"Home"

Written by Mike Sussman
Directed by Allan Kroeker


In which the crew of Enterprise returns to Earth, Archer faces his demons with the help of an old friend, and T’Pol’s return to Vulcan results in a difficult choice...

Captain's Log - Final Analysis







Captain's Log

For many fans, this episode is the beginning of a new era. For the first time, the series is being run by someone other than Rick Berman or Brannon Braga. Manny Coto has been declared by many as the potential savior for the series (and even the franchise, by others), making it difficult to grasp how anything could live up to the heightened expectations of a largely frustrated fan base.

One of the more interesting episodes of “Next Generation” came early in the fourth season. “Family” covered the aftermath of the Borg attack in which Picard was temporarily transformed into one of the enemy. What made this episode unique was the continuity of character study that it represented. Until “DS9”, the idea of exploring the long-term effects of a terrible experience was practically unheard of. “Family” stands out for that reason; it was something that the fans wanted so badly and received so rarely.

One of the frustrations of “Voyager” as a whole was the lack of consequences within the narrative. After the first few seasons, where some attempt at continuity was made, character development was at a premium. Seemingly life-altering events would be ignored in favor of whatever development the next episode demanded, and relationships would suffer as a result. The ultimate lack of resolution, of course, came with the final episode, in which Voyager arrived back in Earth space seconds before the final credits began running.

This episode avoids the incredibly bad decision of the “Voyager” finale while recalling the character development of “Family”. The results are somewhat mixed. On the one hand, character study has been such a rare commodity for “Enterprise” that an episode like this is more than welcome. On the other, the character development in question is not as deep as it might have been. The writers still seem to be skimming the surface. The real question is whether or not that is intentional; the writers could be using this episode to introduce character and plot threads that will be explored over the course of the season.

The opening scene isn’t perfect, considering how short it is, but it does cover something that usually wouldn’t be covered on a Trek series. It also gives context for Archer’s private moments later in the episode. Archer plays the hero for the crowd, but when it comes down to answering questions about his decisions in the Expanse, it’s a very different story. His frustration is palpable, and once Soval starts with his haughty cross-examination of the Seleya incident (‘Impulse”), one can’t blame him for wanting to jump across the table and paint the walls green.

What might have been interesting to see, beyond the abbreviated scenes in this episode, is more along the same lines as Soval’s topic of criticism. On the one hand, the characters are following a logical course of action and second-guessing the field commander for decisions that ultimately reflect on the fleet. On the other hand, it would be a way to point out that the new writing staff is well aware of the plotting errors made in previous episodes. When all is said and done, that’s exactly what such a scene accomplishes. (Note that the episode in question, while useful in relation to the Vulcan attitude towards Archer, also happens to be an episode written before Coto was brought in to help clean things up.)

Having repressed his own response to his questionable decisions in the Expanse, facing adulation brings it all to the surface. This says a lot about his character. If he had changed from a man with morals to someone utterly amoral, he would be more than happy to bask in the praise. He would be more likely to dismiss Soval’s questions as an afterthought. Because Archer is such a decent man, forced by circumstances to make questionable choices, his conscience eats at him every time he hears someone tell him he’s a hero.

Clearly this episode is not meant to cover the full range of Archer’s healing process; it’s closer to the first step on a much longer journey. The writers struggle with the process by which Archer’s emotional scars should emerge, and as seen in the episode, they choose someone that Archer held as a love interest during his early days in Starfleet. By making Erika a fellow captain about to embark on a journey like Archer’s, the two characters are on a level enough playing field for Archer’s responses to sound realistic.

Unfortunately, there are some issues with Erika and her place in Starfleet history. The Original Series episode “Turnabout Intruder” made Starfleet sound like an “old boy’s club”, where women can only get so far and only men become captains of starships. Erika Hernandez certainly runs counter to that interpretation, being one of the first captains in the fleet. It makes the villain of “Turnabout Intruder” seem even more hysterical in retrospect. Of course, some might also see it as another continuity break among the many credited to “Enterprise” over the years.

