(2x08) The Communicator!

[entkayjay]

This is the discussion thread for Episode 8 of Season two, The Communicator! All DE rules of engagement apply.

On to the show!

[Honeybee]

I don't think I've seen this episode since it aired, at least in its entirety. As many people said during the live chat, the design of the alien prison and the lighting is just gorgeous. Great photography on that.

I noticed little things like how excited Malcolm was to go on his first pre-warp society away mission. The frantic search for the missing communicator. Good performances by the main cast.

There was nothing wrong with the guest aliens of the week, except I thought they were a little flat. I kept thinking they could have a little more punch, if you will.

The B-plot with Trip was funny, and I was glad to see a recall of the Suliban vessel. His predicament with his arm was, individually, good, but it seemed a little out of step with a potential execution. Although, I tend to be squicked out very strongly by execution scenes in general.

This was one of those situations where it was clear in hindsight that they should have just left the communicator there and hoped nobody could figure out what it was, because they did a lot more damage with the capture and rescue. Of course, they could not have known that.

And of course, great character moments with Jon and Malcolm.

[Kathy Rose]

For me, this episode was a look at what happens when a not-so-advanced species stumbles on advanced technology...sort of a tribute to TOS's "A Piece of the Action" in a way, but a much more serious look.

One thing that always bothered me about this episode was that it was Malcolm who lost the communicator. Of all people, wouldn't he be the one who'd be the most cautious going into that situation, and keep track of equipment, etc.? But then his frantic search for the communicator when they first returned to the ship does seem in keeping with his character.

I agree the aliens seemed rather flat. I suppose they were supposed to be portrayed as somewhat thug-like.

I have to agree also about the lighting. It really had an impact on the prison cell scene.

Jon's ruminating about T'Pol talking about cultural contamination but never saying anything about having to sacrifice crewmen to prevent it really stood out for me. Jon's lost some of that initial wonder at being out in space, exploring, and realizing that there are consequences that are unexpected sometimes. I think it shows some maturity on his part, over how he was portrayed during the first season.

[Honeybee]

I remember having the same reaction when I first saw the episode - Malcolm seems like the most meticulous of the crew. I think they wrote in the line about it being his first mission of this kind, invited along because of the tactical situation, to help explain why he of all people would leave a communicator behind. I still think he would have noticed before they got back to the ship, too.

With the "flat" aliens, I kept thinking of the film Ingloruous Basterds and how menacing the Nazis who were hardly in it were. Charming one moment, scary the next. I was craving that kind of thing from aliens who were going to execute too members of the crew.

Also, I call BS on them executing them that quick. I think with the genetic enhancements alone, they would have kept them alive to study - unless they were really, really stupid. Which I guess they were.

Again, great character moments, you just don't want to over think the details.

[entkayjay]

I've not been wanting to turn this into a shipper thread, but Minefield and The Communicator are two of the big Archer/Reed episodes from Season 2. Not only do they get an extended amount of screen time together (both eps are really Archer and Reed centric), but there are really big changes between them from the one episode to the other.

In Minefield, we saw Professional!Malcolm trying to remain in a professional capacity with his commanding officer, from the beginning. And it wasn't very long into it before he was telling his captain personal details, about family history and having to use the bathroom. In his EV suit? And at the end he capitulates to some of the command style arguments they had on the hull.

In the beginning of The Communicator, he's much more relaxed even professionally, asking if he can do the report and really relishing the idea, smiling as he thinks about what he'd seen on the planet. Then he falls into close-to-panic mode when he realizes he's misplaced his communicator. As Kathy Rose said, of all the people to do it! He was fairly frantic looking for it, and self-flagellating in the shuttlepod. Thirty years in the brig indeed.

I think most A/R timelines begin sometime after The Communicator (although not all). The openness we see between them while in the cell awaiting execution is certainly not the buttoned-up Malcolm we've come to expect when dealing with superiors. Again, he's showing pieces of himself he's only really exhibited under stress in Shuttlepod One, and even then it was slow in coming (and only at the end he'd considered Trip "friend"). Here, it's immediate, as they discuss what to do. Not a strategy session between commander and tactical officer, but thoughtful, almost painful discussion, bouncing the ball from one to another. What if we told them the truth? Would they believe us? Have a laugh? It could do them a world of good.... all the while knowing underneath that the decision had been made and hopefully the cavalry would come riding in at the last moment. How, who knew?

