Feeding time in Sickbay and Hoshi brings Phlox a breathtaking transmission from the Denobulan Science Academy. Some of their geologists, deep underground another nearby world, are unaware of a surface conflict requiring their urgent removal. Archer is happy to help and even though Denobulans have been spacefaring for centuries for some reason Enterprise is quickest to perform the rescue. Time to go back into the caves! Mayweather gears up with Trip and Malcolm to take out everything we pesky off-worlders bring in (even though they eventually end up leaving lots).

Several very exciting sequences follow - sorry, I meant to say, "dreadfully dull" - of the three spelunkers rope-testing and otherwise Tarzaning around without much dramatic tension at all, even in the dangling officer scene - by now, what's Travis climbing without a painful leg injury? (And how again did Tucker and Reed get back up to bandage Mayweather's foot? At least Trip recognizes Denobulan writing well enough to crack a poop joke.) In an equally flaccid encounter they find the scientists who refuse to leave until after a commercial break. Some highly coincidental weapons fire quakes up their return but Archer makes a brave noise and the never seen only heard locals back down. Whew.

Meanwhile a fleeing transport vessel develops radiation problems and Phlox is up to his emergency elbows in sick patients. One is an Antaran who'd "rather die than be treated" by the dear doctor; in addition to bad complexion his people have a complicated history involving a few casualties from Denobulan military campaigns three hundred years ago. An indignant Phlox is only too happy to comply which suits The Great Peacemaker not at all! (Good thing Malcolm wasn't there to help throw him in irons after refusing an order.) Soon enough - before any suspense builds, that is - the disputants end up reconciling for their children's sake. This inspires Phlox to contact his own wayward whelp, long ago seduced by the dark side.

This episode goes to show why Phlox is aboard Enterprise, as one of few of his kind to embrace other cultures. It shows they must be comparatively long-lived (if Grandma lived through the last war), and it also showed - okay, it actually didn't - them as great climbers but I guess we're supposed to think that (or just that they're goofy like scientists generally are). Yet even with a score superior to the script and nice touches like tribbles and Hoshi's ear-comm, there's no rousing reason to once more into "The Breach." Lots of gravy, little biscuit.


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