{"id":47128,"date":"2013-08-08T07:55:17","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T06:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=47128"},"modified":"2013-08-02T12:50:21","modified_gmt":"2013-08-02T11:50:21","slug":"star-trek-enterprise-season-2-blu-ray-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/reviews\/star-trek-enterprise-season-2-blu-ray-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2 Blu-ray review"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the first season of Enterprise<\/em> was a disappointment, the second suggests a fatal failure to recognise what went wrong. The fifth episode, \u2018A Night In Sickbay\u2019, exemplifies this mistake. Sure, it has moments of creditable humour, but it\u2019s hard to imagine that Gene Roddenberry would have approved of a story that starts out with a dog pissing on a tree.<\/p>\n

Later in this episode, Archer dreams of snogging a topless T\u2019Pol covered in decontamination gel, as if the titillating intent of that prop isn\u2019t laughably obvious enough. This is used to explain why he repeatedly targets bellicose indignation at the aliens he blames for making his pooch sick; never mind that his own idiocy caused the problem in the first place.<\/p>\n

Thus, the leader of Starfleet\u2019s great voyage of discovery comes off sounding more like a constipated Donald Rumsfeld than humanity\u2019s most eligible explorer. At least it explains UPN\u2019s decision to drop Star Trek<\/em> from the show\u2019s title.<\/p>\n

Later in the season the Borg episode \u2018Regeneration\u2019 highlights another lesson not learned: after the appearance of the Ferengi in Season One, it reinforces the notion that the writers lacked fresh ideas. What\u2019s more, the final scene will leave viewers wondering why Starfleet\u2019s resistance at Wolf 359 will be so futile given that they\u2019ve got 200 years to prepare.<\/p>\n

What makes the season frustrating, though, isn\u2019t so much these flaws as the intermittent hints at unfulfilled potential. Characters begin to establish those family bonds that are crucial to making viewers care.<\/p>\n

Also, the visual effects are far superior to those in previous series and reason enough to welcome this HD reissue.<\/p>\n

There are decent episodes, too, like \u2018Singularity\u2019, \u2019Cogenitor\u2019 and \u2018Carbon Creek\u2019. Unusually for Enterprise<\/em> the last of these elevates Vulcans above just being aloof by suggesting they can be sentimental and cheeky. Mostly, though, it\u2019s worth seeing because it\u2019s the only episode in the entire franchise in which you get to see one carrying a toilet plunger.<\/p>\n

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