26: Carbon Creek – Star Trek Enterprise Season 2, Episode 2




Matt and Sean talk about that time someone’s great-grandmother went to Pennsylvania. Fun Star Trek, while not great Star Trek.

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Hey everybody welcome to trek in time the podcast that takes a look at Star Trek in order and in history our regular viewers and listeners will know by now what we mean, but for the new let me explain. We’re watching all of Star Trek That’s right.
All of it. There’s a lot.
All of star trek in Order. We’re doing it in chronological order. So this is still early days. We’re watching enterprise which chronologically are the earliest stories in the Star trek universe and we’re also taking a look at things in our world at the time of the original broadcasts. Take a deeper dive into what’s going on in the episodes or in the era that they were broadcast. Whatever catches are I and as far as whose eyes are doing the catching. It’s me I’m sean ferrell I’m a writer I write some sci-fi I write some picture books I write some kids books and with me is my brother. Matt he’s the guru and inquisitor behind the Youtube channel undecided with Matt farrell which takes a look at emerging tech and its impact on our lives Matt how you doing I’m okay, our regular viewers on youtube will realize very quickly that my face is not moving.
I’m doing Well how you doing.
How do you? How are you talking about moving your lips on.
Well, it takes a lot of practice but my ventroloquism is coming along beautifully thank you for asking I recently had some face surgery nothing major. This is not a face off situation. But right now yes I now look amazingly like Nicholas cage.
Um I was about to ask.
And I’m dressed as a priest and with the bandages on I just figured our viewers would not enjoy that Although now that we’ve started recording I realized that I do look a little bit like odo if I get the right profile. So viewers might have enjoyed that. Just a reminder before we get into the episode. You can directly support the podcast you can go to trekintime show and there you can press a link and that link allows you to give us money and we appreciate it. But even if you’re not able to do that. We appreciate, whatever kind of support. You’re able to give. Listening sharing liking subscribing all of those things really do help and we appreciate it all and Matt I understand you’ve got some listener feedback that you want to share with us.
Yes, Yeah I thought this 1 was funny. This is from our regular viewer Roattrav He wrote. Okay, here’s my 1 sentence wrong answer synopsis This is from the last episode we did which was about the big season finale from episode 1 maybe season 1 Ah, a Star Trek Podcast captain and his older brother travel forward in time where they enjoy a pleasant brunch with a native creature who is half trav and half Robot I’d watch it so that sounds very pleasant Forfo Trav. So Thank you very much for that. Ah, the other comment was from makeo.
Very pleasant indeed. Yes.
Um I think it’s unfair to compare enterprise season 1 to the entire arcs of next generation deep space nine or voyager. In fact, all 3 of those shows had pretty bad and slow first seasons and started developing in season 2 or 3 otherwise I agree with you that the first season was lackluster and not the best. Um. I agree with that sentiment ah like the first 2 seasons of next generation are almost unwatchable how all over the Map. It is some episodes are just absolutely horrible. But the show of course hit a stride in season 3 and four and five that just took it through the to the stars literally.
Um, yeah.
And so it’s like I do agree with the sentiment. It’s it’s a we’re being a little harsh a little bit on the show and a lot of people are harsh on the show for the season 1 and even a little bit of season 2 but the show for me as we’re going to find out as we get further into it I like where this show ends up going. It’s like it. It find it does find it stride eventually.
Yeah I think that I I absolutely agree with that comment as well. Thank you meko for for dropping that in there I would also say that it’s hindsight being 2020 it’s very easy for us to look back and say oh they should have done this they should have done that it’s very easy to.
Yeah, yeah.
To be critical and pick things apart I don’t think though, it’s just a case of looking back and comparing season 1 and its failures against the entire story arc of next generation I also think that part of it is. An unintentional bias that Matthew and I may be exhibiting which is born of the amazing golden era television that we’re currently living in and I think that I do this and I think Matt might do it as well. There’s a little bit of a jaundiced view.
True.
Television from an earlier era comparing it to when we have tv shows coming out of the gate like the Mandalorian or foundation which if our listeners and viewers aren’t watching foundation. You absolutely have to check it out. It is.
