Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Doctor’s Orders”

“Physician’s Orders”
Written by Chris Black
Directed by Roxanne Dawson
Season 3, episode 16
Manufacturing episode 068
Unique Airdate: February 18, 2004
Date: unknown

Captain’s Star Diary. We open at Enterprise transferring by way of what seems to be yet one more anomaly of the Delphic Expanse, its warp pods inactive, the ship seemingly empty – save for Porthos, pursued by Phlox. The pup arrives on the door he needs, and Phlox lets him into Archer’s cabin, the place the captain is in a coma with a silver disc on his head.

Phlox writes a letter to Dr. Lucas, apologizing for being sluggish to be in contact with him these days, however issues have been busy.

We flash again two days earlier, as Phlox explains to Lucas what occurred: Enterprise encountered an anomaly that might probably kill the people on board. Denobulan mind chemistry is not going to be affected. (Not one of the animals on board both.) Vulcan mind chemistry is not talked about a technique or one other, an omission that may probably be vital later…

Phlox’s resolution is to place everybody in a coma besides Phlox himself and go on autopilot. Tucker is not thrilled that the warp engines are uncovered to this anomaly – and is much less thrilled about being in a coma and leaving Phlox answerable for the engines – however even occurring a pulse can be quicker than going round it, and so they have to move the ass to Azati Prime, so….

Phlox takes a crash course in Mayweather piloting and Tucker’s engineering fundamentals, then places everybody to sleep.

We see Phlox operating with Porthos and wandering across the infirmary bare and watching The court jester for a film evening, though he and Porthos are on their lonesome (with popcorn, no much less, of which he feeds the pup some). He hears one thing, and goes to analyze, bringing a very Porthos reluctantly alongside, solely to find a minor fuel leak in engineering that shakes a string.

T’Pol additionally seems in Engineering, saying she was performing diagnostics. Phlox invitations her to share a meal, which she half-heartedly does. Phlox prepares a Denobulan dish that the chef has by no means managed. T’Pol by no means touches the bowl in entrance of her. It’s going to additionally in all probability be vital later…

Later, Phlox is doing upkeep by way of engineering and he sees a determine hiding within the shadows. He contacts T’Pol to ask why she’s hiding round engineering, however she says she’s on deck. Later, he sees one thing on the ship’s hull, however the sensors choose up nothing. T’Pol thinks he simply wants some sleep.

When he watches Sato, he sees a Xindi-Insectoid threatening her; he leaps to assault him, and he flees. The Xindi chases him into an airlock, then walks away when Phlox locks himself in there.

After arming himself, Phlox searches the ship for the Xindi, although T’Pol—who would not take the weapon Phlox gives him—thinks it is a waste of time and Phlox is hallucinating. Phlox refuses to just accept this, whilst he searches the ship with no signal of the Xindi.

Then he’s contacted by Sato, which comes as a shock, as she must be in a coma. He goes to her cabin to see that she is within the bathe – and he or she comes out horribly disfigured. Then Phlox sees Sato mendacity peacefully on her mattress.

Screenshot: CBS

He’s really hallucinating, strengthened by hallucinating Archer in a turbolift minutes later. He shamefully summons T’Pol to the infirmary and examines himself to seek out that, opposite to his preliminary analysis, Denobulan’s physiology can also be affected by the anomaly, though in a much less aggressive method. Phlox says he wants to enter a coma and go away T’Pol in cost, however she hesitates, saying she’s barely holding again her emotional management and will snap at any second. Plus, they nearly acquired out of the anomaly—

– besides that they aren’t. The anomaly has expanded, and they’re now ten weeks from the periphery. And it might worsen because it continues to unfold.

T’Pol urges him to start out the warp engine, which makes Phlox very nervous. (He additionally hallucinates that Tucker rips a brand new one off him for beginning the warp engine.) T’Pol, claiming she will’t focus as a result of she’s making an attempt to take care of emotional management, is under no circumstances helps begin the engines, and Phlox is decreased to studying the handbook.

He manages to get the warp engines to start out, however the ship begins to shake and sparks fly and T’Pol suggests reviving Tucker. Phlox refuses, as it’s going to kill Tucker, and T’Pol factors out that the ship that explodes will too, and kill everybody else as effectively.

Nonetheless, Phlox manages to stabilize issues, and so they hit chain two and exit the anomaly.

Phlox revives Archer first, then Tucker. He accompanies T’Pol to her quarters so she will relaxation, and when he will get there, he sees T’Pol mendacity in a coma on her mattress. The T’Pol he was interacting with was a hallucination your complete time.

Screenshot: CBS

The letter to Lucas ends with Phlox saying he was contemplating deleting the letter, because it seems massive chunks of it have been fictitious, however he decides to maintain it for Lucas’ leisure.

Cannot we simply reverse the polarity? Tucker fears the potential for Phlox disrupting his engines, and after waking up, this apprehension is expressed in him bitching at Phlox in regards to the warp coils being misaligned. However he additionally admits that Phlox has finished an excellent job, all issues thought of.

