Star Trek: Enterprise
"Minefield"
Air date: 10/2/2002
Written by John Shiban
Directed by James Contner
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"I'm afraid we have another problem, sir."
"What?"
"I need to use the bathroom."
"I won't tell a soul."
— Reed and Archer
In brief: A bomb-dissection episode featuring good characterization.
"Minefield" is highly reminiscent of last season's "Shuttlepod One." We have a life-threatening crisis, we have attempted solutions, and we have two guys trapped in a predicament that gives them time to talk to each other. One of them happens to be, again, Lt. Malcolm Reed, who has become a character of noteworthy development after starting the series as the resident mystery.
Yes, the premise is the sort that all but invites a David Spade-like quip of, "I liked this episode the first time I saw it — when it was called 'Shuttlepod One.'" But it's worth noting that "Minefield" works for many of the same reasons "Shuttlepod One" worked. It's mostly an exercise in simplicity — giving us a predicament and the attempted solutions — and that ends up putting the emphasis on personalities and acting. While this episode isn't as good at capturing sheer desperation the way the frigid, closed-in "Shuttlepod One" was, I did enjoy it for its ability to adequately showcase Reed and Archer.
The setup is another one of those situations that goes a long way to proving the adage, "curiosity killed the cat." The Enterprise encounters a planet, decides to take a look, and promptly runs into a cloaked mine that leaves a hole in the side of the ship's saucer section. Another mine, unexploded, is discovered to be attached to the hull of the ship. Reed may have the expertise to defuse it, so he goes out in an EV-suit and magnetic boots to make the effort.
It's about here where the Romulans show up.
I'm not sure we need to see the Romulans here (actually, we don't see them — just their ships). Their presence raises the question of how the Vulcans know so little about them considering the Romulans are their distant cousins. I'm sure an explanation could be easily concocted (whether or not it's believable is another matter), but it's a moment like this that makes one wonder why the writers feel a need to fall back on established lore when it's pretty apparent they have no clue what the lore means in the current time frame.
The Romulans basically tell the Enterprise to go away, right now, you are trespassers, you will be destroyed if you don't leave, yadda yadda yadda. I've often wondered why those who hate trespassers so much opt to make it impossible for innocent passersby to know that they're trespassing. If you want people to stay away from your planet, I'd recommend the solar-system equivalent of a big "KEEP OUT" sign and an electrified barbed-wire fence. The barbed-wire fence here is cloaked, which seems neither fair nor practical.
The Romulans, of course, aren't here to provide cultural insight; they're here to up the urgency quotient. Since the mine is not a time-bomb but rather a tamper-resistant device that must be slowly and carefully disarmed, the ticking clock is provided by the looming presence of Romulan ships, which cloak and decloak ominously. (Can a ship cloak and decloak ominously?) As if Reed didn't already have enough pressure on him, a metal spike comes out of the mine and impales him through the leg and pins him to the hull of the ship. I hate it when that happens.
This requires Archer to come out in an EV-suit and lend a helping hand. The ensuing scenes are a conventional mix of Bomb Defusing Procedures and personal dialog. Bomb Defusing Procedures on Star Trek must always be fun for the prop guys, because they get to design big metallic levers and switches and buttons that move around and must be activated in the right order, i.e., whatever order the writers have previously concocted. Remember the series of big round dials that activated the Genesis Device in The Wrath of Khan? Bingo.
The important thing is for the bomb-deactivation scenes to be believable. For the most part, they're about as believable as they need to be here, although we all know the Enterprise is not about to be blown to smithereens. The episode's cause is particularly helped by the fact the crew is shown thinking ahead to work the problem. Trip comes up with a backup plan for detaching the segment of the hull where the mine has locked on. This is very sanely written — showing that the crew is not helpless and in a way that is easy for the audience to grasp (and therefore something we can find plausible rather than feeling buried with tech).
The episode is the first to be written by new co-executive producer John Shiban, a former X-Files scribe. The script wisely puts its money on the character backstory. Yes, Archer and Reed are trying to dismantle a bomb, but the story is more interested in supplying these two guys with some humanity than in getting too carried away with the bomb or the Romulans. Reed once again comes across as the perpetually serious officer — a man who's all about the work and not all about personal relationships with his crewmates. The breakfast scene at the beginning sets the stage nicely; Reed is all business, awkward and uncomfortable in a situation where the captain has invited him simply to offer his friendship.
