Day 289: Enterprise, Detained

Show: Star Trek; Enterprise

Episode Particulars: S1EP20, “Detained”

 Summary: Archer and Mayweather wake up in a compound filled with Suliban, one that’s heavily fortified and full of guards. A discussion with the head of the compound, Grat (Dean Stockwell) reveals that the shuttlepod they were in was shot down because it violated Tandarian space, but they should be able to clear up the misunderstanding in a few days. He also claims that this is where they hold the Suliban who work for the shadowy organization we saw in “Broken Bow” and “Cold Front”, but Archer gradually comes to realize that these Suliban are just ordinary citizens, ones who aren’t being treated very well. Feeling sympathetic towards them (especially once Grat begins putting the screws on Archer as well), plans begin to be made for a jailbreak. They’re going to need some outside help, of course, and I think we can agree that Enterprise is about as outside as you can get.

Standalone Thoughts: I actually really like this episode, which is weird because it becomes obvious partway through that this is supposed to be a preachy episode. There’s a long scene where one of the prisoners (Dennis Christopher) explains how the Suliban were put into these “detention complexes” thanks to the suspicions of the Tandarians, and Archer even drops the words “internment camp”. Similar exchanges are scattered throughout the episode, and Archer later comes right out and compares the situation with the Suliban to the Japanese internment during WWII. Some of this brings the episode down, to be sure, but not enough to dampen my enjoyment of the whole, which should tell you something.

The reason I like it is that it continues to play with our expectations regarding the Suliban. After basically being bad guys in “Broken Bow”, we got a hint that things weren’t so black and white in “Cold Front”. Now things are taken a step further, and we’re reminded that not all the Suliban are bad, while being further reminded here and there that just because someone’s not evil doesn’t mean they’re nice, either. Plus, Grat’s argument for why the Suliban should remain imprisoned, while unpleasant, is at least somewhat plausible, something that also seems to be acknowledged by the ending. It’s a really excellent example of grey morality, and that more than made up for the more soapboxy elements.

The plot is the big thing here, but the other elements work pretty well too. All the acting is good, the teaser is intriguing for once, there are some nice touches that make the detention complex feel lived in, and the climax is well-paced and feels exciting because of all the moving parts. Sure, there are a few conveniences and contrivances along the way (two words; head count) but they’re minor in the grand scheme of things. It’s episodes like these that remind me how good Enterprise can be when the crew puts their mind to it; the other episodes have been fine, but this makes an official jump from “decent” to “good”. Since we’re nearing the end of Season One, I’m hoping that means that we’ll be getting more like this soon.

How it Relates to the Whole: While this ties into the Suliban/Temporal Cold War plot in a way, I don’t think there’s any followup to this. Which is a shame, because given the nuance the writers have been giving the Suliban, having a sequel to this episode where we got even more shades of grey would probably have resulted in a story than was just as good, if not moreso, than this one.

Other: *Thanks to an overhead shot of Grat’s office, I couldn’t help but notice that there appears to be a geode on his desk;

Using random items for alien cultures isn’t unusual for Star Trek (also take note of that rug), but I’m just wondering what that geode’s supposed to do. Given how utilitarian the desk looks, it can’t just be for decoration. Is it a recharging station for the cattle prod?

*T’Pol sounds oddly…animated during a key discussion with Grat. It’s like Jolene Blalock dropped the usual Vulcan affectations and just spoke in her normal voice. I understand what the intent was, but it doesn’t quite jibe with T’Pol’s character. The words make sense; the tone doesn’t. But since there is a rational explanation for it, I’m not going to judge it too harshly.

Badass Malcolm Moment: Unfortunately, I can’t go into details today, because I don’t want to spoil things too much. Suffice it to say that Malcolm’s involvement in the final act is instrumental to proceedings, and he put up with a lot with only minimal complaining. Whether or not Dominic Keating did the same is less certain.

After the Fact Update: No indication on whether or not Keating complained, but I did find out (though I’m sure it’s common knowledge to some of you) that Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell had been co-stars on Bakula’s other big show Quantum Leap, and this episode was a deliberately orchestrated reunion. However, there was only one subtle reference to Quantum Leap, which was probably a good idea, though I wouldn’t have minded more as long as they weren’t overdone. Then again, said references would probably have just flown over my head, but if it was for a show I knew, I’m pretty sure that’s how I’d feel. The writer for this episode (Michael Sussman) also said working on this episode just confirmed that he hated message episodes, and while I share his sentiment in general, I’ve already stated that this is a good example of the form. Maybe his hatred of the genre allowed him to remove some of the worst aspects of it and thus make it tolerable to me.