651. Fallen HeroFORMULA: Data's Day + Dax + The Ascent
WHY WE LIKE IT: Fionnula Flanagan. The chase.
WHY WE DON'T: Risa gets no love.
REVIEW: Don't get too excited at the mention of Risa at the start of this episode, because Enterprise gets diverted to Mazar to pick up a Vulcan ambassador in disgrace before they ever get there. Too bad. Were we finally going to find out what jamaharon was? Given the adolescent discussions about "sexual release = efficiency" at the top of the episode, I wouldn't have put it past the show's creators. Padding, then, because efficiency isn't one of the episode's themes, nor is there enough disappointment shown.
Unless you count T'Pol's, that is. Ambassador V'Lar is a hero of hers (no matter what she says about Vulcans not having them) and her disgrace is a blow. But of course, she didn't do anything wrong. Those crafty Vulcans are actually helping Mazar's government to get out from under a cloud of disruption and it's all subterfuge to protect her life so she can testify against a criminal conspiracy. And they say Vulcans don't lie.
Fionnula Flanagan makes V'Lar something of a surprise to Enterprise's crew, though not necessarily one to the viewers. Older Vulcans, particularly those who have spent a lot of time offworld, seem to have a grace and wisdom about them absent in their younger people. Like the elder Spock, she's let go of her disdain for emotions and is thus able to more amiably interact with other species. And face it, it's nice to see a well-acted Vulcan for once. All those scenes where she "senses" T'Pol's emotions seem to me like a guessing game, a script insert to explain things that should be apparent from the acting (which still hovers somewhere between bored and seasick). Still, check out that weird look on T'Pol's face when she's caught feeling "friendship" towards Archer at the end. How embarrassing!
As far as the action elements of the episodes go, the chase at "high" warp is done with plenty of tension. Whispered status reports, fires breaking out, and plenty of unsteady steady-cam, as the ship finally reaches its "on paper" top speed of Warp 5. The climax is another of those Enterprise stings (like, say, Acquisition), showing that Archer's specialty is the bluff or the put-on, good at screwing with his opponents' heads. In fact, I'd say it'd been pulled off brilliantly if V'Lar hadn't shown up to gloat at the end. The Mazarites would have gone home beaten, but convinced of her death. Ah well.
LESSON: Porthos WILL steal every scene he's in.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: A whole lot of talking heads, but has a good, tension-filled finale to keep things dynamic. T'Pol-heavy episodes do show Blalock's limitations though.
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