Foundation.
It is a Tv Series allah Dune it is about empire and the failures of empire and it it is with special effects and story and storytelling techniques that are remarkable. We’ve become accustomed to that.
It’s like a movie.
And now we’re going back and watching something from the early 2000 s where network television and at this point this is not just network television this is upn so this is effectively a failed network attempt to take advantage of their most famous. Franchise but do it in a way that is going to capture a new audience but also is going to very naturally be compared to things that were high levels of success shortly before so miko you’re right? There are a number of reasons why our. Looking at this may be a bit unfair. However I would also say there’s a frustration when I watch some of these episodes that it feels as if the producers and the makers of the show themselves were forgetting. That their viewers were already very aware of what star trek was and they seemed to come at it in ways and I think today’s episode spoiler. Not a fan of today’s episode
And.
Today’s episode is 1 of those where it just feels like do you realize who your audience is here. Um, and so that’s where some of this comes from for me. So tip my hand a little bit. About today’s episode today’s episode is carbon creek this is the second episode of the second season and it was oddly enough filmed before the first episode of the season. So this was 1 that they had crafted probably initially some of it. Had probably been spitballed during season 1 for them to be able to do this 1 ne first when episode 1 was written just weeks after the cliffhanger from season 1.
Yeah.
So this 1 must have already been in the works in some fashion. There must have already been some pieces put in place and to me it feels very much like that. That’s part of the struggle for me of this episode is that it feels like it could fit right into the Boggy middle of season 1
Yeah.
Matt do you want to give us a quick synopsis.
Sure to paul tells the story of first contact between humans and vulcans in one fifty seven far earlier than the officially recognized date and I’ll add to that or did it happen is that’s kind of the thing they try to.
Yeah dot dot dot. Yeah Matt what did you think of that synopsis.
To do in the episode. Yeah. Um, ah, technically correct but ah misses a whole lot of the nuance of what they were trying to do in the episode.
Well that that’s my synopsis I wrote that once you take a look quickly share with our listeners The synopsis from wikipedia.
Okay, okay, this will hold on. Oh boy. Yes, Okay, yeah, your your yours is a lot more succinct This episode features a flashback story as told by the main cast character to fall.
Um, good luck with the grammar. It’s a lot of fun.
Who tells the story of first contact between humans and vulcans which actually happened far earlier than officially recognized than the officially recognized date her great grandmother tamir also played by Jolene blalock crash landed on Earth in one fifty seven shortly after the launch of sputnik.
Really rolls off the tongue as far as the synopsis. Yeah yes.
It’s That’s so well written. Yes, yours was a little more of a laser focus but but yes.
So this episode was the teleplay was by chris black the story by rick berman bran and braga and dan o’shannnon and for sitcom fans the name dan o’shannnon may be sticking out like why do I feel like I know that name. Well this. Dan o’s shannon is the dan o’shannnon who is a producer on fraser this episode was born of dan o’shannnon having a star trek idea and sharing it with his friend. Rick berman who was more than happy to entertain the idea. Was provided by Mr. o’s shannon the difficulty I have here is I think that is part of the problem with the episode is that this feels very sick commy. It. It almost seems very piloy.
Very. Yes, Third rock from the sun.
And it’s third rock from the Sun meet star trek and it is as we get into the the plot a bit. We’ll talk about it more but it feels very much like.
It’s set up more for us to get humor out of the interactions of aliens around what they do and don’t know about Tv dinners as opposed to having actual impact on the characters that at this point. Everybody involved should know that we care about archer and the crew the Enterprise the story is it Unwinds doesn’t really seem to be focused on the characters. We know.
Nope.
