In these three "Vulcanian" episodes of Enterprise.
Back in Carbon Creek, Vulcans acted like Vulcans. Here, in the middle episode of this arc, they are squabbling teenagers with too much Vulcan- Sex-Juice, whatever the hormone is called on Vulcan, on Earth we call it something like "Testosterone".
These "Vulcans" and even their new "Surak" all act as if they are in the midst of Pon Farr and participating in the "Kalifi" part of "Kunat- Kalifi" - In other words, the raging kill-each-other stage.
Even the Vulcan Officials on the planet act this way. Sorry, I just didn't believe it.
Vulcans are not HUMANS. In these episodes, they are acting very much like humans, using deceit and treachery - Even offering violence and Destruction of the Enterprise, not to mention trying to destroy a whole group of their own people on the surface.
And this is supposed to be T'PAU. In The Original Series, this character was played by Celia Lovsky and she actually ADOPTED All of Nimoy's Vulcanian Mannerisms. She was a Vulcan's Vulcan. Here, played by Kara Zediker (Who was "The Golden Hind" in one episode of Hercules: Legendary Journeys, because Kevin Sorbo's wife could not get down to New Zealand at the time) she shows none of the GRACE and AUTHORITY of Celia's T'PAU.
Even the name, T'PAU has to be yelled out loud, and spelled with all capital letters, if you think of how she was in The Original Series- She was a Human, or rather Vulcan Exclamation Mark - This was a person to take very seriously- And In that episode, Starfleet backs way down for her.
I do not believe that this is the same T'PAU. This is rather, T'Pau: lower case T'Pau. Kara has NONE of the Earned Authority we grant the older version, and it is not enough to explain this away as a "younger version" - Because even a younger version would at least have the same accent!
I'm surprised Andre Bormanis would write this episode, he was one of the main science consultants for Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. I don't fully blame him, it was the Direction. Roxann Dawson, although being exemplary on a few Voyager episodes, fails to make us believe in any of this.
T'Pol's mother "T'Les" is in these episodes, Joanna Cassidy. Had she played the character more like "Zhora" from Blade Runner, I would have believed it more.
So I give this episode 15 points for the effects as usual, but I give the episode -7 points for the masticating of traditional Vulcans.
Because I do not believe ANY of the so called Vulcans in these episodes. Vulcans, especially female Vulcans have a beauty and a Grace and a solemn charm, like the Elves from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Vulcans should be more like Galadriel or Elrond, and less like Gimli- Or Azog the Destroyer as they appear here!
