Enterprise handles things a little differently than other Treks
By Cap'n Calhoun

Specifically, multi-part episodes.

For TOS, TNG, Voyager, and parts of Deep Space Nine, multi-part episodes were usually treated as a single long episode with a cliffhanger at the end of each part (other than the last, of course).

For Enterprise, or at least the fourth season of it, they seem to be treating it as a mini-serialization of the show, where each part is usually a self-contained story in addition to being part of the larger story. This has held true to various extents for the Soong arc, the Vulcan arc, and the Andorian arc. In addition to the main story that continues (sometimes almost in the background), each episode brings in (and finishes) enough elements that it can stand fairly well on its own. This is something that was seen previously in DS9 in the are-they-multipart-or-aren't-they episodes that comprised the beginning of season 6 (when the Dominion controlled the station) and the series finale. Others are a little closer to TNG's "Birthright", where the B-plot of Data's dreams about his creator started and ended in Part I, with the Worf story comprising the entirety of Part II.

Personally, I like the flexibility that Enterprise has been using lately, dancing back and forth between single episodes, mult-part episodes, and serialization, but it also makes it a little harder for me to judge the episodes as beginnings or ends of arcs, even when that is a major part of the episode. After all, even "The Aenar" ended with quite a cliffhanger, even though it marked the "end" of the story.

As a stand-alone episode, I thought it was very strong, as was its immediate predecessor. I don't know if either quite lived up to "Babel One", but I've definitely enjoyed each of them quite a bit on their own merits. As I've said a thousand times before, why did they have to cancel the show just when it was getting good???

Unrelated, a quick question for you, Deus: I've noticed that, whereas most of the fans have either been singing the praises of season four or bashing it (frequently without watching it), you've definitely been more evenhanded, indicating that the season has had a lot of ups and downs, with seemingly more of the latter. I was wondering if you agreed with Manny Coto's assessment that this season was about on the same par as seasons one and three, rather than "the best season ever" as many (myself included) proclaim? I personally thouught that Coto was being far too modest, but I was wondering what your thought was on the matter.