But we will get into that this originally aired on september twenty fifth 2000 and 2 and had four point 8 four million viewers. So roughly around the same number of viewers as tuned in for episode 1 which is not a great sign. The number 1 song at the time that this aired Matt you were still dancing to dilemma nelly and kelly rowland and when you went to the movies you were still enjoying barbershop. It made another twelve million. It made it over about 20 million though you week previous and barbershop is of course. The comedy starring ice cube anthony anderson keith david and cedric the entertainer and on television. Well a paltry 30 four million people were tuning in to watch friends this week I still don’t know how that show managed stay on the air with. Paltry numbers like that and in the news this day september twenty fifth 2000 and 2 the new york times reported that great Britain’s prime minister tony blair was saying. Iraqis could launch chemical warheads in Minutes britain asserted today that the iraqi government of president saddam hussein could launch chemical or biological warheads within forty five minutes of an order to use them and acquire a nuclear weapon in 1 to 5 years the claims were made in a fifty page report. Intended to bolster. The bush administration’s case against the iraqi leader and released today a few hours before prime minister tony blair outlined to british lawmakers his case for war if necessary to make iraq disarm won’t go too deeply into the long-term implications of that. But it would turn out that all of that was not true spoil alert into today’s episode this episode. The first of the season with an actual date april twelfth.
Nope.
1 fifty 2 starts off with captain archer commander tucker and sub commander to paul having dinner to celebrate the first anniversary of to fall’s assignment aboard enterprise I actually really like this opening I thought that the the setup.
Me too.
Being an anniversary in which to paul is even entertaining drinking wine which up to this point she has not done so and the repartee between all of them is very clear in. Archer’s suggestion that the previous record for a vulcan serving aboard a human ship was only 2 weeks and she corrects them to say it was 10 days. There’s very natural humor here. There’s a familiarity and a comfort here and. Especially when you compare the early days of enterprise trips response to toal is you can tell he genuinely likes her. He enjoys her company. He is teasing her he doesn’t expect a response back in similar form. He is feeling very. Open. It’s obvious in saying to her. Oh here’s how you are aboard this ship but he’s not looking to do anything other than just letting her know in that way I care about you I’m glad you’re here I wouldn’t have any other first officer. Science officer board the vessel it’s at this point that they refer to her service history and there is a strange moment of the captain revealing something about her service record which. There be no way that your boss would reveal to another colleague. The details that he goes into here but he starts to pump to paul for information about how come you took time off while you were serving in San francisco to go visit carbon creek. Pennsylvania and thus begins a very awkward conversation and I don’t mean awkward between the characters I mean awkward for us the viewers as her boss is basically pinning her to the wall to reveal why she would go to carbon creek pennsylvania.
Yeah, you will tell me personal information. You will tell me personal information now.
Imagine now I would I would I’m gonna I’m going to open up the comments section early I’m going to invite our listeners or viewers to share times when their boss demanded from them. Information about why they were going on vacation when they were going and where they were going share those awkward stories and who that you were doing it with share those awkward terrible stories in the comments section. Please you can leave out whatever details will embarrass you but I’m I’m very curious has anybody ever suffered the way to Paul must have been suffering in this moment.
And who they were doing it with.
Being forced to reveal why she was going to carbon creek pennsylvania and I can’t say the phrase carbon creek pennsylvania enough I’m going to say it as often as possible so she makes reference to she was interested in seeing the place of first contact. And both the humans immediately scoff and say you’re being an idiot. We all know first contact was in Montana and it was a century later and she says no it was. Actually in Carbon creek pennsylvania and I love the fact that you have 2 humans who are coming to terms with the fact that humanity has only recently discovered that it is not alone in the universe. Goffing at the idea that she might know something about vulcans visiting earth scoffing at it. Just absolutely just like oh you idiot we all know there’s a statue where the first contact took place so thus begun.
Before they actually. Yes.
The episode where to paul says would you like me to tell you a story and she then begins to talk about her great grandmother who is tamir and tamir was a member of a four vulcan crew which was studying earth. From orbit in one fifty seven and they were there because of having detected the launch of Sputnik. So the vulcans are there to take a look at humanity in its first literally the first effort to start putting things into space. Which would lead to humans tiptoeing into the larger community very conveniently something bad happens aboard the vulcan ship and they have to crash land. No explanation, no deeprux much just get them. They have to get on that planet.
Earth earth.
For this story to take place where do they crash land Matt I think you’re well you forgot it’s carmen creek pennsylvania right? off the bat. There is a depiction of vulcans in the story which doesn’t mesh with the depiction of vulcans.
