In Detroit, 2004, a man returns from work and receives a phone call. He nervously answers, and the other person asks if he's made his "selection". He replies in the affirmative and asks if his payment is ready, which it is. The other person, who turns out to be a Xindi-Reptillian, warns the man to be careful with the sedative, since he nearly killed his last "selection". Later, the man, whose name is Loomis, picks up a prostitute, who recognises him as a worker at a blood bank. He sedates her, puts her in an abandoned factory with other unconscious people, and picks up his payment.
Back in the 22nd century, Archer is having a midnight snack, when Daniels appears, revealing that in his time, there is no record of a Xindi/human conflict, so time travel must be to blame for the events. Daniel notes that it will take a while before his people know how Archer's timeline has changed, then reveals that he needs Archer's help dealing with three Xindi-Reptillians, who've been detected on Earth in the 21st century. He gives Archer "temporal tags" with which to mark whatever needs to be sent forward in time. He's allowed to bring one other person along, so chooses T'Pol, leaving Trip in charge.
Archer and T'Pol go back in time to 2004 and land in Detroit. Using a device, they start a car and take it (though planning to return it) and steal money from an ATM to buy fuel. They drive off and find the factory, in which three Xindi bio-signs are detected, and Archer tells T'Pol to set her phase pistol on "kill", since "stun" doesn't seem to work on Xindi-Reptillians.
Loomis, meanwhile, chooses a man as his next "selection" and collects him, under the guise of taking him to a clinic. Loomis sedates him and takes him to the factory while Archer and T'Pol watch. Loomis puts the unconscious guy on a bed but finds no payment. The Xindi he was talking to tells him that he will be paid when he brings the last two blood types the next day. Loomis is unsure, since the disappearances are beginning to be reported on the news and he fears being caught, but he agrees when the Xindi offers a double payment.
Archer and T'Pol follow Loomis back to his apartment, when Archer knocks on the door. Loomis tries to escape via the fire escape, but T'Pol catches him and nerve-pinches him. When he wakes up, he is tied to a chair, and Archer interrogates him. Loomis initially denies everything (except for stealing drugs for money), but when Archer punches Loomis, Loomis admits that he thinks the Xindi is a doctor working on a vaccine. He insists that the victims are not hurt and explains that the "doctor" wanted eight people, one of each blood type, and he still needs AB-positive and B-negative. He adds that he never knew the Xindi was an alien since he always stays in the shadows. Archer, who has B-positive blood, volunteers to be Loomis's next delivery.
On the way, Loomis stops for a burger. Archer orders one too, but T'Pol is put off by the meat. At the warehouse, T'Pol waits in the car, while Loomis brings Archer, who is pretending to be unconscious, in. Loomis tells Archer about the Xindi's schedule, then rejoins T'Pol. She fires her phase pistol to prove it's real, then they drive off, and Loomis, who is afraid of getting in trouble, reaches for a knife.
Archer allows his blood to be taken, then gets up and searches the area. He finds the Xindi with the bio-weapon mentioned in "Rajiin", and T'Pol suggests that, instead of destroying it, finding the temporal tag and trapping the Xindi in the past. Archer stuns one of the Xindi, but the other two fire back, take a part of the weapon containing a virus, and leave.
Archer chases the two Xindi down an alley and gives T'Pol their location. She orders Loomis to drive there, but he instead honks his horn and tries to stab T'Pol. Archer stuns the second Xindi and T'Pol stuns Loomis and joins Archer in pursuit of the third Xindi. The third Xindi finds a ventilation fan and prepares to release the toxin into it, when Archer and T'Pol arrive and fight him. He ends up tipping the weapon towards the fan, but luckily, Archer manages to catch it.
Archer and T'Pol bring the three Xindi and their stuff back to the Enterprise, tell Malcolm Reed to put the equipment in a cargo bay, and give the virus sample to Phlox to analyze. Meanwhile, back in 2004, Loomis is arrested.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Artistic License – Biology: Even with their virus being modified for six blood types, the Reptilians wouldn't infect just 3/4ths of Earth's population as T'Pol says. This assumes that all eight blood types are evenly divided. B- and AB+, the last two blood types that the Reptilians hadn't modified for yet, amount for 5% of Earth's population. In fact, the reason that those were last is probably how rare they are. Had the virus been successfully deployed, it could have decimated Earth's population from 6 billion to 300 million.
- Artistic License – Geography: There is no Carpenter Street in Detroit, though there is a Carpenter Avenue.
- Bank Robbery: A downplayed example. When they realize that they need to get gas for their stolen pickup truck, Archer says that first they need money. He then uses his scanner to hack an ATM and get some cash for the night. T'Pol says they'll return what they don't use, but we don't see them do it.
- Briefcase Full of Money: How the Reptilians pay Loomis. Played with as the briefcase only has five wads in it, totaling five grand.
- Burger Fool: "Burger Land," where the drive-thru keeps offering to make meals doubles and combos. T'Pol is disgusted when they offer bacon on a salad.
- Business of Generic Importance: Again, "Burger Land", which doesn't have much of a visual gimmick going for it, and is as generic as fast food locations may come on television.
