Review Text
In brief: Pleasant. Fairly amusing and entertaining as lightweight shore-leave episodes go.
One lesson that seems to emerge in "Two Days and Two Nights" is that the nookie is awarded to those who aren't trying so hard. Or maybe it's not awarded in two cases because Trip and Malcolm are overly typical males being overly obvious and trying too hard at it.
But, hell — at least hooking up is actually on the minds of members of the crew. In previous Star Trek series it was almost as if human beings were above the very notion of having a sex drive, let alone expressing it. That's not saying "Two Days and Two Nights" is the least bit sophisticated when it comes to the topic, but when Trip and Malcolm get decked out in their nightlife threads and head out to a club to look for women ... well at least that's something that's socially recognizable in our own century. And when they fail miserably ... well, that's recognizable too.
The shore-leave episode is not a new concept in Trek, but this proves to be one of the better examples because it keeps things simple and observes regular human behavior. We follow a few characters through their separate adventures in (attempted) relaxation, as they shuttle down to renowned pleasure planet Risa.
Based on evidence here, Trip and Malcolm are destined to become the best-buddy partners-in-crime a la O'Brien and Bashir. It's nice to see that "Shuttlepod One," like DS9's "Armageddon Game," firmly solidified a friendship. Their storyline hardly has anything resembling depth (hanging out at a club, doing a fair amount of imbibing, trolling for dates), but something about it rings true. The actors bring a relaxed, unforced believability to light material; I found myself not thinking about the plot and just settling back and watching two people trying to have some fun. The emerging Trip/Malcolm repartee is adequately amusing. My one complaint is that the two thieves had to be shapeshifters. That's taking the Venus-flytrap routine just a little too far over the top; the two (non)women that rob Trip and Malcolm didn't have to be morphing shapeshifters to be criminals.
Another plot — less silly — involves Archer settling into a beach resort with Porthos and some books. A woman named Keyla (Dey Young, last seen in Trek in DS9's "A Simple Investigation") is checked into a room with a nearby terrace. Inevitably, Archer and Keyla meet and go out for a casual dinner. Somewhat initially confusing is the fact that Keyla looks so completely human to the point that I began wondering if she was a civilian who somehow got from Earth to Risa. Dialog reveals that's not the case, but it raises the point of aliens that are human almost to a fault.
Archer's storyline turns out to be an effective example of taking a lightweight premise and adding some fairly meaty larger-plot implications in an appropriately low-key way. It turns out Keyla is a Tandaran operative (the Tandarans were those who had imprisoned innocent Suliban in "Detained"). She was sent with a cover story to get close to Archer and convince him to reveal more information about the Suliban. The way she goes about doing this is sneaky and very believable given what we learned about the Tandarans in the earlier episode — a people who take the concept of "we need to know what you know" very seriously, to the point of monomania.
In a third storyline, Travis falls while rock-climbing and must be shuttled back to the Enterprise. Kellie Waymire reprises her role as Crewman Cutler, Phlox's medical assistant, but she encounters the unexpected in subbing as ship's doctor. This results in Phlox having to be brought prematurely out of hibernation to treat Travis for a medicinal allergy. Lesson of the week: Don't wake a Denobulan from hibernation and expect him to be clear-headed. Played for laughs, Phlox's drowsy/insane antics are milked for all they're worth, which is to say the results are mixed: Billingsley is game for these scenes but they're hit-and-miss — sometimes amusing, other times too broad and obvious.
In a fourth storyline, Hoshi meets a friendly man named Ravis (Rudolf Martin), who comes from a planet that's unpronounceable and probably even more unspellable. Ravis and Hoshi connect instantly on linguistic levels, and I must again express my approval at the use of subtitles in lieu of the universal translator, and the pleasant, easygoing chemistry between the two characters that ensues.
It serves as some sort of justice — or anti-justice — that Hoshi is the one who ends up getting bedroom time while not being the one who had set out looking for it. Meanwhile, Malcolm and Trip spend a night tied up unconscious in the basement of a bar in their underwear, because thieves have stolen their clothes. Whoever said "nothing ventured, nothing gained" was apparently not one who was shot, robbed, and left unconscious in the basement of a bar in their underwear.
