monkee reviews 'The Augments'
First Impression: ARGH! The impact of an excellent three-part arc is lessened by a LAME ending!
I am so torn by this episode! It was humming along nicely right up until the last ten minutes, until they went and blew a perfect opportunity! The Augments biological weapon should have destroyed the Klingon colony - it made sense for that to happen! We know what Klingon-Human relations are like in Kirk's time - this could have explained that! Instead, Archer destroyed the weapon in the nick of time, an honorable act that the Klingon High Council will be forced to respect. Now there will be no lasting repercussions at all - it's like the arc never happened. It makes me furious when Trek does this! Argh!
And Malik! When he dragged himself, bloodied and battered, out of the wreckage and corpses on his bridge to set the self-destruct, it brought back powerful memories of Khan doing the same thing in 'Wrath of Khan.' It was the first time I felt like the character had a shred of honor...or maybe not honor, but dignity, or pathos. "There's no place for us on Earth, or anywhere else," he said. What a GREAT ending! Only it wasn't the ending! He had to pop out of nowhere on Enterprise and try to kill Soong again. In that instant, he was once again the obnoxious two-dimensional evil JERK he'd been all along. Archer shot him dead. How anticlimactic! What in the name of the Great Bird were they THINKING?
Not for the first time, I fervently wished I could march onto the Paramount lot in California and SMACK somebody!
[monkee takes a few deep breaths. Then a few more. Then she counts to five thousand.]
And yet...and yet. It was a good story up until the end, there, it really was. I sincerely appreciate a lot of the things they did in the three episodes. They gave us Orions, and Green Orion Slave Girls! They brought back the Eugenics Wars. They gave us Brent Spiner, a great actor, and Arik Soong, a great character. They neatly tied in the Klingons, too, and gave us a marvelous Kirkian bluff from Archer. They even brought in a garbage scow reference! I can't damn the arc, or any of the episodes, completely. I respect the effort. I'm just disappointed in the end. This arc could have ended in a half a dozen cooler ways. At least!
Okay, I'll stop ranting for now. I do have a review to write. I just had to get that off my chest!
Oh, the Suspense...In last week's cliffhanger, Archer had four minutes to stop the release of the pathogens before everyone on Cold Station 12 was horribly killed. I could barely sleep all week worrying about it! Okay, not really. I was, however, surprised when he did NOT stop the release of the pathogens! He did manage to isolate the room everyone else was in to protect them. He needed a somewhat more desperate plan to keep himself alive. As the pathogens entered the core, he had T'Pol fire on a nearby hatch. Archer was then sucked into space, where Enterprise could get a lock on him and beam him aboard - while he was still moving, which was very neat. He survived, although he looked a bit worse for wear. Kudos to the special effects team on that one!
More Trouble in Paradise: Soong continues to struggle with his wayward 'son.' Malik is even reluctant to give up center seat on the bridge for him. Soong is angry when Malik tells him that he killed Archer. Soong scolds him and sends him to engineering without any supper, but matters get worse when Soong sets a course for what he calls 'The Briar Patch,' a cloud of radiation with a habitable planet on which they can hide until the embryos have safely matured. "That's your plan?" Malik asks, incredulously. "To hide. Again." Malik cites Khan as an example of why they need to take a stand. Later, he discovers that Soong is modifying the genomes of the embryos. Soong, having recently learned from past mistakes, is attempting to remove aggression and violent behavior from the mix. Admittedly, this has to be a hard sell for Soong. 'Well, gee...I'm trying to fix everything that went wrong with YOU, Malik...' Malik is appalled, and continues to seethe...
And is removing all aggression and violent behavior a good idea? Remember, Kirk couldn't live without his evil twin...I guess this is a good example of why mucking around with the human genome is a bad idea. Soong's intentions are good, but he must be desperate to try something so drastic without knowing how it will turn out.
Running Silent: Meanwhile, back on Enterprise, the Cold Station 12 staff is returned so they can begin decontamination procedures, which are going to take over a year. Enterprise decides to pursue Soong and the Augments into Klingon space. If they're detected by the Klingons, however, they'll be intercepted. They manage to make their warp signature look Klingon, but the ruse won't work if they get within visual range.
Clever, that. It makes you wonder why Kirk never tried it, or any of the other future starships. Perhaps it only worked here because of the relatively unsophisticated technology of the 22nd Century.
Confrontation: Enterprise quickly catches up with Soong and the Augments, who, after all, weren't expecting him. Malik wants to engage them, but Soong puts the Denobulan pilot (from last week's medical shuttle) onto an escape pod, then traps the pod between two thermal layers of a planet. It will take several hours for Archer to rescue her, so the Augments get away again.
The Madness of Malik: The encounter proves to Malik that Starfleet will never give up on finding them. He proposes a plan to Soong. They should load the pathogens that he stole from CS12 (surprising and unwelcome news to Soong) into a torpedo and detonate it in the atmosphere of a Klingon colony. The resulting deaths will enrage the Klingon High Council, who will wage war with Earth, keeping them too busy to look for the Augments. The maniacal glee with which he proposes this course of action is chilling. It's clear that he sees absolutely nothing wrong with murdering millions of innocent people. We knew he had no morals after he killed Raakin, and murdered the scientist on the station in such a horrible way, but this confirms it without a doubt. It's Soong's turn to be appalled.
