ent s2e20 horizon

i'm happy to see a mayweather focused episode, he's been pretty far in the background for a long time. the beginning is quiet, we're going to go look at a cool geological event and then see travis' family since they're in the area. i love this character focused stuff. travis is clearly comfortable with archer, a short detour is still a detour, and i don't think most captains would allow that for just one crew member. archer happily agrees, though, and offers to tell him a relevant story "next time" they have breakfast. which means archer is regularly Hanging Out with his low-rank officers. when travis finds out his father died, archer knows where his hiding spot is, and doesn't only try to comfort him, he's able to do so effectively. travis is also willing to be emotionally vulnerable with him. who else in his position is so unfazed by crying in front of their captain? trip giving travis an album of pictures of him on enterprise's adventures to give to his mother is also a nice detail. you can see how friendly and caring the crew is towards one another.

i liked seeing travis on his old ship. it's an interesting look into his past life, what he left behind in order to join starfleet. the scene of his mother showing him his old room with all his old stuff back out was very emotional. his brother seemed to have some resentment in the back of his mind when travis came to see him. "i appreciate your advice but it's not your problem. you're not part of this crew anymore." sheesh. pirate attacks and messy crew dynamics, i'm sure this isn't what travis expected when he decided to come home. he's torn between two worlds, one drawing him in with exploration and new frontiers and the other drawing him in with family and familiarity. transition from cargo to starship is an alienating one, and no matter how fulfilling his starfleet career is, home will always call to him. he was ready to give up everything to go back, stay on horizon in their time of need. but deep space has changed him, and he doesn't really belong there anymore.

really good episode.