It's a small miracle of sorts that these four unrelated plot threads manage to end up being not only watchable but fairly entertaining. Michael Dorn, who directed one of Trek's all-time best comedies, DS9's "In the Cards," brings a similar sense of restraint and straightforward humanity to the material. Admittedly, none of these plots on their own would be sufficient to sustain an episode, or even half an episode. But together they manage to work adequately for a low-key vacation episode.
And in the end, during the shuttle ride back to the Enterprise, everyone is content to forgo conversation about vacation. What happened on Risa stays on Risa. I like that.
Next week: A catastrophic accident suggests an end to the Enterprise's mission. (Season finale.)
Previous episode: Desert Crossing
Next episode: Shockwave
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76 comments on this post
Jakob M. Mokoru
This episode again proves: My favorite character on Enterprise is....PORTHOS! And I'm saying this being absolutely no dog-lover, quite the contrary! But Porthos is cute (and a good actor! ;o) )
Christina
An "entertaining" episode? Three stars??
Frankly, I had to stop myself from falling asleep during this big pile of nothing. Jammer, you're far too lenient on these episodes.
There's a reason a Two Days and Two Nights recap is featured in The Worst of Trek section of the Agony Booth.
http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Star_Trek/Enterprise/Two_Days_and_Two_Nights.aspx
Josh
Jammer,
I think you neglected to think about Riker, as he was well known for wanting sex wherever he could get it. "They have sex at the drop of a hat"
Kirk prolly had 18 varieties of alien Chlamydia.
I disagree with your statement that the previous series acted like humans are avove it.
Also, this is one of the less potent episodes of Enterprise. I think 3 stars is being very generous. But that's my take.
Pete
I would hoping they gave a little nod to Voyager here. Remember when Janeway and Chakotay were discussing the Vidiians in "Fury"?
JANEWAU: Remember the old story? A man goes to Risa, where he meets a beautiful woman who invites him over for an evening of passion.
CHAKOTAY: He wakes up in the morning, feeling wonderful, until he discovers he's missing a kidney.
Would've been cool to see the genesis of this story told to Starfleet cadet for years to come.
Imagine how much more Trip and Reed would've bonded if one lost a kidney and the other had to donate one of theirs?
Oh well.
Marco P.
Thank you Christina. Up until recently, the only thing that made watching ST Enterprise bearable for me was to read sfdebris.com's review after each episode. The perfect way to outline all the ridiculous/nonsensical script/dialogue created by Brannon & Braga.
Unfortunately, sfdebris.com's author eventually grew tired and his reviews turned into one-line micro-reviews near the end of Season 1. This made watching the show considerably duller.
Thankfully your agonybooth link just restored some of my faith (and entertainment) in humanity.
cc
Two days and two nights: Featuring a flying rat/dog! Or is that phase shifting? Anyway, its abilities impress me.
Cloudane
Yay, Planet Brothel. Well it's better than the other Risa episodes. At least they didn't shove the "soliciting" angle down our throats like they did with Captain's Holiday, even if the Trip+Reed stuff did get a bit eye rolling.
I too am most curious about the flying dog.
(Oh and the growling scene.... sorry but that was so terrible it was hilarious)
Phlox being woken up reminds me of myself on a morning. There's one very apt line though, someone mentions Mayweather to him and he says "er... who?" - heh, indeed.
Hoshi's story was pleasant and sweet though. At first the guy looked like one of those creepy types.. he reminded me of someone of that description off TNG (can't remember who) when he was standing there staring and eavesdropping - I don't know why, but he just has the face of a Creepy Malicious Guy - but I'm glad to see that he wasn't. A refreshing change.
All in all it was okay, but like most of ENT so far, I only consider it "okay". I'd have given it 2 stars.
Tinker
"Who's an emergency?"
"Ensign Mayweather."
"WHO?"
Yes. Exactly.
chris
""Who's an emergency?"
"Ensign Mayweather."
"WHO?"
Yes. Exactly."
LOL!!!