Here we get some Reed backstory that I think works pretty well. Reed is from a long line of British navy men, and to carry on the tradition, Malcolm was even in the British navy himself for as long as he could stand it. He had a fear of drowning that made his participation in the navy pretty impractical — a fear fueled even more by the fact that his great-uncle drowned in a submarine disaster, a story I need not retell since the episode does such a good job of doing so on its own.
What I liked best was the story's interest in comparing Malcolm's formal navy sensibilities with Archer's looser style of command on the Enterprise. Malcolm doesn't really agree with Archer's style of fraternizing with his subordinates and seeking out their opinions. Malcolm favors a rigid, conservative chain-of-command structure where a captain is your boss and not your friend. I liked Archer's response, too, which has its own merits: The Enterprise is out here on its own, and camaraderie is an especially important virtue to nurture.
But also intriguing is how Archer's command style makes it more difficult for him to think in the military terms of death. Indeed, it's shown here almost as one of Archer's bigger weaknesses, where he's prepared to take out even bigger risks on his ship for a gamble to keep every crewman safe. It's a weakness that does not go unchallenged, with Reed strongly objecting and finally disconnecting his own oxygen supply to try to force Archer into another course of action.
It's worth noting that after an entire year in space, up to and including the mine that rips a hole in the ship at the beginning of this episode, the Enterprise has not suffered a single fatality among its crew. Archer has not truly faced death under his command, and the evidence here is that he is not particularly well-prepared for that possibility. When someone finally does get killed on this mission, it ought to be interesting to see the impact.
The hardware aspects of "Minefield" are the type that prompt me to ask questions out of curiosity (which is not to be confused with questioning the show's science on the account that I don't buy it). For example, I wonder what it takes to damage an EV-suit beyond its ability to protect you from the vacuum of space. Would a hole poked by a metal spike cause decompression? Also, when the hull segment is detached and the bomb finally does blow up, Reed and Archer protect themselves by holding metal shields between them and the explosion. Is that possible? Would the shockwave injure or kill them or at least jar the shields from their grip? Just wondering.
Don't worry, because that's not really the point of "Minefield." Nor are the Romulans, who remain shadowy figures of a vaguely threatening nature. The point is watching Reed and Archer interact as they try to dismantle a MacGuffin. It's not complicated, but it is effective.
Next week: Phlox finally gets to say, "He's dead," when our first crew member dies (and also possibly un-dies).
Previous episode: Carbon Creek
Next episode: Dead Stop
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52 comments on this post
Sat, Sep 4, 2010, 9:03am (UTC -5)
Thu, Nov 18, 2010, 4:25am (UTC -5)
The best:
In "Silent Enemy", Archer sent Hoshi on a mission to find out what Reed's favorite food was (and during an intense battle no less). After discovering it was pineapple, Archer now suddenly doesn't have a clue what Reed likes to eat, so he had the chef cook eggs.
Read the rest here:
www.firsttvdrama.com/enterprise/e29.php3
Mon, Nov 22, 2010, 9:44pm (UTC -5)
Phlox and T'Pol are the only truly competent people on that ship. I know there are many that don't like T'Pol and her monotone delivery. But, for me, she sometimes saves the show. Her epic bitch faces express exactly what I'm thinking, which is usually "good lord, I want to punch Archer in the face...".
I may have to also add Reed to my list of competent crew members, because I agreed with almost everything he said in this episode. To paraphrase, Archer IS an idiot who has no idea what he's doing and should never have been given a command position. For example, let's examine how they got into this position in the first place:
*paraphrasing the scene again*
T'Pol: We found a large planet with an atmosphere
Archer: Yee-haw! Let's go camping!
BOOM!
Sun, Jul 3, 2011, 5:41pm (UTC -5)
Also the suit seems to have a sort of self sealing goo built into it which we saw oozing slightly when he got skewered, that's probably why all the air didn't leak. Managing to spin around and hold those shields up to survive was a bit of a stretch though!
Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 3:00pm (UTC -5)
T'Pol: We found a large planet with an atmosphere
Archer: Yee-haw! Let's go camping!
BOOM!"
I laughed my ass out when that scene came up.
Wed, Nov 9, 2011, 12:58pm (UTC -5)
In "Silent Enemy", Archer sent Hoshi on a mission to find out what Reed's favorite food was (and during an intense battle no less). After discovering it was pineapple, Archer now suddenly doesn't have a clue what Reed likes to eat, so he had the chef cook eggs."
