Pretty much every plot element in that episode was predictable at least 30 minutes in advance.
1. We all knew that when it crawled in, it was going to try to kill someone.
2. We all knew that those aliens would know what it is and where it came from.
3. We all knew that Archer and Tucker, as well as a few disposable one-show crew members, would be the ones to be attacked.
4. The instant Hoshi made that side comment about how the distortion patterns looked like a language, we all knew that the problem would be resolved by "talking" to it, right at the last moment.
5. We all knew that, no matter how badly messed up all the people the blob ate were, they would simply be dropped to the ground, covered in slime, in perfect physical condition.
I remember a time when the only predictable plot element was the part where a red-shirt gets killed seconds after arriving somewhere.
