Yes, this week's Enterprise had such heavy-handed allegory that I'm surprised it didn't implode upon reaching critical mass. But I liked it anyway. "Look at the brave, stoic face that these Palestinians, er, Japanese, er, Suluban put on in their internment camp!" They were all so earnest -- I miss that.

Marisa and I discussed our favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes before Linguistics discussion today. I forgot to mention that one from maybe the sixth or seventh season, where Riker thinks he's going mad. "A Matter of Point of View" or something? Oh, I miss TNG.

The West Wing from this week isn't even worth discussion. Instead -- hi, Camille, Mike Popovic -- I'll give you my take on the most recent 7th Heaven.

First of all, Ruthie's preternatural, Cassandra-like (hi, Angel!) power of knowledge is getting scary. As Leonard put it, "In every episode, the sinister hand of Aaron Spelling can be found." Is the WB planning an Angel crossover (which would, of course, not be canon)?

[Oh, that reminds me: tonight, during the West Wing interviews-mixed-with-show-clips metashow, which now that I think about it reminds me of Shades of Gray (the awful TNG episode, not the Billy Joel song, which I like), Leonard said that we could infer the show's internal chronology from the people we saw interviewed. I said, "That's not canon!"] Back to Seventh Heaven.

It's Melrose Place crossed with Wodehouse, this show. All the scheming! The deceptions, well-meaning and no! (Case in point: the Wodehousian "Gemette" scandal this week.) The silly romances! The people who gape in astonishment! I see more interesting facial expressions in an hour with Seventh Heaven than in a year with my family.

Now, the Jew factor. What the heck is going on here? Sarah's family is even more sitcom-wacko than the Camdens. And doesn't it weird you, faithful viewer, that Sarah, the Jew, is the one who really wants the ring, the valuable object? Why is Sarah the greedy Jew? Is it just because she's used to wealth? And why is she so wealthy, anyway? Are rabbis rich? Disturbing questions!

Mary and Lucy. Who else can't stand them? Are you with me? They aren't pretty, they're man-hungry, they lack common sense, they're vain, and yet I suppose one is necessary to counterpoint how basically good the other characters are. But I could do without, say, Lucy.

In the next episode, Minister Camden basically says, "you two aren't married, so you shouldn't have sex." I assume that Matt's not going to make the principled "premarital sex isn't necessarily wrong" stand. Pity.