(1x13) Babe Magnet: Dear Doctor!

[entkayjay]

This is the discussion thread for S1E13, Dear Doctor! All Delphic Expanse rules of engagement apply.

Written by: Andre Jacquemetton (Breaking the Ice, Acquisition (teleplay)) and Maria Jacquemetton (same)
Directed by: James A. Contner (Carbon Creek, Minefield, The Communicator, Horizon)

[Aquarius]

I'm about to go to bed but I just wanted to say I had so much fun at the chat tonight! It was nice to see the new faces, even though most only popped in for part of the time.

What I liked about this episode is that it went from medical mystery to ethical dilemma. It was well-acted by everyone involved. And...I don't know...I almost feel like we need a Phlox/Cutler 'ship now.

Honestly, the only thing that really bugged me was the conspicuous "foreshadowing" for the Prime Directive. I think a little more subtlety was called for. As it was, it sort of came off like the sort of repetitive and over-expository B-movie dialogue the satirize in The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Not hating on the show and I'm loving it for what it was...but I sort of felt like it was an amateurish thing for the writers to do.

Other than that, I feel that in a lot of ways this episode is underrated. I liked the Menk a lot, and the Phlox/Cutler stuff. And T'Pol's dental work was awesome.

[Hummingbird2]

For me, the best part was when Phlox caught Trip crying at the movie (nice t-shirt, by the way ). For some reason, SYFY cut that part out.

[Honeybee]

There's a lot of good stuff in this episode, especially the presence of Liz Cutler. She really is a bright spot. Such a shame that they didn't write her into more episodes before her death. The Phlox/Cutler flirtation is really cute, and it takes a sweet turn when she's there to sort of console him.

It's nice to see Archer learning from his earlier mistakes and listening to T'Pol. It's clear that the writers were going for a dynamic where Archer was a good leader to his crew but out of his depth when it came to the diplomatic aspects of his job.

I agree that the heavy handedness of the prime directive plot is off putting, and my understanding was that there was network interference with the whole way the plot unfolded - that it was supposed to be a lot harsher and more ambiguous what "the right thing" was. I really love the idea of an impossible ethical dilemma foreshadowing the necessity for the prime directive, but it just doesn't unfold the way it needs to here. The cast and director do their best, but it just feels off. I wonder if the problem had been on a smaller scale, without as clear results - if that would have made it work better.

Trip cries at movies. That's a little heavy handed, too. We get it, he's the "emotional" senior officer to T'Pol's logical one. Trip later becomes such a complex and layered character that it's odd to remember when he was a go-to character for comic relief. But I love the introduction of movie night.

[panyasan]

I agree that the heavy handedness of the prime directive plot is off putting, and my understanding was that there was network interference with the whole way the plot unfolded - that it was supposed to be a lot harsher and more ambiguous what "the right thing" was. I really love the idea of an impossible ethical dilemma foreshadowing the necessity for the prime directive, but it just doesn't unfold the way it needs to here. The cast and director do their best, but it just feels off. I wonder if the problem had been on a smaller scale, without as clear results - if that would have made it work better.

I wished they had stayed with the original idea. Now it comes across if Phlox decided who is going to live or die and which race is giving the opportunity to live, for lack of better words. Phlox - a doctor, a healer, finds a cure and doesn't use it.
I can understand there are case in which the Prime Directive is usefull or that is interesting to see how the PD came into being, but I don't think it applies here.
It would work much better if for example Phlox and Archer have a discussion about what is interfering in another culture, when it's time to act and when not and then make the decision together to help both groups. Now Phlox tells a rather unconvincing story, draws the wrong conclusion and for some reason unknown to me Archer - who expressed realistic doubts before - agrees.
On the positive side: I love the dentist scene. I just went to the dentist and had to spend 15 minutes with my mouth wide open - instantly reminded me of that scene. It was fun thinking about it while being treated.

[Brandyjane]

For some reason this episode isn't available on Hulu, so I had to settle for just reading the transcript. Here are a few of my thoughts:
- I like how so many people are shown learning from others. For example, Cutler recites anatomical terms to Phlox, Hoshi practices her Denoblian with Phlox, and Phlox and Lucas are learning about their respective cultures from one another.
- I like that Hoshi's Denoblian wasn't 100% perfect. It makes her super-linguist skills a little more believable.
- Archer seems to be learning when it's a good idea to consult T'Pol's judgment, like when he confirms with her whether it would be a good idea to risk cultural contamination in visiting the Valakian world.
- I think the following line from T'Pol helps explain part of actions toward Trip later on in Seasons 3-4: "I[n my experience, humans lack the emotional maturity for interspecies relationships. They tend to be easily infatuated with things they find new. This crewman may simply be satisfying her curiosity at your expense." Even if she loves Trip, even if she realizes she has a bond with him, if this is what she truly believes about humans, then how can she possibly give herself over to a relationship with any human without a lot of reservations.
- I think the conversation between Archer and T'Pol regarding whether or not to give the Valakians warp technology was a great window into Archer's growing understanding of Vulcan motives. He's so used to thinking of the Vulcans as "holding humans back," and now he finds himself in the exact same position.
- Phlox and Cutler are cute together, but going purely from the transcript, I think I like the Phlox/Hoshi interaction even more! I can't imagine actually 'shipping them, though.