Buffy 4.7: "The Initiative"

Written by Doug Petrie
Directed by James A. Contner

In which Spike escapes from the Initiative, the secret military operation studying demons, and Riley is caught between his duty to capture the vampire and his desire to woo Buffy…


Status Report

With the exception of “Fear, Itself”, which established the character arcs for most of the cast for the fourth season and beyond, the early episodes of the season were mediocre at best and highly disappointing at worst. The subplot involving Parker and Buffy’s subsequent emotional state left the series in a rut. While it added to the overall angst, the previous episode managed to build on the theme of the season and turn the focus to something more interesting. This episode finally gets the season back on track, if only for a little while.

The theme of the fourth season is self-knowledge, and perhaps more precisely, the lack thereof. College is all about finding oneself, and as the endless parade of forced metaphor demonstrated earlier in the season, Joss uses that concept to shine a light on the cast. In the previous episode, Oz learned something about himself that tore his world apart; for most, that’s exactly what it feels like to discover their inner strengths and weaknesses. To some extent, all of the characters continue on that journey in this episode, even though the focus is squarely on Riley Finn.

Riley is a character that is often the victim of the circumstances of his fifth season exit. Like so many of the latter day characters, the writers had no idea what to do with him once his main character arc was complete. Like Dawn in the fifth season, Riley is intimately connected to the fourth season arc; almost nothing is prepared in advance for growth beyond that function. For that reason, Riley’s character went swiftly downhill in the fifth season, losing much of its charm.

At this point in the series, however, Riley is one of the most endearing characters, and perfectly worthy of his role as Buffy’s potential paramour. Rather than thrust Riley into Buffy’s arms, forcing the audience to deal with it too soon, Riley is given a long introduction and the chance to make his case before making his move. In a certain sense, the Parker debacle was necessary to provide a contrast for Riley; he looks even better coming on the heels of jerk like that.

From the beginning of the episode, Riley is aware of Buffy, but unsure of what he thinks of her. As far as the audience goes, the question is a moot point; once a guy thinks of a girl as “peculiar”, it’s just a matter of time. The writers give Riley even more of a chance by surrounding him with realistic friends who are basically decent. Forrest is somewhat sexist, but not to the extent that Parker has been. (And of course, Forrest is ultimately not the friend he seems to be.)

Giles and Xander don’t have much to do in this episode, and that’s largely the point. Both characters have felt on the outside looking in since the beginning of the season. Giles put himself in that position, but now he regrets putting Buffy on such a remove; once the allure of the life of leisure wore off, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Xander, on the other hand, is living out what his nightmare from “Fear, Itself”, slowly becoming more and more isolated. It’s rather interesting to see Giles and Xander, usually barely tolerant of one another, hanging out together for lack of other company.

Meanwhile, Spike turns up in a prison cell as an impending test subject, along with one of the vampires previously nabbed by the commandos running around campus. This is immediately intriguing, because it is completely different from what has taken place in the Buffyverse to this point. It’s easy to assume that the experiments are some kind of military project, which answers one of the standing concerns about the Buffyverse as a whole: not everyone ignores the truth about demons on Earth, even if the masses turn a blind eye.

Buffy is worried about finding the commandos, since they got in her way in the previous episode, but her real focus is Willow. When Buffy was suffering in the wake of Parker’s subhuman behavior, it was overdone; it was as if the entire world collapsed. Willow’s state of mind makes it look all the more ridiculous, because her pain is far more justified and real. Her mental state goes from depression to denial and back so often that her head practically spins.

Riley puts the final nail in the coffin of the Parker Abrams fiasco by dropping him after the ass makes one of the most disgusting comments about young women ever devised, and the entire universe thanks him for it. This is also the moment that Riley understands his obsession with Buffy. This is a great moment, because it happens in the real world all the time. People realize attraction when they least expect it, and usually when doing something oddly noble.

Spike’s escape from the Initiative compound is notable for several reasons. It seems rather bizarre, in retrospect, that Spike can attack the Initiative scientists without even the slightest bit of pain. This doesn’t even agree with the dialogue later in the episode. The reason is rather obvious: Spike can’t react to the chip in his head until he attacks Willow, or the shock value would be wasted. The result is a massive continuity error.

It also takes place in the middle of the day, so Spike’s movements would be restricted, or so one would think. After all, how does Spike get out of the research area to the world above, unless he finds his way into specific tunnels and buildings? Wouldn’t those areas be easy enough to identify and search?

Of course, if that were to happen, Riley wouldn’t have time to conspire with a wallowing Willow to court Buffy. Riley is so obviously out of his element; he doesn’t even notice the satchel of weapons when he helpfully shoves it under Buffy’s bed. Yet he’s aware enough to see that Willow is hurting and protecting Buffy as much as possible post-Parker, and he treats her well, winning her over in the process. It speaks to his “Captain America” persona, which is exactly what the writers were attempting to convey.

Harmony seems to play the same part as Xander in the story, seemingly cast aside by a former ally. If that’s the intended message, then it doesn’t quite work, since it actually feels like Harmony was brought into the story as a plot device to stage the girly fight between her and Xander. It’s funny enough the first time around, but it doesn’t repeat very well, as it gets more and more ridiculous each viewing.

The scenes at the party are incredibly cute, especially when Riley betrays his complete inability to engage in small talk. Riley seems to focus on Willow’s depression rather than his own travails, just as happy to forge a new friendship as pursuing the girl that makes him stutter. It does a lot to make Riley interesting and worthy as a human being, which humanizes his more active role.