Carbon creek sorry I left out the Pennsylvania that’s the important part.
In the era of Enterprise This is the part that I wish this episode had dealt with this was the missed opportunity I Think of this episode that the vulcans as shown in this episode are not as with as not as tightly wound as.
Yeah, yeah.
Vulcans of to paul’s era and I wish that for us the viewer of the episode. The focus had been more on was there a point at this nineteen fifty s stage of vulcans where they were not quite. As repressed as we know and might that be something that to paul was exploring having possibly personal journals of her great grandmother is this something that that would have an impact on to paul now that I think would resonate beautifully. In her growing understanding of what it means to not only be vulcan do they be vulcan around humans and if she in this story was perhaps for the first time reevaluating stories of her great grandmotherther and experiencing this story almost as if. She was learning it for the first time that I think would have an impact on the current story of enterprise that would resonate and make sense this episode does not go into that this episode does not focus on the differences of depictions of vulcans in the nineteen fifty s
5
As compared with what we’re used to on this show instead. It is simply they crash on earth their captain is dead to tamira is now in command of the crew and at first they are just camping out trying to stay away from it. Any sort of interaction with any humans. They are effectively following a prime directive and referring to. We cannot contaminate this planet the culture and there is concern about as. 1 of the members of the crew says it’s mestrel who points out is it going to be a problem if humans find skeletons that are clearly not human. There’s concern here that this. They don’t quite know what to do in the situation and they’ve reached out but they don’t even know if their communication has has been received so reluctantly tamir has to follow Mestrel’s arguments that. They should go to the nearest human enclave which turns out to be carbon creek pennsylvania that’s right.
And carbon creek pennsylvania but but here here’s where my first issue with this this this series comes up this episode. You brought up how. This whole episode has an issue because it’s focusing on characters. We’ve never seen before and we will never see again and we want to see archer. We want to see trip. We want to see toal the 1 ray of sunshine is that we have tamir which is basically just it’s teal. Um, so it’s like you could have a kind of emotional connection there but she ends up not being the main character of this episode it really focuses on Misraal. So why they decided to focus on this this random new guy and not on tamir I don’t completely understand but the my biggest issue this is 1 thing that’s brought up a lot for people who don’t. Like star trek which is how are they talking to each other like like no problems There’s no universal translator here. How are these 3 vulcans absolutely fluent in english they’ve never. They’ve never stepped foot on the planet. They’ve never had communication with humans. They’ve never done that kind of thing. This is the first time they’ve been there and yet they they walk into the town and they’re just like having conversations with people and it was like okay we’re just going to gloss over the fact that they’re talking in perfect english.
Yeah I think that this I think that this episode steps with both feet firmly planted into original Series territory. It goes full on into they can go to a planet and communicate without problem with the native inhabitants.
Well.
They can simply steal some clothes and blend in beautifully it even Evokes Spock’s use of a stocking wool cap to cover up his ears. That’s a throwback to original series episodes where that is how spock would hide.
But.
But the but but the I talked about this when I read the your initial description the episode toys with to Paul saying do you want me to tell you a story and the question is up of.
His Vulcan aspects.
She just making this up and just literally telling them a story or is this something that actually happened they hinted that so subtly in the episode a couple of times I thought if they had leaned into that more and played with that a little bit more it would help to offset this issue that I’m having because.
Um, right.
If She’s telling them a story of course she’s kind of making this up as she goes and it’s like okay they’re talking to them and everything like that. So. It’s like you’re going Yada Yada Yada they’re walking to the town that makes sense. But if this is I don’t want to give anything way for the end but they basically hint that this did actually happen at the end and if that’s the case then it’s like this makes no sense. So to to me, It’s like a major plot hole where if it’s made up. You can kind of understand why it’s playing out this way. But if it’s not made up how the hell did they walk into this town if fluent english.
Right? So The setup here seems very invested on giving us a good sense of what Carbon Creek Pennsylvania is like and and I’ll say top to bottom the production on this episode is actually. Really good. It’s it’s this is like movies style storytelling. It feels slowly paced and I think as far as it’s as storytelling goes I actually like what the story does and in isolation I Like what the story does my heavy response to it.