Just to be fair, Archer says "I wasn't sure what you wanted for breakfast, so I had Chef cook up some eggs."
Sat, Jul 28, 2012, 9:49pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Sep 12, 2012, 3:45am (UTC -5)
Mon, Nov 12, 2012, 11:36am (UTC -5)
Concerning the Romulans being present, in "Balance of Terror" it's established that while there had been a conflict with the Romulans 100 years prior, no one had actually seen one. TNG also established in numerous episodes that the Romulans are quite a bit more than "distant cousins" of the Vulcans. They are an off shoot of the Vulcans that left either just prior or during the time of Surak. We're talking 5000 or so years. Even if the event was recorded, it would have recorded it as just some Vulcans leaving - it's taken 5000 years of evolution to arrive at a Romulan. *takes off geek hat*
Didn't really feel this episode, except for the Romulans which I found intriguing. I fail to see why the writers are hammering home again and again that Reed is a professional who is 100% dedicated to his work and even willing to die for it. Some commenter said he seems to have a death wish since he keeps saying he wants to die. Well, that's the character, there's nothing else left to say so it keeps being repeated.
Oh and a mine that is that complicated to disarm, no way should a little gadget be able to figure out how to do it with 0 info to work from. If they had made it less complicated I could buy it. The whole redundant arming mechanism was so obvious and contrived - same with Hoshi's let me go to the bridge scenes. feh.
Sun, Dec 9, 2012, 9:18am (UTC -5)
Tue, Jan 21, 2014, 7:03am (UTC -5)
Yeah I remember him being like that a lot. I'm not sure, but I think he was meant to have some kind of depression (it wouldn't be obvious all the time as a lot of people with depression mask it so they can function in their jobs and society), but it was never really confirmed either way.
Thu, Apr 3, 2014, 6:20am (UTC -5)
Anyway, there are still some things that trouble me a bit, like:
- in Minefield, why not use the transporter to evacuate Reed ? It seems a critical decision between losing the ship, losing Reed or Reed + Archer. They've used the device successfully to transport people before .. so why not simply beam him out of there then release the hull section ?
- in Shockwave, when the enterprise is being attacked by 30ish Suliban vessels, why not simply out-run them ? Sorry, but enterprise has a Warp 5 capable engine, and these suliban craft are single man vehicles, yes, they're targeting the engines, but there would have been ample chance to simply outrun the buggers. Or is my logic all screwed up and it's a reasonable contention that single-man suliban vessels could match or exceed Warp 4.9 ? (of course not !)
Sun, Aug 3, 2014, 12:21am (UTC -5)
LOL! Good one.
Good episode, but I found it stupid that Archer decided to start chatting in the middle of defusing the mine. It was good from a character standpoint - the material the characters were given to talk about was very solid - but downright stupid from a practical viewpoint.
Also, those Romulans were too hard-headed for my tastes. And wouldn't it have been more reasonable to beam Reed back? Also, I'd like to ask why 22nd century EV suits have a self-sealing ability, but the more advanced 24th century EV suits lack it (see First Contact).
According to Memory Alpha, the novel The Good That Men Do did a pretty good job of explaining this episode's inconsistencies with Trek canon (why the Romulans had cloaking tech, for instance) but it's a shame that the writers' sloppiness with canon required that explanation the first place.
Overall, though, good character development and solidly entertaining story overall. I'll give this one the benefit of the doubt.
Sun, Aug 3, 2014, 12:24am (UTC -5)
But I nitpick what is basically a good episode.
Mon, Apr 6, 2015, 3:05pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Mar 8, 2016, 12:30pm (UTC -5)
"...The point is watching Reed and Archer interact as they try to dismantle a MacGuffin. It's not complicated, but it is effective."
Yes sir.
@ John the younger
Sun, Dec 9, 2012, 9:18am (UTC -6)
"Once they worked out that there was a 10-20 second delay between arming and detonation, why didn't they just beam the guys back to the ship rather than have them hold up bits of tin?"
I had the same thought watching this episode. I could make up some technobabble reason but I wont. :-) I guess inter-ship beaming is still dangerous or not even tried yet.
As Jammer states though, this episode is all about Reed and Archer. Very enjoyable exchanges throughout this episode. This is Archer being Archer at his best. Cool headed, thoughtful and determined.
I think the blast shield they used was realistic. I however didn't see the 180 deg turn, as they showed it, as very believable.
I wonder what the Romulans were mining there.
3 star episode for me.