That’s an important goal, but the subsequent panic over Spike’s escape highlights a major flaw in the plot. If Spike’s escape is that much of an issue, then why wait until after dark to send out the troops, when Spike would be able to move more freely? The Initiative scenes are all very impressive, and they make Riley look like a capable enough demon hunter, but it makes Professor Walsh look like a horrible commander with no sense of proper urgency.

Once Riley is finally revealed as a secret agent, it adds a new level to the story that works perfectly. When he and Buffy are both trying to send the other out of harm’s way, it’s classic. This isn’t the “forbidden romance” of Buffy and Angel, but rather, two people who really ought to understand each other perfectly finding it very hard to mesh, because they don’t know the truth about each other.

Spike’s attack is just brutal enough to make the audience wonder if the writers are that cruel, but of course, the object is to finish setting up the “impotence metaphor”. The first time through, this is an absolutely hilarious conversation, with enough hesitation between each line of dialogue to give the audience a chance to breathe. Like the girly fight before it, it suffers with each repeat, and it seems to go on forever.

The subsequent battle scene in the dorm hallway is one of the best of the series yet, with great camera action and stellar pacing. The writers cheat a little with the fire extinguisher; the release of pressure should have seriously wounded the person holding it. Even so, it’s the perfect excuse to keep Riley and Buffy from learning about each other while permitting the joy of confrontation. The scene is just as remarkable for giving Spike a way out, leaving him available for more character development in the episodes to come.

The episode leaves Buffy’s world, and the season, changed in several important ways. As with each season before it, the scope has widened with the introduction of a secret military initiative to study demons. By placing Riley at the center of the action, Buffy’s romantic life gains a complexity that is refreshing. Spike’s personal situation makes it possible for him to be involved more closely with the Scooby Gang. The only thing left unanswered is the goal of the Initiative itself and its evolution into Buffy’s opposition; resolving that problem would prove a major hurdle for the writing staff.


Memorable Quotes

FORREST: “Buffy? I like that. The girl’s so hot, she’s ‘buffy’.”

XANDER: “Well, how about this? We whip out the Ouija board, light a few candles. Summon some ancient, unstoppable evil. Mayhem, mayhem, mayhem…we show up and kick its ass.”
GILES: “Wee bit unethical…”

BUFFY: “Now, if you excuse me, I need to go find something slutty to wear tonight…”

SPIKE: “I always worried what would happen when that bitch got some funding…”

BUFFY: “Stupid pen!”

GILES: “Is it raspberry fruit punch?”

WILLOW: “OK, say that I help, and you start a conversation. It goes great. You like Buffy, she likes you. You spend time together, feelings grow deeper, and one day, without even realizing it, you find you’re in love. Time stops. And it feels like the whole world’s made for you two, and you two alone, until the day one of you leaves and rips the still-beating heart from the other, who’s now a broken, hollow, mockery of the human condition.”
RILEY: “Yep, that’s the plan…”

RILEY: “Just sort of hoping you’d think I have an honest face.”
WILLOW: “I’ve seen honest faces before. They usually come attached to liars.”

XANDER: “Every man faces this moment. Here, now, watching…waiting. For an unseen enemy that has no face, nerve endings screaming in silence. Never knowing which thought might be your last…”
GILES: “Oh, shut up!”

WILLOW: “I never would have guessed. You played the blood-lust kinda cool.”
SPIKE: “Mmm…I hate being obvious. All fangy and ‘rrr’. Takes the mystery out.”

WILLOW: “You know, this doesn’t make you any less terrifying.”
SPIKE: “Don’t patronize me!”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was a marked improvement, even if there were some logical errors strewn throughout the script. The focus is largely on Riley’s double life, which is remarkably parallel to Buffy’s usual dilemma. Some of the comedic elements feel forced after the first time around, but on the whole, the elements introduced along the way make up for it.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Enterprise 4,8: "Awakening"

Written by Andre Bormanis
Directed by Roxann Dawson

In which T’Pau and the Syrannites must decide what to do with Archer when they discover that he possesses Surak’s katra, as V’Las initiates a plan to wipe out Syrannite dissent…


Captain’s Log

After a strong beginning by highly talented writers, it was almost inevitable that the second part of the “Vulcan Arc” would be something of a letdown. The same minor flaws from the previous episode carry into this effort, but there are some new problems as well. Many of these flaws can be laid at the feet of writer Andre Bormanis and director Roxann Dawson.

Bormanis in particular has gained the reputation for following a bit too closely in the footsteps of Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. Characters are governed more by the needs of the plot than any previous development, which is always a problem when there are plot/character arc considerations. In this case, the writing staff was clearly looking for a deeper context to the conflicts within the episode, and that context was mostly lost in the shuffle.

The plot is relatively simple, once again, which leaves the quality of the episode in the hands of the characterization. Archer finds that he has been passed the katra of Surak, the father of Vulcan logic from the time of Awakening, and the Syrannite T’Pau wants to take it out of his head. Unfortunately, Surak is of the opinion that all Vulcans, Syrannite or otherwise, have lost their way and need an outside perspective to get them back in line. All of which, it seems, can be accomplished by finding the Kir’Shara.

Meanwhile, V’Las of the High Command, acting very much like a Romulan in Vulcan’s clothing, launches a massive air strike on the Forge in the hopes of wiping out every Syrannite on the planet. Dissent is not valued by the V’Las administration, it seems. It’s not just the fact that the Syrannites stand against the values of Vulcan society as a whole, however; Syrannites are also pacifists, and V’Las has decided to deal with the Andorians once and for all. If the Syrannites gain influence, then the war effort could be stymied. Enterprise is stuck between rescuing Archer and warning the Andorians.

