Around 21 March 2153 the NX-01 officers' club returns from a long weekend exploring an uninhabited planet. While in orbit they meet a ship of the Tellarites; its captain, Skalaar, quickly slides into their confidence offering tour guide services (as a ruse) and with little trouble captures Archer at the docking port. (Malcolm definitely needs a new protocol addressing this oversight.) Tying into "Judgment," Skalaar has come to collect the Klingon bounty on Archer, the only person to escape their dreaded prison planet. The bounty is needed to recover his old cargo ship and thereby redeem his porcine importance to his brother.

Chased by yet another bounty hunter Archer uses his "Canamar" trick to take the controls; nevertheless they crash on a cratered planet. Archer intentionally tries to sabotage the engine but miraculously they're flying again in no time. The Klingons cheat on the deal and Skalaar returns the favor, giving Archer a concealed lock-pick in exchange for his blood money lesson. The Great Warrior "die hards" his way to an escape pod since Klingons don't fight as well as fellow Starfleet captains. Enterprise grapples it and brings him aboard safe and sound; they get the hell out of Klingon space and those wimps are left limping back to Kronos. Ha!

Throughout (like a bad smell) there's an embarrassing Decon sequence. T'Pol has microbes insensitive to theta radiation and rubbing Phlox's back ridges fills her with the blood fever. Meditation won't do for the ship's sweaty Typhoid Mary - she's got to have relief now! (She assures us it's "not something we discuss with others," so except for Trip and Malcolm and his team and the doctor and whoever they talk to, the mating cycle should remain a secret.) The muscular little minx escapes but a suited-for-action Reed stuns her and upon waking the microbe is gone. All in all a tragic rip-off of "Amok Time" which in no way pays homage to the dignity of the original. Be very ashamed.

The real "Bounty" however is the overdue appearance of the Tellarites. (The Enterprise makeup staff really deserves mucho credit for updating these old favorites so respectfully.) They do not argue for a reason, they simply argue - unless they are bounty hunters with a heart of gold. In that case they are devious and clever, with neat diversionary weapons to match their superior mining and freighting technology. Mentioned here and before in the show as "not the most agreeable species," I cannot disagree more. I didn't get quite enough!