Enterprise 302 "Anomaly" *Spoilers*
Posted: 2003-09-16 11:23pm
Well this season is looking good so far and while this episode wasn't particularly outstanding it isn't a weird field of the week episode as the name would indicate, so here is my insomnia fuelled review.
I liked the score, although I think at times they were a little heavy handed I think the oft cited complaint about Trek scores being little more than muted audible wallpaper has been heard in the corridors of power, I first noticed this turn around during last seasons "regeneration" but this episode goes further with the music at the beginning being the key part of conveying unease and the sense that something odd is going on.
Characterisation here is thin on the ground except for one key place, Archer and all the talk spouted by him about getting the job done at any cost actually seems to be the position he is taking with his actions in this episode backing it up. At first he just makes threats and then gets what he wants without being tested, in earlier seasons (and most of Voyager) it would have ended there but now the Xindi are mentioned and these raises the stakes leading to a corresponding responses from Archer however that isn't the only action Archer takes, he fires on an ancient technological wonder because his primary mission is more important, he fires first without even opening communications with the enemy and asking them to stand down, he risks his ship in the cloaking field to get the information he needs everything points to him really seeking to complete his mission at all costs, their are signs of him being a little too involved (throwing crates around on the sphere) but he keeps his hand about him enough to pull out of the cloak field when necessary and use tactics to force the enemy to play on his terms, it isn't exactly Kirk-esque but it sure is a start. The final scene of Archer looking over his gains bodes well for the future.
The story itself was a mixed bag, while it was the sort of space piracy we have seen before (at least a couple of times on Voyager) at least it accomplishes a few things. The main accomplishment is that the titular Anomaly isn't really focused on simply shown to be in evidence and then left as a plot device (although it doesn't seem contrived just for that purposes as often happened in TNG/VOY), we also find an ancient relic but again this is talking about at length Archers on a mission and while he doesn't mind T'pol gathering data it isn't his focus because it isn’t his reason for being there and finally the story allows advancement of the arc (both of the story and Archers character).
The MACO's once again acquit themselves reasonably well and even add a stun grenade to their arsenal however they don't really have that much to do.
Special mention also goes out to the CGI and the space battles they were rather well done and its not often we get to see ships crash into the death sta... I mean ancient sphere.
What I didn't like, well the Vulcan Neuropressure thing is beginning to annoy me, I just don't care at all and it constant mentioning was distracting and weakened the pace as I sat here waiting for the story to resume, another minor quibble I had is that Archer didn't steal extra materials from the depot it was right there and he had access to it, it would have helped cement his new no holds barred attitude but it isn't to major a thing unlike the small back pedalling at the end which seemed to imply that just because Archer didn't want to keep the prisoner around he was still soft as if the writer was trying to justify as Archer as still being a nice guy, his actions in episode need only one justification - he is on a mission to save 6 billion + humans from death a little torture is justified by that alone.
All in all the episode does a good job of showing that the stakes have indeed been raised (I forget to mention the crewman’s death) and that Archer is willing to play at this new level, things look good in Ent town and with no B&B episodes for at least a month and a half hopefully they will stay that way.
I liked the score, although I think at times they were a little heavy handed I think the oft cited complaint about Trek scores being little more than muted audible wallpaper has been heard in the corridors of power, I first noticed this turn around during last seasons "regeneration" but this episode goes further with the music at the beginning being the key part of conveying unease and the sense that something odd is going on.
Characterisation here is thin on the ground except for one key place, Archer and all the talk spouted by him about getting the job done at any cost actually seems to be the position he is taking with his actions in this episode backing it up. At first he just makes threats and then gets what he wants without being tested, in earlier seasons (and most of Voyager) it would have ended there but now the Xindi are mentioned and these raises the stakes leading to a corresponding responses from Archer however that isn't the only action Archer takes, he fires on an ancient technological wonder because his primary mission is more important, he fires first without even opening communications with the enemy and asking them to stand down, he risks his ship in the cloaking field to get the information he needs everything points to him really seeking to complete his mission at all costs, their are signs of him being a little too involved (throwing crates around on the sphere) but he keeps his hand about him enough to pull out of the cloak field when necessary and use tactics to force the enemy to play on his terms, it isn't exactly Kirk-esque but it sure is a start. The final scene of Archer looking over his gains bodes well for the future.
The story itself was a mixed bag, while it was the sort of space piracy we have seen before (at least a couple of times on Voyager) at least it accomplishes a few things. The main accomplishment is that the titular Anomaly isn't really focused on simply shown to be in evidence and then left as a plot device (although it doesn't seem contrived just for that purposes as often happened in TNG/VOY), we also find an ancient relic but again this is talking about at length Archers on a mission and while he doesn't mind T'pol gathering data it isn't his focus because it isn’t his reason for being there and finally the story allows advancement of the arc (both of the story and Archers character).
The MACO's once again acquit themselves reasonably well and even add a stun grenade to their arsenal however they don't really have that much to do.
Special mention also goes out to the CGI and the space battles they were rather well done and its not often we get to see ships crash into the death sta... I mean ancient sphere.
What I didn't like, well the Vulcan Neuropressure thing is beginning to annoy me, I just don't care at all and it constant mentioning was distracting and weakened the pace as I sat here waiting for the story to resume, another minor quibble I had is that Archer didn't steal extra materials from the depot it was right there and he had access to it, it would have helped cement his new no holds barred attitude but it isn't to major a thing unlike the small back pedalling at the end which seemed to imply that just because Archer didn't want to keep the prisoner around he was still soft as if the writer was trying to justify as Archer as still being a nice guy, his actions in episode need only one justification - he is on a mission to save 6 billion + humans from death a little torture is justified by that alone.
All in all the episode does a good job of showing that the stakes have indeed been raised (I forget to mention the crewman’s death) and that Archer is willing to play at this new level, things look good in Ent town and with no B&B episodes for at least a month and a half hopefully they will stay that way.
