Polly and The Reedygoodness, armed, dangerous, and at large!  80) I love this one, R/TP and otherwise.  The Kretessans storm off  Enterprise because 'You eat like you mate.' Haha.  T'Pol follows the departing entourage cooly.  Hoshi says their guests want to leave.  T'Pol deadpans 'That much is obvious.'  This sublte wit of T'Pol's reminds me of  Reed, and I'm left to wonder why their is again no security with alien visitors?

    Why isn't Reed at Tactical either? T'Pol pouts, but tries to be polite to Hoshi.  Hoshi takes it the wrong way, which I kind of like. This whole episode is about humans taking aliens the wrong way, which is going to happen in the trials of exploration!  T'Pol tries to reassure Hoshi with her Reedcasim.  'For all we know, it was Commander Tucker's table manners that offended them.' 80)

    Even Porthos is smart enough to be suspicous, but Archer is watching water polo. (?!) I would rather have scene the pool table but I guess that's just me.  We finally get to see Malcolm in the Mess Hall. I guess he was undercover! What is he eating? Steak and potatoes with something green?  Malcolm thinks the Kretessans 'didn't really loose their temper' until they get in the Mess Hall. He would know about tempers.

    Travis tries to lighten the mood and asks if Malcolm is going to movie night.  Travis tells Malcolm about Wages of Fear, a classic French Film.  Malcolm almost snorts at the thought of a classic French Film.  Its the As If! Zoolander Look.  Reed displays this lack of interest but Travis continues 'You'll like it. Things blow up.'  Malcolm smiles and says 'Sounds fun!'

    Reedygoodness, ever the 'gennelman', asks if Hoshi will be attending.  Is That a Reed Rule? 'Never talk about weapons, war, or explosions in the presence of a lady'?  80)  Hoshi declines, but Malcolm continues 'those subltitles go by pretty fast!' Like he really cares about subtiltes. But he is such a sweetie! Malcolm sighs as Hoshi leaves.  He tried, but do I sense he still feels bad about that little Silent Enemy snafu?

    Travis sits on the end of the second row, with Malcolm next to him. Reed crosses his arms.
'2 and 1/2 hours?!'
'2 hours, 24 minutes.'
'It seems awlfully long for a movie about four men in a truck!'
    What a frown! Oh yeah this ep is a must see!  Who is the chick sitting next to Malcolm?! She is dress casual, why is Malcolm still in uniform? He checks her out and smacks his lips.  I think he is chewing gum.  He turns back to Travis.
'You promised me explosions!' The Zoolander Pout! <sigh>

    The lights go down, and Malcolm steals some of Travis' popcorn! This is the one and only time in 2 years that we've seen Reed eat with his hands! Even T'Pol eats with her hands now.  He is more Vulcan than she is! Surely she must admire his discipline and cleanliness? 80)
    The movie switches to fuzzy views of sickbay and the bridge.  Malcolm turns to Travis and says 'This is all wrong.'  You think? I love how that leaves so many things to interpretation! Reed looks as if he just realized he is in the dark, sharing popcorn with Travis, watching a French film. 'This is all wrong!'

    Malcolm gets up and comms the Bridge. Why does he have to do it? He doesn't even want to watch the movie!  Reedygoodness pulls rank so cooly.  He crosses his arms and  tells the nobody on the Bridge 'Unless you're going to give us a song and dance!'  So, he doesn't like science fiction, nor classic films, Malcolm likes musicals?

    Water Polo or Wages of Fear? Hmmm. I guess it's just not a good day for a movie! Archer and Trip get the call that something is amiss in Cargo Bay 2, and they actually call Reed to join them!  With his pistol and flashlight in hand, Reed asks Archer if he and his Security dude can go in first.  Sure when its dangerous you let him go first! Hey, how come Malcolm never gets a phase rifle like the Security dudes?  Oh the Reed Walk! 'Careful' OMR warns Archer.  Reed shines his light on the um, slimely white creature thingie, but Archer tells him the light hurts it.  Malcolm quickly pockets his pistol and zips out his scanner. So suave! He shines his light again and Archer gives him a snooty 28 to 26 merit badges my ass look. Malcolm looks up in what I can only describe as an Oops look. 80)

