In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II

This is the second part of a wonderful two-parter. While I loved the original "Mirror, Mirror" episode from the old "Star Trek", this evil parallel universe was way, way overused in some of the subsequent Trek spin-offs. At first I liked it when the crew of Deep Space 9 was visited by these evil parallel doubles but after so many follow-ups, it became way overused. What I loved about "Mirror, Mirror" was its originality. Fortunately, in "Star Trek: Enterprise", they managed to use the old concept but infuse it with wonderful originality and life. I think this two-parter is in the must see category for fans.

In the previous episode, Archer orchestrated a mutiny in order to try to steal a ship that was somehow stolen from the future. With it, he planned on taking over the evil empire and being its evil emperor. However, in part two, there were some hiccups, including a Gorn aboard the stolen ship that was trying to disable the vessel as well as the machinations of the evil and often disloyal crew. Can Archer manage to rule this awful parallel universe?!

This episode has so much going for it. Like part one, the normal intro for the show is replaced by an evil intro--complete with martial music and clips of war and violence! It also did NOT feature nice beings from our universe--just very, very bad ones from theirs. It was NOT like the nice Trekkie folks getting stuck there but as if it was a show intended for an evil audience to enjoy! It also featured a deliciously evil ending--with no redemption, no nice ending and just more of the awfulness that make this parallel world fun to watch. My only complaint is a minor one--why make a CGI Gorn when the CGI quality was that poor and obviously fake? I really think the original "Star Trek" Gorn looked better!!

Enterprise crew from the alternate universe obtain the US Defiant and head back to Terran Empire to face the rebels.

I enjoyed this episode (and part 1) for the cool intro, fan service plot and several fun and exciting scenes.

The plot is by far the best mirror universe episode since 'Mirror Mirror', with plenty of action and nostalgia. It ties into a number of episodes, particularly the aforementioned one and 'The Tholian Web'. One major twist is quite predictable but when it happens it's still a very enjoyable moment.

Performances are pretty hit and miss. Scott Bakula chews the scenery big time in a shouty and deliberately evil turn as a power hungry Archer. Connor Trinneer is equally as shouty but not quite as OTT underneath some poor make up. Jolene Blalock is erratic as always and struggles during the emotional scenes. John Billingsley is as good as ever in a more sadistic take on Phlox. The one I enjoyed the most was Linda Park who combines the sensuality of a classic femme fatale with something that could be out of Game Of Thrones.

This works as a very effective prequel to 'Mirror Mirror' and does a fair bit of 'universe building' of the mirror kind. It helps that it doesn't waste time by focussing on interaction between universes which would have been too much like the other episodes and stuck to its own story.

Part 1 (8/10) was a better story, whereas Part 2 (7.5/10) contained the most fun.

This review covers both episodes of In a Mirror, Darkly, parts 1&2. First off, Part 1 was definitely one of the worst episodes of ANY Star Trek series ever. A totally weak effort that seemed to come from the mind of a juvenile delinquent. Part 2 was somewhat fun to watch with all the Original Series sets, uniforms and production values, but it can't hold a candle to TOS Mirror, Mirror episode. A true ST classic all the way.

The hope that many of us old time Trekkers had with the minor successes of Enterprise seasons 1&2, faded fast with the mind numbing outrages of season 3. One example. What compelled the producers and writers to take Captain Archer, the great explorer from Earth and turn him into a violent and emotional joke, I will never understand. After which it was all downhill. These 2 episodes show why ST Enterprise was finally doomed, making this its last season.

If someone was setting out to destroy the Star Trek universe, blow up the timeline and rip out the heart of ST canon, these 2 episodes would be the way to go. Sad and pathetic.

Someone evidently told the actors that everyone in the dark universe wore exaggerated grimaces and sneers and growls, because with the exception of T'Pol, whose actress bumbled her way around clueless about how to deal with the concept, and Phlox, who was deliciously menacing, scenery was chewed and spit out with gusto. It was painful to watch, especially Archer, who looked particularly constipated, as if he had a ghost of an idea he wanted to evoke but fruitlessly strained to get it out there.

Aside from that, the fact that such a back stabbing organization could never survive made the whole thing was a pointless exercise.

That said, it was incredibly cool seeing the old ship and uniforms again, and hearing the musical effects of the old bridge. So for that, 5 stars.

Some very good reflections of the original Star Trek here. I enjoyed the familiar costumes and sound effects. However I didn't like this alternate universe any more than I did the other ones. Enterprise had a great story-line and group of characters without this contrived gimmick that has been done over and over. It was a good show, cancelled way too soon. And by the way, if the women have to run around half naked, how about doing the same with the men. Us ladies could use some eye candy too if it's going to stoop to that level. In my opinion, they wasted two episodes of the little time the show had left on this. My two least favorite of the entire Star Trek: Enterprise series.