T'Pol, Reed and Sato go to investigate a crashed ship within a gas giant planet and find themselves trapped by one of the Klingon survivors on the vessel as it starts to get crushed under the atmospheric pressures.

I love the way even the simplest things can be turned into an entire episode of this series. You realize that all the tension was lost in the later era shows because 99% of the time someone could swing by and transport anyone out if necessary. When you have people trapped in a gas giant on a ship and their means of escape has been stolen, the situation seems hopeless. When you also have a language barrier to overcome, it's even more tricky.

The struggle to understand is really what this show is all about; Archer is forced to confront a Klingon on her own terms while Hoshi must instruct Reed in what to do on instrument panels that neither of them fully understand. Considering the whole thing is set on either the Klingon ship or the Enterprise, the tension level is kept up expertly as the Klingon ship gradually starts to give under the pressure and rescue attempts go awry.

There's also the fact that you really feel for the characters; they're starting to become more three-dimensional, with Dominic Keating showing how far he's already come with Reed, demonstrating a toughness in the face of adversity that shows he's one of the best. Likewise, Hoshi is starting to come into her own, adjusting the her environment but still retaining a degree of unease about the whole thing. Even Archer and Trip, not seen too much in this story, are continuing to show signs of growth in their relationship with each other, building on the comradeship they've had from knowing each other before the mission. Even Reed's cold is a fun little touch that helps to bring out some sympathies and liking for the characters that we're watching and relate to them better.

****

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