Oh well, another boring nonsense story.
Steve
Didn't Archer found it odd that another dog was on Risa? Unless Dogs somehow can transport themselves 90 light years. Actually, that explains how it got on Archers deck
Paul York
A planet devoted to inter-stellar tourism was portrayed as surprisingly human - somewhat like the Carribean or Medditerranean -- but at least it was an improvement over the cliched Star Wars bar with alien strippers and reptilian underworld characters. It was realistic to portray petty crime (a la Rio) -- though as noted above, stealing organs is more likely than stealing clothes, as well as the allergy to alien medicine, as well as spies. The strength of Enterprise is that the scenarios are more believable than some of the things we often encounter in other ST shows ... and that is intentional, as it is closer to our time. It is believable fiction, crossing over into hard SF in many episodes. That may make it more boring for some viewers, but also certainly helps to suspend disbelief a great deal more, and supports the notion that humans could very well meet aliens in the future, as pictured here.
Captain Jim
Jammer said, "Somewhat initially confusing is the fact that Keyla looks so completely human to the point that I began wondering if she was a civilian who somehow got from Earth to Risa. Dialog reveals that's not the case, but it raises the point of aliens that are human almost to a fault."
Am I the only one who thought those looked like Trill spots?
Rosario
Frankly if I had information that could out a spy, I would confront her with a little more than the bioscan that outs her and I certainly wouldn't touch/let her touch me!
What does everybody mean "believeable situations?" I really thought Trip/Malcolm were playing the cliche. Has my gender fallen so far that this depiction is no longer comic but realistic? That is beyond saddening. This is why I prefer to live under a rock. All the garbage that convinced me to stop watching television in the 90s has now not only become the norm but is now accepted and real. Scary!
Jammer you didn't note Vorox from "Vox Sela" is the shuttle pilot to the surface. More Below Decks continuity.
John the younger
Add my name to the list of people who thought you must have been smashing some grade-A happy pills to have given this episode 3 stars, Jammer.
Arachnea
The micro-stories are put well together and there's a nice pace. I liked the Hoshi story and the end.
I found very believable that Malcolm would want some woman, that's the way he's been depicted (first time when he looks so mesmerized watching the "eating-butterflies strip-teasers in a previous episode). However, until now, Trip hasn't been depicted (except by T'Pol) as such. He's been acting like a gentleman, even shy when around women. He said he's had only 3 relations so far and the way he described his first dance doesn't strike me as a guy who'd behave like that.
So, even if the continuity with the buddy-buddy with Reed is good, the theme is wrong.
For the rest... well, it was a Risa episode...
mark
Three stars?
I really disliked this episode. The only one of the plot strands that felt at all natural was Hoshi's one night stand; Tucker and Reed were painted as sleazy rubes, Phlox's resuscitation from hibernation was a painfully labored and unfunny attempt at humor, and Archer's femme fatale really wore my patience down to the bone as far as "aliens" who happen to look and act just like humans are concerned. (And she even had a dog? Come on!) The fact that she turned out to be a surgically altered Tandaran doesn't make it much better as the Tandarans look pretty much exactly like humans too. But my main problem with Archer's portion of the hour was the completely bland, lifeless dialogue between him and this mysterious woman; there was nothing interesting about these scenes whatsoever.
This episode doesn't even rate one star from me-- I'd give it half a star for Hoshi's scenes, which, while not riveting, at least played naturally. As for the rest, it was a lifeless bore of an episode. Easily my pick for worst episode of the season.
Jack
Every Risa episode has been excruciating, but this one is the worst of all...worse than the DS9 weather sabotage one and worse than the TNG tox uthat one.
skadoo
I'm surprised that no one has questioned how the Tandarians knew that the ship was going to Risa? And how did they know that Archer even had a dog? I agree with Arachnea that Trip's characterization seems off. This episode does NOT deserve 3 stars. Sigh.
John G
I agree with the 3 star rating.
As for some of the complaints:
It didn't seem off that the Tandarians knew where the Enterprise was headed and that Archer had a dog.