- Call-Back:
- Trip points out that Archer had a hard time getting back when Daniels last took him to another century.
- Rajiin was right—the Reptilians are making a bio-weapon.
- Changed My Jumper: Averted. Since civilian fashions haven't changed that much by the 22nd Century, Archer and T'Pol have no problem finding period-appropriate clothing before heading to Detroit.
- Fish out of Temporal Water:
- Downplayed. Archer and T'Pol adjust pretty well for the early 21st Century. It definitely helps that they had some prep time, including getting period-appropriate clothes and a map of downtown Detroit.
- Archer's justification for driving an early-21st Century petroleum-fueled pickup truck is that he can pilot a starship. One would think that he would have owned a hovercar, which would be closer to a vehicle of this era.
- Foreshadowing: The recovered scientists and technology will prove crucial later in the season when Archer attempts diplomacy with the Xindi Council.
- Fridge Logic: In-Universe—T'Pol asks Loomis why a doctor making vaccines would work in an Abandoned Warehouse and rely on kidnapped patients.
- Implausible Deniability: Loomis denies being at the warehouse on Carpenter Street, even though Archer and T'Pol saw him there an hour earlier.
- Instant Sedation: Loomis uses the soaked-rag trick, followed by an injection to keep the victim unconscious. The Reptilian points out that he nearly killed one of them.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Archer deals some of this out for a change, rather than being on the receiving end.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Before heading back to the future, Archer is sure to call the police and get Loomis arrested while the kidnapped victims are rescued.
- Mistaken for Insane: Implied; the police seem to think Loomis is crazy when he starts ranting about ray guns and lizard people, although they may also think he's high instead.
- The Mountains of Illinois: In the closing shot, Detroit gains some beautiful mountains.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Another case where the involvement of the Enterprise crew almost makes the problem they're trying to solve exponentially worse. The Xindi initially intend to develop their bioweapon out of sight in the 21st century, then bring it to the 22nd century (presumably as a backup plan in case their planet-killing weapon doesn't work), but thanks to Archer's and T'Pol's interference, the weapon comes within moments of being deployed in the 21st century and wiping out 95% of the human race.
- Non Sequitur Environment: Archer and T'Pol walk into the command center...and end up in 2004 Detroit.T'Pol: We just travelled ninety light-years back to Earth.
Archer: And a hundred and fifty years into the past. - Noodle Incident: Apparently something happened in 2061 that solved our dependency on fossil fuels.
- Police Are Useless: Averted. Loomis says that the cops have gotten reports of missing people and that it "won't take a rocket scientist" to convict him once they realize that the victims have all been to the blood bank. Sure enough, the episode ends with Loomis being arrested based on an anonymous tip (probably from Archer).
- Punch-Clock Villain: Loomis, who's doing what he's doing because the Reptilians are paying him and is concerned that he may be helping terrorists.
- Ray Gun: What Loomis calls the phase pistols.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: T'Pol has one re: Loomis."In one individual, we've managed to find the worst qualities of this era - greed, violence, moral corruption."
- Ridiculously Loud Commercial: When Archer turns on the truck, it also turns on the radio which blares out one of these. Archer frantically looks for the off button as the radio announces "This Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!!"
- Shout-Out:
- There are many references to Halloween (1978). The title, and street name, is a reference to director John Carpenter. The name Loomis is a reference to Dr. Sam Loomis, Lawrence Strode is a reference to Laurie Strode, Loomis talks about a "Mr. Myers," a reference to Michael Myers, and Loomis drives an old station wagon much like one Myers drives in the 1978 film.
- The man in a wheelchair says he doesn't want to miss Conan.
- Skeptic No Longer: Archer promises T'Pol that her doubts regarding time travel will be put to rest. It takes a little bit, but she accepts it when they suddenly end up in 2004 Detroit.
- Straw Vegetarian: T'Pol is disgusted at the mere offer of bacon on her salad, to which she resolves to not eat anything.
- Time Travel Episode: Archer and T'Pol go back in time to 2004.
- Trojan Prisoner: Archer pretends to be one of Loomis' victims so he can infiltrate the Reptilians' compound.
- Turn of the Millennium: The year that Archer and T'Pol go back to is 2004.
- Voodoo Shark:
- Daniels can't tell Archer where the weapon is because it takes a while for changes to ripple through the timeline...even though the last time history was changed, change was immediate.
- T'Pol also points out the plot hole of why Daniels doesn't just go back himself. Archer says that it would take too much time to get clearance, even though he had to get clearance to speak to him. T'Pol replies "I would think he would have all the time in the world."
- Would Hit a Girl: Some of the people Loomis sedates are women, and he plans to knife T'Pol.
- Year Inside, Hour Outside: Archer and T'Pol spend at least a few hours in 2004, and return before Trip has finished reading the day's duty roster.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Loomis telling the cops arresting him that there are Lizard Folk with Ray Guns. The fact that he's still groggy from being stunned by T'Pol's "ray gun" makes him sound even more like an insane hobo.Loomis: Those creatures, the lizard people, they're around here somewhere. You've got to find them.
Officer: (sarcastically) No problem, we'll get right on that.
Loomis: Be careful, be careful. They've got ray guns.
Officer: Ray guns. Got it.