The plot goes a long way towards working out the transition between the Vulcans of Enterprise and the Vulcans of the original series and onward, as well as establishing the necessary trust for the early stages of Federation. There’s also a sense that the writers were looking to rebuke the current US administration for their hawkish brand of international diplomacy, implying that dealing with threats through “proactive measures” is morally indefensible. Of course, that implication is left vague enough to be a subjective interpretation.

Because the plot is so simple, the bulk of the episode relies on the strength of character interaction and development. For the central premise to work, it must be clear to the audience that both sides of the growing Vulcan civil unrest have lost the trust of Surak. It would be easy to see why Surak could deal with Syran/Arev; after 17 years, Arev had come as close to Surak’s way as the Vulcans of the films had come. That doesn’t mean that the Syrannites themselves have learned the same lessons; in fact, it would be hard to imagine how they could.

The Syrannites represent members of the Vulcan society, circa Enterprise, who have recognized that something is wrong with the direction their world has taken. They have slipped back into bad habits, and at least part of that seems to be related to the detachment between Vulcans and the relics of Surak’s time. The point is that the Syrannites have not been raised in the old traditions; rather, they have been attempting to unlearn society’s lessons and find the true path.

As such, the Syrannites like T’Pau and T’Les don’t know the rituals of Surak’s time, beyond what they might have studied in recovered texts or learned from Syran himself. More than that, they are still struggling with the same lack of emotional control that plagues the rest of Vulcan society. Acknowledging the true path is not the same as living it. As a result, T’Pau struggles with the same emotions that rule V’Las in the High Command; both sides of the conflict are too entrenched in the new ways to serve Surak’s goal.

It is this understanding that is necessary for the writers to communicate Archer’s role effectively. Without that context in place, Archer’s retention of Surak’s katra seems forced. Bormanis manages to tell the audience why Surak makes his decision, but the writing and direction doesn’t deliver the same message. Instead, it looks as though everyone is acting as the plot demands they act. The pieces are all there to draw the correct conclusion, but the pieces don’t quite fit together as presented.

This is equally true in terms of the role of T’Les. It’s rather clear from the beginning that T’Les plays a major part in the story, and it’s easy to assume that T’Les has standing among the Syrannites. Careful consideration of the episode reveals that this is not the case. T’Pau takes control of the Syrannites in Syran’s absence, and she’s completely out of her depth. She turns to T’Les for aid because there is a family relationship there, and T’Pau logically infers that T’Les could help her understand T’Pol and Archer.

Since T’Pau was still learning Surak’s true path from Syran, she finds it difficult to overcome her ingrained societal prejudices. The legendary Vulcan xenophobia is apparently a holdover from this era, when outside voices were a threat to the security of the Vulcan people in the eyes of the High Command. Archer’s role in bringing Surak’s true teaching back in the limelight can’t help that impression.

At any rate, if Surak wasn’t entirely pleased with Syran after 17 years of overcoming the conditioning of “modern” Vulcan society, T’Pau wasn’t going to work out either. Surak comes to the logical conclusion that someone needs to stand in his place, and it can’t be any of the people without the inherent will to affect deep change. Surak was able to overcome these same emotional drives within the Vulcan people during the Awakening through a combination of personal presence and worldwide self-realization. He needs the same to happen in the present, and none of the current Vulcans within his reach have the necessary point of view.

Having T’Les deal with Archer and T’Pol makes sense if one considers how T’Pau must feel, and it’s simply natural that T’Pau would continue to use T’Les as a resource as the situation unfolds. Once again, the treatment of this by Bormanis makes it look like T’Les is there simply for the sake of giving T’Pol something to work with. That much is true, but it also happens to make sense within the plot.

There are some nicely structured moments where T’Les is forced to deal with the fact that T’Pol’s warped impression of Syrannites is sometimes valid. This gets back to the fact that the Syrannites want to believe that they are what they should be; they don’t quite recognize the fact that they haven’t reached their goal. The mother sees all the reasons why the Syrannites are a good thing for Vulcan, and T’Pol sees all the reasons why Syrannites are a threat.

All of this finally places T’Pol’s character into proper perspective. By the end of the episode, T’Les reveals that she sought out the Syrannites because she wanted to find an answer for T’Pol, a way for her daughter to finally control her emotions. T’Pol, in that instant, becomes the poster child for everything wrong with Vulcan society. T’Pol’s lack of emotional control since the beginning of the series is not an aberration, but rather a glaring symptom of everything that has gone wrong since the Awakening. Just as T’Les turned to the Syrannites to find the answer for T’Pol, Vulcan society must turn back to the true teachings of Surak to find its own answers.

The symmetry is wonderful, and with that realization, it becomes easier to forgive the earlier writers for their apparent mistakes. It would be easy to think that Berman and Braga always had this solution in mind; however, it’s quite plain that this is correcting some overall continuity snafus, not following a grand plan for the portrayal of Vulcans. Just drawing those parallels and making the whole Surak concept work, driving towards the obvious recovery of Surak’s original teachings in the form of the Kir’Shara, would have been enough.

However, there is also the matter of Federation, and this is where the writers pull a clever rabbit out of their hat. V’Las is claiming that the Andorians are building a weapon to use against Vulcan, and that is the justification for launching the pre-emptive strike that the Syrannites would derail. It’s interesting to note that there actually is some evidence to suggest that the Andorians have the will and the ability to build such a weapon. In “Proving Ground”, the Andorian Shran managed to get information about the Xindi superweapon, making it probable that the Andorians might be working on their own version. Sound familiar?

