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| Tuvok mind-melds with a killer (Brad Dourif) |
THE PLOT
Tuvok is called to Engineering to look at a rather startling source for a malfunction in an EPS conduit: the remains of Crewman Frank Darwin. The security chief's first theory is that the crewman was performing maintenance in the conduit and fell victim to an accident. But the Doctor's examination leads to a different finding: Darwin was murdered!
DNA on the corpse is linked to Creman Suder (Brad Dourif), a Betazoid and former Maquis who was the only other crew member in Engineering at that time. Suder readily confesses to the crime, but can give no reason for it other than a look from Crewman Darwin that he "didn't like." Tuvok is not satisfied, and pushes for a better answer. When Suder admits that he doesn't know exactly why he killed Darwin, Tuvok proposes a drastic solution to find the answers he seeks - a mind meld with the killer!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: We once again see her closeness with Tuvok. She insists on being the one to go into his quarters to convince him to go to sick bay, rather than simply shutting himself away for the rest of the voyage. Her personal concern for him is clear on her face even as he rants at her. His violence, as he lunges at her only to be stopped by the force field, is as shocking to her as his insults. Kate Mulgrew's nonverbal performance as she absorbs his rage is extremely good, and I enjoyed the quiet scene between Janeway and Tuvok that ends the episode. I'll emphasize yet again: Though I often have problems with the writing for Janeway, Mulgrew's performance is rarely less than good, and often exceptional.
Tuvok: Insists on believing that his own rigid logic must apply to all situations. It is logical that there must be a proper motive for Suder's crimes, both now and in the past, and he simply will not accept that motives and reason don't always apply. His near-religious belief in logic and order is his greatest vulnerability. It is that which pushes him to try the meld in the first place. Even in his violent rage near the end, he falls back on needing a logical reason to let it out. He goes to kill Suder because the crewman must be killed to satisfy justice - the most logical reason he could use to excuse violence.
The Doctor: Gets a terrific scene in the first half, as he tries to explain to Tuvok that sometimes crimes happen with no real motivation. "We are all descended from predators," he tells the Vulcan. "All of us have violent instincts." The Doctor initiates treatment for Tuvok after the complications of the mind meld, but not without some carping that tells us that such complications aren't nearly as uncommon as Vulcans would like everyone to believe.
Tom Paris: A flash of the old Tom, here, as he runs a lottery for replicator rations in the holodeck. Chakotay ends up putting a stop to it, but I'd argue that he shouldn't. The lottery isn't a half-bad idea for crew morale, and it seems quite harmless. Still, Tom is obviously bothered by Chakotay's words about his behavior disappointing the captain, who genuinely has put a lot of trust in him.
Kes: Though her part is quite small, we again see her defined by compassion, even in a stressful situation. Tuvok, who has been instructing her in controlling her telepathic abilities, is in front of her in pain. He tries to use their teacher/student relationship to convince her to let him out. She is quite kind as she expresses her concern for him and tries to reassure him that his pain will be over soon - but she not only refuses his transparent attempt at manipulation, but is a step ahead of his efforts to use his own telepathy. "I had them disable your telepathic abilities," she tells him - again, with a surprising amount of kindness even as she denies his efforts to gain freedom.
Neelix: Gets strangled! OK, it's a holodeck simulation. But still, Neelix gets strangled! It is telling that the behavior of "holo-Neelix" is only marginally less inappropriate and obnoxious than that of the real thing. That writer/co-executive producer Michael Piller obviously recognizes Neelix's obnoxiousness has me wondering why the show's creative team wasn't trying to do something to address it. Deep Space 9's Dr. Bashir was insufferable when that series started, and became a very strong character by fairly early in Season Two, thanks to some attention by the writers. A similar effort would probably work with Neelix, if only such an effort was forthcoming.
THOUGHTS
What's this? A sharp, well-paced script with some complex questions at its core? An episode which addresses the notion of senseless violence without handwaving away all the complexities of the issue by settling on some pat childhood trauma? Could this really be an episode of Voyager?
When asked if he feels any remorse for his basically motiveless murder, Suder replies that he doesn't feel anything at all. "Most Betazoids can sense other people's emotions," he tells Tuvok. "I can't even sense my own." Brad Dourif, an actor who has played many a disturbed individual, is ideal for the role. The script gets the most out of his presence by keeping him subdued. Suder is calm. Resentful, perhaps - both of Starfleet and of his own lack of self control. But he doesn't do any "psycho killer" frothing at the mouth. His quiet reaction to his own violence makes him all the more disturbing.
He remains a disturbing presence even after the meld. Granted a certain Vulcan reserve, he is able to study his own violence from a distance. As such, he is able to give voice to that which Tuvok resists: That the violence is attractive, that the simple fact of its illogic makes it all the moreso. Though it is probably not Suder's intent to push Tuvok over the edge, his voice is the honeyed voice of a devil, tempting Tuvok to embrace the worst angels of his savage Vulcan heritage.
The episode is a particularly fine showcase for Tim Russ. In the past, Russ has sometimes fallen on the wrong side of "robotic" in his attempts to convey Vulcan reserve. Here, he strikes the balance just right. The character's obsession with understanding Suder's actions gives just the right note of humanity (for lack of a better word) to bring Tuvok to life in the episode's first half. The second half lets him cut loose. The scene in sickbay is particularly good. Tuvok laughs menacingly, threatens the Doctor, and unleashes his rage on Janeway, all within a few minutes. Russ is terrific here, embracing the material without going too far with it.
It's little surprise that Meld is a Michael Piller script. While Piller's Voyager work hasn't quite been at the level of his TNG and DS9 work, he is a writer who has generally embraced the idea of multilayered character work, someone who has the ability to grapple with complex issues without breaking them down into simplistic pap. This script also marks the Trek debut of another writer: Mike Sussman, who would go on to write several more Voyager episodes before becoming (by far) the best writer on Enterprise. Effectively, one of the best writers of 1990's Trek is paired with the best writer of the following decades Trek. When looked at that way, it becomes less surprising that the result is a very good episode.
And depsite a Tom Paris subplot that never fully clicks with the larger episode, this is an extremely fine piece. Easily the best episode of Season Two thus far, and one of the best episodes of Voyager to date. If the writing was at this level more often, I would have a far higher opinion of this show than the one I currently hold.
Overall Rating: 9/10.
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