This episode showed off some good action and drama. Everything seemed well paced and relevant to the overall plot. There wasn't any moment where the viewer would be bored and wondering why would they be doing this scene? It was good to see Shran back in action again. This is one of the recurring characters that the producers and writers have done a good job with. This episode was a defining moment for what kind of character Shran really is.

There was some really good character interaction between Shran and Archer. Although Shran's official motives for helping Archer were not truly in sync with what Archer had initially thought, his true nature was to set a foundation for having Archer as an ally. It was entertaining and stimulating to watch Shran as he struggled with his official Imperial Guard duties and his sense of trustworthiness for Archer. Of course, Archer was not totally "stupefied" by Shran's offer of help. Although, Archer needed Shran's assistance, Archer could sense that there were ulterior motives at work. Looks like his caution paid off at the end. It was ironic that at the beginning, the two had separate agendas on the Xindi weapon, but at the end, their developing trust and respect for each other has perhaps made them "covert" friends.

The Xindi did seem agitated and hard pressed to test and launch the weapon against earth. One would think that "time" would be on their side. Enterprises isn't much of a match for the reptilian Xindi ships. Perhaps there is something else going amongst the Xindi that has yet to unfold.

This was a very good tie in to the Xindi arc. Everything made sense and flowed quite smoothly with previous Xindi episodes. These first two episodes of the new year were much better than most sweeps episodes! Let's  hope that the trend continues.