Returning from an ill-fated encounter with an alien race obsessed with courtesy the Enterprise crew has met before, Archer is told that Porthos has contracted a pathogen that is breaking down the dog's immune system.

I'm not sure what is meant to be accomplished by this episode. Yes, so Porthos is quite cute and we do feel for the poor little tyke, but so what? If he were to die, would he have been a great loss to the series? Probably not. It demonstrates Archer's compassion for those under his command, whoever they are, but he does seem quick to judge the inhabitants of the planet he's just left, hung up on their lack of study of Porthos without ever receiving proof that they ignored the information. This judgemental attitude does much to knock his apparent compassion and reasonableness on the head.

So what else could the episode be about? Well, as Phlox hasn't had a turn in the 'Who are you?' spotlight yet, it seems that a chunk of the episode's airtime has been handed over to the doctor. Archer's determination to stay in sickbay seems to be something of an excuse to force him and Phlox into closer proximity and is rather unnatural. Some of the things we find out about Phlox's people, their habits, their rituals, and about Phlox himself are certainly interesting and fun, although quite whether we need to know how long the doctor's tongue is is a matter of opinion.

Finally, there's Jolene Blalock's latest attempt to shag every cast member on the show. Once again she's stripped for decontamination into some very illogical tiny pants, and now Archer is forced to admit that he quite fancies her. Must be that nice ass Malcolm spotted last season. What is it with T'Pol? Is it the unattainable woman? Is it that she's Vulcan and the humans are curious about what sex with her would be like? I could have sworn she mentioned the pon farr in oblique terms at some point last season, so the crew should know they won't get anywhere, regardless of feelings. It also asks a few questions about starship captains: if it's considered bad practice to date your first officer because she's of a lower rank, who the hell is Archer supposed to approach about sex? There are no other starships out and about, so he just has to make out with aliens whenever he gets the chance? At last we gain more sympathy for poor old Kirk.

The simple fact is that there's nothing essentially wrong with this episode, it just seems frequently unnecessary. There's no need for the sexual tension plot, nor for the dream sequence of Porthos's funeral, and frankly much of the sickbay material could be cut with ease. It's difficult to know exactly what Berman and Braga were trying to accomplish with this episode. It's not especially bad, but it's not particularly stand-out either.

***

Would you like to go to the Enterprise Season Two guide, head back to the main TV reviews page, read older reviews in the Reviews Archive or return to the front page?