It’s top notch.
Comes from it doesn’t feel like it belongs within the series as opposed to. It’s not well done I think that as far as fun, moments and entertaining moments I like I like Mistraal as a character I like that he is.
Correct.
Boldly looking at we have an opportunity here to really find out more about these people than we ever have tamir is very distrustful. The third member of their crew is extremely reluctant. Although by the end of their time on earth. They make. Ah, he’s working effectively as a handyman and they make a beautiful joke at the beginning he is complaining about the fact that he is constantly being called to repair stuff for this woman. We never see the woman. We just know he’s constantly being called to repair stuff for her and he finds her annoying and by the end. When they are on the verge of actually being able to get off of earth he is repairing a vacuum cleaner as a favor to her before they disappear. So I liked the fact that there’s this little mini arc for their curmudgeonly crew member who doesn’t think spending time with the humans is worth it at all. He’s actually found a so off spot for this woman.
This is.
And he’s repairing her vacuum cleaner one last time but the the development of the atmosphere for the town I think is beautifully rendered and mestral leads them first into carbon creek pennsylvania he then is also the 1 who’s the first to engage. He’s willing to. As Matt said they speak flu in english when they get into the tavern where they meet 1 of their main counterparts who is Maggie she owns the tavern her son is is another element of the story where he is depicted as. Not really having a place in his future in Carbon creek. He aspires to other things. He’s extremely intelligent. He has earned a scholarship. He is potentially going to be able to leave carbon creek and go do. They set it up as he is destined for bigger things. Another element of the story that I wish had had some sort of impact on something in the future. It would have been nice if there had been just something about him that meant in the future. In archer’s era. They discovered that oh this is the guy who did x without this story. We have no warp corps without this story like it turns out this is archer’s greatregra something anything but we don’t get any of that what we get is oh he’s he.
Right.
He dreams of doing these great things and exploring and researching for the for the very desire just to know just to learn. So what we see is mesrol begins to have a relationship with Maggie which goes Beyond. Simply curiosity. He clearly has feelings for her. It’s a very vulcan love story which for viewers of the series who know all the other series I think having this kind of vulcan human romance. Kind of hits a soft spot because you’re looking at it from the lens of like this is kind of like what spock’s parents would have experienced There’s a there’s a kind of tenderness to it. Her confusion of his response his withheld response being 1 of intellectually processing this all.
Exactly.
Prior to any kind of emotional or romantic processing I think is well done and the larger world of Carbon Creek Pennsylvania is it’s a mining town. It is the the industry there is coal. And so it is depicted as like this is a blue collar hardworking community. They trust 1 another they support 1 another.. There’s not really I’m so relieved that there was never the you all are a bunch of outsiders and you should get out of here. There was no. Ruffian element to this. This was really a story about and and I think the people who who like this story framed it nicely as being 1 about difference and acceptance.
Yeah, the town is very accepting of these newcomers. Yeah.
The town. Yeah, they they wander in nobody knows who they are they walk into the tavern for the first time the room goes silent everybody stares at them because nobody knows who they are but then by the time we’re coming to the end of their time in Carbon creek pennsylvania you see metrol. Is actually going on a date with Maggie and as he walks across a parking lot. He passes somebody. We don’t know who it is. There’s a stranger passing the other way who raises his hand in a friendly wave and mestrel nods and smiles and waves back and so it’s this very clear like they fit in. They’ve been accepted. And I think that that is a lovely element of this.
But but to to go in the relationship between mrraul and maggie there’s a scene in the show between the 2 of them in a car that I don’t know but you sean but that scene felt like it took 3 times longer than and it needed to it. It was like. Pacing of the entire show I thought was very good but that car scene felt like somebody hit the brakes really hard and just like it came to a screeching halt. It was so drawn out and awkward. It was more awkward than I remembered it was just like can this end already. This is making me uncomfortable and it just make any sense and why why are these Why are these long pauses like still in here and there’s like no emotional acting going on. He’s a vulcan he’s just sitting there in the car and it’s like so I’m not getting that actorly like emotional response of seeing characters having some kind of inner Monologue. It’s just like. He’s sitting there like a lump in the car and these long drawn out moments it was I don’t know about you but that whole scene for me was just a big record scratch.
