It’s Secret Agent Vulcan in the seventh episode of the second season which originally aired on November 6, 2002. This is The Seventh.
The Episode:
Captain’s Log Date Undetermined.
T’Pol and Archer receive secret instructions to hunt down and aprehend a roague agent by the name of Menos. Informing the crew of the change in course, T’Pol is forced to leave out key information about the threat as the ship is not expected to be in any danger. T’Pol soon informs Archer that they are hunting a former Vulcan Agent who was the only one of six she was not able to apprehend in her years at the Ministry of Security.
Mayweather joins Archer and T’Pol to the serfice of the planet where the agent was last seen. They soon catch up to Menos who refuses to return with them explaining that, if he returns, he will not recieve a fair trial as he refused to return to start with. Soon, T’Pol begins having memories of another person, by the name of Jossen, who interfered with her catching Menos to begin with. He swears that the accusation of smuggling biotoxins is false and he has essentially become a different person since he was altered to look non-Vulcan and has no wish to return to his home planet. In fact, the rest of the people she hunted down and, in Jossen’s case, killed, all felt the same.
T’Pol lets him go but Archer and Mayweather soon discover that Menos was playing with T’Pols doubts and was in fact a smuggler. They then recapture him and turn him over to the Vulcan authorities who were waiting nearby. With Menos captured, T’Pol can finally put this mission to bed although she is still bothered by the fact that she had suppressed the memory of killing Jossen in her pursuit of Menos. T’Pol thanks Archer for his actions on the mission and tells him that she will be there for him if he ever needs her.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
To start with, I really do not like how Archer handles himself when T’Pol informs him that he will be contacted by Admiral Forrest. T’Pol has more than proved her loyalty to Archer and Enterprise and, by now, Archer should have accepted her request and not act like an ass-hat. I swear, just when Archer starts seeming like a decent guy he acts like such a child when it comes to things like this. I mean, I know he is not a fan of the Vulcan government but treating T’Pol like she is just another Vulcan is ridiculous.
That aside, I really love that this was a T’Pol-centric episode showing that she had other duties and a bit of a legacy before joining Enterprise. While we only get moments and hints of this past, any nuggets of information is always welcomed. One of the most interesting bits is this episode finally explains why the temple at P’Jem was important to T’Pol, this was where she went to recover from her trauma when she killed Jossen. Not only do we learn that she recovered at P’Jem, but also that Vulcans have a rather…clinical way of rehabilitating their people, including memory wipes. I swear, the more we learn about Vulcans in this series, the more they lose their ‘honorable’ reputation that they have been given over the rest of the series.
Overall, this is a pretty solid episode giving us some great back story about T’Pol while also showing some of the crew on a special mission. The dynamic between T’Pol and Archer is only growing, I just wish he would be a little bit nicer to this crew member who has literally put her own life and career in danger for his Captaincy. Then again…maybe I am expecting too much.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- Apparently Jurisdiction is honored on most planets, as T’Pol has to present a warrant for Menos’ arrest.
- You might recognize the actor who played Menos as veteran actor Bruce Davison.
- Oh and there’s a side story where Trip has to act like Archer in order to get information from a Vulcan captain. The information….water-polo scores from Earth.
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: The Communicator
more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and for more retro TV goodness check out the rest of the Retro TV Reviews here.
As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these episodes as well. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don’t Forget To Follow me if you like the blog!
Late To The Game 7/7/2021
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
“Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made production intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.”
Late to the Game Blog 