Somewhat overlooked in all the Vulcan madness are two interesting possibilities. More than any other character in the episode, Soval is the most likely to represent the “restored Vulcan”. Soval embraced the strictures of his society for as long as they seemed logical, but he becomes more nuanced and “Spock-like” as the arc progresses. One could easily see him as taking on an important role in the new High Command (or its analogue). For a character that was annoying “wrong” as a Vulcan in the first episode, he has become an asset to the series.

It could also be possible for V’Las and others to be Romulan agents, something that would make a great deal of sense and also explain the Romulan Wars. If the Romulan s want to expand their influence, taking care of their cousins would be a priority. What better way than to destabilize from within? Force the various other powers into submission or wars of attrition, and then take over when the time is right.

This puts Archer’s place in the current arc into an interesting possible perspective. If Archer, a Human, is the one who unwittingly undermines a Romulan plot to destabilize Vulcan society, wouldn’t that drive the Romulans to do something about Earth? Especially once Archer begins pushing the other powers towards a collective agreement ala Federation?

There’s enough in this episode to make the character development work, had it been handled properly. What’s odd is the tendency within the script to overemphasize the character actions mandated by the plot at the expense of the themes and character arcs at the heart of those actions. Decisions should come from the characters themselves, informing the plot rather than paying service to it. In this case, Bormanis could have accomplished at least the appearance of letting character drive the story with a few small changes in emphasis.

Part of the problem is the performance by the guest cast, which ranges from excellent (Gary Graham) to over the top (Robert Foxworth). As V’Las, Foxworth delivers his dialogue with so much relish that it’s impossible to believe he could have ever been driven by logic. There were other ways to craft the performance to make the same lines work in context, without going too far over the line. Dawson might have wanted it as filmed, and if so, it was a critical error. If not, then she let things get out of hand without explanation.

It’s hard to know who ultimately should have handled it. It’s been established that Vulcan emotions are much stronger than their human analogues, and perhaps that is reflected in the episode itself. But it’s not mentioned in the dialogue, which would have helped to explain this to the uninformed viewer. It becomes another aspect of the episode that could have given the story depth, if the opportunity had been recognized and taken. As it stands, this is still an episode filled with compelling, if imperfect, transition to a brighter future.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was not as strong as the first part of the “Vulcan Arc”. Bormanis emphasizes the wrong aspect of the script, subduing the deeper aspects of character conflict under a structure that emphasizes plot over all else. If one ponders the episode closely, however, there are some intriguing and compelling themes within the arc itself.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Season Average (as of 4.8): 7.3

Changes to "Firefly" Review Schedule

With the change in the release date for "Serenity", I now have a little more time to finish up the DVD reviews for "Firefly". So here's the rough schedule that I'll be working; the expectation is that the reviews will be closer to the end of each month listed:

12/04 - "Ariel"
2/05 - "War Stories"
4/05 - "Trash"
6/05 - "The Message"
7/05 - "Heart of Gold"
8/05 - "Objects in Space"
10/05 - "Serenity: The Film"

The idea here is to give myself a little more room to breathe come January (when "24" and "Alias" start up again), and then resume the monthly schedule over the summer leading into the film.

Enterprise 4.7: "The Forge"

Written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Directed by Michael Grossman

In which the Earth embassy on Vulcan is destroyed, and the subsequent investigation reveals a deep schism within Vulcan society, placing Archer’s life in jeopardy…


Captain’s Log

The “Augment Arc” was the first real attempt by the new regime to put together a solid story. “Storm Front”, after all, was just a clean-up operation, fixing the massive plotting bomb that Berman and Braga dropped at the end of the third season. “Home” was transitional, setting up some of the long-term plot and character threads. The “Augment Arc” set the tone for Manny Coto’s storytelling mandate, and while it was an overall improvement, it was essentially the same quality as the end of the Xindi arc, which Coto more or less implemented.

If the “Augment Arc” was notable for its considerable references to the original series episode “Space Seed” and “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan”, then the “Vulcan Civil War” is already notable for referencing “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”. The previous arc was hindered by the need to remain within certain boundaries of continuity; the writers respected the past, and therefore could only go so far with the concept. In the case of this plot arc, the intent is to address the vast differences between the Vulcans of the original series and films with the Vulcans of “Enterprise”.

This episode succeeds in that goal to an amazing degree. It’s clear that Manny Coto sat the writing staff down with a copy of every script related to the Vulcans and made them find every possible inconsistency within the “Enterprise” characterization. Furthermore, Coto seems to have understood what many fans had noticed from the beginning: the Vulcans of “Enterprise” needed some kind of societal shift, something to explain how the Vulcans could change the philosophical underpinnings of nearly everything in their culture.

The answer is elegantly simple: like the religions of Earth, there are different schools of thought in terms of interpreting the teachings of Surak. Vulcan society circa “Enterprise” is rather complicated, far more so than Berman and Braga ever seemed to suggest. While the eventual Romulans left Vulcan some 1500 years earlier (a date that doesn’t entirely agree with previous continuity, but one that works well enough), the followers of Surak apparently fell into at least two camps. One embraced certain ideals of logic, but still retained much cultural similarity with the pre-Surak Vulcans and Romulans, including a certain level of arrogance. The other, the Syrannites of this episode, chose the path that is far more familiar to Trek fans: a deeply mystical path.

