I had almost forgotten that good Star Trek is often clever and this episode is about the most clever thing I have seen. As always I still have some issues, but this episode doubles down on references to previous Trek (including TAS!!!) and deals with many of the problems created by ENT over the years without dismissing the previous events. When the dying Vulcan (who I just then realized was probably the one carrying Surak's katra) puts his hand on Archers face just before he died I literally leaped out of my chair. Holy hell, it was like watching something from TOS but also new, interesting, and clever! They still haven't solved the problem of T'Pol not really having much character, but they even seem to be working on that.
We open on a shot of a Vulcan funeral urn being cleaned and just before credits a voice says, "Surak." Cut to earth where Admiral Forrest is greeting the Vulcan ambassador Soval. The two are hoping to announce joint missions between Vulcans and Starfleet but neither knows if the high command will approve. Soval even tells Forrest that the reason his people don't trust humanity is because they are so similar, but humanity is evolving much faster. Suddenly there is an explosion and Forrest shields Soval with his body. Cut to Enterprise where T'Pol interrupts a senior staff basketball game with the news of the attack. Enterprise heads to earth to help with the investigation where they are greeted by the head of the high command and his investigator Stel. The humans are put in charge of the investigation on earth but it seems the vulcans are suspicious of one of their own sects known as the Syrrannites. In the rubble Malcolm and Travis are looking for evidence when they come across an unexploded bomb. Malcolm manages to get a scan just before they both beam out and the bomb explodes.
They find DNA from the scan belonging to a prominent Syrrannite named T'Pau and Stel announces that they need no more help and takes them off the case. Archer heads to the room full of caskets to be pissed off and isn't pleased when Soval walks in, but it seems Soval isn't buying it and tells Archer to keep looking. He even tells him to go to vulcan if necessary since he things the Syrrannites may be being framed. T'Pol meanwhile is approached by her husband unexpectedly. He has an IDIC from her mother which he was told is an heirloom. He also tells her that her mother is in hiding since she is a Syrrannite. T'Pol examines the IDIC and discovers it contains a map to a location in the Vulcan Forge, the most brutal desert on Vulcan where Surak went to find logic. Soval helps them get to the Forge where Archer and T'Pol beam down to go in search of the Syrrannites.
The desert is brutal and things only get worse when they are corned by wild sehlat. They escape up a rock face but things aren't looking good. On Enterprise they have discovered the DNA from T'Pau is a plant since it was from when she was an infant, but there is no way to tell Archer and T'Pol, but Soval is super interested. They talk him into mindmelding with a witness to the bombing who is in a coma and he discovers it was Stel who planted the bomb. On Vulcan Archer and T'Pol are saved by a man named Arev who fakes some sehlat calls. He lets them follow him but isn't trusting of Archer. They are forced to hide in a cave where Archer reveals there true mission. Arev tells tehm that Surak's katra has been discovered and is being carried by a vulcan who mindmelds with others. T'Pol doesn't buy it, but there isn't much time as the cave entrance collapses mortally wounding Arev. Just before he dies he mind melds with Archer telling him to carry "it" to the sanctuary. When they leave Archer is suddenly knowledgeable about things he shouldn't have any way to know and walks them right to the sanctuary where they are captured by Syrrannites.
Review: This is possibly the most trek thing I have ever seen without feeling like just a bunch of fan service. It is clever and fun and I would actually recommend it to any fan, but especially someone who has watched the rest of ENT and lost a hell of a lot of faith.
10 out of 10
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