Why is the 3rd season episode "E2" so universally panned? Most criticisms of episodes I can understand/agree with even if I like that particular episode but this is one where I'm actually totally confused. I read TheGodBen's thread where he rated the entire series and his very low rating of the episode seemed to be followed by other people who felt similarly.
I think it's up there with the best acted, directed and written episodes of the 3rd season. Sure it's a diversion from the main plot, but not by much. Everything that happens has to do with them getting back on course. Twilight and E2 give us fascinating glimpses into what could be. Twilight's alternate future is more horrifying and E2's is more hopeful but not without its own sense of tragedy. I found the Lorian character to be a very relatable one and surprisingly well acted. I felt that his burden was heavy and even his decision to steal from Archer for the success of the mission is exactly the kind of unethical-but-necessary move that Archer himself would have made and already had in an almost identical dilemma! Old T'Pol is a delightful cheat by the writers, a look into what that character may one day become given enough time. She had two great scenes: the tense one with Lorian was great with lines like "you know nothing about being human" and "for them guilt can be a powerful motivator." That's just good dramatic writing with a lot of subtle layers to it. Of course Old T'Pol has a very good idea what being human means. Sometimes it's the ones on the outside looking in that have the best perspective. And then there's the scene where she gives her younger self the advice she never got. Old T'pol ultimately didn't need the advice because she was forced to face her own emotions and her connection to humanity by being stuck on the Enterprise for the rest of her life. But young T'Pol needs the outlook that Old T'Pol offers because she'll eventually get off the ship and will have many chances to run away from her true self and her emotions. Even Trip's 'getting to know you' scene with Lorian is well written and touching.
I don't even agree that E2 is a pointless filler episode: Degra's plan to have them go into the subspace corridor is given a very tense and suspenseful twist because we now know that there are great risks. In that sense the momentum of the Xindi arc really isn't even broken here. Also, it's really the most poignant foreshadowing of the Federation that we get in the entire series by showing a generational ship full of species that have come together, shared lineages and technology and created a diverse community of reliance and trust.
Vanishing Point, Doctor's Orders, A Night in Sick Bay... now that's filler. Those are episodes that make me want to fast forward to the end because they really have almost nothing to do with the overall story and there's no dramatic tension. E2 is light years ahead of those as far as I'm concerned.
Side note: It's interesting that neither Trip or T'Pol mentioned the existence of Lorian as an example that successfully combining human and Vulcan genetics is clearly possible when there was some confusion over that in at the end of Terra Prime. In fact, in E2 Phlox finds out that he himself was responsible for discovering the method to do the combining. When he had to break the news to the grieving couple that the baby was dying because their genetics simply did not match up why didn't he try to do what he always does, which is look on the bright side and say, "hey, myself in another timeline figured it out, I'm sure one day it'll be possible. In fact I'll get to work on it right now and like in most cases I'll have it figured out by, oh, however much time we have left in the episode."
I think it's up there with the best acted, directed and written episodes of the 3rd season. Sure it's a diversion from the main plot, but not by much. Everything that happens has to do with them getting back on course. Twilight and E2 give us fascinating glimpses into what could be. Twilight's alternate future is more horrifying and E2's is more hopeful but not without its own sense of tragedy. I found the Lorian character to be a very relatable one and surprisingly well acted. I felt that his burden was heavy and even his decision to steal from Archer for the success of the mission is exactly the kind of unethical-but-necessary move that Archer himself would have made and already had in an almost identical dilemma! Old T'Pol is a delightful cheat by the writers, a look into what that character may one day become given enough time. She had two great scenes: the tense one with Lorian was great with lines like "you know nothing about being human" and "for them guilt can be a powerful motivator." That's just good dramatic writing with a lot of subtle layers to it. Of course Old T'Pol has a very good idea what being human means. Sometimes it's the ones on the outside looking in that have the best perspective. And then there's the scene where she gives her younger self the advice she never got. Old T'pol ultimately didn't need the advice because she was forced to face her own emotions and her connection to humanity by being stuck on the Enterprise for the rest of her life. But young T'Pol needs the outlook that Old T'Pol offers because she'll eventually get off the ship and will have many chances to run away from her true self and her emotions. Even Trip's 'getting to know you' scene with Lorian is well written and touching.
I don't even agree that E2 is a pointless filler episode: Degra's plan to have them go into the subspace corridor is given a very tense and suspenseful twist because we now know that there are great risks. In that sense the momentum of the Xindi arc really isn't even broken here. Also, it's really the most poignant foreshadowing of the Federation that we get in the entire series by showing a generational ship full of species that have come together, shared lineages and technology and created a diverse community of reliance and trust.
Vanishing Point, Doctor's Orders, A Night in Sick Bay... now that's filler. Those are episodes that make me want to fast forward to the end because they really have almost nothing to do with the overall story and there's no dramatic tension. E2 is light years ahead of those as far as I'm concerned.
Side note: It's interesting that neither Trip or T'Pol mentioned the existence of Lorian as an example that successfully combining human and Vulcan genetics is clearly possible when there was some confusion over that in at the end of Terra Prime. In fact, in E2 Phlox finds out that he himself was responsible for discovering the method to do the combining. When he had to break the news to the grieving couple that the baby was dying because their genetics simply did not match up why didn't he try to do what he always does, which is look on the bright side and say, "hey, myself in another timeline figured it out, I'm sure one day it'll be possible. In fact I'll get to work on it right now and like in most cases I'll have it figured out by, oh, however much time we have left in the episode."
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