4x19 In a Mirror, Darkly (2)

[9.3/10] My favorite scene in this episode is the one between Phlox and T’Pol. Phlox tells T’Pol that he’s been reading the prime universe literature database, noting how the stores are the same but for the fact that the prime universe characters are meek and compassionate. “Except for Shakespeare,” he adds, emphasizing that all his plays are just as grim in one universe as another.

It’s a fun nod, just not for the literary reference, but for the fact that the second part of Enterprise’s Mirror Universe duology plays out a great deal like a Shakespeare play. I’m not claiming that “In a Mirror Darkly” is a well-written or deep as MacBeth, but it’s ultimately a tragedy of man grasping too hard for power, haunted by the possibility of failure and insignificance, and being usurped and undercut from his triumph in the last moments of the story. If that type of tale wouldn’t fit into a Shakespearean framework, I don’t know what would.

That’s the biggest achievement of part two of “In a Mirror Darkly” -- it makes Mirror Archer seem both unrepentantly evil and oddly sympathetic, or at least comprehensible. He is torn up by the realization that his prime universe counterpart is a man of greatness, well-known and renowned throughout the galaxy as a hero and explorer, while he is just another schlub casting about for a seat at the table in his home universe. The use of the in-his-head image of Archer-prime to represent that anger and insecurity is fantastic (and stage-y, for that matter), providing Mirror Archer a motivation beyond the usual “evil and conquest for evil’s sake” that we normally see in the Mirror-verse.

But Archer is facing challenges from within and without, the most noteworthy being an assemblage of non-human officers aiming to help out the resistance. There’s a lot to like about that choice. There’s always been social allegories in Star Trek, and I appreciate the implication that part of what makes the Terran Empire evil is that it’s a racist society, one that enslaves and diminishes the souls who aren’t like them. The way that Mirror T’Pol bristles against that, the way that Mirror Phlox has internalized it, the way that Mirror Soval (replete with trademark Mirror-verse goatee!) eventually fights against it adds a depth and commentary to what could otherwise be a standard empire vs. rebellion story.

What’s particularly interesting is the way that Archer blames the presence of aliens as the reason for the Terran Empire’s current weaknesses and, implicitly, for his own failures. I don’t want to go too far out on a limb here, but there’s a real sense in which the subtext of this episode is still disturbingly relevant to the modern day. Archer is frustrated at himself for having failed to rise above his station, but rather than blaming the white male superior officers who haven’t promoted him (or at least not blaming them entirely), or his own lack of ambition or prowess, he blames the oppressed peoples in his society for being in his way and lending to a “weakness.” There’s a story of self-destructive white supremacy in this particular mirror if you look hard enough, and the point seems far more pointed in 2019 than perhaps it did in 2005. (Though it’s not like xenophobia was on the wane in the mid-aughts or anything.)

Of course it’s not all Shakespearean homages and deep-seated social commentary in “In a Mirror Darkly” -- there’s also tons of fanservice! As I mentioned in my write-up for the last episode, there is something inherently fun about seeing the cast of characters from Enterprise getting into scrapes and dogfights on a TOS-era ship. I’ll admit, it’s super convenient and head scratch-worthy that Archer and company end up wearing Captain Kirk-period uniforms, but there’s still a certain giddy thrill to watching some version of Archer and T’Pol walking the corridors of the Defiant with its orange mesh and candy-colored switchboards.

But that’s not all -- we also get an appearance from a Gorn which Archer, naturally, gets into a Kirk-esque scuffle with. I’ll concede that the mid-2000s CGI leaves a lot to be desired, both in the design of the Gorn, and in the believability of its fights with the Starfleet crewmembers. Still, it’s neat as hell to see one manage to outsmart our heroes (or their evil counterparts) for a while, only to be felled by a TOS-style trap.

When it’s not delivering nods to The Original Series though, part two of “In a Mirror Darkly” delivers a hell of a climax. I appreciate how slowly megalomaniacal and unhinged Mirror Archer becomes. You have to appreciate how this whole effort is a misaimed reaction to learning of the greatness of his prime universe counterpart. It’s not just enough for him to commandeer the Defiant and help turn the tide against the resistance in a losing war. He has to supersede his commanders, take over the fleet, and even usurp the Emperor himself to try to fill the hole in his soul where his sense of accomplishment is supposed to be.

That’s much harder when a good chunk of his crew and would-be allies are working against him. There’s a nice bit of suspense as to whether Archer is going to be able to complete his overambitious scheme or whether T’Pol, inspired by her newfound knowledge of the Federation, will be able to get her Defiant-destroying plan and specs out into the galaxy. Again, one of the benefits of these sorts of alternate universe stories is that you can have the bad guys winning and the good guys having their ships blown up with them inside it, in a way that would be detrimental to the demands of a weekly television series. It’s too much to call Archer’s victory of the alien rebels surprising, but it still has the juice of being something that regular everyday Enterprise couldn’t pull off.

And yet, it’s not the last surprise that “In a Mirror Darkly” has in store. When Archer has won, when it seems like he finally has his long-awaited victory in hand, Hoshi double-crosses him and takes command. It’s a story choice I love for a ton of reasons. First and foremost it’s a balm to all the glammed up sexpot material the show gives the female members of the cast in this two-parter. Now some of that is just keeping up with how the Mirror-verse has been depicted in prior shows, but still, it’s nice to see some agency from Mirror Hoshi that sees this all as part of a scheme to come out on top herself. Second, it gives Linda Park some of the best work she’s done on the show, giving us shades and layers to Hoshi that we rarely get to see in the prime universe adventures.

Last but not least, it’s the sort of last minute reversal, the one that thwarts the protagonist in his last moments, that feels genuinely Shakespearean. It’s rarely the major figures lusting after power who end up with in his plays. More often, it’s those off to the side, biding their time, who come out on top. Hoshi being the last man standing (so to speak) after so much scheming and backstabbing is an appropriately twist note to go out on, and one that might have satisfied even The Bard himself.

In that, “In a Mirror Darkly” becomes one of Enterprise’s finest hours, that marries the fan service of an alternate dimensional jump and homage to The Original Series with some of the show’s best character work and social commentary. It left me wishing we could spend more time with this particular crew with this particular dynamic, regardless of what side of the mirror they end up on.