| Review : |
While the episode quality can be up and down this season, this is one of my favourite episodes of ENT. Shran, as usual, is brilliant, and he and Archer have always possessed strong chemistry that is not really common in Trek. We actually get some hint that ENT might one day turn into a prequel series. There are some important questions raised: why didn't the Vulcans help Earth at all? It seems plausible that Shran would want to help Archer by this point but of course, this being Trek - a show about peaceful exploration and making new friends - the Andorians are up to something shady. Unusually, we see Shran having a crisis over having to betray Archer, knowing that his actions may well doom Earth but bound by loyalty to the Imperial Guard to screw Archer over. At the end we see a true Trek moment as Shran finds a way to help Archer while also remaining true to his orders, ending the episode on a note of hope not just for Earth, but for the vision of Trek. |