    Reed is more than happy to retreat, but Archer isn't careful and gets trapped. Trip dives past Malcolm to save Archer, but gets caught himself.  Reed fires, but the phase pistols don't seem to hurt the thing.  Okay, if Malcolm was closer, why didn't he try to get to Archer? Instead he stands back and fires.  Maybe in the back of his mind he knew that with both of them gone, he'd have T'Pol all too himself!  >80)
    Security Dude doesn't make it either! Run Malcolm Run!  He makes it out the door, but slices off a tentical in the door.  Dk's got a great imagination.  His eyes just bug out at the thought of a slimey white wet, uh, hostile on the floor.  'This thing appears to be growing!' Malcolm informs Hoshi and T'Pol. hehe.  Malcolm suspects the Kretessans left this thing behind intentionally but T'Pol disagrees.  'We're not ever certain the organism is hostile.'  uto, T'Pol.  Go boy! 'You'd didn't see that thing go after the Captain! It seemed hostile enough to me!' Everything seems hostile to Malcolm.

    Hey, T'Pol's got hers arms crossed and Malcolm is leaning on the table. Oh there, he crosses his arms. Now they match. 80)  Reed moves over, and T'Pol comes around and stands between Malcolm and Hoshi. Malcolm looks grossed out by Phlox's examination.  'Do you think that's wise, Doctor?' Phlox says this organism is intelliigent. Malcolm shifts his stance and re crosses his arms as if to say Bullshit!
    Hoshi wants to communicate with it, thinking certain patterns look like a language.  Reed tells her it could take days to figure if it is, 'Even if it is one!' aha! Confirmation! T'Pol agrees with Malcolm and turns to him.  T'Pol wants to neutralize the thing as quick as possible.  Malcolm raises his brow at her, Duh!  T'Pol asks him again if his weapons had any effect. 'None that I could tell.'  Malcolm is the expert!  Damn he is close to her.  Phlox suggests em radiation, and T'Pol asks if Malcolm can do that.  He steps even closer to her, smiles and says 'It'll take a few minutes.' Uh, Malcolm, not the right thing to say to impress a girl ;0)

    Roxann Dawson gives us a very cool shot of Reed and his boys entering the Cargo Bay through a slimey hole web of the thing.  >80)  Mal tries the radiation but figures something is wrong when his people scream in pain.  Yeah, maybe Malcolm.  I don't like the way that Reed turns into a stupid guy in this ep, it's like he has to carry on being bullheaded because Trip and Archer aren't there.  'Mr. Reed, withdrawl your team.'  T'Pol orders him. >80) He responds with an 'Understood.'
    T'Pol, realizing she let her feelings get in the way, now agrees to let Hoshi try and communicate with the thingie.  Malcolm still wants to cut the crew out of the web, but Phlox counters 'I'm not sure if you appreciate how alien this creature is. It's not attacking our crewman, its trying to intergrate them into itself.'  Malcolm protests, 'But the end result is the same!' And who is there behind him? T'Pol.

    They leave Sickbay, but Malcolm walks a little ahead of T'Pol, he turns when he talks to her, worried the thing will continue to grow and wishing there was a way he could contain it. (>80))  T'Pol asks if he has a suggestion. Ahem. Okay, one can see he has a lot on his mind, but how does she know he is thinking of another plan? He didn't say he did. He said he wished, so how does she know? She clearly loves and respects him and automatically knows he is on top of things! Oh yeah!

    Reed stops and turns to her, trying to impress her with talk of a forcefield.  Malcolm says Starfleet has tried for the past five years and failed, but he's been trying to 'juryrig' his own.   What else has he juryrigged? 'And?' T'Pol is very intrigued. Mal checks her out while admitting it only works 60% of the time.  Polly frowns, but Reedygoodness assures her he can do better.  T'Pol tells him to work quickly.  hehe.  Why does Malcolm spend all his spare time working on building a technological barrier anyway? He knows his personal ones are falling down!  Malcolm looks like he sighs.  How to interpret this sigh? Is it Wow! I've got a lot of work to do! Or is it a Whew! I spoke to her! Whatever it was, Reed bites his lip and gets to work.

