Episode Report Card Keckler: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Cannon in D-fense
By Keckler | Season 1 | Episode 12 | Aired on 01.15.2002
Man, remember Tron?
Sick bay. Hoshi pays the good doctor a little visit, hoping he will provide insight into her quest for viable viands for Lt. Reed. Phlox is a bit busy at the moment, so Hoshi picks up a pink vial of Exposition Pepto-Bismol and notes that he "released [his] patients." Phlox affirms this: "They're going to be fine; I sent them back to their quarters to rest." Finally, he asks Hoshi what he can help her with. "You spend a lot of the time in the mess hall [I hope that's not a jibe about his weight]. Have you ever had a meal with Lieutenant Reed?" she asks. Phlox affirms that he's eaten with Reed "many times." "Any idea what his favorite food might be?" Hoshi asks. Phlox is momentarily flummoxed, but recalls that "the man loves a good breakfast." Hoshi asks for specifics. Being that he's British, I'd assume a good fry-up of eggs, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, bangers, streaky bacon, and fried bread, topped off with lashings of hot tea. God, I miss the full-English breakfast. Phlox says, "Eggs. I've seen him eat eggs." Hoshi asks how he likes them. "Oh, scrambled, poached, over-easy," Phlox lists. Hoshi muses that Chef could make a big omelet. "Oh, and he enjoys pancakes, on occasion. He has the odd habit of spreading peanut butter on them," Phlox further recalls. "Uh, sausage, that's a favorite, and bacon too, come to think of it." Well, now he's just babbling. Hoshi asks if he can remember one particular item Reed seems to really like. Phlox cannot. Why don't they just give him a big dinner party with everyone invited? Wouldn't that solve the problem? Who cares about the individual favorite food since Reed doesn't seem to be a picky eater? "Breaking a Vulcan encryption code would be easier than this," Hoshi mutters. And you would know, considering Trip ordered you do it so that he could read T'Pol's love letters. Phlox assures her that he'll let her know if he thinks of anything. "I suppose scanning his taste buds wouldn't help?" Hoshi asks, desperately. Just how would you do that without Reed suspecting that something weird is afoot? "Don't mind me, Lieutenant, I'm just going to probe your mouth." A bit saucy, that. "Medically speaking, there's no accounting for taste," Phlox says. Hee. Hoshi thanks him and starts to leave.
As I mentioned before, epiphanies must be catching, because suddenly Phlox exclaims, "Bromelin!" Sounds like a cocktail I had earlier at the Oak Room. Hoshi pauses: "Sorry?" "I think I can help you, Ensign. But it would mean going into Mr. Reed's medical records -- that information is confidential," Phlox says. Hoshi reminds him that she's under "direct orders from the Captain," and asks him to make an exception. Phlox says that, "under the circumstances, [he] suppose[s] it wouldn't hurt." Hoshi is gleeful. Phlox leads her to a computer database, explaining that he's "made it a point to study each crewman's medical history." "And I remember noticing that Lieutenant Reed suffers from a number of allergies [oh, he was one of those kids]. Let's see, dust mites, oak, pollen, tropical grasses…a-ha, here it is!" Phlox chortles. "He is adverse to various plant enzymes, including bromelin!" Phlox finishes triumphantly. Hoshi asks how this relates to his favorite foods. Phlox explains that Reed has been taking a regular course of injections that allow him to eat stuff containing bromelin. "A plant enzyme, found in…?" Hoshi prompts the doctor. "Among other things, pineapple," Phlox tells her. "Pineapple!" Hoshi exclaims and trots out of sick bay. "This doesn't mean it's his favorite food," Phlox calls after her. "It's close enough -- thanks, Doctor!" Hoshi says.