ENT: Fusion

         I guess this was supposed to be the big reveal of the mindmeld into Trek, but it didn't feel very monumental. In fact it made mindmelding seem kinda rapey in a way it didn't before. I guess it was always a pretty invasive thing, but the way Spock used it seemed pretty different. Also it seemed like the Vulcan's by and large were pretty with it for having embraced their emotions. I guess the Vulcans are just a bunch of stuck up prudes (at least in the minds of ENT writers). The B story about the Vulcan not wanting to call home wasn't terrible, but it was a cliche that played out exactly how you expect which is obviously boring. I didn't hate this episode, but it wasn't great in any way either.
         We open with Archer showing T'Pol the astronomy that has an image on the cover of the nebula they are about to visit. In fact it is clearly the exact same image as the one on the book in every shot, but whatever. As they approach an old Vulcan ship approaches and hails and the greeting seems warmer than usual. Archer agrees to help them with repairs and it turns out these Vulcans embrace emotions. Trip spends his time with their engineer named Kov who wants to learn all about humans. T'Pol meanwhile picks up stalker Tolaris who really wants to get her to embrace emotions. He talks her into not meditating before sleeping and she has intense sexual dreams and heads to sickbay as soon as she wakes up. At work that day Tolaris asks her about it and she admits it was terrifying but also exhilarating. Archer gets a call from Starfleet requesting that he try to get Kov to call his dad. It seems they haven't spoken in years and his father is dying. Archer fails to get him to and gives the job to Trip who gives a full pep-talk about regrets. T'Pol meanwhile mindmelds with Tolaris who doesn't stop when she tells him too which again sends her to sickbay. Archer confronts Tolaris who blows up and throws Archer across the room. The two ships part company but before they to Kov tells Trip that he spoke to his dad who is going to make a recovery.

         Review: Not much going in in this episode and as usual I found the parts with Trip the best. Trip and Phlox are the only two characters I give a damn about at this point and this episode features one of them which is the only thing that keeps the score from going even lower.

4 out of 10