The Tandarians seemed to have a strong intelligence agency. In "Detained" they knew a great deal about Archer and his interactions with the Suliban and the Cabal.
Also, it seemed Archer was becoming something of a legend with a lot a actual and exaggerated information going around about him.
As for the dog on the deck, I assume "Keyla" put her up there to orchestrate a "chance encounter" with Archer.
A better question would be how did the Tandarians acquire an Earth dog? Or was that hairless thing supposed to be an alien dog? I wonder if Porthos is just unfriendly or unaccustomed to other dogs or if he sensed something wrong about her. I was expecting the two dogs to have jamaharon rather than growl at each other.
Is my internal chronometer malfunctioning or were they only on Risa for one night? Didn't Reed and Malcolm get robbed on their first night there and return to Enterprise the next day?
Diamond Dave
I thought this was perfectly inoffensive and fairly entertaining. Trip and Malcolm's big night out looked like a fairly deliberate pastiche of TOS-style 60s mores, and Archer's story carried some welcome continuity. Broad though it may be, Phlox's scene upon waking up is I think the funniest I've yet seen on Trek. And amazingly, Hoshi met a guy who turned out to be neither an alien shapeshifter nor an alien intelligence operative and gets her oats in guilt free manner. And that might be the most subversive plot element yet.
"I learned several new conjugations" indeed. 2.5 stars.
Batchick
Captain Jim: I agree that she had spots but unlike the Trill, hers were larger and met somewhere below the shoulders to make one.....uh, path down the stomach. They could be seen in her midriff baring outfit around her navel.
Where would she get a Chinese Crested to connect to the Captain through Porthos? Are we to assume that due to humanities "improvements" that puppy mills have gone galactic to stay in business?
Ivanov
After watching this episode the only memorable plot points for me is Reed and Catfish Tucker get robbed by transvestites. and Hoshi gets some action. completely forgettable episode for me.
Yanks
Well, you'll be very challenged to find a bigger Enterprise fan than me and I can't give this one 3 stars :-)
I usually skip it. I did like how they portrayed Hoshi here. I felt happy for her.
Another alien "dog"... the writers must have watched Voyager. :-)
I know the stories revolve around our main cast, but I would have like to see some of the crew enjoying themselves.
2 stars from me.
TS
Oof. Kinda surprised you rated this large fluffy piece of an episode 3 whole stars. I thought it was mostly forgettable. A Risa episode... those always go well, right?
The Good:
The somewhat amusing Reed/Trip stuff - Love those guys, another great Trek friendship in the making... but did they have to run into shapeshifters?? Shapeshifters! Again! Enterprise writers really love their shapeshifters this season.
Some of the Phlox stuff - I like Phlox and John Billingsley is certainly throwing himself into the situation, but it was a little obvious and overdone in spots.
The Bad:
Hoshi's "storyline" - So... how did that all work? I guess we just assume she had sex with this alien guy and it worked and it was great. And she had sex... with a random alien guy she barely knew. I don't think it was a "good" episode for her character, because she was the one person who was super nervous about away missions and I find it hard to believe a person like that would lower their securities so easily to an alien guy that she barely knows. It did not gel with what we have seen of her character this season.
Mayweather - This guy continues to be so bland and one note in every scene he is in. I really hope he gets better in the next couple seasons. He's making Harry Kim look like a good character.
Archer's storyline - Okay, so a pretty "alien" woman sort of seduces Archer and then blows her cover by awkwardly stating all of this Suliban related information out near the end? She just kept yammering on about them. Real subtle of her. Guess she couldn't keep up her "act". And then what? She knocks him out and leaves.... while I appreciated the callback to "Detained", is anything actually going to come of this? Will we ever see her again? I severely doubt it.
2/4 from me.
TH
I have to agree with those who disagreed with Jammer's review of this one. Pure fluff and so amazingly predictable.
Trip and Reed go down looking for a good time and meet two women. Clearly the plot is not going to just be "they find two women and have sex". Something suspicious is coming. I was expecting them to be the comic relief, striking out by trying too hard. Not getting into real jeopardy.
