Phlox delivers dinner to the wildlife he keeps in Sickbay. That's... a bit unhygenic, surely. OMG, he didn't just eat a worm. Sick, dude.
Hoshi says Phlox is getting lots of letter from home. Apparently the human doctor he swapped with for the cultural exchange writes to him. Phlox writes back then pops down to engineering to treat someone. Oh, and Porthos has gas because Archer keeps feeding him cheese.
Then he attends a movie, and observes the audience behavior. Trip, you great girl's blouse! Phlox appears to be bonding with Cutler... who kisses him on the cheek. Oh, it's *that* sort of bonding.
Finally, a non-Phlox scene. Grief. They've found a wee spaceship with two faint life-signs on board. The people on board are in search of people who can cure a disease plaguing their planet.
Hoshi and Phlox converse in Denobulan (Hoshi ineptly) over dinner and she asks about him and Cutler. He asks for advice. They reach the alien world, and talk to the doctors there about the disease. They find there's a subspecies there (the Menk) who are somewhat less evolved than the others. They don't get the disease.
Phlox enlists Cutler's help in working on the disease, and asks T'Pol whether she's known humans to mate outside their species. She thinks humans are not emotionally mature enough.
Phlox concludes that the disease is genetic and unavoidable - the race will be wiped out in a couple of centuries. They examine some Menk to see what's up, and are surprised when one of them says a few words of English.
Phlox is impressed with the civilisation, but Cutler thinks the Menk are oppressed. Phlox says he has three wifes, who each have two other husbands. She just wants to be friends. D'oh!
My gosh, this is an exciting episode, he said and went for a mop to clean up the sarcasm he just dripped on the floor.
One of the aliens asks Archer for warp drive so they can search more distantly. Feh. Dude, transmit the data back to Star Fleet. I'm sure they've got plenty more doctors. Archer talks things over with T'Pol and concludes they're not ready for warp drive.
Phlox says the Menk may evolve, but not if the other species remains around, and thinks they should let nature take its course.
Phlox: "Evolution is more than a theory, it's a fundimental scientific principle" OMG! They just lost the Intelligent Design audience!
He's found a cure though. Archer ponders for a while and agrees with Phlox. OMG! GENOCIDE!
They drop off some medicine which should help with the symptoms, but they still COMMIT GENOCIDE!
Hoshi suggests Phlox get out more, so he doesn't commit genocide quite so often, and he goes to have a snack with Cutler. Teh end.
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Double-yew tee eff question mark exclamation mark exclamation mark one eleven exclamation mark colon the hell?
