Episode Report Card Keckler: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Trip to Die
By Keckler | Season 4 | Episode 11 | Aired on 01.20.2005
Sickbay. Quantum shakes out a sheet and looks down at Dead Hoshi. He pulls it over her face as Phlox says they need to move Trip into the scanner. Trip goes into the SCAT. Trip comes out of the SCAT. Phlox says sadly, "It didn't work. I'm sorry, Captain." Trip wheezes. Quantum says it's not Phlox's fault. "It may be too late for Commander Tucker but you still have a few hours -- there has to be something I -- I can try," Phlox stutters desperately. Quantum hoarsely tells Phlox to continue his work on the Bridge: "Less chance of something going wrong with your suit." Phlox promises he won't give up, and leaves. Wait, wouldn't the virus stick to Phlox's suit so when he goes to take it off, he's actually going to get the stuff on him and become infected? They don't know how to Decon the virus away, so I think Phlox is just as screwed as the Captain. I mean, I know the suit could be irradiated because we know that high levels of radiation will kill the virus, but how does Phlox step out of the suit, so the suit can be irradiated, without actually touching the suit? It's a pickle.
Quantum comms T'Pol. She confirms that she's been watching and that she now knows she's in command. "I'd like to think you'll stay in command," Quantum continues, "don't let Admiral Gardiner sneak in someone over your head." If you watch Quantum in the monitor behind T'Pol (she's clearly looking at a monitor on her console), you'll notice that in the last half of that sentence we only see the back of his head, which means Bakula chose to deliver the last part of his speech without even looking at T'Pol. I know the man's dying and everything, but that's a bit rude. "I'll do my best," T'Pol CRACK WHORES. "I know you will," Quantum whispers, still being rude. The camera moves and we can see over T'Pol's spiky shoulder that Quantum has finally turned back to face his sub-commander as he says that he has to go look after Trip. Excuse me, what looking after can be done at this stage? He has to go watch Trip die, is more like it. Sorry, am I being insensitive to people who aren't even going to stay dead for more than five minutes? Quantum promises, "We'll talk again before..." Before YOU DIE? "We'll talk again," Quantum finishes.
Sickbay. Quantum stands over the wheezing Trip and gazes around at Hoshi's shrouded corpse. He looks up at Trip's vitals and then rubs Trip's chest. Okaaaay. Trip struggles to breathe. Quantum keeps his hand on Trip's chest. It's an oddly tender moment. I say "oddly" because I couldn't help shouting, "Dude, are you trying to kill him? He's already having problems breathing and you're, like, pushing down on his chest!" Trip gasps his last and dies. I heard his friend Frankie say: "He's not dead, he's just asleep." Trip's vitals flatline.