Meanwhile, Archer randomly meets a woman. I was really hoping this would be a bit more of an emotional storyline, but it too comes out as a "not what it seems" storyline.
Hoshi, however, has the most creepy-seeming person come up to her (based on the way it is directed) and I would have bet you significant money that he would turn out to intending to use Hoshi for some evil purpose.
One might say that they way these expectations don't come to pass makes this a "great episode". However, at the end of the day, we get the crew going to a pleasure planet and we have three crewmen run into nefarious aliens, and we have another that SEEMS like she is going to... Also, in the meantime, Mayweather manages to get somewhat injured, leading to a serious medical situation because the Risans don't know how to treat a human.
I found nothing redeemable about the silly Phlox stuff. Okay, decent acting by Billingsly, but no character development, more poor acting by Montgomery, and no lasting relevance.
I guess I just have no idea what this episode is supposed to be. We have Mayweather AND Trip and Malcolm in comic relief plots, Hoshi in a plot that seems like it is going to end up being EITHER comic relief or serious jeopardy, but turns out to just be mundane nothing. This is juxtaposed against a pretty comedy-free Archer plot. None of this seems to fit together at all.
I'd give it 1.5 to 2 stars, tops. Sorry Jammer.
Sean
Really? Ten months into their mission and they need a vacation? Wow. I don't think I've had a vacation in five years. (which isn't true, of course - but still I have a point here). I think the real reason I hate it when we see the star trek crew go on vacation is thanks to the god awful star trek V.
Rahul
I don't get Jammer's overly glowing review but others calling it total garbage are a bit harsh. It is a dull episode with nothing really happening for the 1st half hour. 4 storylines to fill an hour.
Didn't think Hoshi would be so loose - would have been better if she didn't get in bed with the stranger even if things went along well. Tripp/Malcolm's escapade was entirely predictable. I actually enjoyed Phlox's revival - did make me chuckle. But what was more interesting was Archer's incident with the disguised Tandaran although it was slow in developing. Does set the stage for more to come on that storyline.
Overall almost a waste of a total episode, not sure how Jammer gives it 3 stars - it's definitely one of the weaker episodes. 1.5/4 stars for me.
Intrinsic Random Event
Well I'm watching through this series for the first time, and I'd have to say that this was one of the most interesting episodes of The Love Boat that I have ever seen. There were some nice comic touches, like when that really inept spy knocked out Captain Stubing with her fingernail, or when Gopher and the Bartender got mugged and tied up by those robbers disguised as hot chicks.
Must have been something wrong with my audio, I couldn't hear the laugh track, but still plenty of chuckles to be had...
Startrekwatcher
2 stars. Totally stupid episode.
Franknol
Wow! 3 stars? This make look Threshold like The Inner Light
Samuel
This is probably the best Risa episode. But that's kind of like saying that it's the tastiest glass of urine.
Maq
Nice episode, although I can understand that those who wants more context dislikes it. The Malcom Trip part was overplayed and overdone. Archer OK but when the things suddenly started to happen it was overdone from Keyla. Maywether Plox T'Pol Cuttler, entertaining quit funny but nothing special.
Hoshi, contrary to a some others i find it perfectly OK that she takes the opportunity. Leaving the medical topic aside , not having sex with an alien that you do not know , this reflects our world and also today and perhaps tomorrow. I find it perfectly OK for a woman to decide over her own body. If it is OK for Trip to satisfy his bodily need why not for Hoshi. It is not bad for her character. But she should perhaps have apologised taking advantage of the situation. It was perhaps improper for his culture to get intimate so fast. On the other hand, it was on Risa.
I liked watching it again, but as with the other Risa storys, they looks more promising before than after.
Jasper
The acting of Malcolm is so bad in this episode. He gets really childish and obnoxious. The plot with Archer isn't really a plot. And how come every time Starfleet visits Risa there is crime? Unrelated stories, poor acting, bad writing. 1 star.
navamske
@Captain Jim
"Am I the only one who thought those looked like Trill spots?"
No.
this review is bad
0 stars on entertainment and storyline development.
