DZ "Playing God" and ENT "Similitude"

Brikar · 07-19-2004, 12:13 PM

Now here's something interesting. I'm ripping through my second season set of "The Dead Zone" like there's no tomorrow. Amazing show, really.

The episode I just watched is called "Playing God". In it, Johnny's childhood friend Jason is dying of a terminal heart condition, and comes to ask whether or not he'll get a transplant in time. Johnny touches him, and sees that yes, he will. But there's a catch - the donor is Jason's sister, Kate, who will be killed by a drunk-driver after getting into an argument with Johnny. So now the episode focuses on Johnny trying to save both of them, and the consequences of trying to do so.

If he saves Kate, the drunk driver passes safely through the intersection... but a few miles down the road, slams into a schoolbus full of kids. If he saves Kate, a 28-year old school teacher will die because she's next in line for a heart behind Jason, and needs it just as badly.

And now there's "Similitude", one of the best episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise". Archer's best friend, Trip, is dying from an accident in Engineering, and needs a transplant to survive. Doctor Phlox creates a clone to harvest parts to save Trip, but the clone, "Sim" turns out to be a conscious, sentient being, and beyond that, has Trip's memories and personality. So now the episode focuses on the moral dilemma - do you save the original, or the copy?

"Similitude" works fine enough within the confines of ENT, but I just had to point out how much it pales in comparison to other shows, even at its best. The episode fails not on its own merits, but because of the shows before it. Because Archer isn't a well-drawn character, his motivations become muddled - is he saving Trip because he WANTS Trip, or because he NEEDS Trip? The script tells him he needs him, which is the problem - Archer's not talking about saving his friend, he's talking about his mission.

That's all well and dandy, but wouldn't "Similitude" have worked better if Archer had accepted that his desire to save Trip was a selfish one? In "The Dead Zone", Johnny looks at all of his options, and hates absolutely every one that he sees. There's nothing about Johnny's mission here, nothing about doing good in the world. He's here to save his friends, and I think that important aspect is what really puts "Playing God" above "Similitude". That's not to say "Similitude" is bad, it isn't - but the problem isn't the episode, or even Manny Coto, it's ENT itself.

It's hard to watch a good episode of a bad show, much harder, if you ask me, than watching a bad episode of a good show. Why? Because now things don't fit. Things, bad or good, work. When good comes along and throws itself into the bad, it falls apart. Now, though, what we have is a glimmer of what COULD be, of what SHOULD be - but it's marred by characters that aren't fully drawn, and looking at other episodes in retrospect, it seems that when bad came back, they ignored the good. Later episodes throw out things like the kiss between Sim and T'Pol. What was that? It's never explored, but it should have been. Instead, Trip and T'Pol have sex, and its attributed as a "mistake" she made while "exploring sexuality".

I'm not sure where I was going with all this... I might have had something in mind when I started the post, but I've lost it now in my ramblings about ENT. Oh well.

Cymro · 07-19-2004, 12:53 PM

Yup, ENT gets worse every time you re-watch it.

Brikar · 07-19-2004, 12:54 PM

LOL that's one way of putting it...

Bean · 07-19-2004, 04:03 PM

Enterprise would be a whole lot better if it were DS9.

Arik · 07-19-2004, 08:46 PM

Meh. I've never really seen why everyone has such a big hard-on for Manny Coto.

Playing God is one of the best hours of television I've ever seen. And, as good as it is, TDZ's Zion is even better.

Brikar · 07-19-2004, 09:01 PM

Well, I've never seen it, but I've heard good things about Coto's "Odyssey 5". As for his work on ENT, I feel that he'd be great if he weren't hamstrung by Berman and Braga. "Similitude" showed that he can raise the bar for the show, but their bar's just too heavy to break - and that's what needs to happen before ENT becomes a good show. With those two there keeping things down, I don't feel it'll ever be any better than "decent".

Arik · 07-19-2004, 09:16 PM

Maybe it's just me, but in every Coto episode I've seen he's managed to completely destroy the dramatic potential inherent in the episode in favor of some drama he's forcing into the episode at right angles. Similitude is an example of an episode where it worked, mostly, and The Council is an example of an episode the he managed to kill.

I don't know if it's him, or if it's "other writers" on the show that rewrite the stuff that he's doing.

Not to turn this thread into an "I hate Enterprise" thread.

Cymro · 07-20-2004, 10:01 AM

B&B have said that they re-write every script, so we never get to see a script without their influence.

