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Where Few Have Gone Before: "Sleeping Dogs"
We're halfway through the first season of Enterprise now, so of course it's time for the decontamination blue light room to return and remind us of how far we've come… especially when, this time around, it's a threesome between Hoshi, T'Pol and Malcolm. No, really; I only wish I was joking.
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Dear Doctor"
Watching "Dear Doctor," the twelfth episode of Enterprise, I realized two things about the series in general. Firstly, that Doctor Phlox is another incarnation of the "jolly alien crew member" archetype as ably demonstrated by the chef on Voyager. And secondly, that the series would be almost infinitely better if the Captain was a different character altogether.
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Silent Enemy"
Apparently, something happened to the creators of Enterprise as they approached the midway point of the first season, because for the first time in my eleven weeks of watching the show, two episodes have not only been outright, no-disclaimers-necessary good, but they've also suggested that someone in charge may have realized that there are other crew members on the ship that aren't Archer, Tucker or T'Pol. Clearly, this can't last.
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Cold Front"
There are times when you can just tell that you're not in sync with the rest of the world. For example, those times when you're watching an episode of Enterprise and thinking "Yes, this is exactly what I want from this show!" and then go online and see that very episode listed as a much-derided episode that contributed to the show's ultimate failure by scaring off viewers and turning off fans. This, dear reader, was my experience watching "Cold Front."
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Fortunate Son"
In theory, there's a lot to like about the ninth episode of Enterprise, not least of which being that it finally turns its attention to some of the world-building that this show has been crying out for since it began; not "This alien race is nuts," but a look at how the creation of the Enterprise - and the creation of Starfleet in general - affects regular folk out there in the universe. Sadly, theory only counts for so much, and when it comes to the execution of the ideas behind it… Well, that's where things start to fall apart.
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Civilization"
Watching "Civilization," the eighth episode of Enterprise is a curiously frustrating experience, because even as it fails to excite, it crystalizes exactly what isn't working about the series as a whole. Is this the benefit of hindsight…?
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Breaking The Ice"
One of my favorite traditions of the superhero comics that I grew up on was the "breather" issue; the one that came after some epic storyline or another and showed everyone having something resembling a normal day afterwards, as everyone tries to calm down and go about their daily business. No wonder, then, that I was a sucker for Enterprise's take on the same idea, "Breaking The Ice."
Where Few Have Gone Before: "The Andorian Incident"
Now, that's more like it. After last week's disappointing-to-say-the-least "Terra Nova," the following Enterprise episode, "The Andorian Incident" brings some level of excitement and enjoyment back to the series - and also highlights the show's attempts to try and build its own mythology as quickly as possible, no matter how sloppily it does it.
Where Few Have Gone Before: 'Terra Nova'
What's worse than a bad episode of Enterprise? As the show's fifth episode demonstrates, the answer is a boring episode. I can deal with the show being obvious, gratuitous and even downright nonsensical, but if "Terra Nova" is anything to go by, I appear to have a real problem with the show being dull.
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Unexpected"
Four weeks in, my Enterprise rematch has started to settle into a recognizable rhythm: Eeach episode, it seems, will have its share of small moments that hint at a much more enjoyable show than the one we ultimately get, which could best be classified as "promising, but filled with problems." The problem is, the ratio of "promising" to "problems" seems to be getting worse with every new episode, with this week's "Unexpected" proving to be the most worrisome yet.
Where Few Have Gone Before: "Strange New World"
"Strange New World," the third Enterprise episode, finally answered a question I've had about Star Trek since The Next Generation, if not before. Is that enough to make up for one of the more obvious plot developments in any Trek - not to mention a repeat of one of the biggest mistakes that TNG made in its earliest days?
Where Few Have Gone Before: 'Fight or Flight'
After watching the second episode of Enterprise, I found myself pondering one potentially disturbing question: Do I actually like the most reviled of all of the Star Trek series…? Going on the basis of what I've seen so far, the answer may be "yes."
Where Few Have Gone Before: Beginning The <i>Enterprise</i> Rewatch
It's 2012, which means it's only 139 years before humanity launches its first starship into space to return an unhealthy alien to his home planet. What better time to launch our weekly exploration into the least-loved Star Trek of all, Enterprise?