the delphic expanse

(Just for the record, I was sorely tempted to entitle this "Jon+Mal" but I shall remain officially neutral in the header. Just sayin'....)

This is the discussion thread for S1E12, Silent Enemy! All Delphic Expanse rules of engagement apply.

Written by: Andre Boramanis (multiple)
Directed by: Winrich Kolbe
Rewatch chat is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13th at 8pm EST (12:00 am Thursday, April 14th GMT).

The most significant thing I noticed about this episode is how much care went in to the little character interaction moments.

Trip and Archer clearly have known each other a long time, while Trip and Malcolm are just starting to work together, but despite their differences are working together well. Hoshi is kind of taking on the social secretary role, and she's very chummy with Travis, as she has been. Archer friendly remains distant to everyone but Trip, but he cares enough about Malcolm (and at this point I think everyone of his crew) to want to do something nice. There are little details like T'Pol's attempt at chopsticks, and Trip's favorite food being catfish, as well as his mother's doting on him.

We, of course, get Malcolm's dysfunctional family background. Distant parents. Sweet sister.

The alien boarding party is way creepy, but they really just exist to give the crew a challenge and an excuse to show them learning to work together. Archer, who in previous episodes has been very gung ho, is starting to develop a more cautious approach, but then his crew steps up to encourage him and show they can handle themselves.

I'll be watching the ep on Friday. But I just had to say something.

OBSESSION: see Silent Enemy, Jonathan Archer

This episode was a slash lover's dream come true. Lots of great Trip/Malcolm moments (boy fight!!!) and Trip/Archer.

Plus this episode had beer and cake together, and that is all kinds of win!

Another favorite episode. An interesting story, great friendship moments (for Archer and Trip, as well as early hints of Trip and Malcolm), and the first and only time we meet Malcolm's parents (which inspired a lot of fanfics). Oh, and cool aliens, too!

I love this episode as a Trip n' Reed episode, really shows how they can both spark off each other, but also work together and learn from each other. I actually felt the opening of Shuttlepod One was a bit of a step back from where both characters got to here. Love Archer here too, it encapsulates everything I love about the character- his concern for his crew, his fierce sense of priority (CAKE > alien threat), his being well-meaning but simultaneously really quite tactless I love him making the call to Malcolm's parents, I think he's so great in that scene, he manages to hold his charm though the awkwardness really well. The only slight let down of this episode for me character-wise is that "pineapple" is actually the answer to the least interesting question it raises about Malcolm.

More scenes that appeal to me:
ARCHER: (walking Porthos) Where were you at dinner?
TUCKER: I ate in my quarters. Now that we've got the amplifier working I wanted to answer a few letters.
ARCHER: You missed T'Pol's latest bout with chopsticks.
TUCKER: Damn! Dinner and a show.
ARCHER: I thought you were going to upgrade this.
TUCKER: That is the upgrade. Well if you want, I can change the color.

Haha, Trip does have those great off the cuff lines, delivered perfectly by Trinneer. I also like the reference in the next dialogue of his breakup from Natalie, foreshadowing his 'availability' in the rest of the episodes.

This scene perfectly represents the caliber of the crew on Enterprise, problem solvers, independent, and hard working, innovative, and fiercely independent.

[Engineering]

(a presentation with computer graphics to a group of the crew)
REED: This, ladies and gentlemen is a phase-modulated energy weapon. It's rated for a maximum power output of five hundred gigajoules. Enterprise was designed to carry three of them. We have one, and it's only a prototype.
TUCKER: Our job is to get it up and running and build two more from scratch. The Captain is taking us back because he thinks this ought to be done by the boys in Spacedock.
REED: Far be it from me to question the Captain's judgment, but Commander Tucker and I believe we can do this ourselves.
TUCKER: That means double shifts. By the time we reach Jupiter Station, I don't want their engineers to have a thing to do but give us a wash and a wax. Any questions?
CREWMAN: Are we expecting another attack, sir?
TUCKER: We all signed up for this trip because we wanted to do something no one had ever done before, not because we thought it'd be easy or safe. But we're not here to take foolish risks. The Captain and the rest of the crew are depending on us to keep Enterprise ready for anything.
REED: And once we get these phase cannons online, we'll have a lot more firepower to do just that.
TUCKER: So what are you standing around for?