    Hoshi meanwhile, has more of a bug up her ass than either of our repressed friends.  Where did that bug come from? She is upset that this language is turning out to be more like mathematics. T'Pol recalls how her earlier comments were mistaken, so she offers to help Hoshi.
    Malcolm has no time for mathematics as a language. I think the scene between him and Phlox is so cool. One of the best!  Reed goes to sickbay and asks Phlox 'How's are little friend?' (Say 'ello to my little friend! >80) ) Sorry. Like Malcolm really cares. He wants to shock the thing so he can figure how much 'biolelectric stress' will repell it from the forcefield. He doesn't even care about the thing, he doesn't want the people to get hurt.  DK's neck must be on a hinge. The way his neck rolls and then his 'Now, if you don't mind!' To Phlox is great! Take over Sickbay Malcolm!
    Phlox stops Reed.  'If you intend to pummel this appendage with em radiation until it cries for mercy I'm afraid I can't permit it.'  Go Phlox! Malcolm's answer is classic.
'Why not?'

    I think this scene is representitive on so many levels.  There is a reason Malcolm is being portayed as stubborn and bullheaded in this one. He just can't see the big picture that Phlox does.  His 'Why not?' Isn't snooty or pissy, its a sincere and heartfelt question. His voice even changes to a softer tone.  He truely can't see that their might be something else besides 'Human good, alien bad.'
    Phlox says its an intelligent being, and Reed continues, 'Intelligent or not its big brother is in the Cargo Bay strangling the Captain and 4 other crewman!'

    Phlox doesn't think that means its a threat!  He wants to help Reed ,but 'not if it means torturing this organism!'  Phlox says there are other ways to get the information.  Now Reed gives his Pissy Zoolander 'Such as?'  He shifts his stance and complains less than an hour is too much time to waste.  Now Phlox get's pissy 'Mr. Reed!'
'Isn't it our mission to try and better understand unique forms of life?'
'Not if its trying to kill the Captain!'
    So far, hasn't that been Enterprise's whole standing?  Reed seems quite the exophobe when it comes to aliens that are not humanoid.  Oh the spirit of exploration!
'I admire interspecies ethics, but until Hoshi tells me she's found a way to communicate with it I have to assume its intentions are hostile. Now, if you don't mind!'
    Phlox refuses to permit the testing, and Reed tries to pull rank.  He enjoys doing that I bet! However, Phlox can override him in Sickbay, and Malcolm says 'Fine! Your rules!'

    Meanwhile, Hoshi is equally unlucky at decoding this unique form of language.  I like how both Malcolm and Hoshi struggle with the alien concept while Phlox and T'Pol try and get them to see the big picture. I love this episode! This was the first episode of Enterprise that made me think TOS!  Hoshi tells T'Pol to get off her case, and T'Pol has to come clean and explain how much she values Hoshi's talents.  Both Hoshi and Malcolm get their foot stuck in their mouths in this one. It must be tough for humanity to explore that way, but I digress. T'Pol and Malcolm need to have a heart to heart too. It's weird though. They don't really need one  not when it comes to work anyway 80)  Even Travis gets to have a meaningful alien heart to heart!

    The Armory is so cool!  'T'Pol to Lieutenant Reed.'  I love that!  Reed takes his forcefield to the Cargo Bay, entering first so he can protect the chicks!  He again gets a little freaked when a tentactal comes towards him, but he keep his cool and does his work.
'The forcefield is working but I can't guarantee how long it will hold.' >80) T'Pol is happy, and very clearly puts her boobs in his face! It's the bum , T'Pol, the bum!  Malcolm turns to Hoshi.  'Have you done it?'  I so love taking dialogue out of context!
    Reed still doesn't get how Hoshi can communicate with the thing.  She says 'hopefully' and Malcolm all but rolls his eyes.  T'Pol and Phlox, naturally, are not surprised, But Reed is dumbfounded.  He doesn't want to take down his forcefield as a sign of good faith.  He pouts at T'Pol, but she says 'Lieutenant' and he removes it.  Interesting. Reed was partly an exophobic ass in this episode, yet he was also a very intelligent inventor.  See? you can solve problems without blowing thigs up is the morale lesson today!

    Phlox calls for his mystery medical team while T'Pol raises her eyebrow at the greased up Archer. They get to the alien's planet, and Reed goes down to the planet, still  dumbfoudned by the events.  I think he just wanted to see T'Pol dress for the EV suit, and impress her with his piloting.  He even walks behind her while carrying the cargo box.  All these big questions and these two just can't get enough of each other!