Tue, Mar 8, 2016, 1:00pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Apr 10, 2016, 9:43am (UTC -5)
Kudos for the fairly graphic impaling scene though. 1.5 stars.
Wed, Jun 8, 2016, 7:39pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Aug 10, 2016, 12:27am (UTC -5)
Thu, Sep 15, 2016, 11:10am (UTC -5)
Sat, Sep 17, 2016, 12:52pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Sep 20, 2016, 3:18pm (UTC -5)
I liked last week's though, can't please everyone all the time.
Sun, Apr 9, 2017, 2:53pm (UTC -5)
I liked this one. It's probably clear to anyone who's read my reviews that I regard Reed as criminally underused, and potentially a much more interesting character to take T Pol 's place if they insist on dwelling on three characters (notice how VOY ended up doing the same thing after season 4).
Malcolm's dialog did wander a little towards the same fatalism as in Shuttlepod One, but whereas there it was partly a comic device, here it was genuine, stoic and self-sacrificing acceptance.
I not sure about the whole blast shields idea at the end - how does a shockwave even propagate in a vacuum? - the bit that seemed definately unlikely to me was that the blast would have flung them in so precise and identical a trajectory that they could be scooped up in the cargo bay together (that is what happened, isn't it?)
Anyway 3 stars seems about right to me, rounded-up maybe. Oh, was it an Ep. of VOY where Janeway or one of the bridge crew made exactly that remark to some belligerent aliens about putting up a 'Keep Out'' sign...?
Mon, Apr 24, 2017, 2:27pm (UTC -5)
I did find it strange that Archer would start fraternizing with Reed - he says it helps him relax but Reed disagreed but still I thought the conversation they had was helpful in the grand scheme of things. I didn't get why Reed was so tensed up -- unreasonably so -- at the start of the episode when he meets Archer for breakfast.
The Romulan part was bizarre - for a first meeting with them, so much more could have been done so I'd prefer for them to be left out of the episode. And I do detect some inconsistencies with Trek canon ("Balance of Terror" etc.)
And as for Reed -- the main character in this episode -- I don't get him disconnecting the oxygen supply. That is not what a Star Fleet officer should be doing and deserves reprimand - however given the circumstances...
I agree with Jammer's rating of 3/4 stars - episode works for me as a decent one.
Sat, Jan 6, 2018, 10:14pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Feb 2, 2018, 5:52pm (UTC -5)
Sex on Risa: Reed is having a good time and looking for alien poontang with Farmboy Warp Engineer.
Series 1.5 to 2 and beyond: Reed is a stoic and pessimistic asshat with no interpersonal skills or joy left in his heart.
Stick with a personality, writers!
Beam Reed back. He can stick his fingers in his leg when aboard, or just leave the sealing gel to fill the gap, and Phlox can fix him up with some eels and worms (forget gauze or stitches). Then detach the hull and be on your way.
PS: 'No trespassing' signs would ruin many a storyline for Star Trek...
Tue, Feb 6, 2018, 2:01pm (UTC -5)
If you have technology that can get you out of most precarious situations - like the transporter--and you don't use it, *explain* why you are not using it, or you undermine your story by distracting your audience by the fact that they could have freaking transported Malcolm off the hull the second he was hurt. Kind of like Hermione's time turner. Just use the thing to go back and fix every possible problem in their world before it happened. Made it hard for me to feel any anxiety over Malcolm's situation as he shouldn't have been in it in the first place.
The Romulans. Hahahaha! I'm sorry, but didn't the main Romulan's voice sound like they borrowed it from Voyager's Captain Proton episodes? Sounded like Chaotica's robot to me. Heh.
And Malcolm, bless his pessimistic little head. The writers sure made it hard to like the guy over these last few episodes. He wasn't just pessimistic, he was *bitter* pessimistic. Makes you kind of want to smack him a little bit.
One general comment: Scott Bakula! You were so much better than this! It's so weird that he could by turns be believable in this part, then sound like he was reading an instruction manual from the cue-cards. Sounding official wasn't his forté, and neither was info-dump dialogue. Blah. Director and writers ought to have helped the guy out a bit and worked with his strengths. Sigh.
I love Star Trek. But it seems like there's always SOMETHING glaring out of it that bucks canon or doesn't fit. *cough* Enterprise Theme Song For Example *cough*
Tue, Feb 27, 2018, 6:33pm (UTC -5)
This alone makes it unwatchable.
