In the fifth episode of the third season of Enterprise, N O P E. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For PTSD/trauma.
I love genre-bending a lot, and when Star Trek does it well, IT RUINS ME. That’s no exception for “Impulse,” a story that borrows liberally from the zombie genre of horror. It’s relentless, claustrophobic, and the horror of the Trellium-poisoned Vulcans has an emotional layer to it that makes it all the more fucked up.
If I’m going to start anywhere, then it has to be with Jolene Blalock, whose performance dominates “Impulse.” The story really is fantastic all on its own, but she makes this special. It’s certainly not the first time that she’s portrayed T’Pol as having emotions, but there’s an urgency here that’s captivating. Trek in general (and even more specifically, Enterprise) has used in media res and the whole “abandoned ship floating in space” trope quite liberally, so I wasn’t sure I’d be super into this episode. Yet Blalock’s performance, combined with a script that felt like it leapt into another genre, ended up giving “Impulse” an edge that made it memorable.
That’s partially due to the continuity, since we can now get an idea why those two Vulcan ships never returned from the Expanse. But it’s the glimpse of a world that used to be – when Vulcans could not control their emotions – that makes this such an effective exercise in existential horror. It’s not just that T’Pol is going to lose her emotions that is scary to watch; it’s the simultaneous realization she has of what she’s going to become. Now, that specific anxiety is one that the zombie genre feeds off of (ha) because it’s part of the cultural mythology of zombies. They can turn you into themselves, and it fulfills a cycle. Thus, fighting zombies exploits a fear beyond the need for survival; it’s about wanting to maintain your humanity.
In T’Pol’s case, however, it’s not humanity. It’s her identity as a logical Vulcan who can control their emotions that is at stake. And thus, we watch that identity begin to slip away, knowing that it ends with that horrifying scene with Phlox and Archer, and it’s such a GREAT use of in media res. T’Pol’s transformation is inevitable, and it sets a grim tone over “Impulse,” WHICH HONESTLY DID NOT NEED TO BE MORE UPSETTING, BUT HERE WE ARE. We know where things end, but how much of what T’Pol says is true? How did Archer get T’Pol back to Enterprise after the crew of the Seleya seals them onboard their ship?
Look, I might also have enjoyed this because I’ve finally set up my Apple TV on my nice television (YAY I HAVE FURNITURE OH MY GOD), and Enterprise is in HD??? WHAT THE HELL, THIS EPISODE WAS SO SHARP AND TERRIFYING AND I HAD NO IDEA. Since I moved here, I’ve been using an older TV that’s smaller and doesn’t have HD on it, and for some reason, I just assumed Enterprise was in SD. The direction for this episode is IMMENSE, and it contains so many wonderfully crafted sequences that exploit the audience’s expectations. I love (ALSO HATE) that the poisoned Vulcans are kinda like zombies in the way they look and behave, but they still possess the cunning brilliance they had before their pathways were degraded. Look how quickly they seal off the airlock so that the Enterprise crew can’t escape! Then they cut off communications. THEN THEY HIDE IN PLACES THAT AREN’T EASY TO SEE. How many zombie Vulcans leap from the goddamn ceiling??? Why is that at all considered okay.
I was even fascinated by the ending to “Impulse.” After this harrowing experience was concluded, there were still five minutes left, which the writers devote to an utterly unnerving dream sequence. T’POL HAD A DREAM. That’s significant all by itself, but her dream suggests that this experience isn’t going to disappear with Phlox’s treatment. We have no idea just how damaged her neural pathways are, but even if she healed perfectly fine, this was a traumatic experience. That dream was a manifestation of that, wasn’t it? So what does that mean for T’Pol? Will she be unable to control the emotions she experienced during this time? Or perhaps a better way of thinking about it is that she can’t forget it. So will she still be affected by it?
This episode was truly An Experience. Bravo.
The video for “Impulse” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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