Also, for a character with so much familiarity with Archer in this episode, it might have been nice to have heard about her before. One can easily imagine the audience watching with frustrated and confused expressions, wondering what episode might gave gone missing earlier in the series. As it stands, her relationship with Archer and her ability to be his equal could play into future plot threads. At least some of Archer’s concern has to be the realization that Erika could easily find herself in the same morally questionable situations that he encountered. Just knowing that it could happen to someone he loves has to make him feel helpless.

Once the two characters were isolated, however, the process of getting Archer to open up seemed too easy. Archer got over his anger remarkably fast, especially since hours earlier he was having nightmares about his struggle with the Xindi Reptilians and telling Erika to take a hike. One big problem is the lack of any context for how much time has really passed. The Enterprise is repaired by the end of the episode, which could have taken weeks. Archer’s mountain climbing adventure, on the other hand, seems like it takes place on an extended weekend. If there had been a sense of time passing, Archer emotional roundabout might have been more believable.

Another major plot thread introduced in this episode regards Vulcan. The depiction of Vulcan in this case is hard to swallow. It doesn’t look quite as exotic as one has come to expect of Vulcan, for one thing, but that can be considered a matter of personal taste. Still, this is not a trip to some bed and breakfast in some Asian-meets-Southwestern small town, and beyond some disappointing CGI shots of the Vulcan landscape, there’s no sense that this is the mystical Vulcan of decades past.

Previously, any look into Vulcan culture has evinced a mixture of the mystical and foreboding. Consider “Star Trek III” and the portentous tone of the ceremonies involved. Consider even the way that Vulcans were depicted at P’Jem in the first season. Much of that sense of “otherness” that has always clung to Vulcan culture seems absent in this episode. Part of that is the fact that T’Pol is abnormal for a Vulcan, making rash and impulsive decisions left and right, something that has apparently been a problem throughout her life.

Her mother, T’Les, isn’t much better at hiding her emotions. Mother and daughter could easily be too emotional detached human characters bickering at each other, and the scene would have played largely the same way. It seems odd to hear T’Les question T’Pol about what happened to her in the Expanse to erode her emotional control when the rest of the Vulcans in the episode don’t seem much better at it!

If there is one scene that drives home this disconnect between the established Vulcan mysticism and the mundane trappings of this episode, it’s the conversation between T’Pol and Koss. Much of it makes sense within the context of the episode, and it could have been a showcase for Jolene Blaylock’s acting skill. The entire scene is undermined at the end, however, when Koss tells T’Pol that he simple “wants her to be happy”. For a Vulcan to say something like that is just mind-boggling.

Now, one could attempt to defend it, given the fact that T’Pol’s behavior and decisions have gained a great deal of notoriety from the rest of Vulcan culture. Koss could have used the language intentionally, as some kind of peace gesture, perhaps appealing to something inside of her that he believes he must acknowledge. If that’s the case, it begs another question: what the hell is wrong with Koss or his family that they would want to move forward with a marriage to a social pariah like T’Pol? There’s much for T’Les to gain by keeping to the contract, but what’s the upside for Koss?

None of this is explored in nearly enough detail. One has to wonder if that’s intentional as well. Clearly this episode sets the stage for the cultural changes coming later in the season, and T’Pol’s place in society is likely to play a role in that conflict. Indeed, her feelings for Trip and her ties to her culture could become the retroactive impetus for Sarek’s relationship with Amanda. Certainly T’Les’ comment about the challenges a hybrid would face pertain to Spock.

At least part of the downside to this plot thread is the continuing saga of Trip’s relationship with T’Pol. In a perfect world, this episode would lay that plot thread to rest in the shallow grave it deserves. Hopefully the writers will have this be Trip’s grand sacrifice, rather than the jumping point for some foolish and embarrassing gesture. That last kiss (actually well done, in terms of the mechanics of the shot) should be the end of it. It probably won’t be, but one can always hope.