This makes a great deal of sense, especially if one accepts that the more militant faction had gained dominance of the government by the time the Vulcans took Earth under its repressive wing. If the militant faction had been more involved in interstellar matters, then it could be interpreted by the Syrannites that non-Vulcans were a negative influence on Vulcan culture. By the time of Kirk, the Vulcans respect other races, but they also maintain a certain wall around their culture. This episode, and presumably the rest of the story arc, places that in a wonderfully consistent context.

Not only does this arc already explain a great deal about the Vulcans of “Enterprise”, including their prejudices and distinctly “non-Vulcan” ways, but it goes a long way towards providing a reasonable explanation for every poor depiction of Vulcans throughout the franchise history. Don’t think a guest Vulcan on “DS9” is acting very logical? Well, he’s not a Syrannite!

This kind of retroactive continuity can sometimes be annoying (the Borg continuity is full of it), but in the right hands, it can make years of writing errors seem like a work of genius. Not only does this episode give context to T’Pol’s character (making it clear that she’s not a Syrannite, and therefore more prone to emotional outbursts), but it gives Soval a meaningful character arc. Soval was already being written as more and more sympathetic to Archer and Humanity as a whole, but now he gets to take a stand for a better Vulcan. One of the major flaws of “Enterprise” is now, thanks to this arc, one of its more intriguing plot threads.

Coto demonstrates how much he understands the Trek franchise and fandom by putting two of the best prose Trek writers, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, to the task of “fixing” the Vulcans. The Trek novelists as a whole have been interweaving Trek continuity into a strong yet diverse whole for some years now, and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have a great deal of credibility when it comes to this sort of work. Their novel “Federation”, for instance, is one of the most revered books in the prose Trek catalogue. In their hands, characters like V’Las and Arev become iconic, clearly of similar philosophy but very distinct at the same time.

The writing is only the first step in making the concept work; it repairs some of the bad writing in the early seasons to some extent, but the guest cast is tasked with the job of making the distinctions believable. Robert Foxworth embodies the Vulcans as they have been depicted since the beginning of “Enterprise”: arrogant, militant, and somewhat ruthless. Michael Nouri, on the other hand, plays Arev as a true heir to Sarek and Spock. The deeply mystical culture that fans have come to expect of Vulcans is there, and the contrast is incredible.

Stuck in the middle is Soval, who has come to recognize why the Vulcans of the High Command have labored so hard to keep Humanity under control. It’s not just that Humans have an incredible ability to get into all kinds of trouble. Humans also remind the Vulcans of the High Command of their own people, before the teachings of Surak changed the culture. More to the point, Soval hints to the deeper fears within the Vulcans of the High Command: Humans remind them how little they’ve changed from the old ways. Those Vulcans must secretly recognize that they have not worked out the delicate balance of emotion and logic as well as they might have though, and the swift recovery of Humanity from near-annihilation points out the shortcomings of the dominant Vulcan culture.

As one would expect, Soval is not the only one caught in the middle. T’Pol is also forced to deal with the schism on her own world on a personal level. Fixing the portrayal of Vulcans is one thing; fixing the portrayal of T’Pol is quite another. For all that this episode and arc seems to repair the damage to Vulcans overall, T’Pol is a character that can never be fully redeemed. The writers took her in the wrong direction, time and again, and even if they use the next two episodes to give her something of a Syrannite legacy through T’Les and T’Pau, it doesn’t change the fact that her character made bizarre decisions over the past three seasons, quite apart from any Vulcan philosophy.

The point is that T’Pol could and should be written more consistently after this arc, perhaps exploring the Syrannite ways and finding some direction in terms of her future development. But her characterization in the first three seasons was nothing like the other Vulcans on “Enterprise” or, obviously, the Syrannites; it was unique in a way that pales next to the other Vulcans in this episode. Clearly this has much to do with the writing, which never gave T’Pol the consistency necessary to make the character work.

T’Pol’s character should be addressed in the next two episodes of the arc. While it would place the character in a highly negative light, it would be possible to reconcile T’Pol with the rest of Vulcan society if she were seen as a troubled soul. Episodes like “Fusion” already set T’Pol apart from the Vulcan norm; she was depicted as seeking out emotional experiences and defying cultural restrictions in the process. If T’Pol were depicted as something of a malcontent in the eyes of her people, rejected by both sides of the Vulcan conflict, it would at least make it plain that the writers aren’t trying to sugar-coat the mistakes made with the character.

Unlike the “Augment Arc”, where the Enterprise crew was more or less tangential to the overall story, Archer and Trip are both instrumental to the evolution of the Vulcan culture. Archer’s search for the Syrannites gives him a unique perspective on Vulcan itself, and his experience with Arev and his katra ought to give him an understanding of the Vulcan soul that Humans could not have had to this point in the timeline. This could also be tied into Archer’s overall character arc, tying back into his feelings about Vulcans in general as shown in “Broken Bow”.

Archer’s bond with Soval, depicted in a touching moment by Admiral Forrest’s casket, makes the scenes between Soval and Trip credible later in the episode. Trip continues what Archer started, pushing Soval into making the necessary decisions to uncover the conspiracy against the Syrannites. Archer and Trip become integral to the story, personally involved, and that gives the episode more meaning.

The rest of the cast gets to play a part in the story as well, even if it’s a minor part. Hoshi continues to get the short end of the stick, though it’s not at all bad to see Linda Park all sweaty and flushed. It should just happen under more pleasant circumstances, hopefully something that involves character development. Her experiences at the end of the third season should have left her with emotional scars, and probably more than a few issues with Archer. With Mayweather getting at least some token screen time, if not explicit character development, then why shouldn’t Hoshi get the same?