Mutiny: Behind the scenes, Malik convinces the bridge crew to back him as he takes command of the ship. Persis has no choice but to join in. They confront Soong in his lab, and confine him to quarters. He doesn't even seem surprised, although Persis' participation clearly hurts him.
Archer's Bluff: Back on Enterprise, the ship has been detected by a Klingon battle cruiser. They're not in visual range yet, but the Klingon ship hails Enterprise, saying they're in a restricted area and will have to be boarded. Through the Universal Translator, Archer pretends to be a Klingon, claiming that he's got the Chancellor on board and his mission is classified. This was hilarious, with Archer playing Klingon indignation and bravado perfectly. "You expect me to turn on a transponder and let every ship in the area know that we have the Chancellor on board?" he shouts. Hahaha! In the end, he tells the hapless Klingon Captain not to report the incident to his superiors, or he'll end up commanding a garbage scow! Hee. Nice job with this scene!
Persis' Tale: Persis visits Soong in his quarters, and tells him that she only went along with Malik because she feared for her life. He wants her to disable the pathogen torpedo but it's too heavily guarded. Instead, he asks her to help him leave the ship in an escape pod. As she seals him in, they share a heartfelt goodbye. "Be careful," he warns her of Malik, "he might suspect you."
He does. In bed, he accuses her of helping him escape. The threat is clear - he's like a cat playing with a mouse. Persis takes a Klingon dagger and attacks Malik, drawing blood, but he overwhelms her, gets the weapon, and brutally kills her with it. As the life fades from her eyes, he kisses her, and tells her he'll miss her.
Ugh. Between this, the grisly murder of the scientist last week, and Degra's death at the end of last season, I think I've about had it with blood and violence on Star Trek for awhile. Come on, guys - enough already. If I want to watch violence and mayhem, I'll go to the movies. This isn't what Star Trek is supposed to be about. It's necessary for the story sometimes, but it's been happening way too frequently lately.
On a much more callous note, Persis' death at least guarantees that we will no longer be subjected to Malik/Persis bedroom scenes...
Shades of Gray: I wish they could have found a way to make the Augments more interesting as a group. There seems to be no dissention among the majority of them. They follow Malik every step of the way. Are they ALL so cold? Do they really agree with him, or are they going along with him out of fear? Is this a direct result of their 'Lord of the Flies' childhood?
Even with Persis, the only one not blindly following Malik, we can't be sure what her motives are. Did she go to Soong because she disagrees with Malik's plan, or simply out of loyalty to her 'father?'
I wish we could have gotten to know a couple more of them better. There was the one who became Malik's 'right hand man' after Persis' death - the one who seemed a little younger than the rest of them. He reminded me of Joachim in 'Wrath of Khan.' I would like to have known more about him. I just wish we could have gotten some indication that they weren't all mindless sheep!
Soong Swallows His Pride: Enterprise intercepts Soong's escape pod, as he planned, and brings him on board. He asks for Archer's help, and is initially refused. I loved that Archer didn't trust him, and thought he was using himself as a ploy to help his 'children' escape. Why wouldn't Archer believe that, after every thing that's happened? With difficulty, Soong finally convinces Archer that he's telling the truth. "I didn't come back here because I missed our lively debates," Soong says. Nevertheless, they have another lively debate at this point. "You want me to admit that you were right and I was wrong?" Soong asks. He maintains that the Augments would have been okay if only Starfleet hadn't locked him up during their formative years. Archer disagrees, saying that Soong's presence wouldn't have mattered in the end, and the Augments were exactly what their creators designed them to be.
Me, I think they're both wrong. It's always a combination of nature and nurture. It's too bad that was apparently too complex a notion for this arc.
Tense Standoff: Enterprise rushes to the Klingon settlement to stop Malik. Their increased speed compromises their fake warp signature, though, and another Klingon battle cruiser - a much bigger one - intercepts them for real. Archer desperately disables them using his grapplers, and continues the race to the settlement. They are seventeen seconds behind the Augments. The Augments get there first and fire the pathogen torpedo. Enterprise arrives and fires photons in an effort to detonate the pathogen torpedo before it enters the atmosphere. When they are successful, Malik attacks Enterprise. Archer targets their bridge, but Soong stops him, saying the bridge is too heavily shielded and suggesting another target that will take out their entire power grid. Again, Archer must decide if he trusts Soong. He does, and Soong was right. The Augment's ship is permanently disabled. Sensors indicate that only twelve of the Augments are still alive. Soong is stricken.
From Hell's Heart: A bloodied, battered Malik drags himself through rubble and corpses on his bridge. One of the bodies is that of his right-hand man. This sequence reminded me so much of 'Wrath of Khan' that I got chills! Soong hails him and, practically sobbing, tries to stop him, but Malik sets the self-destruct and blows up his ship.
Wow! At this point, I still thought some of the pathogens might have gotten into the settlement's atmosphere. Along with Malik's death, I was amazed at how GREAT the arc had turned out.