For all that, Trip’s conversations with T’Les are enjoyable enough, even if they feel somewhat out of character for a Vulcan matriarch, and Trip’s emotional state is understandable from a certain point of view. Again, had there been some sense of time passing, the overall story would have been stronger.

Lack of depth also undermines the subplot involving Earth’s growing xenophobia. Like the two plot threads that dominate the episode, this feels like the seed of a future plot arc being planted. Phlox has been involved with plenty of alien cultures, and it strains credibility to think that this is his reaction to every anti-alien sentiment he’s run across. For that matter, Phlox himself commented on the difficulties of living with the Enterprise crew and their prejudices in the first season, and the crew continues to have a problem with their history with Vulcans.

All of which could have been interesting to explore, especially from the point of view of characters as diverse as Reed and Mayweather, who occupy opposite ends of the traditional human lines of prejudice. For that matter, even Hoshi could and should have been sympathetic to Phlox and his reaction to the ugliness on Earth, but she chooses to lecture him on how to respond to prejudice in such strident fashion that his point of view is more or less lost.

Perhaps the most amusing part of this plot thread is the irony of how badly it’s staged. During the run of “Babylon 5”, Trek fans would routinely scoff at the bar set and the somewhat badly-staged fights that would take place there. At least that series had the excuse of a low budget, and in most cases, those fights were the result of much larger seething conflicts. “Enterprise” ought to be capable of better.

All three plot threads feel incredibly rushed. As a result, the episode seems to summarize what happened over the few weeks of the Enterprise refit, without delving too deeply into any specific event. The writers seem to task Mike Sussman with the duty of giving due diligence to character development without forgetting that it’s all in service of moving the story forward. Character growth of any kind is welcome for this series, but on the whole, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Archer gets the best treatment, but even that could have been covered in more depth over a longer period of time.

The test will come in the episodes that follow. Will these events be proven as a starting point, placing relationships in context so that the drama is established for ongoing inclusion in the various story arcs? If so, then this episode suffers from being a transitional episode, setting the stage more than providing a definitive plot point. One could say that the marriage of T’Pol and Koss is certainly a major item, but in the episode itself, it’s incidental. What matters are the emotional changes that are caused by T’Pol’s decision to place family and culture over personal desires.

Once again, the CGI shots are sub-par during many scenes in the episode. The opening sequence in particular is just horrific. The shots of the Enterprise and Columbia are far better, and some of the Vulcan landscape shots aren’t bad, though they pale compared to the effects in “Star Trek III”. The producers are probably saving money in the long run, but the result is a final body of work that seems cheap compared to the efforts of shows with much less money and resources.

For all episode with so many faults, there are still many strong points. As stated previously, the very fact that character development is taking place is a plus. Archer’s development continues to be strong, proving that Scott Bakula can work with material that doesn’t bore him to death. Blaylock is at the extreme opposite of the spectrum. Her outfits continue to be outlandish for a Vulcan, and quite frankly, T’Les should have been more worried about T’Pol’s eating habits than her emotional problems. Maybe if T’Pol actually ate something once and a while, she would be more stable. Is anorexia a side effect of Trellium-D addiction?

An effort is being made to give the minor characters at least some exposure. Mayweather has gotten more screen time since the arrival of Manny Coto to the writing staff than he had in the 60 or so episodes that came before. Phlox is still not getting the kind of treatment he deserves, considering that he was a highlight of many early episodes, and Hoshi is definitely not getting enough to do. She was gorgeous, as usual, but her character needs exploration. What little was done in “Exile” and “Countdown” wasn’t enough.

Transitional episodes always suffer in the long run, because they don’t stand alone as well as most episodes should. Such episodes are usually best considered in context over the course of a season, when the plot threads introduced or advanced can be rightly judged. That said, this episode has weaknesses that are inherent to the episode itself, and for that reason, it doesn’t quite make the grade.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode suffers the same fate as many transitional episodes: everything depends on the character development. This episode has more character study than most Trek episodes, but it seems to avoid delving too deeply into the plot threads in play. It’s quite possible that this is intentional, but if it is, there’s not much else to the episode to overcome its intrinsic flaws.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10




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