See Also: 'Hatchery' Episode Guide

The first online reviews for last Wednesday night's Enterprise episode, "Hatchery", expressed some disappointment in the "captain possessed" formula but praised the acting and execution of the mutiny scenes.

• Michael Marek at The Great Link rated "Hatchery" three out of five, stating that he was distracted by some seeming scientific gaffes and protesting that "we don’t particularly learn more about the characters as the result of their predicament" when their loyalties are challenged. He wondered why the mutineers didn’t simply explain to the MACOs that Archer had violated a Starfleet regulation requiring that he submit to a doctor’s examination if the doctor had reason to suspect that he had been compromised, and found the device by which only Archer fell victim to the Xindi eggs rather contrived. The full review praised the performance of Scott Bakula and the interaction between Reed and Hayes but not much else.

• "This is the one where Quantum goes totally bug house," explained Keckler at Television Without Pity in a review that awarded the episode a B+. "A CGI tendril comes down and sprays Quantum in the face. It's like Spock and those giant Flowers of Exploding Love Pellets!" Though she rolled her eyes a bit at Tucker's guilt trip over pulling a weapon on Quantum, Keckler was mostly enthusiastic in her full review here.

• O. Deus at TrekWeb gave the episode a 7.5 overall rating, finding its formula derivative but getting some enjoyment out of the fact that, with only one crewmember able to blame his behaviour on being under-the-influence, the others cannot apply a reset button to their actions but must take responsibility for them. He was disturbed about the implications of the episode for Enterprise's command structure, wondering why Archer didn't tell Hayes that he obviously shouldn't take any illegal orders even from the captain and whether the presence of the MACOs destroys the Starfleet-approved hierarchy on the ship. However, he liked the fact that instead of becoming unnerving as his behavior altered, Archer remained persuasive and offered appealing rhetoric to justify his actions. The full review is at TrekWeb.

• Digitalfreak at Lower Decks rated the show a 7/10, giving it a B- despite saying that "this is a great episode...most everything seemed to work." Digitalfreak liked the moral dilemma involving the children of one's enemies, despite being bothered that Phlox and Trip walked away from Archer with so little confrontation over the requirement for a captain to submit to a medical exam. To see high praise for Bakula's acting and inter-series continuity, see the full review here.

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