The speech of the gazelle. Archer is the final individual to be asleep, clearly, and by the point Phlox will get to him, the physician defensively says that the whole lot can be advantageous and he would not have to fret about Phlox being in cost, like the whole lot. the world he bitched about it. However Archer pleasantly surprises him (and albeit the viewer) by not having doubts. He was simply going to say that Phlox is without doubt one of the few individuals Archer would belief along with his ship below these circumstances. Phlox is hit.

I used to be educated to tolerate offensive conditions. The T’Pol we spend a lot of the episode with is not actually T’Pol, and certainly she acts increasingly more like Phlox because the episode progresses…

Florida man. A Florida man has belief points with a physician who performs along with his engines.

Optimism, Captain! Phlox takes a crash course in managing the Enterprise on his personal, and manages to start out the warp engine on his personal, aided solely by the voices in his head.

He additionally says, “I am a physician, not an engineer” at one level, mirroring one in all McCoy’s most well-known strains “I am a physician, not a…”, from the unique “Mirror, Mirror” collection.

Screenshot: CBS

Effectively finished Porthos! Till he begins hallucinating T’Pol, Porthos is Phlox’s solely firm on the ship, and it is type of cute watching them collectively, whether or not it is operating round, speaking about loyalty de Porthos in direction of Archer (at one level Phlox does some analysis and finds a canine named Scruffers, who has traveled two thousand miles to seek out his human), and the pooch typically being Phlox’s helpful companion. Sadly, the canine is all however deserted as soon as the pretend T’Pol seems…

I’ve religion…

“I am doing effectively.”

“You nearly shot the captain’s canine.”

– Phlox protesting an excessive amount of, and the picture of T’Pol proving in any other case.

Welcome aboard. No visitor stars on this one.

Trivial questions: Lucas was established as Phlox’s correspondent and fellow physician within the Interspecies Medical Alternate, in “Pricey Physician”. We are going to lastly see him within the three components “Borderland”/”Chilly Station 12″/”The Augments” in season 4.

The scene of The courtroom jester that we see Phlox watching is, after all, the vase and pestle scenewhich is comedy gold from Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns and Mildred Natwick.

The passage the place Phlox thinks he sees one thing outdoors the ship could also be a reference to blurred space episode”Nightmare at 20,000 feetone of the well-known non-climbing the roles.

Screenshot: CBS

It has been an extended highway… “Is it a spaceship or a haunted home?” On the one hand, we have seen this film earlier than, so to talk, as a result of it is the precisely the identical plot as Traveler“One” from: the ship traversing the Area Phenomenon Du Jour which forces your complete crew into stasis apart from the 2 most attention-grabbing characters within the solid, one in all whom begins to undergo from hallucinations. It was Seven and the EMH in “One”, and it is Phlox and Porthos right here.

(You thought I used to be gonna say T’Pol, proper? Ha!)

The truth that T’Pol wasn’t actual was fairly apparent, truthfully, and it was much more so in 2004, like following The sixth sense in 1999, the one that’s not likely there trope had been finished a bit, and due to that film, audiences have been prepared to note when somebody by no means touched something and solely interacted with one individual . Specifically, three issues give away the sport with T’Pol nearly instantly. One is that, within the flashback, Phlox by no means mentions how the anomaly will have an effect on the Vulcans, which appears odd to omit, but it surely’s vital for the misdirection to proceed. One other is that if T’Pol have been to be protected from hurt, the query of Phlox figuring out how one can do the whole lot on the ship would not come up – T’Pol could be the one in cost and do all of the issues and Phlox would do it. simply be there for backup and ensure everybody stays in a coma.

And even when you miss all of it, the obvious half is when Phlox cooks the 2 of them a meal and T’Pol by no means even touches it. We have met a number of impolite Vulcans on this present, however T’Pol is not one in all them, and will surely by no means act that manner in direction of the ship’s physician.

That mentioned, the episode is vastly enjoyable anyway, as the main target is solely on Phlox and John Billingsley is, as at all times, an entire delight. Similar to Jolene Blalock, as a result of as soon as it turns into clear that T’Pol is not actual – even when you ignore the three clues I discussed, T’Pol’s utter incapability to be any bodily or technical help makes it clear earlier than lengthy – it is enjoyable to look at as “T’Pol” acts increasingly more like, effectively, Phlox. Blalock very subtly modulates over the course of the episode, and by the point we get to the climax, she matches a number of Billingsley’s tones and phrase decisions. It is a terrific efficiency.

This, by the way in which, is a a lot better instance of the way you do a “filler” episode in a season-long story arc. (Versus, say, a ridiculous diversion to the western planet.) They’re on their technique to Azati Prime, the pressing sub-mission they’ve had since studying the situation in “Stratagem,” however they’re delayed. by one thing that provides one of many present’s stars an opportunity to flex their theatrical muscle mass.

And there are various Porthos. Correctly. He’s an excellent canine…

Deformation Issue Ranking: 7

Keith RA DeCandidothe subsequent work of star trek fiction can be “The Kellidian Kidnapping”, a Traveler quick story that may seem in Star Trek Explorer #8, to be printed in August.