5 stars on social commentary. Trek pretty much used this episode to tell us that women decide when you are getting any and that guys have to waste a lot of time to get any unless they get lucky and sometimes trying to get lucky gets you in trouble.
Geordi
"5 stars on social commentary. Trek pretty much used this episode to tell us that women decide when you are getting any and that guys have to waste a lot of time to get any unless they get lucky and sometimes trying to get lucky gets you in trouble. "
Men decide that. That seems pretty clear when you begin to notice that the desire to complain about "not getting any" seems to be more important than the desire to "get any" itself.
Luke
Men decide what? Whether or not they "get any"?
Women are the ones who ultimately decide whether or not a sexual encounter takes place. The only time that isn't the case is in cases of rape, which this episode obviously didn't depict.
Geordi
Choosing to view a relationship as one in which the other holds something of value that is to be gained is still a decision, and it inevitably leads to the encounter playing out to affirm that point of view. Looking for someone to blame for "withholding" sex serves that purpose nicely.
Dani
Highlight of the episode: Travis in blue spandex. Fairly lighthearted episode I could easily enjoy.
Sam
Tedious and pointless filler, with bugger all sci-fi content. Zero stars. Trek writers should have been banned from going back to Risa after TNG demonstrated that nothing of interest was likely to happen there.
Chris
Whaaattt? Kirk hit on every woman he met! " as if human beings were above the very notion of having a sex drive [on Trek]." Please!
Strejda
@Luke You... You think women never feel like having sex when men don't?
Drew
So I'm actually watching the episode right now. I don't know if anyone else noticed I read a lot of the comments on how people were upset with the story line. But what I noticed on the Risa gal. She had spots an if anyone else would know that means she was a Trill. The plot-story doesn't back it up. Says she was augmented to look that way - human. But if you follow on all the other shows... the spots down the face/neck an stomach would indicate her as a trill
Graham
So... I remember not liking this one much at all in the 00s. And then seeing this review and thinking something along the lines of "what was Jammer smoking?". And then I looked at Jammer's review of Let He Who Is Without Sin and thought "oh yeah, that's what I thought!" -- except it was DS9. This isn't even as good as that one. That one has Ferengi commentary on how bad rain is... and it's fun. Funny. Quoteworthy. I mean, it may be the only thing that WAS fun in that Baywatch wannabe episode, but it was fun.
This... this Enterprise episode... this doesn't have anything fun in it. Not a bit. Unless you've just been watching the bland as heck first season of Enterprise and are now quite used to it. And I admit, I fell for it a little bit in that regard. I'd give it half a star for watching airheaded girls turn into alien baddies. I guess. I mean, that's it. Archer's plot is as vacant and tedious as any episode of Love Boat ever was. The boys' adventure with the ladies/aliens/thieves is just stupid.
And wait... what was the other plot? Yeah.
On this recent rewatch of mine this one and Desert Crossing both completely lost me. Seasons one and two of Enterprise were nearly begging to be canceled except for just a few bright spots. And if one checked in for just one or two of these hours to see what the current Star Trek was like in early 2002, well, one could be forgiven for then giving up on the series. Fortunately Trek kept moving on. But also, fortunately, Enterprise itself moved on very nicely in 2003. But I've got most of another season of rewatch to get through until Judgment.
Cody B
I liked this one a lot. Not only because of the endless potential you can count on Rosa to always provide, but also because I’ve never seen a Trek episode juggle so many subplots and do it well at that. The Hoshi subplot was a nice diversion from the regular and threw something unexpected- it was simply Hoshi meeting a guy she liked and spending two days with him. No drama. Just Hoshi getting a vacation and enjoying the company of someone she liked. As for the secret agent mysterious woman Archer meets, like a lot of the other commentators I also thought she was Trill. Those are clearly Trill markings and it seems the production really went out of their way to make sure they were noticed. I expect to see this Trill again in the future maybe in a different body. I would give this episode 3.5 it had a lot going on and managed to keep it all entertaining
SpaceCadet
I thought this was boring crap. Nothing remotely redeeming, funny, or memorable. Risa episodes really should be banned. I like the dogs though. Dogs rule.