I I disagree for me I thought that that scene worked and I wish there had been more made of their relationship I wish that we had seen more of a drip drip drip throughout the episode that maybe the the crux of that scene could have been stretched out a little bit more and I but.
Um, oh I agree. Yes.
Like to point out that the actors on that Mestra is played by j paul bomer who had appeared in other star trek up to this point and Maggie is played by an kuzak who is of course joan and john kusak’s Sister. So the 2 of them I think are doing a very nice job. Especially. Anne kuzak who’s having to play this very confused I thought you were into me sort of moment with Bomer’s I like Mestrl in his like I said this does not seem spock-like it does not speak seem to paul-like there is a curiosity that comes with a smirk.
This is.
No.
From him. He is open to this emotional connection and he responds positively to the emotional connection referring to her unexpected kiss as very pleasant and when she says I was hoping for something more than pleasant. He says well I did say very pleasant. So. There’s a humor in the writing again. Something matt and I referred to at the beginning. It feels very sick comy. It feels very third rock from the sun without being huge broad punchlines. This feels a little bit like somebody pitching a serious take on third rock from the sun.
This.
To say what if a bunch of aliens tried to live in a small mining town in 1950 s america and I like the characters they have their third partner in the in their crew who this when he describes that the widow’s. Son refers to him as Moe because of his haircut. There’s a lot of great humor that comes out of that and it’s again it sets up so much about characters. We don’t know and it culminates.
Has.
In there being an accident in the mines and this is a moment where okay we we shouldn’t do anything is the argument of both tamir and their third partner Merol is. Clear I’m going to go help I’m going to do what I can don’t stop me and so he heads out and tamir reluctantly has decided to help and so she is using the technology that they have from their ship to be able to read through the rock of the mines and be able to guide Mestrl. Deeper into the mines where he can use 1 of their weapons to actually phase through a wall and gain access to the area where the miners are trapped and they’re able to rescue a dozen miners and at this moment that. That is not the crux of the show that is simply like there is it felt very right away of somebody has to be in danger something has to happen and that’s what they they dropped it in. Yes, yes.
They needed action. They wanted an action scene and here’s here’s your action scene. Yep.
That’s because the actual crux of what the show revolves around is a lot quieter There’s a scene where it’s now known that tair and maraal and they will be leaving. They’ve notified the humans that they’re leaving. There is a interesting literal. Blaming of the teleites for when the trio gets communication from a vulcan ship. We are going to be there in 2 days. We got your communication via a tele right? ship that had picked up your distress call but it took them a long time to get to us just throwing the tele rights under the bus. It’s. They’ve literally been on earth for months at this point so when Maggie’s son discovers that tamir is going to be leaving. He. Goes to her and says I will miss you I have enjoyed you being around and he reveals that his time in Carbon creek pennsylvania is not as short-lived as they assumed it was that there is a problem with him being able to afford going off to school and that if he doesn’t take advantage of his scholarship that he has earned There’s no guarantee he will earn it again the following Year. So in this scene, he’s effectively revealing. It looks like I’m never going to leave carbon creek or be able to do what I hope to and he refers to his time spent in the library where he literally will just pick books up at random. To learn about the things that they have inside and this touches something into mirror which drives her to do The only thing the rational being would do at this time she goes and sells the technology of velcro.
To to break to break the prime directive and go sell velcro. Okay, all right? okay.
In pittsburgh pennsylvania yes, here’s a little fun fact for people which is is built into the writing of this velcro is actually invented by a european but. His name was mestl so they have named this vulcan after the inventor of velcro but they didn’t name the right vulcan because they’ve just depicted that tair sells it not. Mestrel. So ah, Yada yada yada she’s got a wad of cash. She takes the wad of cash and puts it in Maggie’s tip Jar. She does not put it into Maggie’s hands she is not taking credit for this I don’t know why that was in.
Yeah Yada Yada yada.
Important It felt like a missed opportunity I felt like to mirror’s character at that point.
