In the third episode of the second season of Enterprise, THIS EPISODE IS INCREDIBLE. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For brief discussion of aquaphobia
You know… Malcolm Reed gets in a lot of life-or-death situations, doesn’t he? Him and Tucker are constantly NEARLY DYING, and lord, this example is somehow a billion times worse than when Malcolm nearly froze to death. It’s also a vastly superior episode because… well, let’s talk about that. It’s not that “Minefield” is trope free or anything. There’s still an element of familiarity to this script, but I found myself enraptured by how this all unfolded. It came across as so urgent, first of all, but that doesn’t mean the writers traded suspense for flat characterization. Much more so than “Shuttlepod One,” this episode explores character in a way that the former lacks.
Which is fascinating to me, since both episodes have Malcolm Reed in them as a focus! Yet there’s a stark difference here, and it’s evident in the opening scene of “Minefield.” At the time, I didn’t understand the importance of Malcolm’s awkward behavior during breakfast. He seemed so deeply uncomfortable with the very idea of being social with Archer, and I chalked it up to a lack of experience. We’d never seen him have a meal with his captain, so maybe he’d have to adjust!
Yet the writers build off of this after Malcolm volunteers to defuse a mine that becomes lodged on Enterprise‘s hull. (THAT EXPLOSION WAS SO SCARY. BLESS THE SPECIAL EFFECTS OF THIS SHOW.) I figured that the only tense thing we were going to deal with was the meticulous defusing of the mine. Right??? That was bad enough. No one knew why there were mines surrounding that planet; no one knew what sort of people had deployed them; and Malcolm basically had to make educated guesses as to how he could stop this mine from exploding.
Look, I just love writing where a very difficult and challenging thing happens and the text explores the aftermath. This is exactly what “Minefield” does by having another magnetic leg of the mine attach to the hull of Enterprise THROUGH MALCOLM’S LEG. It is a painfully visceral sequence, and it immediately changes the stakes. The tension. The fear! And unlike “Shuttlepod One,” the conversation that Archer has with Malcolm while he tries to defuse the mine comes off as meaningful. Important. Revelatory! It doesn’t come off as trite as I expected, and that’s particularly because of how deep the writers go in exploring Malcolm. Faced with the possibility of his death, Malcolm is shockingly honest about his family’s history and the legacy of heroism. I do think this goes a long way in explaining why Malcolm’s father behaves so strangely towards him. I believe we knew that Malcolm had not pursued a career in the Navy and that his position in Starfleet was a point of contention for his father. But this adds layers to that. Malcolm has aquaphobia, more specifically a fear of drowning. And he’s not even the first member of his family to have it! WHICH MAKES MATTERS WORSE! His great uncle (I may have gotten that familial designation wrong) not only joined the Navy despite his phobia, but he “faced” it and DIED IN THE VERY MANNER HE MOST FEARED WHILE SAVING HIS SHIP.
My god, practically ANYONE would develop a fixation or a complex over heroism, duty, and fear after something like that, right? I can easily imagine the sort of pressure Malcolm was put under while growing up. I can imagine the crushing disappointment when he chose not to do as his great uncle did. And this episode does an incredible job of gradually leading us to that point where Malcolm unhooks his oxygen tube from his tank in order to sacrifice himself. Without that build up and without the emotional context, that might have seemed uncharacteristic and strange. Instead, Archer’s talk with Malcolm reveals the complicated reality of Malcom’s insecurities and fears, and it’s a heartbreaking thing to watch. Just that morning, all Archer wanted to do was to get to know his Armory Officer better, AND THEN THIS HAPPENS.
Oh, and no big deal, this episode casually features humanity’s first contact with the Romulans, NO BIG DEAL AT ALL.
I admire this episode because it’s got such a skilled balance between plot and characterization, and I know that’s not easy to pull off. BUT THIS EPISODE DID IT. Bravo, Enterprise, and bravo to John Shiban, who did a lot of great work on The X-Files!
The video for “Minefield” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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