Enterprise 3x01 - "The Xindi" - Everyone knows it's Xindi....

[mudshark]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]I liked it. It fell short of being outstanding; a few seams were showing in places and there were bits that could have been handled better, but not bad overall -- a pretty entertaining hour of television. B+/7.5, or thereabouts.

One thing I liked a lot was Stephen McHattie's performance as the mine foreman. After being somewhat disappointed by how little they used him in his last Trek appearance (as Vreenak in DS9's [iost_uid0]In the Pale Moonlight,[/iost_uid0]) it was great to see him get a bit more room to stretch out here. Also liked a lot of what they did with camera angles and generally getting the atmosphere of the mines on screen.

I did think, though, that Trip's characterization was sort of uneven. Neither the conversation in Archer's cabin nor his borderline-postal confrontation with the Xindi-humanoid really felt right to me. Archer himself still needs some work, as well -- he continues to be more a collection of postures and reactions than a whole, integrated person.

The Trip/T'Pol business? That's one of the things that could definitely have been handled better. Then again, it could have been a lot worse, too. There were a few very good bits in there, but overall, it seemed sort of clunky and awkward.

Couple of spot reactions:

The MACO attack/rescue -- I don't know much of anything about [iost_uid0]Elite Force[/iost_uid0], but at the beginning, where they're rappelling down from above, I was getting a flashback to a imilar scene in [iost_uid0]You Only Live Twice.[i/]

Evil Future Guy lying? -- well, now [i]that[/iost_uid0] would come as a real surprise, wouldn't it?

Maybe more later, after I've had a chance to wake up and read MEG's review, and stuff.


Derek: I didn't watch [iost_uid0]Jake 2.0[/iost_uid0], but I've been following Tim Goodman's advance reviews and reactions. The impression I'm getting is that it's not bad, but stops far short of what it [iost_uid0]could[/iost_uid0] be. I'm sort of waiting to see what happens there.[/colorost_uid0]