While some of the early scenes appeared to gloss over certain details, subsequent scenes almost always addressed those issues and made every moment worth the time. It might have helped some scenes, however, to have a better score. One of the highlights of the previous arc was the strong score; the final act of “The Augments” was much better for it. This episode’s score didn’t quite fit the material. One of the minor criticisms of this series is the homogenous musical score; nearly every episode sounds the same in the end. Contrast this with shows like “Babylon 5”, where every episode could have a defining theme.

At the very least, an effort could have been made to echo the themes from the referenced films or source material. “The Augments” took elements similar to the score for “Wrath of Khan” and fit them into the television score. Why not take that idea to the natural next step and use the Vulcan-esque themes of “The Search for Spock” for this arc? It would have worked well for the scenes that took place in The Forge.

In general, the effects worked for this episode. The embassy shots and the explosion itself were sub-par, but the wide shots of the Vulcan landscape weren’t too bad. Of course, the effects were a lot less distracting because they weren’t nearly as important as the writing itself. It’s amazing how minor flaws can be overlooked once the basics are covered well!

And the writing quality couldn’t have come at a better time. For the first time in several episodes, the ratings took a dip. It’s not hard to recognize why. “The Augments” was one of the weakest episodes of the season, and the audience responded. Episode ratings are almost always reflective of the episodes that came before it and the competition; if the previous episode was weak and the competition is strong, there’s going to be a loss of viewers. That’s what happened for this episode. If there’s any justice at all, next week’s numbers will be the best of the season.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was one of the best of the series. The continuity was strong, and the explanation for the disparate portrayal of the Vulcans is both simple and clever. The writers gave the schism with Vulcan culture a reasonable basis, and even added some character development along the way. If the rest of the arc can maintain this quality, then this will be another step towards the best season of the entire run.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10

Season Average (as of 4.7): 7.3

Some Pertinent Information

Since there are some who might not know what I've been up to over the past few years, and what my future plans are, here's a basic summary.

I started writing reviews for "X-Files" during Season 8. Around the same time, I began writing XF fan fiction. The fan fiction is all part of one huge storyline, starting with a story called "From That Eternal Silence" written in 2001 to the present. I am currently working on the final installment of the storyline, "Morituri", and I post the scenes in development to my Live Journal and, in the future, this blog.

In 2001, I expanded from "X-Files" reviews and added several other series: "Buffy", "Angel", "Farscape", "Enterprise", and "Roswell". In 2002, "Firefly" was added, and in 2003, "Alias" and "24" were added. For the current season, the following shows are being reviewed:

Lost: Season 1
Enterprise: Season 4
Alias: Season 4
24: Season 4

In addition to series in first-run, reviews are still being written for series where previously aired seasons have come out on DVD. In general, these reviews are written as time allows between the reviews for new episodes of current shows. The reviews for older series are currently written on a rotating schedule:

Buffy: Season 4/Angel: Season 1
Roswell: Season 2
X-Files: Season 4

On top of all that, I have been writing reviews for "Firefly" using the episodes on DVD. I began with the first episode on the day filming began for "Serenity", and the final episode review will be posted in April 2005, shortly before the film is released.

One might ask...why spend so much time on something like this? After all, I have a full-time job, a wife and young children, and plenty to do in the "real world". Well, the fact is, I'm something of a night owl, and my wife is a morning person. I can't fall asleep before midnight, and the rest of the family is in bed by 8-9 PM. I can't really go out, I can't sleep, and I can't work on anything loud. Since I think of all of these things while watching my favorite TV shows anyway, I use the time and opportunity to share those thoughts with others.

Also, all of this analysis of writing, acting, and direction gives me a perspective for my own writing pursuits. I get to see how different people handle storytelling, and how they succeed or fail. My fan fiction is really a chance to work through my obsession with the "X-Files" mythology while developing the skills necessary to work on original material. I am conducting slow but steady research for my eventual novel, but before I really put the time and effort in, I want to prove to myself that I can finish out the fan fiction project I started.

I hope this provides a kind of background into what this blog will cover. As evident already, my reviews are usually long and peppered with speculation and personal interpretation. That doesn't mean that I discourage comments and discussion; in fact, I welcome it! If anything, I write these reviews in this manner to limit the amount of time I spend online discussing the episodes; if I didn't dump it all out at once, I'd spend hours replying on every little post on every message board!

For those who want to know more about me personally, I don't really get into my "real world" job and the drama surrounding it. There are various reasons (some legal and some professional) for referring to my job in a vague manner. I might complain about work from time to time, but I can't get too specific, especially since my company is in the news on a regular basis. So that's as far as that will go!

My wife is a teacher; I typically leave her name out of this sort of thing. I do talk about my kids, though. I have a daughter named Brenna (5) and a son named Riley (11 months). We live in New Jersey, USA, for those who want to know, but for obvious reasons, I'm not saying more than that.

Besides the reviews and occasional fanfic material, I will sometimes post about my political views and other philosophical topics of debate. Anyone who knows about the recent shake-ups in New Jersey politics can assume that the next year will be as contentious for us as the national election was this year for the whole country. So yeah, I'll probably have a thing or two to say about that...LOL...

I mention some of these other things because, in the end, I feel that genre television tries to take broad social context, philosophical and political issues, and deeply engrained societal mythology and make something compelling out of it all. A genre setting may focus on the science fiction and fantasy, but it ultimately speaks to our culture. Structures of belief are often revealed, and within the context of an unreal mythology are foundations of modern psychology. More often that not, these are the matters that I consider when watching and reviewing these episodes.

