Enterprise | Season 4

Awakening

Directed By: Roxann Dawson
Written By: Andre Bormanis

Rating:

Reviewed on: 4 February 2005
Reviewed by: Michael Axe

In Brief:

Review: (Contains Spoilers)

Although this episode slows down the pace significantly from the opener of this mini-arc, this allows the characters time to reflect on what has happened so far, as well as giving the viewer time to get to know the new characters introduced.

Soval's “trial” at the beginning of the episode firmly establishes him in the role of the person opening his eyes to the corruption around him who takes a stand. While T'Pau, as the outsider looking in, compliments Soval's role, it is Soval who effectively represents the metamorphosis that the Vulcan people as a whole will go through. The fact that Soval has believably developed from a duplicitous yes-man to an honest free-thinker echoes the development the Vulcan people will have to go through to change from the underhand and controlling race seen in recent years to the trustworthy allies seen during Kirk's era. In many ways, the title of the episode could be taken as a reference to the process the Vulcan people are now going through, as much as a reference to Surak's Time of Awakening.

T'Pau is also finally seen in this episode, after being referred to in the previous episode. The young head-strong T'Pau seen here convincingly portrays the same characteristics that are seen again when she is a High-Priestess in “Amok Time”. The character manages to walk a fine line in this episode, establishing herself as a righteous person fighting against the corruption that has taken hold of Vulcan, while at the same time, demonstrating a cold and ruthless kind of logic that allows her to attempt to forcibly remove Surak's katra from Archer's mind.

Speaking of which, the two scenes with Surak and Archer interacting in Archer's mind are very nicely done. For one, the two brief scenes don't overexpose Surak so that he becomes an invisible sidekick to Archer. But in the two short scenes, Surak is able to convey a real sense of wisdom, coupled with a feeling of tragedy, as Surak explains that his people's salvation came at a high price, and that if steps are not taken now, that price will have to be paid again.

The one Vulcan character that I felt did let the episode down slightly was Administrator V'Las. With his involvement in the plot to frame and eradicate the Syrranites, and then as the episode progressed, his willingness to prevent Enterprise from reaching the planet's service, V'Las is in danger of crossing the line between a believable and misguided villain and a two-dimensional “bad guy”. But final judgment on his character should be held over until the next episode, when his full motivations will presumably be revealed.

After the slow pace of the majority of the episode, its final few moments seem to fly by, as Archer manages to retrieve the Kir'Shara and Soval reveals the plot to invade Andoria. In the midst of all this action setting up the concluding episode, the death of T'Les, T'Pol's mother, was in danger of being overlooked. But although it may have seemed a little corny to have her killed, the reason was credible (that she was returning to check on T'Pol), and her final reconciliation scene with T'Pol (where she admits that she first became involved with the Syrranites in a bid to help T'Pol come to terms with her emotions) was a surprisingly touching scene. Although it lacked the shock and impact that Forest 's death had (she was, after all, a relatively new and minor character), her death is doubtlessly going to have consequences in future episodes, and T'Pol's initial reaction to her mother's death was a painfully believable attempt to suppress her understandable grief.

All in all, the decision to take time to work on character moments and plot development rather than burying the mini-arc in action scenes was a wise one, and this episode really captures the feeling that the dawn of a new age for Vulcan is nearly upon us.

Michael Axe is the author of a number of novellas and screenplays, and is a main reviewer for ST Universe. All his reviews are copyright © Michael Axe and are used here exclusively with his permission.