Episode Report Card Keckler: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Importance of Being Earnest Borgnine
By Keckler | Season 2 | Episode 23 | Aired on 05.06.2003
Bridge. Quantum asks T'Pol what systems are located there and she reports, "Warp plasma regulators." After Quantum determines that Reed is in a full-on retreat, May-XX announces that their warp field is destabilizing. "It's them," T'Pol confirms. "Isn't there an outer hatch in that junction?" Quantum asks. "Yes," confirms T'Pol. Awesome! Quantum tells Reed to get his team out of the section and to seal it off behind them. Reed complies. Quantum orders a drop out of warp. Reed reports that they're clear of the maintenance shaft. "Subcommander," Quantum says. T'Pol pushes some buttons. Enterprise vomits the Borgaleans into space. "The junction's empty," T'Pol reports calmly. Quantum wants Reed to put his head together with Trip and figure out what the Borgaleans did to the ship. "Resume course and speed," Quantum chokes out. "You had no choice," T'Pol tells him. Quantum won't look at her as he wriggles his facial muscles in an attempt to look as though he's controlling a quivering lip. Oh, please! He's upset over the death of some aliens who might have killed his doctor and who could have slaughtered his whole crew? That's really taking Archer's bleeding heart a little too far for believability's sake.
Sick Bay. Hoshi arrives with some food for Phlox and for his animals. Phlox refuses his own meal of angel hair pasta. Hoshi pleads that he needs to keep up his strength. "If I eat, my cellular metabolism will accelerate. The nanoprobes could spread further," Phlox rasps. Hoshi puts the tray down and says it's there for him if he changes his mind. "Why are you wearing a phase pistol?" Phlox suddenly asks, noticing Hoshi's hip. "Oh, it's Lieutenant Reed's idea. If you come near me, I'm supposed to shoot you," Hoshi says casually. Hee. "I hope you'll use the stun setting," Phlox says. Instead of answering, Hoshi offers to keep Phlox company. Phlox refuses, arguing that he has no idea how dangerous he could become. "I'm armed, remember?" Hoshi reminds him. Phlox says nothing, and Hoshi tells him that he's looked after her so many times, she'd like to return the favor. "The technology could assert itself at any moment. I don't know what will happen if it does. I underestimated these nanoprobes once, I don't intend to make the same mistake twice," Phlox says. We can see a patch of the grey-white skin of the Borg on Phlox's neck. "Mind if I feed your animals before I go?" Hoshi asks. Phlox nods and half-smiles his assent. Hoshi steps over to the cages and starts feeding. Phlox glances over at her with an eerie look on his face, then shakes his head slightly and looks down at his data.
Maintenance shaft. Reed and Trip gossip as they attempt to untangle the Borg technology. Trip wonders why the Borgaleans were trying to overload the plasma drive and blow up a ship they themselves were on. Reed admits to being impressed by the personal shields the Borgaleans had on them: "We might as well have been firing holographic bullets." Having said that, Reed suddenly comes up with a way to penetrate the Borg shields, and runs off to the armory. I think he just realized that his lipliner isn't showing up in the dim light of the shaft.