Austin
I know saying an episode is the best “Risa” episode is like trying to pick your favorite “Lwaxana Troi” episode, but the closest thing Voyager has was “Prime Factors” with that weird European guy, DS9 had Worf join a Doomsday Cult for no apparent reason, and TNG gave us an extremely tedious episode with Picards extreme V-neck. I did find myself checking the clock with about 12 minutes left wondering how they were gonna tie up all 4 storylines that quickly and wondering if they were connected somehow. And I was happily surprised they weren’t and actually really liked that ending shot with all of them in the Shuttlecraft. Phlox was great in this episode too, but I wouldn’t give it more than 2 stars. It’s got its funny parts but it’s just...Mehhh
Neo the Beagle
Perhaps the best Porthos episode ever! Lots of good screen time. I give it 4 Paws and a waggy tail!
EventualZen
@Neo the Beagle
I like your sense of humour.
Pam
A boring, yet uncomfortable episode. The only storyline that held any interest for me was Hoshi's. Trip and Malcolm's "Night at the Roxbury" ripoff was weak and lame, and seemed really out of character for both of them. Archer's mystery woman was a snooze-fest, and Travis kinda acted like a jerk.
At least Hoshi made a genuine connection and had a good time.
EventualZen
Did anyone else notice that Trip and Reed's conversation would probably be interpreted as transphobic today? It's the scene where they're in a bar and Reed says something like "She looks good", Trip replies "I don’t think ‘she’ is the right pronoun, but if you think it’s worth the risk.", and Reed replies "I'll take my chances".
Debeli Svinjo
@EventualZen
It was a different time. A better time. Far less toxic political correctness, far more common sense. Trannies are an abomination.
Booming
I wonder how many people saw the comment above this one in the comment stream and decided:"I'm going to ignore this."
Artymiss
@Booming
Me!
Booming
@artymiss
Why?
Artymiss
@Booming
Poster is a troll surely. I never feed a troll.
Booming
@artymiss
Yes, don't feed the troll is very popular for quite some time now. What do you think about "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing." I always wonder how people differentiate between trolls and actual evil people.
Artymiss
If you feel that strongly about the comment in question then I suggest YOU do something.
I feel you have lured me into a trap here Booming and I will not be commenting further on this thread.
Booming
I did not want to entrap you. Just curiosity on my part.
When I saw the comment I wondered if people would just ignore it. So I waited. That's all.
Dave in MN
It's very odd that we neverc see that word on here and suddenly we see it twice in a few days. What a strange "coincidence.".
Booming
I didn't make the comment. After writing down and then erasing a little story from my military time I decided to just tell you that your comment made me very, very angry.
I will now cite from the terms of use
- The golden rule: Keep things respectable and civil. Honest, good-faith debate is encouraged, but please avoid personal or ad hominem attacks or accusations, or blatant rudeness or profanity directed at other contributors.
-Do not post anything illegal, libelous, defamatory, harmful, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, invasive of another's privacy, or racially, ethnically, or sexually objectionable.
Dave in MN
I wasn't implying you did. Didn't Jammer say not to assume the worst about people?
My point was that whoever posted this was just saying so because of the drama in the Discovery thread.
Jillyenator
So...Archer's door switch panel wasan outline of a Horgan. At least that part made me happy.
And then we had more Porthos (aya!) and we learned a little bit about Denobulans. Everything else else was trite.
Neil Mack
Three. 3. THREE stars for that absolutely dire, boring and amusing episode!
You've been tougher on brilliant DS9 episodes.
One of the worst Trek shows I've ever seen, and I've watched all TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager.
SamSimon
Very surprised by the high rating, I think that this is one of the worst episodes of the season so far... Bland. Predictable. Uff...
Antoine H
Mayweather: "Have you ever stayed in an alien hospital?"
T'pol: "Yes. In San Francisco."
Y'know, sometimes Vulcans annoy me, but they also have some of the best lines in the entire show. XD
Mike
I think we have had way more than our allotted screen time of Trip in his underwear now.
Hopefully we get some equal underwear time for T’Pol and Hoshi now! I mean fair is fair!