Good development of the Reed/Tucker friendship
[Cannon port one]

TUCKER: Have you still got those guns of yours hooked up to the impulse engines?
REED: I'm just disconnecting them now.
TUCKER: Hang on a minute. You're sure this'll work?
REED: Yes, Commander, I am.
TUCKER: Then based on the recommendation of the Armory officer, the Chief Engineer finds the level of risk acceptable.
REED: In that case, if the Chief Engineer wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty, I could use some help.

...also loved the Hoshi/Malcolm exchange in the messhall, there is some degree of attraction there, but with great reticence, in keeping with both characters and their upbringing.

And I did like Enterprise kicking ass and taking names on those aliens!

*sigh*


Silent Enemy is where things really get cooking for Archer/Reed. As MJ has pointed out to me (many times), no captain would make finding out his Armoury officer's favorite food to surprise him for his birthday a top priority direct order during a time when they are under some unknown alien's scrutiny and subsequent attack.

But, Jon does.

I hadn't realized that he'd had Hoshi working on this Super Sekrit Top Priority Mission (which everyone on board the ship seemed to know about except for the Security Officer himself!) for a full week prior to the ep!

There's this obsessional quality to Jon, once he gets something into his head (or... whatever ) he won't let it go. Especially if it's important enough to him.

I have to post about this piecemeal due to work, so there shall be more!

I love this episode!

It's a wonderful ensemble piece, with great moments of friendship between Jon and Trip, and getting to see Malcolm at his professional best. It's a strong Archer episode, giving us a glimpse of how he sometimes second-guesses himself after a close call involving the safety of his crew. I loved watching his face as he pulled back from those thoughts and accepted that there will always be risks.

But to me, this ep is most important for what it shows of the developing relationship between Jonathan and Malcolm. We learn a lot about Malcolm, from seeing his family, and from watching him at work... and balancing risks.

Seeing the distant relationship Malcolm has with his parents, especially his father, Jon had to have been constrasting that with his own family situation. We know he wss close to his father, and we see his surprise expressed in the reality-check he does in asking Trip about his family.

Malcolm is clearly not at all used to having anyone go to any trouble for him, wasn't used to having choices offered him. His utter delight when presented with the cake was wonderful to see. He looked to Jonathan immediately, and seemed surprised and touched that anyone would do such a thing for him. For his part, Jonathan seems to bask in that smile, and in having learned a great deal more about Malcolm from having done this for him.

As Madeline said, Malcolm is not an easy man to get to know. Jonathan has made some good progress in that direction. Theirs isn't a relationship that blooms quickly, but I love seeing its progression.

And just as an aside, I loved seeing both unbuttoned Jon (shades of his S3 look) and disheveled Malcolm!

I too really liked the way other relationships between characters was delved into... more Jon and Trip friendship, very easy conversation as you would expect between people who had known each other for years. Even so far as "THE Natalie" or some such when Trip brought her up, showing a little bit more knowledge of what kind of relationship Trip considered it to be. I really really like the friendship angle, and curse TPTB when they deviated from it in S3. Dropped the ball there.

Also beginning the Trip and Malcolm friendship, which is also very important in all four seasons. I really like the sibling vibes I get with them, especially when they become the Trouble Twins. makes for much lulz.

Hoshi has so much to do. Jon had high expectations of her ability to solve a problem, or what he saw as a problem, *cough*. It really was a very nice ensemble piece, as you said.

I love love love the scenes with the aliens on board. The music is outstanding in that bit, between the (thousand dollar) flashlights in the dark and the way the music set the scene, and the early CGI creepiness. Enterprise made pretty good use of special effects available ten years ago.

More to come.