07-19-2004, 12:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
Brikar The Dude Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,606	DZ "Playing God" and ENT "Similitude" Now here's something interesting. I'm ripping through my second season set of "The Dead Zone" like there's no tomorrow. Amazing show, really. The episode I just watched is called "Playing God". In it, Johnny's childhood friend Jason is dying of a terminal heart condition, and comes to ask whether or not he'll get a transplant in time. Johnny touches him, and sees that yes, he will. But there's a catch - the donor is Jason's sister, Kate, who will be killed by a drunk-driver after getting into an argument with Johnny. So now the episode focuses on Johnny trying to save both of them, and the consequences of trying to do so. If he saves Kate, the drunk driver passes safely through the intersection... but a few miles down the road, slams into a schoolbus full of kids. If he saves Kate, a 28-year old school teacher will die because she's next in line for a heart behind Jason, and needs it just as badly. And now there's "Similitude", one of the best episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise". Archer's best friend, Trip, is dying from an accident in Engineering, and needs a transplant to survive. Doctor Phlox creates a clone to harvest parts to save Trip, but the clone, "Sim" turns out to be a conscious, sentient being, and beyond that, has Trip's memories and personality. So now the episode focuses on the moral dilemma - do you save the original, or the copy? "Similitude" works fine enough within the confines of ENT, but I just had to point out how much it pales in comparison to other shows, even at its best. The episode fails not on its own merits, but because of the shows before it. Because Archer isn't a well-drawn character, his motivations become muddled - is he saving Trip because he WANTS Trip, or because he NEEDS Trip? The script tells him he needs him, which is the problem - Archer's not talking about saving his friend, he's talking about his mission. That's all well and dandy, but wouldn't "Similitude" have worked better if Archer had accepted that his desire to save Trip was a selfish one? In "The Dead Zone", Johnny looks at all of his options, and hates absolutely every one that he sees. There's nothing about Johnny's mission here, nothing about doing good in the world. He's here to save his friends, and I think that important aspect is what really puts "Playing God" above "Similitude". That's not to say "Similitude" is bad, it isn't - but the problem isn't the episode, or even Manny Coto, it's ENT itself. It's hard to watch a good episode of a bad show, much harder, if you ask me, than watching a bad episode of a good show. Why? Because now things don't fit. Things, bad or good, work. When good comes along and throws itself into the bad, it falls apart. Now, though, what we have is a glimmer of what COULD be, of what SHOULD be - but it's marred by characters that aren't fully drawn, and looking at other episodes in retrospect, it seems that when bad came back, they ignored the good. Later episodes throw out things like the kiss between Sim and T'Pol. What was that? It's never explored, but it should have been. Instead, Trip and T'Pol have sex, and its attributed as a "mistake" she made while "exploring sexuality". I'm not sure where I was going with all this... I might have had something in mind when I started the post, but I've lost it now in my ramblings about ENT. Oh well. __________________ "A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown." http://olympusmans.blogspot.com http://benforrealz.blogspot.com

07-19-2004, 12:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cymro Religious Fanatic Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Shitsville, CF63 Posts: 4,921	Yup, ENT gets worse every time you re-watch it. __________________ "Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. "But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon."

07-19-2004, 12:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
Brikar The Dude Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,606	LOL that's one way of putting it... __________________ "A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown." http://olympusmans.blogspot.com http://benforrealz.blogspot.com

07-19-2004, 04:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bean The Awesome One Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Canada eh! Posts: 5,055	Enterprise would be a whole lot better if it were DS9. __________________ "I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing." --James T. Kirk

07-19-2004, 08:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Arik Astro-Monkey Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Here, dumbfuck! Posts: 2,304	Meh. I've never really seen why everyone has such a big hard-on for Manny Coto. Playing God is one of the best hours of television I've ever seen. And, as good as it is, TDZ's Zion is even better. __________________ The writers of this post apologize for you being too stupid to understand it.

07-19-2004, 09:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
Brikar The Dude Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,606	Well, I've never seen it, but I've heard good things about Coto's "Odyssey 5". As for his work on ENT, I feel that he'd be great if he weren't hamstrung by Berman and Braga. "Similitude" showed that he can raise the bar for the show, but their bar's just too heavy to break - and that's what needs to happen before ENT becomes a good show. With those two there keeping things down, I don't feel it'll ever be any better than "decent". __________________ "A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown." http://olympusmans.blogspot.com http://benforrealz.blogspot.com

07-19-2004, 09:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
Arik Astro-Monkey Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Here, dumbfuck! Posts: 2,304	Maybe it's just me, but in every Coto episode I've seen he's managed to completely destroy the dramatic potential inherent in the episode in favor of some drama he's forcing into the episode at right angles. Similitude is an example of an episode where it worked, mostly, and The Council is an example of an episode the he managed to kill. I don't know if it's him, or if it's "other writers" on the show that rewrite the stuff that he's doing. Not to turn this thread into an "I hate Enterprise" thread. __________________ The writers of this post apologize for you being too stupid to understand it.

07-20-2004, 10:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Cymro Religious Fanatic Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Shitsville, CF63 Posts: 4,921	B&B have said that they re-write every script, so we never get to see a script without their influence. __________________ "Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. "But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon."

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