Enterprise 3x17 Hatchery - There be spoilers, my children!

[Gatac]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Summary: Crew finds crashed Insectoid ship. A couple of eggs in the hatchery still live, one sprays Archer in the face with some goop. He becomes obsessed with protecting the eggs, even to the point where he's willing to part with one third of the ship's antimatter to repower the crashed ship. When T'Pol crosses him, he has her relieved of duty. Eventually, the senior officers stage a mutinity against Archer and the MACOs. Phlox finds out that the goop made Archer feel protective towards the eggs, and the hunt goes on.

Opinion: I'm torn. On one hand, I saw the plot twist at about half of it, which is better than at once, but not as good as I'd like it. Also, why screw with this mind control stuff again? Can't somebody have a different opinion without being under alien influence for once? Think about how scary it would have been if it had come out in the end that the goop had nothing to do with it, and that Archer really wanted to help those eggs. Of course, that would perhaps be too high a concept for Enterprise. (Besides, his paranoia was drawn as subtle as a 2x4 to the head.) The Reed/Hayes rivalry, on the other hand, was pretty good: the whole shebang was used to differentiate and develop the two and their mutual relationship. It's not a knock-down/drag-out fistfight, but I'll take it. The CGI shot of the shuttlepod landing for the first time was also really nice.

All in all? Slightly above average. The A-story is a partial loss, but the subplots work for the most part. Definately better than the Doctor's Orders, in my humble opinion.

Gatac[/colorost_uid0]