T'Pol is asked to go on a mission by the Vulcan command, as it's one she didn't finish years ago before she was part of the science directorate. All she has to do is capture a fugitive from Vulcan justice, Menos, and she enlists Archer to help her.

I'm not entirely clear on why Archer is necessary to this whole adventure. He doesn't really add a great deal of useful information or experience to it, and his role could be taken by Travis, who is doing the piloting and is otherwise utterly useless. Why can't Archer do the flying? It really doesn't need three people to catch one man who, frankly, is getting on a bit. Indeed, considering how much T'Pol builds him up as a man who is incredible at eluding capture, they manage to pick him up within a matter of minutes and keep hold of him for nearly the whole episode. He only escapes twice, and the first time he goes to the most obvious place, and the second time doesn't get very far. It's not like he's trying.

The point of the story seems to be T'Pol regaining memories of the last time she went after this man, and killing his associate. Firstly, I'm sure I've seen several memory suppression stories before on Trek, and secondly this one isn't given any definitive answers. At the very end we learn that Menos is guilty of smuggling, but what about his colleague that T'Pol killed? Was he complicit or just a friend in the wrong place at the wrong time? And why did T'Pol kill him? If he was reaching for a weapon, couldn't she have shot him in the weapon arm rather than full force in the chest? It doesn't seem very likely.

As a story about the problems of emotion suppression it's okay, but I don't really understand its relevance or what it's attempting to accomplish. All the way through, regardless of Menos's protests, I was convinced that he was guilty. So why is anyone else bothered? After all, Archer does keep pointing out that T'Pol merely has to turn him over for trial, not judge him herself. The story does nothing for Archer or Travis, and not a great deal for T'Pol, and it even manages to make Trip look incompetent. In Archer's absence, it seems he's unable to make any kind of command decision, which is a bit of a worry in a second officer. I'm happy for Berman and Braga to go for a bit of comedy, but this just seems to detract from the character, especially with the unlikely way he passes himself off as Archer when the Vulcan he's talking to can easily look up Starfleet records and see he's addressing the wrong person. It's all rather badly thought out. The effects are good, though; the bar Archer and company go to is quite reminiscent of Star Wars and indeed Star Treks V & VI. Nice work, people.

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