Enterprise: BoundEnterprise returns from a six or so week hiatus with the first of the final six new episodes of the show. In a lot of ways it's the end of an era since for the past 18 years, we've always had new
Star Trek as part of the upcoming television season. Alas, it's no longer to be and it's a shame really as I think
Enterprise was really hitting a good stride this season with far more "keepers" in the canon.
And after a season with a lot of serious, continuity-tying-together arcs, I have to admit that I found "Bound" to be just a lot of fun to watch. It wasn't taking itself too seriously and it was just kind of a fun, enjoyable little episode to watch and enjoy. At times it felt like writer and producer Manny Cotto was taking elements of "Mudd's Women" and various other "strange alien women come on board the ship" episodes of classic Trek and distilling it into what we got there. The premise is that the Orions approach Archer about wanting to share a wealth of a mineral on a planet since they don't have the resources to harvest it. Part of the deal is that with these renewed diplomatic relations, Archer is given three Orion women, who he brings back to Enterprise. Faster than you can say "red shirt" the women are driving the entire male population insane due to the pheremones and the women are having blinding headaches. All except Trip and T'Pol who share a connection because of their intimacies last season.
So, it's the most politically correct storyline. But that's kind of the point. The original series was no where near politically correct all the time and yet it was always fun. There are lingering shots of the Orion women's assets and we have the male population behaving like a bunch of horny sailors on leave. I loved the scene where Malcolm and Mayweather are in the gym, trying to get the Orion women out of their minds. Also, we find out that the Orions actually used this as a trap for Archer-they're still pissed that he set all those slaves free during the Augments storyline earlier this year. And we also find out the women really run things over in the Orion Syndicate. Interesting little tid-bit that, alas, we may not get any follow-up on since we're in the final run of new episodes.
All that said, I enjoyed the episode. Was part of it the scantily clad Orion females wandering th ship, wreaking havoc? Yes, that was a part of it. But the other part was that it was just intended to be a fun little episode without any overriding social messages. Unlike
Monica Erica Green over on TrekToday, who lumps this one up there with such clunkers as "Spock's Brain," I think Ms. Green was looking for some kind of message or agenda to the story when what it was really meant to be was just a fun, enjoyable hour of
Enterprise before we get into the final five stories of the season/series.
About the only real downside to the episode for me was the swift resolution of Trip coming back to
Enterprise
Arrested Development: Righteous BrothersYou know, I have to admit the more I watch this show, the more it grows on me. And if this is the last episode we ever get, I will be upset but also happy that it ended on a high note. (As all of this season has been, really). So many running gags surface in this one--from the cornballer to Tobias's trying to be part of the Blue Man group. And it was all funny. Gob recording an album with Franklin and then bleaching him out in the wash was a riot. And Maebe and George Michael kissing and, yet again, someting disastrous happens.
Seriously, this show can't get cancelled. It's far too funny.
posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/18/2005 08:41:00 AM |
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