Some thoughts and particularly clever moments…
In the scene after the opening credits when Trip and T’Pol were practicing Vulcan Neuro-pressure she suggests it will get more difficult as they advance to more challenging levels. Trip counters that he is always up for a challenge, to which T’Pol replies, as she is working on a new area, “Breath.” Humorous in that she is subtly suggesting that breathing would be a challenge for him, yet also a bit of foreshadowing for the episode as he is on death’s door.
Levar Burton (director) makes an interesting cut during the scene where Phlox is explaining the possibility of using the symbiote to save Trip. There’s an awkward moment during the conversation where Phlox is justifying the use and he mentions that the Sym will not feel discomfort from the procedure. He further explains that the Sym will then be able to live out his (swallow) normal life span. Good choice of where to choke up, but additionally emphasized in the next line as Burton uses a fast cut from Phlox, in mid-sentence, to a two-shot. It gives the whole feeling that there is definitely something wrong not only with what will come to pass but with their making the decision in the first place.
From the moment Archer makes the decision to go ahead with the procedure he ceases to shave.
Archer looks very uncomfortable when Phlox mentions that he is going to need to name Sym.
They make sure to address the point of how to dispose of the waste from the growing Sym by using it in Phlox’s terrarium.
Who’s making the clothes for the ever-growing Sym, btw?
They make sure to use the props that they have previously used in other episodes, such as the small statue of Zephram Cochran in Archer’s quarters…broken in the episode where Archer loses his memories which he uses to stab a Xindi.
BTW…Now that they’ve used the same young actor to play Trip in a couple of episodes, they’re going to have to not show Trip as a young man of that age when the show is in its seventh season and the actor is in his late teens…
Why does Sym need to ask T’Pol if there was ever anything between her and Trip if (at that time) he is remembering things nearly right up to when Trip goes comatose…?
Didn’t they lose one of their shuttles somewhere along the way or did that happen early and was it replaced when they returned to earth?
It’s worth noting that T’Pol’s closeness to Trip is greatly enhanced now that she has known him since he was a baby.
Do the “particles” cease to be magnetic once the ship has left the “field”? Are they only charged by being in the field and retain no residual charge whatsoever?
The situation in this episode will help to lay the groundwork for what will eventually become the Prime Directive.
Speaking of clothes, looks like Trip is going to be short one dress uniform since they probably used his as Sym’s final attire.
If they’re going to utilize something from this episode as a jumping off point for others, or a way to tie a lot of little things together, I predict it will be the fact that they’ve been jettisoning their dead (probably all this time and every time someone dies). They’ve thus leaving been leaving a trail of their genetic material all over the place for whoever wants it to pick up for whatever purpose.
It’s fun getting a second viewing within a week to watch for some of the subtleties. So who taped the episode to clear up some of my concerns for me?
