job of explaining why I haven't been getting too bent out of shape, yet, about Enterprise's Vulcans. On the surface, their distrust of and distaste for humans may seem illogical to those of us raised on Mr. Spock, but let's look at things from their perspective. Here we have a Vulcan, V'Lar, who was already an adult at the time of first contact. "I remember when news of your people first reached Vulcan. I was fascinated with humanity, but worried as well. You had just emerged from a global war. The idea that you deemed yourself ready to join the interstellar community seemed...premature." Well, of course it would. Earth was a mess when the Vulcans met Zefram Cochrane. The warp engine he developed must have seemed like quite a fluke to them. "A century of good behavior hasn't changed your mind?" Archer asks her, incredulously. A century is but a third of a lifetime to the Vulcans, so I can see why it might not. Humans are going to have to earn the Vulcan's trust. And they undoubtedly will. If they continue to conduct themselves the way Archer did this week, the Vulcans will come around.
V'Lar: The Vulcans may have had good reason to be wary, but they carried it a bit too far. As T'Pol points out, they now have to earn the human's trust, too. And they undoubtedly will, especially if their representatives, such as V'Lar, T'Pol, and Trip's science teacher, continue to challenge their own preconceptions. V'Lar really makes an effort, here. It's a superficial effort at first – shaking hands, experimenting with humor, and talking to the crew – but T'Pol's obvious respect for Archer inspires her to make the deeper effort, too, with promising results. V'Lar is wise to recognize that Archer and T'Pol's growing respect for each other will be an important element in the future relations of Vulcans and humans. I liked V'Lar, a lot, and Fionnula Flanagan did a wonderful job bringing her to life.
The Mazarites: The twisted political problems of the Mazarites, which precipitate this incident, are explained, but not really dwelled upon. I'm not sure if that was a good call or not. On the one hand, it allowed the episode to focus on Vulcan-Human relations, but on the other hand, it was a little unclear, in the end, what all the fuss was about. Maybe it's just another example of the Vulcans having some interference troubles of their own. They have a non-interference policy, yet they seem to have their fingers in a lot of pies. Why did they consider it their responsibility to expose the corruption in the Mazar government? I'm hoping that the non-interference issue is going to be a recurring theme in this show.
The Chase: Enterprise is hotly pursued by three Mazarite ships. The Mazarite's have superior shielding and weapons, but comparable speed, so we get a genuinely tense chase scene, for a change. It was refreshing, and even in the midst of the crisis, we share the crew's excitement when the speed of warp 5 is reached for the very first time. Ever!
Out of the Box: V'Lar gets to witness, first hand, one of humanity's greatest strengths. Sure, we're a little impulsive at times, but sometimes that works to our advantage. We can see options where logic can't. Some of my favorite scenes in Enterprise so far have been the ones in which Archer is bluffing by the seat of his pants. ("Phew – I don't think those robes have been washed since the time of Surak!"). It happens again this week, and Archer excels at what are becoming his trademark 'Aw, shucks' distractions. "How fast do you think you would have topped out at?" he asks the simmering Mazarite Captain. "Warp 5.5? Warp 6?" Phlox gets in on the deception, too, and is just convincing enough to fool the Mazarites into thinking they had succeeded in killing V'Lar.
Hey, it's not corbomite, or a photonic canon, but it's close.
Continuity: The Vulcan/Human relationship is an ongoing theme. The Vulcan's political difficulties with the Andorians are mentioned as well, as is Risa, which will crop up again in 'Desert Crossing,' and in next week's 'Two Days and Two Nights.' I find the continuity in Enterprise encouraging thus far. Why, oh why, couldn't they have done the same for Voyager?
PORTHOS! The fearless space pup has yet another cameo! This week, he gets to romp in Archer's lap and get some more smoochies! (Oh, STOP IT! Get your minds out of the gutter!) I really love Porthos. He gives Archer a whole new dimension, never before seen (regularly) in a starship Captain.
Oh, Puh-lease...
Now I have a couple of bones to pick. T'Pol actually tells Archer and Trip that they, and the rest of the crew, need to get laid! (Okay, not really. What she says – over dinner, if you can believe it – is that she thinks they're suffering from a lack of sexual activity. Same difference.) And no one argues with her! In fact, for the remainder of the episode, we're subjected to a lot of crass innuendo, as Trip worries about how he's going to attract the Risan women, and the boys practically nudge each other and giggle about the twelve-fingered Risan masseuses. Now, don't get me wrong. I am all for sex in Star Trek. It's just...can't it be just a tiny bit more sophisticated? Please?
