Sarah's Two Cents

Stratagem -- February 4, 2004

Stratagem:

(An elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to evade or deceive)

That pretty well sums up last night's episode.

Stratagem is a tribute to Scott's wonderful acting abilities. I also must congratulate Mike Sussman for writing this and Mike Vejar, the director, for they, too, did a fabulous job. And we can not forget the special effects people who must have worked overtime on this episode! As Scott has pointed out on numerous occasions everyone plays a part in getting a show "in the can." Everyone involved in the show did a wonderful job!

What I liked about Stratagem:

I liked that the episode opens up with Archer and Degra on a cargo ship together. I like that for the first few minutes of the episode we are kept guessing as to what Archer is up to and how in the world he landed his "pink skin" in this particular situation. I also found it humorous that this time it was Archer who was filling in the gaps of missing time. The lines, "What's the last thing you remember?.." and, "I promise I'll explain everything." were the same things T'Pol told Archer in Twilight!

There are many examples throughout this episode where Scott really does a wonderful job of making Archer's character so believable. When Degra confides in Archer that he is the one who had been ordered to design the Xindi weapon, you can see the anger in Archer's face well up and the restraint that takes place as he holds back his emotions so as not to give away the ruse. Scott did a great job playing out his emotions as well as using his facial expressions to the best advantage of his character.

As soon as Archer steps out of the "escaped prisoner role" (I could have sworn I heard the theme song from Mission Impossible playing!) and back into the role of Captain Archer we are made aware that the first 10 minutes had been staged in the attempt to secure the location of the Xindi weapon.

I liked the part where we back track to three days prior and learn what lead up to the first scene in the converted shuttle pod. We get a lot of "missing" information which brings us up to date. We are able to witness such things as Dr. Phlox and his imitation of a happy go lucky "Mad Scientist" carrying his prized bloodworms. We get to see some of the planning that the Captain and his crew did in order to pull off this plan and I believe this really added to the authenticity of the show. I liked the fact that Archer had a communication device implanted to allow contact between him and T'Pol while carrying out his plot.

I liked the look on Archer's face when Phlox was putting that bloodworm into Degra's body. It wasn't exactly sympathy on Archer's part, more like an expression of "I'm glad he's not putting that in my nose!"

I enjoyed it when Archer re-enters the shuttlepod and resumes his fact-finding mission. He begins to talk and drink with Degra in an effort to earn his trust and eventually get him to reveal the location of the weapon. I believe that Archer does a convincing job in winning Degra over. This scene showed me a side of Degra that I hadn't seen before. Certainly this does not change the need for Archer to complete his mission. I now see Degra as more than just the man who developed this weapon of mass destruction. I understand his belief for the need of creating the weapon. This doesn't mean I've gotten soft -- the Xindi must be stopped! It just means that I no longer think of the Xindi as ruthless people. Degra is a man who would do anything to protect his children, and you have to admire that dedication to one's family. Fortunately for the people of Earth, Archer is a man who will do anything to protect Earth!

I liked the look on Scott's face when the pod began shifting and doing things he had not planned on it doing due to the fact Enterprise was being affected by the radiation from the Xindi debris field.. The look on his face in response to the trouble was something like "Hey! I didn't order this!"

One of my favorite scenes involves Degra as he recaps his observance of the probe which murdered the seven million people on Earth. You can see Archer rubbing his face, running his fingers through his hair and getting increasingly more uncomfortable and agitated as Degra tells his story: The look on Archer's face as he himself recalls the devastation caused by the weapon... The look Archer gives Degra when he asked the rhetorical question, "how many of those were children?" Scott has his expressions and his body language down so well that he makes it look like it is all second nature to him. It just happens. It's not forced. And it makes his characters more endearing to us.

Another scene I enjoyed was when Phlox told the captain to please try and not injure the bloodworms because they are hard to replace. Scott's expression and his "I'll do my best" made me laugh. I'll bet he's never been asked to "protect" a worm before. With more pressing matters at hand, Archer seemed a little annoyed at the request -- but he honored it.

I enjoyed the visual effects on this episode. I liked looking out the shuttlepod window as the ship's speed varied.

After Degra keyed in the new setting for their destination, I thought it was clever when Archer asked Degra how long it would be before they got to the Red Giant -- when in actuality he was asking T'Pol for the E.T.A.

I was not expecting the second ruse. I kept wandering where Archer was going and what he was going to do when he got there. I was confused as to his reasoning behind allowing Degra on the bridge, especially after Degra had refused to help them with the engines. This is where it was necessary for me to trust that Captain Archer had a plan and that he knew what he was doing. Then, as Enterprise "closes in" on the Red Giant, Degra screams out that Archer will never get close to the weapon because their defense perimeter would destroy them. I loved the look on Archer's face when he turned back to face Degra -- his eyebrows raised and his eyes focused boldly on him. I knew Archer finally got the information he had been after, from the "gotcha" expression on his face. The Xindi had been royally duped by a skillful and well-seasoned starship captain!

Now that Archer had strategic information regarding the location of the Xindi weapon the Xindi prisoners had their short-term memories erased and were returned to their vessel. To complete the scenario, Dr. Phlox injected each of them with trace amounts of plasma to make it look as if a plasma conduit had ruptured on their ship. I liked this ending scene because it demonstrates the shrewdness and resourcefulness in which Captain Archer deals with the enemy. Archer's character is not ruthless. He exercises just the right amount of force, mixed in with the appropriate amount of compassion -- even for his enemy. I think we could all learn something from Archer's example.

From past interviews I've heard Scott do, he seems like the kind of person who really enjoys surprising his fans. He likes to keep our interest and he wants to keep us guessing. This must have been a fun episode for him to do.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, as you can probably tell from my long-winded notes on it! It was well thought out and everyone and everything came together to make a well-polished product.

BTW - I have it on good authority that no bloodworms were harmed in the filming of this episode!

Sarah's Two Cents