I I feel like it was I think it was because she didn’t want to have that emotional interaction with her and also there might be a chance that that she would say Oh no, we can’t accept this from you. You know that whole thing like by being anonymous and putting in the jar. It’s like she can’t refuse it and then she also avoids having. Some kind of emotional conversation with her. So It’s like to me it made perfect sense. Why she did it that way.
For me, it felt a little bit like they’ve spent months among the humans and she’s able to not go as far as Mr all but she does go a little bit farther than she expected I felt like it would have been a nice moment for her to say. Thank you for your hospitality. And hand her an envelope and to leave before Maggie opens the envelope something that would have been ah a moment of the way she leaves it in the tip Jar felt a little antiticlimactic to me and.
Right.
Okay.
I think for me, it would have been like Maggie I would have appreciated Maggie knowing that samir had done this that Maggie would would and that her son would know and and again I would have liked it if it had been then tied up in some sort of connection again. To archers era with them discovering something about Maggie and her son that was important to them and their lives but we do not get that instead. We go back to the dinner where archer and tucker. Just simply can’t believe this story and oh yes, yes that well well.
You’re skipping over that when they leave mistra stays behind that’s that’s a key point is that Mrtrall stays on earth to which archer and and trip are like you can’t tell me that there was a vulcan just wandering around in the United states.
I Guess I guess the reason why I didn’t refer to that is because it doesn’t matter because again none of this has an impact on archer’s experience or anybody’s experience from the enterprise.
For the rest of his life that doesn’t make sense.
Well look it.
Yes, for.
It doesn’t it doesn’t tie back in any way he doesn’t say you can’t tell me there was a vulcan wandering around the world in 1950 s having adventures and and doing things and then they later discovered that there was somebody named mestrel who’s critical in doing something. They don’t do that.
Um, yeah.
So for me that is a It’s almost like it dropped out of my head because it doesn’t have a larger impact.
But but to me this is where it ties back to the whole point of they tried to play around the thing of you told me to tell you a story because even at this point when they’re saying to her. There’s no way a Vulcan was wandering around for the rest of his life on Earth that doesnt make any sense and then she’s like well you told me to tell you a story. So It’s kind of like they’re playing around with the idea of she’s making this up and so it’s like if that’s the case it doesn’t matter that there’s no tieback and there’s no actual things happening but they don’t go all the way with it. They didn’t play it enough. They didn’t play it up enough for me to make that tease have a meaning to it. And then right at the end they cut to to Paul in her like her her room doing a meditative moment unfolding a blanket and she’s got the handbag from the nineteen Fifty S of Tamir to which for me this was just like the car scene for me. This is another major record scratch. It was like wait. You were just playing around with the fact that she made all of this up to tell them a story and then the 1 thing that you do to tie it back to know this really happened was not what you’re talking about Sean which is oh mrrall was actually did this thing on Earth and bubbleabon they found like the actual evidence of it. It was just like.
Pray.
Oh she’s got this handbag and she happens to keep it with her on the enterprise. It’s like what come. Ah.
Yeah, yeah, it’s almost like it’s a twist ending twilight twilight zoneish like Bump bump bomb you’re supposed to feel like like oh it was true the whole time. But again it.
And untwist.
It means nothing to their experience. This doesn’t unlock up. Ah this isn’t isn’t providing them with a solution to a problem. This isn’t providing them with some unknown truth about their own existence and their world. It doesn’t it doesn’t change how they’re interacting with the world around them. It is as you said she is on some level teasing them which I have problems with the idea of her teasing them in this way and for no greater purpose. It feels very Midseason season 1 ish to me.
The.
And and I think that that’s um, while the episode at the time was was pretty well received and and some people really love this episode I Found myself thinking I can appreciate the storytelling of the episode on its own. But as part of the larger Story. Of Enterprise I Just don’t think it has a place.
