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| The Doctor enjoys an unlikely romance. |
THE PLOT
A distress signal leads Voyager to a one-man ship. They receive no response to hails, but detect a single life sign aboard - a Vidiian female who is obviously dying. Janeway orders the woman beamed to sickbay. Discovering a brain implant that stores the woman's higher functions to supplement their interaction with her desperately ill body, the Doctor puts her into stasis and transfers her consciousness into a healthy holographic version of her.
"Cured" of the Phage in holographic form, the Vidiian introduces herself as Denara Pel (Susan Diol). Denara is a hematologist who had been helping to treat a Phage outbreak when her own condition suddenly worsened. She and the Doctor are drawn to each other. But when the Doctor's treatment reaches the point at which he is ready to transfer her consciousness back to her body, she is faced with the prospect of a return to a life of illness and resists - even if that resistance leads to her own death!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: Though she has been protective of Tom Paris in the past, when Chakotay comes to her with Tom's increasingly erratic behavior, she gives him discretion to handle the problem as he sees fit. She backs that up, too, refusing to intercede on Tom's behalf when Chakotay disciplines him, then ordering him taken to the brig when he strikes Chakotay.
Doctor: Though a "Doctor in love" episode could have been painful, this turns out surprisingly well. Robert Picardo is terrific. I love the multitude of tiny half-expressions that cross his face as he looks toward Denara, then away from her and back again, even in the midst of talking about medical matters or pointing out features of the Mars sky in the holodeck. Kenneth Biller's script is well-judged, too, structuring the Doctor's emotional awakening. He at first tries to focus on his role as Denara's doctor, rerouting every conversational tangent to her treatment. He doesn't know how to approach the idea of a relationship. When Kes finally prods him to do so, he just blurts it out while in the midst of treatment, asking if she feels the same in the exact same tone of voice he would use to ask a patient to describe symptoms. Good writing and good acting, working in concert - You can hardly ask better than that!
Kes: Her medical competence continues to progress. She acts in concert with the Doctor in the teaser and makes several correct diagnostic calls, for which he compliments her. She remains a good friend and support to the Doctor. When she realizes that he's attracted to Denara, she urges him to tell her. After Denara's initial rejection of the Doctor, Kes recognizes that she actually does have feelings for him. She prods Denara much the way she prodded the Doctor and, with a little help from Tom Paris, is able to make something happen between the two of them.
Tom Paris: Continues to make a big show of displaying a bad attitude. I retain my certainty that this is an act. We again see in the teaser that he draws as much attention to himself as possible when arriving late to the bridge. But once a situation presents itself, he is totally focused on his job. Even if the overall disposition is a put-on, I wonder if some of his resentment toward Chakotay isn't genuine. When he complains about Chakotay not letting him truly do his job, and adds that he is far from the only person complaining about the ex-Maquis First Officer, there's a ring of truth to his accusations. That would be interesting to see followed up, once this particular subplot gets wrapped up at least.
Michael Jonas: Has reached the point of no return as a double-agent for Seska. Asked to go beyond simply passing along information and to actually sabotage the ship, he balks. Then he finally gets what he's been pushing for - direct communication with Seska. She plays him as skillfully as she's been playing the Kazon. By the end of her scene, she seems to have convinced Jonas to assist her in taking over Voyager!
THOUGHTS
Another strong episode, though putting the spotlight onto Robert Picardo is usually a safe bet for good results. Picardo and guest star Susan Diol turn in top-notch performances. They work well together, too, making for a convincing screen couple. Wisely, Kenneth Biller doesn't impose any outside alien threat on the situation. Beyond the developing Michael Jonas subplot, the story is allowed to exist on its own pleasantly low-key terms.
Good character beats are not restricted to just the Doctor and Denara. There's a particularly good scene involving Torres, who endured a nightmarish experience at the hands of the Vidiians. In a series where internal continuity has not been a strength, it's encouraging to see this addressed. Torres retains resentment against her previous captivity, and refuses to allow the Doctor to use her Phage-resistant Klingon DNA to assist Denara. Only when Denara comes in, apologizing for Torres' treatment at the hands of her people and letting her know that she accepts whatever decision the engineer chooses to make, does Torres change her mind and agree to the procedure.
Denara is the only Vidiian seen here, but the episode does actually expand what we know of them. By showing us Denara as she would be without the Phage, we put a human face on a race that has previously existed only as a horror. We also learn that not all Vidiians are infected, and that the healthy shun the sick out of fear for contracting the disease. Vidiian culture has evolved around the illness, with laws restricting public gatherings as a health hazard. We see Denara flinching away from touches by Neelix and a holographic gigolo - though I suppose one could find reasons other than fear of disease for not wanting to be touched by either of them. In any case, all of this makes the Vidiians more sympathetic than they were before, particularly after Faces.
Hopefully, we see more of the Vidiians - a race I find a lot more interesting than the Kazon, both as villains and as victims. In any event, this is a solid outing, a nice change of pace and an all-around good episode.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
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