Note to Braga and Berman: Look, guys – give it up already. It's just not going to happen. No matter what you do, the twenty year old guys aren't going to be flocking around the television set at the frat house waiting for Enterprise to come on. No matter how many gratuitous decontamination chamber scenes you put in, no matter how many WWF guest stars you have, it's never, ever, ever going to work. The frat boys are going to go on watching...whatever it is they watch. I'm just saying...
Those Humans are Animals: But back to the matter at hand. What is with T'Pol anyway? Not only does she feel that her human shipmates can't seem to control their baser instincts, she also repeatedly let's them know, in no uncertain terms, that they stink! If she's as old as V'Lar hinted, she should have better manners! She says that V'Lar inspired her to choose a scientific and diplomatic path, yet she tells Archer – over dinner, again – that 'the human scent is difficult to mask.' How rude!
I won't go on and on about this stuff, but it sort of spoiled an otherwise classy episode. I know T'Pol is one to speak her mind, and I know she wanted things to be perfect for V'Lar's visit, but the 'humans stink and need to get laid' stuff felt off to me.
Character Interactions: There were some good Archer and T'Pol scenes, too, of course. I particularly loved the scene in his quarters when she asks him to risk his ship and crew to stick his neck out for V'Lar, simply because she, T'Pol, is sure it's the right thing to do. I also enjoyed watching the crew in action during the chase scene.
'Shipper Watch: Well, like I said, it was a little over-the-top for me, but there were some interesting expressions on faces in the teaser, when T'Pol told Archer and Trip that they needed some action. She didn't seem to be volunteering, but you never know. Thanks to T'Pol, though, we now have the official starfleet ruling for this time period: no sexual activity with subordinates. Doh! Bummer.
Archer Watch: I thought he did quite well this week. Even his initial refusal to risk his ship without knowing why probably earned him some respect from V'Lar. I think the combination of his integrity, his respect for T'Pol, and his creative thinking succeeded in changing V'Lar's mind about humans, and if he can change her mind, that bodes well for the future. And I like how he decided to trust T'Pol's instincts. A good captain has to know when to do that.
Best Lines:
"What makes you think we're suffering from a lack of sexual activity?" (A dumbfounded, but amused Archer, to T'Pol)
"If you're planning to wear that to impress the women of Risa, you might as well stay on board." (T'Pol, regarding Trip's Hawaiian shirt)
"Don't say she didn't warn you!" (Archer, to Trip)
"Suffice it to say that with T'Pol and myself, you're almost certainly dining with the two oldest people on this ship." (V'Lar, to Trip)
"If you're sensing anything from me, it's not anger." (T'Pol, to V'Lar)
"No. Disappointment." (V'Lar, to T'Pol)
"The ambassador inspired me to choose a direction in my own life – a path that led me to the science council, and eventually here." (T'Pol, to Archer)
"I've had a few heroes in my life. It's never easy when one of them lets you down." (Archer, to T'Pol)
"I'm just a transport captain. I don't try to make sense of what bureaucrats are thinking." (Mazarite captain, lying through his teeth, to Archer)
"I'm just a starship captain. You don't think they trust me to make these kinds of decisions on my own, do you?" (Archer, playing along)
"Since I've served on Enterprise, I've never asked you for anything. I'm asking for this, now. Don't return the ambassador to Mazar. Please." (T'Pol, to Archer)
"It's called a warp five engine..." (Archer, to Trip)
"On paper!" (Trip, to Archer)
"If there was ever a time to start trusting us – this would be it." (Archer, to V'Lar)
The Best Line:
"I sense a great bond between you. A bond of trust, and respect, but also a bond of friendship. I think it bodes well for the future relations of our two peoples." (V'Lar, to Archer and T'Pol)
Rating: 8.5/10. I was going to give it an 8, but despite the flaws, I found myself liking it better as I wrote this. I liked what it said about the Vulcan/Human relationship.
Next Week: 'Two Days and Two Nights' – the crew takes shore leave on Risa. I was looking forward to this one, but now I'm not so sure I'm ready for scantily clad, twelve-fingered massage babes. Well, maybe it'll be fun. And if it isn't, I'll still get to see my buddy Shran in a repeat of 'Shadows of P'Jem!'
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