Moments of quiet desperation, from both of them. And closeness, touching, long looks. Archer begging for Malcolm's life, Malcolm's moment of declination with a simple word, "Captain..." More looks, watching as the noose is put around his neck.

Great moments, great jumping off points for lots of fic.

[mareel]

This is one of my favorite episodes. No matter how many times I watch it, I always see something I hadn't really noticed before.

Entkayjay has expressed very well its importance to the developing relationship between Jonathan and Malcolm. So I want to mention a couple of the things that struck me this time.

Malcolm's feelings of guilt were expressed physically in his frantic search for the missing communicator, and then verbally in the shuttlecraft. But it definitely didn't end with Jonathan's reassurance there. After they were captured, Malcolm was visibly on edge and clearly wanting to DO something. He takes his job as protector of the ship (and her crew and her captain) very seriously, and here he is in a position where he can't do that job. He knows there is little he could do, physically, against armed guards (though at one point he does leap into the fight). I'm convinced that his improvised story about genetic enhancements was born of that frustration and his need to help somehow. No, he didn't think of the possible ramifications, but as he told Jon, improvisation isn't his strength.

The scene between Jon and Malcolm in the cell had always been important for the candor and intimacy between them. But one thing I noticed this time was something akin to role switching in terms of playing devil's advocate. Yes, I'm sure they both knew that their rescue would have to lie in other hands, but the discussion of the pros and cons of revealing the truth was important. It seemed very much a preview of the scene between the two of them outside Gralik's house in The Shipment where Malcolm was a sounding board for Jonathan's growing realization that all Xindi were not the enemy (and his increasing doubts of the necessity for genocide). So seeing Jon and Malcolm beginning to shift into these roles at this earlier stage was like seeing a puzzle piece fall into place for me here.

Jonathan's ability to see past the actions of some members of a society (or a species) seems to be an intrinsic part of his personality. We saw it with the Suliban prisoners vs. the Cabal in Detained. In the cell with Malcolm, Jon replies to his comment about "giving our lives for people who want to kill us" by saying "It's a big planet, Malcolm. I'm sure they're not all like that." And my mind leaped to Jon's realization that this was also true of the Xindi (in The Shipment), which influenced his approach to the rest of the mission.

And yes, I think their relationship is at a stage now where it's not unreasonable to begin writing fic for them. There was an ease between them that would have been unimaginable at the breakfast in Minefield. They worked together wordlessly in the bar, communicating with a glance. And Jonathan's protectiveness was at full strength – watching over Malcolm in the cell, helping him deal with his fears, Jon's voice catching as he made the plea for Malcolm's life. And on the gallows, his eyes never left Malcolm until the rescue arrived.

And not to be forgotten - that little smile/smirk from Malcolm in the shuttlecraft after he picks up the scanner that Jon was searching for. "Sir, looking for this?"

[Hummingbird2]

I agree, mareel. This is a terrific episode.

[Brandyjane]

Yes, I definitely noticed the change in their relationship between "Minefield" and this episode. I think it was an example of good writing since the characters' relationships are evolving in front of us. Something that always bugged me about some of the characters in some of the other Trek incarnations was that the relationships never seemed to change as much as they should have. A character would learn a lesson, but in the next episode his or her relationships would go back to where they were. That's something I've always liked about Enterprise. It really feels like the characters are learning and growing as people.

Also, I call BS on them executing them that quick. I think with the genetic enhancements alone, they would have kept them alive to study - unless they were really, really stupid. Which I guess they were.

This is the one thing about the episode that really bugged me.

My favorite part is Trip's hand. It's just so funny! I wish it had still been cloaked in the next episode.

[lfvoy]

Also, I call BS on them executing them that quick. I think with the genetic enhancements alone, they would have kept them alive to study - unless they were really, really stupid. Which I guess they were.

Hrm. Under most circumstances I would have had the same reaction, but my feeling mid-watch was that at least part of the reason for the swift execution decision was because they wanted to study them...in great, great detail. By this I mean the kind of meticulous, detailed study that generally proves fatal to the subjects. Under that viewpoint, executing them first could arguably be an act of mercy.

Now, that doesn't explain the method of execution (surely lethal injection would have been more "humane"!) but that was the reason that particular plot point didn't bother me.

[Brandyjane]

^ Yes, I could see them executing one under more sanitary, laboratory-type conditions to study him "in great, great detail." I would have thought that they might keep on alive to find out the kind of information you can only get from a living specimen.