I got really worried when early in this episode it looked like it was going to be about Archer being smug and right and lecturing everyone the whole time. Luckily it turned out to be about how obnoxious Denobulans are. Phlox is at least trying to not be insufferable, but the rest of his species don't seem to care. Also they continue to exhibit more super powers like walking on walls. This episode commits a sin that always bothers me whenever TV shows people rock climbing. Three people come to a cliff and all repel at the same time on different ropes. How many ropes did they bring? They didn't seem to each have several hundred meters of rope a few minutes ago. Also, that means they are leaving the rope behind for the next section so they need many sets of three ropes. Also while I am complaining about stupid prop stuff, why do they have lights strapped to their backpacks? They are constantly forced to use a hand to aim them. Why not use flashlights, or like literally all cave climbers, headlamps? Hard to light their faces maybe? Still just comes across as dumb.
We open with Phlox showing off a tribble to Hoshi who is too distracted to give him the important message from his people she is there to deliver for several minutes. Eventually he reads it and go to the captain. It seems a team of Denobulan geologists are deep in a cave system on a planet which just changed governments. The new government has order all aliens out or they start shooting and Enterprise is the only ship in the area so they get to go to the rescue. Trip, Tucker and Malcolm into the caves. As soon as they are gone they get a distress call from a ship with a leaking reactor. They offer to treat the wounded who are of various species and everything goes fine until Phlox sees one alien and stiffens up. He is clearly uncomfortable and finds the man is dying but can be treated. Just then he wakes up and sees Phlox and refuses to be treated by a Denobulan.
Archer shows up when he hears about the dying Antaran and is upset that Phlox is going to honor his patients wishes and not force treatment on him. He orders Phlox to knock the guy out and treat him or be locked up which I guess is supposed to be seen as a good thing? Phlox refuses but eventually realizes it is just racism and talk the guy into being treated (this is skipping most of the episode but really that is all that happened in that part). In the cave they mess up and Travis breaks his ankle and since he is the only experienced climber the other two have no problem without him. They find the scientists who refuse to leave until Trip threatens to shoot them so they all eventually leave. The locals start bombing anyway and Archer has to get extra self righteous.
Review: I get that the message is suppose to be racism is bad, but that isn't exactly the shocking message it may have been in the 60's. Not to mention some serious storytelling problems, especially every time Archer is on screen.
3 out of 10
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