I guess some folks didn't like this episode much. I've read a number of comments to that effect citing the fact that it was never explained how they found this planet, and that it didn't "fit into the arc" as reasons for dissatisfaction. Personally, I didn't think that the how of them finding the place was something that really needed to be included in the episode. To my mind, the average viewer ought to be able to fill in that blank for him or herself. e.g. Archer & co. are basically wandering aimlessly through the Expanse, searching for some sign of the cargo ship they snuck the 'homing device' on back in "The Shipment." In their wandering they hit upon a planet that appears to have Human lifesigns and they investigate.

As for issue two, I beg to differ. The whole episode was an object lesson for Jonny-boy in not reverting to his baser instincts and demonising the Xindi as a whole. Just because they have a few rotten (or simply misguided) apples in their barrel who want to destroy Earth, that doesn't mean Humans should do the same to them. I don't think that it was a coincidence that the heroine of this piece was a school-teacher. The episode was a follow up (immediate for Jon, delayed a bit for us) on the prinicples set out in "The Shipment." They're simple, traditional-Trek sorts of ideas. Namely that two wrongs don't make a right; one shouldn't demonise a whole people based on the acts of a few; and that there is little point in surviving if one lets one's humanity die in the process. So, you see, I think this episode was very much part of the on-going arc.

Not much T/R in this ep. Again, the boys were never on screen together. I imagine, however, that Trip suffered much teasing by Malcolm back on the ship over his outfit. The hat was a bit on the wide and floppy side for my tastes - not at all sculpted and dashing like Jon's. He looked like a real "good-ole boy."

Anyway, Trip's first time a-horseback! The poor misguided soul actually thinks that watching old John Ford westerns gives him some sort of expertise. ::grimace:: He's lucky that the horse he borrowed was one dead-broke four-year old. Even at twenty-four, my old mare would never have stood for some stranger waving his hands around her head like that & patting her in the middle of her forehead. Horses can't see there; you just don't do that to an animal you've never met before, unless you want to spook it. After doing his best to frighten his mount, Trippy-dearest leads it out of the stable ... on the wrong side. At least he mounted on the left (correct) side - his westerns taught him that much. Again, Trip is lucky the horse is dead-broke, because instead of kicking his foot out of the stirrup to let T'Pol mount-up behind him properly, he gives her a hand and she kinda leaps onto the horse's back. Ouch! Poor thing. Most horses would spook at that (especially with those swirling skirts), and would not have been in the spot she was aiming for by the time she got there. (Personally, I would have liked to see T'Pol fall on her ass when the horse jumped out of the way, but Malcolm helped to make up for that omission later...) Trip's attempt to get his over-burdened steed moving had me laughing out loud. He kinda wiggled in the saddle and flopped his reins about. Not very dignified, but at least he didn't do what I find most people whose only experience with horses comes out of westerns do and whallop the poor creature in the sides with his heels.

So, when Malcolm finally got down to the planet, he got to participate in a good old-fashioned shoot-out in the streets of Laredo. Well okay, not quite old-fashioned, as he had his phase pistol against the more usual revolvers. Still, it was fun, and the best part of the entire episode came when T'Pol got taken hostage. One of the gang of Evil!Cowboys grabs her and, sticking his gun to her head, tells Mal to drop his weapon or he'll kill the Vulcan. Mal considers this for a moment and shoots T'Pol himself. She sinks to the ground, unconscious, while her captor looks on in shock. Cowboy stares all bug-eyed at Mal, who just shrugs and smirks like, "Eh, easy come, easy go." While Cowboy is still in shock, Mal neatly dispatches with him as well. It was priceless. Absolutely priceless.

So, all the T/R was behind the scenes -- Trip getting needled about his outfit, possibly followed up with a little role-playing using his outfit, and Malcolm gloating about having had the opprotunity to shoot the woman who's been trespassing on his chattel (Trip) -- but it was still there. It has to be.

~RB