ENTERPRISE 05/14/'03 (2): "Bounty" (1 Viewer)

title: "Bounty"
episode: #51
original airdate: May 14, 2003
writer: Hans Tobeason and Mike Sussman & Phyllis Strong
story: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
director: Roxann Dawson
synopsis: "The Klingons send a Tellarite bounty hunter to recapture Archer while a virus causes T'Pol to go into premature Pon Farr."
Notes: Now, how many times do we get to watch Vulcans overheat sexually: Spock (twice), Tuvok, Vorik (Voyager episode #58, "Blood Fever"), others?
Revisionism of the week: As someone has already pointed out already, the Pon Farr was originally ("Amok Time") reserved for Vulcan males.

Hate to nitpick, but I don't think "Pon Farr" was TOTALLY reserved for Vulcan males.

I believe the full quote from Spock was something akin to "Vulcan males must endure it every seven years" which does NOT necessarily mean that it is exclusive to the males...only that males have a 7-year cycle.

Someone tell me if I'm wrong... haven't seen Amok Time in ages, so I'm just goin' on memory vapors.

Actually, I think T'Pol (or another Vulcan) actually said flat-out on Enterprise that Vulcan females aren't under any time restrictions.

But, hey, check out the names of the writers and be not surprised.

Tony Whalen wrote (post #2):

I believe that Savik, in The Lurch toward---I mean The Search for Spock, repeats something about Vulcan males having to endure it. Maybe it wasn't explicit, but I got the impression they mentioned males each time in order to imply that the phenomenon was exclusive to them. This may also have been repeated in Voyager episodes about Tuvok and Vorik ("Blood Fever").

But, maybe not.

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There hasn't really been a central Vulcan figure which has needed that background info until now. But it stands to reason that the cycles in the male may be related to when they are fertile, and if so, it would also stand to reason that Vulcan females would therefore be fertile all the time. Otherwise, population would be really low. And if the males are driven to mate when they are fertile, but women are fertile all the time, then it stands to reason that...

oh my, I've gone crosseyed.

T'Pol, using the old "if I don't mate with you I'm going to die" line! But seriously... an amusing episode but I felt somewhat under-used. Much as I hated Voyager, remember when the male Vulcan there had to mate, and he got quite enraged?

T'Pol mostly got pretend-angry, like when she did "cat claws" at the Phlox! That had to be teasing.

But when it came time for her to kick ass I'd have liked to have seem more suspense and action in regards to T'Pol using her superior strength. We saw some of that in her escape from the decon room, but I'd have liked to have seen more. For example, when she smashed her fist into the wall earlier, I'd have liked to have seen an insert of the dented wall. And more agility when she was fighting the three space suit clad dudes. Though it was great when she screamed and lunged at Reed. Man I hope Reed and her are not the ones who will hook up. So in some ways I feel they took a great opportunity to show off a Vulcan unleashed and did not exploit it fully. It could have been like Die Hard. But perhaps it would have become too farcical if they'd gone all out.

Really I am just sore that we haven't yet seen T'Pol get to use her Vulcan abilities to their fullest yet. But plenty of seasons left for that I guess.

More harmless (and forgettable) Trek:

Questions/Comments:

(a) Dr. Phlox: "Have you ever gone through this before?"
T'Pol: "No."

Now, just how old is she supposed to be, since this thing goes in cycles (of at least once a decade)? Or, is she deliberately lying to keep knowledge of the Pon Farr from the Doctor?

(b) A check of tvtome.com reveals that that was Robert O'Reilly (Gowron) as Kago-Darr, the other bounty hunter.

(c) "The Klingons are limping back to Q'onos."(???) Do the Klingons have only one ship to send after Archer, "the only prisoner to ever escape Rura Penthe" (also highly unlikely, since he got out the "easy" way---by bribery)?

(d) The new design of Klingon ships looks good. A lot sleeker than the "old" designs.

