Tucker and Reed are adrift onboard the shuttle after seeing evidence the Enterprise was destroyed by an asteroid collision.
I wasn't keen on this one and the problem lies with the writers decision to humiliate one of the main characters.
Malcolm Reed was previously set up as a relatively mysterious loner who we knew very little about. This generated intrigue and made me want to find out more about him. I have no idea what the original intention was with this episode, whether it was to just characterise him as a cynic, but they succeeded in portraying him as a sad, negative, whiny pessimist and throw in some bumbling Englishman cliches for good measure. Also, the dream sequence and discussion about T'Pol's body are quite poor.
There should have been more consideration given to the tone and timing of Reed and Tucker interactions. Personally, I think it should have started off with them mildly worried and then the tension racks up as the episode moves on and they find out how difficult it is going to be for them to be found. Also I would have added some 'gallows humour' to indicate Reed is a cynic, then establish rapport between them and at least let us enjoy their company for 45 minutes. Maybe as things reach a climax there could have been a moment when they confront each other about the contrasting attitudes but face impending death together with dignity.
All that being said Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating do a good job with the material, and the production values are solid.
