No happy endings here - these are clearly not your father's Vulcans.

In the context of the series there's something odd about a ship full of Vulcan dissenters packing around looking for emotional gluttony. Their ambassadorial team is leaving earth for the surfeit of emotion and yet these guys can't get enough. Maybe just a reassignment is in order.

Curious about her human crewmates, T'Pol nonetheless agrees with Surak's time-tested path of peace and logic. Then Enterprise encounters some not so typical Vulcans who disagree. Archer, knowing contrarily what works best for Vulcans, encourages T'Pol to keep an open mind and for all her trouble she gets mind-raped. Serves him right to get beat up again. (First by Andorians, now by Vulcans ... any guess as to who's next?)

The Vulcan transport ship was cool inside and out, especially for a ship eight years out and falling apart beneath their feet. (Good thing their "translinear sensors" are still sensing!) Among the transport's crew I liked the amiable Kov. "Six meals a day?" was really rich, coming from his portly self! His concept of football violence contrasted well with how deadly we know Vulcan wedding spats to be. Tavin reminded me sufficiently of Sybok to end this paragraph.

That leaves Tolaris. Tolaris reminded me of Redjack aka Kesla aka Boratis but situated in a Vulcan host (why not?). It even looked like he swiped the NX-01 teacups, I suppose to enjoy the emotion of purloining.

A little about Enterprise the ship is learned, such that one third the complement is women (thirty or so). Cups come from the cupboard, and both chicken marsala and pizza are available. Montgomery got to throw in a quizzical glance, Reed made a quick appearance at lunch, Hoshi called in her lines and Porthos was nowhere to be seen. Pheel-Good Phlox freaked me out offering happy-shot doses instead of a McCoy-like commandment to "Resume the meditation, stupid!"

The show needs another dream sequence like it needs another million metric tons of di-sodium. And is it really credible T'Pol or any adult Vulcan knows nothing of mind melds? The whole scene reciting the famous lines establishing the meld was enacted without any feeling at all. I hope that's a credit to the acting.

If T'Pol likes jazz that's a nice element to her character. If she "envies" Archer, that isn't. Spock's recollection of the great peacemaker in "The Savage Curtain" (TOS) leaves little doubt: Vulcans and their emotions are best left undocked. There's something better to explore.


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