Wed, Feb 28, 2018, 12:50am (UTC -5)
FYI, I always liked this episode. It's one of the few Romulan based episodes when the franchise was struggling to bear the weight of obnoxious Klingon mania. I really wish the series got to develop their Romulan story more, they're criminally under used and often poorly implimented. Plus it's a decent exploration of Reed and how he views his Captain. And it's got nice continuity with the next episode in a way Voyager tended to avoid, so there's that novelty.
In contrast Carbon Creek has always been 'okay' for me. Not one I'd ever raise a needless fuss over, or rate poorly.
Wed, Feb 28, 2018, 11:16am (UTC -5)
"Ieuan
Tue, Feb 27, 2018, 6:33pm (UTC -6)
Another rubbish review. This was one of the worst episodes of the season. We just got done 2 episodes ago finding out ow crucial Captain numbskull's survival is to the future and he decides to throw all that way by going out instead of sending an engineer or in fact any one of the other 80 or so crew.
This alone makes it unwatchable."
OR.... if Archer had not assisted Reed, the mine goes off and kills Archer and other members of the crew... or the Enterprise is lost.
That one make much more sense when you actually think about it.
I'm fairly certain once Archer "knew" he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life wrapped in Styrofoam.
Fri, Aug 31, 2018, 7:50am (UTC -5)
Wed, Sep 12, 2018, 4:36pm (UTC -5)
Anyway, shouldn’t T’Pol have at least partially recognised the Romulan lingo when the ship was hailed first time round?
Sat, Mar 9, 2019, 10:14pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Apr 3, 2019, 6:50pm (UTC -5)
The dialogues drag on and they are not delivered with enough passion by the two actors to keep the interest alert, especially when you know that they will make it at the end.
The directing was the best part of this hour.
Mon, Jul 29, 2019, 11:17am (UTC -5)
And I agree - Romulans here isn't lack of imagination or retreading or failing canon. It's really obviously setting up the Earth-Romulan War, which is a precursor to setting up the Federation. Enterprise probably *has* to have an Earth-Romulan War storyline.
Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 2:40am (UTC -5)
2.- Romulans are supposed to be essentially Vulcans. During most of the 1st. and 2nd. seasons, they refer the omnipresent "Vulcan database" at all times. But now "the computer have difficulties translating Romulan"? They can totally translate unknown languages, but one related to another that is known, no way, it needs Hoshi to out of the thin air miraculously translates it. [By the way, it's ridiculous that she said "Romulins", when the word is "Rihannsu", how in the hell it can go from "Romulan" to "Romulin" with that? At that point it was her choice to translate it as she wanted to...]
3.- I don't know if it could be out of character, but Romulans would had shot first and asked later. Of course the show-runners wanted to show-off their new BoP design, but it was unnecessary, an automated message could've been enough.
4.- Why the captain was in a dangerous situation disarming the mine? Wasn't it wiser to have on the ship more than one dude who happens to know how to disarm ANY [laughable...] alien mine they can find? Yeah, disarming mines isn't a risk profession, so there's only one out there because nothing can happen to him/her...
5.- Everything happens veeeery sloooow. Romulans threaten to attack if they don't leave "immediately", but close to the end, it takes like 10 minutes until they finally decide what to do, with the miraculous panels and all. Romulans said it doesn't matter if you leave one dude behind, because they're gonna pulverize the ship. Nah, they changed their mind, they'll give them enough time, our threats are void as Romulans, we don't want respect...
6.- The Romulans were there, watching how an alien ship navigated through their cloaked minefield, after deploying some kind of scanner. Hmmmm, they can detect our cloaked mines!!! Fire at will!!! Nah, let them go with our little secret... I thought Romulans were very zealous with their cloaking technology... No matter how outdated it is...
7.- No matter how bad this show is, at least it's not STD...
Thu, Jan 2, 2020, 5:42am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jan 2, 2020, 11:29am (UTC -5)
Presumably thdt's the sounds the characters are hearing from within their suits as their mag boots activate and connect with the hull. At least, whenever there's sounds in space on these showd, that's how I justify it's common occurance. Why do we hear Phasers and torpedoes and explosions? Rule of cool, dramatic license, obviously. But in universe I just take it as the shows presenting the characters experience as well.
Plus, the sound is a short-hand way of acknowlegding to the audience that the writers etc. are aware there's no gravity in space without wasting airtime explaining why they're walking around. If there wasn't the sound of them clomping around, then someone would've asked how they could be walking around on the hull in zero gravity. It's all about balancing those plausiblities and justifications for the audience in a cohesive way to make the show work in as efficient manner as possible in order for the episode to get to it's point without too much extraneous baggage.