Um, my my takeaway from this episode was I like it I like I do like this episode. It’s a char. It’s there’s a charm to it that I really liked I did like a lot of the characters but just like you it the fact that it has really no tie to the main series at all. Kind of like why did we go in this diversion like what? why what is its purpose in what we’ve been seeing for the past year it’s but it’s good. It reminded me a little bit of there’s a new show on Apple tv plus mythic quest which is about a video game company. And for those that don’t know I used to work in video games. So and I can tell you 1 hundred percent hand in a bible that show is very accurate to what it’s like to work in the video game industry. But um I love that show. But there’s in the season 1 and season 2 what they that show did in season 1 there was a standalone episode that had none of the actual characters from the rest of the series and it was like ah out of time going back 30 years and it was just this beautiful, incredibly well written and filmed and acted just an astounding episode like emmy winning. Award winning worthy episode that just was like this like wait. What how does that does how how does that tie to the main characters in the plotline at all and it takes a while for that 1 to sinknc in as to like why we’re seeing what we’re seeing. Does tie in It’s a parallel story to what we’ve been seeing over the entire season. The 2 people that run the ge video game Studio have a mirrored relationship to this flashback episode that has nothing to do with them. But there’s a relationship there. So. There’s there’s a parallel.
Um, yeah.
Draws in there as to like oh I understand why this episode happened because it’s paralleling what we’re seeing today and it’s setting up what’s gonna come. So it’s like even though it wasn’t the original characters. That’s what this episode is missing. There’s no parallel. There’s no tie back. There’s nothing that kind of gives you that sense as to why we saw this now.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah I think if you were to using that as as your breakdown of this episode I think is very smart and I would I would say that if this was something where it had revolved around.
Why you? why are you showing me this.
Paul’s grandmother or perhaps her grandfather to say that that person had an experience with somebody on earth who was a human who at first was a distrusted element. A seen as almost a barbaric element a boss if if Mestrel had worked in the mines as they show him doing but had a boss that he slowly realized oh this guy genuinely cares about the well-being of the people who work underneath him.
Um, right.
He’s willing to sacrifice himself in order to keep them safe that kind of relationship would then parallel to Paul and archer that would be an opportunity to show the kind of parallels that you’re talking about, especially if in the story if you keep the collapse of the mind and. This ancestor of Topal’s goes in to rescue them and discovers that that person in charge died but died to save some other members and then commits themselves in that moment to I should do what I can to honor this human. That then becomes a nice parallel with how to Paul might be reevaluating her relationship with archer that would have tremendous impact on me as a viewer to say like she’s now investing herself into the story of her grandparent and saying I realize that that’s where I stand in conjunction with.
Right.
My captain unfortunately, this does not do that I am curious from our listeners and viewers. How did all of this hit. You did you find it to be well told and have a place within. As you see it or like me and like Matt did you feel like okay, it’s well told and all that or did you not think it was well told but see it as kind of anachronistic but still worth your time. Yeah let us know what you think.
Enjoyable. Yeah.
Matt before we sign off, do you have anything you want to remind people about what do you have coming up on your other channel.
Actually I want to pitch still to be determined which is you and I on another podcast where we talk about the undecided with Matt ferrell videos and the feedback we get from the viewers in the comments. Um, it’s a fun kind of like recap of kind of looking back at episodes I put out. Um I really enjoy. Enjoy that and I think other people that maybe listen to this might enjoy that. So be sure to check out still to be determined. It’s pretty much where everywhere podcasts are It’s also on Youtube so you can watch us there too.
As for me, please check out my website seanferrell dot com you can also look for my books on amazon barnes and Noble or at your local Bookseller. You can go in and ask for them and they are available everywhere. Thank you for checking them out if you do. Reminder you can visit trekintime show. You can directly support the podcast there. You can also support us just by continuing to do what you’re doing right now subscribe listen share us with your friends. All of that really does help. Don’t forget if you have any comments or corrections please do reach out. You can find our contact information in the podcast notes. You can also leave a comment directly below the video in the comment section Matt and I really do love star trek. We love talking about these episodes but we also understand we’re only human and sometimes we’re going to say they use the warp engines when it’s really the impulse.
Oh yeah, yeah, where are we.
We’re gonna screw things up it happens. We’re human, let us know if you spot it please remember to subscribe remember to like remember to share and remember most importantly to come back next time. Thanks so much for listening everybody.
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