Shuttlepod One (Major Spoilers)

[UltimateTrekker]

THE SYNOPSIS

It starts with Trip and Reed in Shuttlepod one. It’s been damaged and they’ve gone looking for Enterprise. They find debris on an asteroid and assume it’s Enterprise.

<OPENING TITLES>

ON Enterprise, we learn a ship of 34 lost control and crashed into Enterprise. The wreckage is THEIR ship. They breath Boron gas so they need to take them home but should be back to rendezvous with Reed and Trip before planned. T’Pol thinks it was a micro singularity that damaged the ship. Those are a “Vulcan Myth” teases Archer.
Reed and Trip conclude Enterprise is destroyed. They're Radio and Navigation are down. They have only 10 days of air left.
Reed is very pessimistic, but Trip is hopeful they’ll be rescued.

<COMMERCIAL>

Reed is making logs like crazy and annoying Trip who’s still hopeful. They were on the shuttlepod to test the targeting scanners. They start eating some rations when Trip finds some bourbon Archer was going to give someone.
Reed records more logs to his parents, but Trip is trying to sleep! “If I don’t get some sleep I’m gonna be CRANKY!”
Fade out and fade in to Sickbay. Reed is awaken and called a hero by Archer and Phlox. They leave and T’Pol talks about how Vulcan’s can’t ignore courage and how she’ll never ignore Reed again. He admits he never ignored her. She smiles, he catches her, they are about to kiss when Reed’s awaken by Trip back on the shuttlepod. Receiver is fix so they can GET messages. Suddenly the shuttle shakes and they start losing air. Trip releases Nitrogen gas in the air to find the holes and there are two. Temporarily they use mashed potatoes to fill holes. An O2 tank was also pierced. Now they have less than 2 days of air left!

<COMMERCIAL>

Trip remembers the girl of his dreams. Ruby. Reed also remembers “knowing her many times” :0
Trip lowers the temperature to –5 Celsius to get 12 more hours.
On Enterprise T’Pol basically proves it was micro singularities (mini-black holes) that damages the ship. Archer wants to hurry back before the shuttlepod is hit (too late).
Reed keeps making the same log to different girls. Trip regrets the loss of the crew, but it still hopeful they’ll be rescued. Trip wonders why Reed has no hope who wonders why Trip can’t accept truth. They start drinking that bourbon.
Trip lights a candle, “We’ll die 5 minutes sooner.” Reed admits that he never got close to ANYONE but was getting to feel comfortable on Enterprise and now the last crewman thinks he WANTS to die. Trip blows out the candle to save those last five minutes.
When they are completely drunk, Reed mentions that he thinks T’Pol is pretty. “She has a nice bum.” They then hear a message from Enterprise who will meet them in 2 days. They have 1 day of air left.

<COMMERCIAL>

Trip suggests blowing up the engine to get attention. Maybe Enterprise will hurry up! When they’re down to 10 hours, Trip decides to kill himself to save Reed. Reed would rather die then live ONLY because Trip died.
Again, fade out, fade in and they’re on Enterprise (for real this time). They only had 2-3 hours of air left.
After all leave and Trip is still unconscious, Reed admits that he thinks of Trip as a friend.

THE REVIEW

positives

It’s great to see REAL anger brew between these two over their extreme Optimism vs. Pessimism. It’s also fun to see them drunk and saying things they’d normally keep to themselves (She’s got a nice bum.) Ok, it’s corny, but I DID smile. Also, it’s good to see them really GAIN a friendship (like Bashir and O’Brien in Storyteller). Also, there were some many GREAT details that could not fit in this review but made the show full.

negatives

While I don’t care too much for his character at this point anyway, Mayweather doesn’t get as much as a token line. Completely ignored. It’s starting to get distracting to NOT see him. Also, the dream sequence was too obvious too fast. I think it would have been better if we though for a SECOND that it was real. Also, it was a bit confusing at the beginning trying to figure out WHAT happened. After 7 years of Voyager, I was waiting for the temporal anomaly.

verdict

8/10
This was NOT as good as Dear Doctor, but much better than the OK Sleeping dogs so this rating is a bit difficult. I think it’s on the 7/8 boarder and the future will tell. If something develops (like the previous example of Storyteller) I’ll be a good 8. But if it just uses a reset button, it’ll drop to a 6 even. We see so much of Reed and Trip that if that’s ignored the episode will be useless, but it USED it will be a great addition.

[Capt.Scott]

I agree with you and I'm hoping that they do keep the friendship going between these two. I think the two most under used chartchers are Mayweather and Hoshi. I'm still hoping that the producers can find a way to bring it all together.

[Tpol]

Its the last time I watch Star Trek directly before I go to Bed, I've had nightmares all night about micro singularities and avoiding getting pulled in. You know whats its like in your dreams when you are trying to get away from something, harder you try the slower you go.  

[Christina]

this was a good exploration of two differing reactions to the same crisis. (personally, I think I'd have ended up strangling Malcolm but that's my problem....)

The actors did great jobs defining their characters, and I hope future stories keep up the good work. Like all duets, the rest of the ensemble rather got forgotten, or given the week off.

Maybe Mayweather was taking Porthos for long walkies somewhere?

[StolenThunder]

I really liked it. Yet again there was some excellent script writing, and there were some nice moments.

Certainly one of the best so far.

'Stinky'

[Christina]

Any of our American Cousins like to guess at the type of whiskey they were drinking, just for intellectual curiousity of course.

[UltimateTrekker]

Same as McCoy.  Kentucky Bourbon.  You know, the stuff that's made in a county where the sale of alchol is illeagal (It's great, college idiots flock to the Jack Daniels distilery every spring break, just to find that the purchase or sale of alchol in that county is illeagal (but making it on the other hand...)

[Christina]

Bourbon, huh?

Might have to try that some day....