Buckbart
Mike -
T'Pol in the decontamination chamber. She needs to be on every away mission.
Also, dogs don't fly, they get placed by their characters who have an agenda to meet another character who has a dog.
Neo the Beagle
Best Enterprise ever!!! So many Porthos scenes make this a classic. Anyone who says otherwise is just plain barking mad
Michael Miller
The entire episode was just a disappointing joke. Literally everyone acted out of character and the bits and pieces that look liked the plot was going to climax/twist at the end in some sort of conspiracy just ended up being nothing. From Archer getting a fingernail roofie from that anti-suliban operative, to that absolutely ridiculous mugging of Trip and Reed in the basement of that mixed alien strip club, to the drunk doctor coming out of hibernation, and horny Hoshi just sleeping with a random guy (the random word she mistakenly blurted out just so happened to be "kiss" in an alien language, yeah..RIGHT). It was boring but with the way certain crew members were being randomly targeted by random strangers throughout I was sure it was going to end up being some kind of Tulaban conspiracy trying to get info about the ship and the temporal cold war, but nope they just flew back to the ship like nothing happened and it just got added to the pile of foiled vacation episodes like Shore Leave and Captains Day or whatever it was called. But this was way more disappointing and boring. We could have at least had some quick conflict with that woman at the end or something. Was annoyed when the credits came. Negative 1 star.
Michael Miller
Also the whole idea of a vacation planet having no safety protocols for climbing magic mountains that change shape as you climb them resulting in tourists breaking their bones was ridiculous. Same with the 2nd in command doctor who didn't know how to run a simple scan on her own, lazy writing.
Gary Twinem
Odd that Enterprise's medical staff seems to consist only of Dr. Phlox, with Crewman Cutler giving him a hand. Even our small health centre has three GPs working in it.
EventualZen
@Gary Twinem
The NX-01 only had a crew of 83 where as a typical GP serves a few 1000 people.
Allie
Ugh stupid episode with no point
Weird they bother making it risa but malcolm and tripp can’t get laid. All they needed to do was go to the gift shop and buy that statue
I kept waiting for something to happen which would make this episode worth filming and then there were only 10 mins left.
Phlox part was enjoyable to me but yeah, one doctor? Hoshi was okay. Trip and malcolm cringy, archer boring and definitely just shoehorned in so we could feel like there was a reason to film the episode.
Porthos cute as ever and the two dogs growling at each other- ok for real THAT was the cutest scene ever.
van zeSpleen
@Pete
Re: Janeway & Chakotay on Risa weird urban myth:
So is their ST: Voyager conversation really the beginning of this urban myth?
It is still being bandied around Downunder, in various iterations, including on local ABC radio (national taxpayer funded broadcaster).
Wasnt there an X Files episode filmed in HongKong featuring same theme, where tourist woke up in hotel icebath minus a major organ?
TheRealTrent
Arguably Trek's best Risa episode, "Two Days and Two Nights" watches as the Enterprise crew stops off at Risa for some long awaited relaxation.
The episode's big joke, however, is that the famed Pleasure Planet grants the crew the precise opposite of what it expected.
And so Travis expects a fun mountain climb, but is surprised by a "rock face that changes". Reed and Trip expect fun times with exotic ladies, but get robbed by some shapeshifters. Hoshi expects peace and quiet, but makes a connection with a fellow linguist. And Archer expects solitude, but meets an undercover Tandaran. Back on the Enterprise, Phlox is similarly caught off guard: he's allocated time for hibernation, but is unexpectedly woken up to treat a patient.
Trek's Risa episodes are generally weak, and while "Two Days and Two Nights" is not great, it has a pleasant, easy-going vibe. Hoshi's little story is particularly well done, and Trip and Reed's subplot humorously echoes World War 2 era "shore leave" stories, in which American GIs chased skirts and passed time on the beaches of Hawaii ("From here to Eternity").
Beyond this, some of the episode's low-budget sets and special effects are reasonably good, and the episode is cleverly conceived as a capstone to the season, and a brief moment of calm before a bombastic two-parter.
2.9/5
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