Episode Report Card Keckler: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Xinderella
By Keckler | Season 3 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.09.2003
The conversation between T'Pol, Quantum, and Reed reveals that they are on their way to see some mine foreman who thinks he's got a Xindi in his midst. Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Reed asks about the safety of entering orbit, and with very little provocation Quantum gets annoyed with him. Especially when Reed insists they proceed with caution. In this scene you can see only Quantum's back, but you can tell by his fidgeting steps and heaving shoulders that he's really irritated. Good lumbar acting by Bakula. Sarcastically, Quantum asks, "Where are we, Malcolm? This room -- what did it used to be?" "Uh, a storage bay, sir -- conduit housings, I believe," Reed responds, not understanding where all this is leading. "But it got retrofitted. Starfleet went to a lot of trouble to turn it into our new command center. Why is that, Malcolm?" Quantum needles. Yay, Daniel Dae Kim in the credits! "Because of our mission, sir," Reed responds. "To find the Xindi, right?" Quantum asks. "Right," Reed agrees. Quantum then goes off that the state-of-the-art technology was put in for them to find all the "pieces of the puzzle," and I quote that because Bakula did that thing where he seems to spit when he says "pieces" and "puzzle" vehemently. Maybe his co-stars should get sneeze-guards. Quantum walks around the room, continuing to vent his spleen that they've been in the Expanse for six weeks and have found nothing. Yeah, they haven't even gone crazy or anything -- what kind of Expanse is that? "We don't have the luxury of being cautious anymore!" Quantum says as the mouthpiece for Bermaga after having to face facts about last year's ratings. "And if the only lead we can FIND comes from a...FREIGHT-er CAP-tain of QUEST-ionable CHAR-acter, then that's good enough for me! Understood?" Quantum states, rather than asks, as he leaves without waiting for a response. I think someone coulda had a V-8 today. T'Pol looks at Malcolm, who whispers "understood" and seems close to tears.
Mess Hall. Hoshi grabs a tray and asks if she can join the Uh-Oh, Better Get MAACOs. They politely jump to their feet (all men, they are) as she sits down. "I'm Hoshi Sato," she says. One of the Uh-Ohs informs her that, like the good little Initiatives they are, they've memorized all the personnel aboard the ship. As he sits down again, he introduces himself as Major Hayes and the rest of the Uh-Ohs as Sergeant Kemper and Corporals Romero and Chang (Daniel Dae Lewis, of course). Hoshi defines the Uh-Ohs as "Military Assault Command." I think the costume department took the MAACO connection a little too seriously; the Uh-Ohs look like they've had a run-in with some argumentative paint cans. Those are some fugly quilted uniforms. Man, I've praised the costume department before, but they really missed the mark here! They are navy blue with all sorts of Jackson Pollock-y white streaks and splotches everywhere. Wait, I get it -- it's camouflage! In case they need to do some reconnaissance outside the ship, they'll blend right in with the sky and stars. Or something. Hoshi supposes they've all gotten their "space legs," but a well-scrubbed, apple-pie-faced Sgt. Kemper says that some of them are still visiting Phlox every morning. "The wonders of modern medicine," Cpl. Romero adds. Hoshi gimlet-eyes Kemper and asks, "What do you think of our doctor, Sergeant? I imagine you don't run into many Denobulans in...Duluth, Minnesota." First of all, Minnesota shout-out to me. Secondly, Linda Park totally delivers the last half of the line as though she were accusing him of something. In my opinion, it was unnecessarily snotty when what I think she might have been going for was craftiness.