That's all for now!

Lost 1.9: "Solitary"

Written by David Fury
Directed by Greg Yaitanes

In which Sayid is captured by the French woman who has been trapped on the island for 16 years, and discovers a great deal about the island’s secrets and his own motives…


Status Report

Since the beginning of the series, hints have been dropped about Sayid’s past: his time with the Republican Guard, his experience with interrogation, and the picture of a young Arab woman. Over the course of several episodes, it has become clear that Sayid is a decent man, a man of conscience. It is this quality that has made his character so compelling, and why this has been one of the more anticipated episodes of the season.

The writers are smart enough to realize how far they can go with the topic. All things being equal, Sayid’s story could have been far more violent, the drama darker and more intense. Had that been the case, it would have been hard for the public to judge Sayid fairly. The country is, after all, at war in Iraq, and it would be nearly impossible to portray the Iraqi Republican Guard as anything but inherently evil. To do otherwise, in the current political climate, would invite disaster.

This places a number of restraints on Sayid’s background. The assumption would be that Sayid was forced to torture and kill someone in the past, based on the information that has been given. But could that have been shown without undermining the decency that has been at the core of the character since day one? And how would someone with Sayid’s decency be capable of something so horrible?

So there’s a limit to what Sayid himself could be allowed to do. The Republican Guard overall must be corrupted enough to torture and kill in the name of Saddam Hussein, but Sayid himself must be cursed with a conscience. As such, the writers give him a background that allows for that, treading the fine line between stereotypical depiction of Arabs and actual characterization. Sayid becomes an example of the trials and tribulations of the basically decent Iraqi young man. He must find a way to survive in the political climate of Iraq, because otherwise, he and his family could become victims of the state.

It’s not entirely clear why a young Iraqi woman would be named Nadia, but putting that aside, she is the perfect test for Sayid. Over time, Sayid would have been forced to think of “enemies of Saddam” as something other than civilized, an element that deserved much of what they were receiving. One can see that he doesn’t truly believe that, but rather, it’s part of the carefully constructed delusion that he has been forced to accept. Once he comes face to face with Nadia, of course, the enemy is no longer a stranger. He can’t believe that Nadia deserves to suffer and die.

It’s all for love, as all such things must be, but the writers don’t make it as simple as that. Sayid does betray the Guard to let Nadia escape, but he also makes sure that his family remains safe by staging it as a prisoner escape. This leaves the open question of how Sayid got out of the Guard in the seven years since Nadia’s escape and how he wound up on the plane. Was he following a lead regarding Nadia’s whereabouts? Or was there something more to it? Whatever the case, there’s quite a bit more to learn about Sayid.

For the purposes of this episode, of course, it’s all about Sayid’s realization that his search for Nadia and the truth of her escape has isolated him from the world, and in turn, everyone else on the island. He comes to the epiphany that he should be trying to bond with the others. Note that this is perfectly in keeping with the idea that the island itself facilitates the redemption and spiritual transformation of those willing to embrace forgiveness. When Sayid resisted, he was pushed into the choices and actions that would open his eyes, and give him the chance to take a different path in life.

That journey, of course, serves more than one purpose. Sayid is captured by the French woman who initiated the distress call more than 16 years earlier: Danielle Rousseau. Danielle, played by the memorable Mira Furlan (best known in the US for her portrayal of Delenn on “Babylon 5”), reveals a ton of information about the island while putting Sayid to the test. Much of what she tells Sayid about the island comes from her own perspective, which has clearly been shaped by 16 years of relative solitude on the island. “Relative” is the world, because she certainly hasn’t been alone for the entire time; her son Alex has also been around.

Over the course of the episode, Danielle hints at something on the island, some kind of pathogen or parasite, that the rest of her team became “carriers” of, apparently without their own knowledge. Danielle, resisting this “thing”, killed the others to keep them from taking it off the island. She also tells Sayid about how the others heard “whispers” coming from all around them in the jungle, and that he should watch the others very carefully. She points out, rather tellingly, that there are “no monsters” on the island, and that the power source for her transmission is kept at another location.

Danielle’s point of view is suspect, but it offers two different interpretations of what has happened on the island. If there is some intelligence or higher power on the island, pulling certain people there to be transformed and changed into something better, then it could be perceived as something “infecting” them, especially from the perspective of someone resisting the change. Danielle has apparently been hiding from the power on the island for years, even though she practically admits that something intentionally brought her science expedition to the island’s shores.

However, taking her comments more literally, there is another theory. In previous reviews, it has been noted that Locke might not be following some mystical guidance, pushing people in the direction they need to go out of an inherent spiritual knowledge. It’s quite possible that there is something on the island, a pathogen or parasite like the one Danielle describes, that alters perception in a way that makes people think they are following a higher purpose.

If this were true, then a number of things would have to be true. First, there would have to be a satisfying external explanation for the presence of polar bears and larger, unseen creatures on the island. Second, this pathogen/parasite would have to be relatively hard to catch. People are roaming the island all the time, and yet so far, Locke and Jack are the only two major candidates for this mind-altering infection. Finally, that would mean that all of the seemingly “destined” events that have taken place would have to be chance.

So far, there’s enough evidence to make it possible for either possibility. It remains to be seen if either of them could cover the full range of experiences on the island. The fact that the “whispers” are real makes it easy enough to accept that something has gotten into Sayid to alter his perception, but it could also be related to whatever higher power that might be present.

