ENT: Dead Stop

         I am getting worried about ENT. It is like someone snuck into the writers room and replaced all the scripts with something from Star Trek. I am not trying to say this is the greatest episode of all time or honestly even the greatest of ENT this season, but damn it this episode felt like Trek. It had a mystery with a scifi twist, it had adventure and it even had a bit of character! Also the characters are thus far so shallow I would hardly have been surprised if Travis had actually been killed. Especially if the actor wanted out, who could blame him after season one? I really liked the mysterious repair platform and honestly appreciated that it wasn't just another reference to some other Trek. TOS never worried about totally rewriting the universe each episode so why does so much of ENT feel like it is walking on eggshells?
         We open with actual consiquences from the previous episode, and this isn't even a two parter. What the hell is this DS9??? But in any case they are limping towards earth so slowly it will take a decade so they decide to put out a call for help. A freighter in the area points them at a repair station which when they arrive begins re-configuring itself to fit their needs. The station seems suspiciously friendly but as far as they can tell it is making a fair offer and only asks that no one enter the area being actively repaired. They are surprised to find full food replicators on board and everything seems to be going smoothly. So smoothly Trip and Malcolm start worrying it is up to something so they start poking around, but as soon as they get near the computer core they are beamed to the bridge of Enterprise where Archer acts pissed, but really wants to know what they found. Travis responds to a call to the shuttle bay from the captain but when he gets there something goes wrong and they find hid body soon after. But Phlox discovers it isn't actually his body but a careful copy and Archer decides to snoop around. He has Trip deliver the payment, a reasonable supply of warp plasma, and do some stalling while he sneaks to the computer with Malcolm and T'Pol. Malcolm triggers the alarm but T'Pol blasts their way through and they find a bunch of aliens attached to the computer along with Travis. They rescue him and escape back to Enterprise but the station is locked onto them. The payment turns out to be a bomb which Malcolm detonates and they blast their way to safety as the station explodes. But after they leave we see it begin to repair itself.

         Review: This would have been a very decent TNG episode and is a welcome addition to Trek lore unlike so much of what has come before it.

6 out of 10