Alas.
False Ending: Archer escorts Soong to quarters. He'll be confined there, but Archer apparently feels he's earned enough respect not to be put into the brig for the journey back to Earth. En route, Malik leaps down from the ceiling and attacks Soong. Apparently, he survived the destruction of his ship and beamed over somehow. Reverting back to being a two-dimensional thug, he tries to rip Soong's throat out. Archer blasts a hole in his mid-section and the man finally dies for real.
Well, I'll say it again. Argh! As I ranted above, the ending was a huge disappointment. The minute they finally managed to make Malik interesting to me, they reversed course and ruined everything. I can't even blame Alec Newman, who played Malik. He did well with what he had to work with. He was no Richardo Montalban, but his character wasn't given enough dimension for him to even come close. It's too bad. If they'd just ended the episode ten minutes earlier, it would have been a classic.
Soong's Legacy: They bookend the arc with Soong back on his cell on Earth. His genome papers have been removed from the walls. This annoys him, but Archer says they've been stored in a 'secure location.' Perhaps they'll be brought out again when human intelligence has caught up with human instinct. Soong has other plans, anyway. Rather than attempt to perfect humanity, he's thinking more along the lines of...cybernetics.
I think perhaps a certain future android is now a glimmer in his eye. Hee. Cute. A little too cute, maybe, but that's okay with me.
Archer Watch: Archer was an excellent Captain this week. He was right on top of things all the way, and proved he can bluff with the best of them. He pushed his ship and crew to the limit, and arrived in the nick of time to save the Klingon colony. Well done, Archer. I think he probably could have stunned Malik instead of blasting a hole through him, but at that point, I no longer cared. I'm a peace-lovin' monkee, and even *I* wanted to shoot the guy!
Mayweather Watch: If Mayweather had any line besides the standard, 'Aye, Captain,' I didn't hear it. Poor Travis. At least Hoshi got to talk about Klingon dialects for a moment.
'shipper Watch: Trip and T'Pol have a nice conversation while they're figuring out how to detect the Augment's ship. Trip has been avoiding T'Pol, and she misses him! Say it with me, now - awwww! Trip says he's going to need some time, but he wants her to know that, despite everything, he's proud of what she did to help her mother. Say it with me again - AWWWW!
There's one other small 'shipper moment, when Soong is on board, helping them intercept the augments. He tries needling Trip again about T'Pol. This fell flat to me, though, given that they were supposedly racing to save millions of lives. Maybe I was taking it too seriously.
Best Lines:
"Botany Bay is a myth. There's no evidence it ever existed." (Soong, to Malik. And I like the notion that Botany Bay is considered a myth.)
"Khan was a great leader, but he made one fatal mistake. He ran from his enemies rather than face them. We've spent our entire lives running and hiding. When are we going to make a stand?" (Malik, to Soong. And he's not worthy to be criticizing Khan. I mean it!)
"You used to have faith in me." "I was a child. I didn't know any better." (Soong and Malik)
"This is Captain Archer. Drop out of warp, or we'll disable you." (Archer to Augments)
"Sounds pretty confident for a dead man." (Soong, pointedly, to Malik)
"Murdering hostages has turned into a new hobby for you." (Archer, to Soong)
"What you're proposing is mass murder." "There is no other choice. It's the only way to ensure our survival." (Soong and Malik)
"Come on, it's not like we would have made an ideal couple - a Vulcan and a Human. Romeo and Juliet probably stood a better chance." (Trip, to T'Pol)
"The Orions. Ha ha ha ha ha! I've heard rumors about his 'negotiations' with their females. Is it true what they say about them?" (Klingon Captain, to Archer, who is posing as another Klingon Captain)
"If I were you, I wouldn't be making allegations about Chancellor Marek over an unsecured channel!" (Archer, posing as a Klingon, to the Klingon Captain)
"It would be best if you didn't mention this to your superior, or you might find yourself commanding a garbage scow." (Archer, to Klingon Captain)
"If he deploys that weapon, he'll be confirming everything they've said about Augments for a hundred and fifty years. He'll destroy all of you. You have to help me stop him." (Soong, to Persis)
"You know what he's capable of." "You didn't know. You had to see him murder someone right in front of you." (Soong and Archer, regarding Malik)
"It's in their nature. They were engineered to be this way. Superior ability breeds superior ambition. One of their creators said that. He was murdered by an Augment." (Archer, to Soong)
"Malik! Malik, it's your father! Don't do this. Some of your brothers and sisters are still alive." (Soong, to Malik)
"No. There's no place for us on Earth, or anywhere else. It's best to die here." (Malik, to Soong)
"I've been thinking. Perfecting humanity may not be possible. Cybernetics...artificial life forms...I doubt I'll finish the work myself. It might take a generation or two..." (Soong, at first to Archer, then to himself)
Rating: I'm torn. TORN, I tell you! There was a lot about the arc that I really loved. But this last episode has to get a big deduction for the lame ending. 7.5/10.
Next Week: A new arc begins, and we return to Vulcan. I've been looking forward to this one a lot! Can't wait! See you then.
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