One interesting revelation in this episode is the strong suggestion that Danielle was not the one who smacked Sayid upside the head. Why would Danielle act surprised and alarmed to see Sayid, if she had him dead to rights days earlier and let him go? She knew only that there were others on the island, and that they were a potential threat.

The most reasonable explanation is that Alex, her son, left whatever shelter he was in (perhaps the other power site) to find out what the survivors were all about. When Sayid got too close to finding his mother, Alex could have followed Sayid and derailed the process. When Sayid steps into Danielle’s trap, she could have assumed that the survivors caught Alex and were told of her whereabouts.

Since the survivors didn’t run across Alex as some unknown individual, it’s quite possible that Alex has already infiltrated one of the camps. The writers realize that the audience won’t take long to figure this out, so a couple of candidates have been introduced in the last few episodes. The most likely candidate, however, is Ethan, Locke’s hunting partner. If Alex is still not “infected”, then it would make sense for him to keep a close eye on Locke, posing as one of the survivors.

Unlike many of the other episodes, the majority of the focus is kept to Sayid and Danielle. Naveen Andrews does the usual exceptional job with Sayid, and he’s supported by two very talented co-stars. Mira Furlan plays Danielle with the requisite amount of mental instability, and it’s amazing to see the differences between this role and her far more recognized work as Delenn. There are, of course, similarities in line delivery, but that has much to do with the dramatic style in which Mira learned her art. Nadia is given a wonderful humanity by the incredibly lovely Andrea Gabriel; when Sayid comes to deliver her to her execution, her one line is heart-breaking.

As far as the other characters go, Jack seems to be dealing with the fallout of his decision to torture Sawyer in the previous episode. For now, Sawyer and Kate seem to be placing most of the blame on his head, and that’s appropriate, since Jack is the de facto leader of the survivors at the cave. At the same time, he seems to finally recognize that his personal intensity is becoming self-destructive. Leadership is not sitting comfortably on his shoulders. Venting some of that internal pressure certainly helped, and giving Sawyer an open door to walk through didn’t hurt either.

Kate is not at all happy with Jack at this point, which plays into the dynamic discussed in the review for the previous episode. Jack is Kate’s salvation, at least at this point of the game, and she’s still resisting that fact. At the same time, Kate is Sawyer’s salvation, and that’s working out a little bit better.

Sawyer starts the episode with the same attitude that he started the episode with, but by the end, he seems to realize that he gains nothing by letting the rest of the survivors hate him. Sure, it feeds his desire for self-indictment, but it doesn’t help him change and gain redemption. Even if it means a harder road for Kate, it’s necessary for her to get drawn into Sawyer’s world, so that he has someone to help him see the light.

Charlie has very little to do in this episode, other than play around with the golf course with Hurley. That probably has a lot to do with Claire’s absence from the episode; Charlie and Claire have definitely been drawn together. Hurley’s idea could have easily derailed the entire episode, but it was an interesting way to tie the main theme of isolation into more than just Sayid and Danielle’s scenes. The golf course gives Jack a chance to show his lighter side, and even gives Sawyer a way to act like part of the gang. It’s silly, but as the characters themselves point out, most of the survivors have nothing to do, and that’s a morale killer.

Boone and Shannon seem to be back on the beach, which is hard to understand, unless the message is that they are still not sure what direction they are headed. They could be spending days at the beach and nights at the caves, to make sure that Shannon remains healthy. For this episode, though, Boone spends most of his time glaring at Sawyer and Shannon gets to be the pin-up model.

Jin and Sun remain in the background, giving Michael and Walt’s relationship some time to grow (or not, as the case may be). Michael seems to have been ignoring his son’s boredom lately, and having very few parenting skills, he’s far too late in recognizing that Walt is still looking to Locke as a father figure. Considering the end of the episode, that’s likely to become a major problem.

Locke is far too casual about giving Walt that knife, and he ought to know better than to get a kid involved in the more brutal aspects of survival. On the other hand, if Locke is communing with some higher power on the island, this could be part of the test for Michael and/or Walt. Michael needs to figure out where he stands with Walt, and Walt needs to understand his father. That’s likely to be facilitated by Locke’s choice, intentional or not.

This episode is largely dedicated to advancing the plot arc, which is a good thing. There are, of course, certain drawbacks. There’s a ton of exposition that comes with the territory, especially since a new character has to be introduced and made relevant in a relatively short period of time. The writers clearly struggle with that responsibility, because the dialogue often suffers. It’s not as natural as it should have been, and David Fury is usually much better than that.

Because so many details are tossed out at the same time, the list of questions regarding Danielle and the French science expedition is a mile long. Yet for all that, the writers expect the audience to accept that Sayid would miss something so simple as checking the firing pin on his weapon. As Jack said early in the episode, Sayid is a military man; he should have checked, especially if he felt his life was in danger.

The upside to all that exposition is the wealth of plot threads introduced, and the deepening of the island’s mystery. If Danielle is a regular addition to the cast, her knowledge of the island and its secrets could be invaluable, and could lead to a number of subsequent related mysteries that she hasn’t been able to solve. And since her knowledge would have to be passed through the filter of possible insanity, there would always be the possibility of misinterpretation. That underlying level of uncertainty is the stuff of strong thrilling drama, and even if the episode doesn’t completely live up to expectations, it offers plenty of opportunity for the future.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode did a good job of exploring the theme of isolation while exploring Sayid’s past. The enormous amount of exposition in this episode detracted from the overall quality somewhat, but all of those potential plot threads give the series plenty to work with in the future. The guest cast was very strong, and with the introduction of a few more minor characters, the writers seem to be opening the door for change.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Season Average (as of 1.9): 8.0