(e) Haven't a clue as to how or why Archer expects the input code for the Klingon escape pods to be accepted. The Tellarite could've told him, but then how would he know? (The "key" to escaping the mechanical shackles was a different story, I suppose.)

(f) Porno-movie dialog (I):

T'Pol (extra-sweaty): "I'm hungry."
Phlox: "Our meals will be coming shortly."
T'Pol: "I wasn't referring to food."

(g) Porno-movie dialog (II):

An overheated T'Pol (pawing Phlox): "It's unethical to withhold the cure (or care???) [= sex]."

Wait a sec.? Did you guys watch this already? Your making references, so I'm just assuming..

But we Canucks watched "First Flight" yesterday..

Or are you just qouting from a promo..?

doug zdanivsky wrote (post #8):

Yes, we did. We Yanks got to see two---count 'em---two episodes in a row on the same night. (Oh, joy!) Note the dates on the titles of the threads for "First Flight" and "Bounty".

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Well doesn't T'Pol say she wasn't supposed to have her Pon Farr yet? The thing that infected her could have been responsible her having her Pon Farr (which could happen less often for females than males, unless it's explicitly written somewhere that this is not the case).

Who cares about technicalities, I'll take episodes of Trek with T'Pol running around in her skibbies trying to get action any day.

Kinda a lame excuse to get T'Pol in underwear the whole episode. It isn't bad for the titlization factor, but doesn't make a great episode.

Funny thing is, that was the "B" story. The "A" story was actually decent, if you discount Archer's stupidity by immediatly trusting this guy.

It is also a little annoying that the Enterprise crew always seem to run into the wimps of the Kingon Empire...

Jason

I'm a little bothered they've made Archer a fugitive and enemy of the Klingon Empire. Escaping from Rura Penthe, as is stated in the episode, is a first, so he's really not making too many friends. I suppose this is setting up either a future show where Archer saves another important Klingon, or it sets up the hostilities between Earth and the Klingons as we see in Kirk's time.

One more thought, I liked the new refined Tellerite make up. Considering the massive advances and make up and the artisitc abilities of the artists and time and money they have today verse 1967, they did no less then I expected.

When is the last episode of the season going to air? Or was last night it?

Hey Doug, did we get "The Bounty" in Canada on Wednesday, too??

Yeah it came on right after the "First Flight: episode - well in the Vancouver area anyways. Was that it?

How blind can you all be?

Don't you see what is going on? This is a bold new example of the bold new direction Brannon Braga has been promising the remaining Trek faithful, all of whom are probably present in this thread.

We've been told we want more sex, right? So we got to see more of T'Pol's exquisite physical attributes. That's what we've been asking for. This is what is taking Star Trek into the 21st century. Bold. New. Sexy.

Star Trek never had it so good. The reason the ratings are way down is because we simply have so many entertainment options available to us. That's why Nemesis failed at the box office, too.

It's the economy as well as continued fears of terrorism. Can't you see that? It's not Paramount's fault. And it's certainly not Berman and Braga's fault, because they are taking this show into bold new territory.

(I think "Amok Time" is one of the TOS episodes Braga still hasn't been able to check out yet, however—due to his busy schedule taking Enterprise into bold new territory where no series has gone before.)

Say what you want, Jack. A few days ago you were saying there wasn't enough science ficiton on this show...which is about a spaceship, in space, in the future. Care to explain what you consider science fiction to be? Because if you mean each week should be a Twilight Zone like mind-freak, I sure wouldn't want to watch the show.

I want drama, action, human relationships, interesting subtexts that reflect actual questions we as a society have. You know, the elements of storytelling, told as science fiction in this case.

I don't mean to set up a straw man argument here, but are you saying you want everything that isn't "science fiction" removed from the show? What would that leave?

Gee Jack... I get the distinct impression you don't like Enterprise very much.

Still waiting for someone to tell me if that was the final show of the season or not. It sure didn't feel like it, as there was no cliffhanger as per usual. However, in my region, is was advertised as the season finale.

Doug, that was not the season finale. Not even close.

I have yet to see this episode in my area... sigh.