Sun, May 24, 2020, 11:10am (UTC -5)
Mon, Jun 15, 2020, 12:48pm (UTC -5)
You completely missed the context of the line. Obviously they would warn him and get him back inside before going to warp. It was a joke completely in line with Reed's pessimistic worldview (galaxyview?)
Fri, Aug 21, 2020, 1:51pm (UTC -5)
They part that stuck out to me as weird is how Reed is suddenly so uncomfortable around Archer. We saw them drinking beers together in season 1! We saw them give Reed cake. This episode would have made far more sense in the first season than the second.
Fri, Aug 21, 2020, 8:20pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Sep 3, 2020, 2:30pm (UTC -5)
Reed seems to have a death wish though.
Great to see the Romulans. Perhaps I'd have added something about them being concerned about the Earth vessel being able to "detect" their mines also.
The transporter issue people are bringing up here should have been handled by an explanation added into the plot of some type of "magnetic interference" emanating from the mine rendering transporting difficult with the transport capability (limited) of the Enterprise (given it is a new technology for humanity and not that advanced as the TNG era).
I'd also have added Archer/Hoshi trying to talk down the Romulans by asking the Romulan captain what he would do if one of his people were down there, or something.
Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 10:03pm (UTC -5)
Reed's nervousness with the captain reminds me of a friend of mine. I can't say I personally understand it, but I realise that not everyone is extroverted and some especially feel uncomfortable around authority. Especially when doing something out of routine.
The Romulans! Yey! I was hoping we'd encounter them soon.
Another thing that really bothers me-I mean, I thought in the episode where Archer was given tech and knowledge by Daniels to infiltrate the Suliban, he had to promise to never use it again. Now that I know that they have a beacon that can spot cloaked stuff, it kind of breaks continuity. I mean, I know it couldn't spot the Romulan ship, but still if they could reverse engineer it, they could easily tweak it. I mean, T'Pol tweaked it to spot the mines in a minute or so. In the 100 years between this and Kirk's Enterprise, Starfleet should have been able to tweak it further, and then Balance of Terror would play out far differently! That seems to be the biggest continuity flaw this episode offers (I am bothered by that even more than the crew not using the transporters)
Sun, Dec 13, 2020, 1:33pm (UTC -5)
>Here we get some Reed backstory that I think works pretty well. Reed is from a long line of British navy men, and to carry on the tradition, Malcolm was even in the British navy himself for as long as he could stand it.
Why would Earth need a navy in the 22nd century when they have shuttle craft and presumably other advanced forms of transport?
Sat, Dec 26, 2020, 4:57am (UTC -5)
Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 4:12am (UTC -5)
Fri, May 7, 2021, 3:32am (UTC -5)
It's true that the writers seemed to have been somewhat inconsistent regarding Reed's character through various episodes. At the beginning of this one, he seemed reserved around the captain, but out on the hull, Archer says, "Thought you might need a hand", and Reed replies, "Actually, I'd prefer a leg". Ar ar.
Tue, Jul 6, 2021, 7:28pm (UTC -5)
Watching it again today for the first time in almost 20 years, it isn't as good as I remember it, but it's still decent. Except now as a middle-aged man, when I watch Reed, I can't help but think: "This guy has the personality of a bowl of oatmeal. What about him was so relatable to my younger self? Did I truly have NO life back then?"
Still, a 3 star episode (mainly for the sentimental aspect).
Sun, Jan 23, 2022, 4:31pm (UTC -5)
Shuttle One, however, was really good.
The Romulan plot point just dragged out.
Agree with others that Reed's personality and their relationship seems to've regressed so it would fit in better much earlier in the series. Also it seems strange to me how Reed can criticize fraternisation and think there isn't enough respect for authority, and then simultaneously continuously do what he thinks is best, ignoring the Captain.
A minor point: It's strange to me they didn't simply forward the Romulans words directly to sickbay to Hoshi.
Mon, Feb 20, 2023, 8:01pm (UTC -5)
Nope. No Romulans for you! What a let-down.
Instead we get bomb defusal. (Didn’t hold a candle to my favorite bomb defusal, Roger Moore in Octopussy!)
Also, I think it’s clear that Archer and Reed could have easily survived together by sharing one shuttlepod hatch door between them. (Oh wait, that was Titanic).
Anyway, thumbs down. Next!
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