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| Janeway and the Doctor deal with a virus on the ship! |
THE PLOT
Janeway and Neelix return from a diplomatic mission to find Voyager's crew missing. Food is on tables where it had been set for meals; work that was started is left unfinished. As they investigate the corridors, they discover signs that the ship has been invaded. Non-humanoid DNA near a hole in the floor, shadows moving quickly around corners, and an insect-like buzzing sound.
Finding the Doctor, Janeway learns that the invasion is actually an infection. While she and Neelix were away, the ship responded to a distress call from a nearby mining colony. The miners were suffering what they believed was a minor virus. The virus mutated, however, into a "macro-virus," using the hosts' growth hormone to increase to the size of an insect. Voyager's mercy mission exposed the ship to the same virus, which has now spread across the entire crew. If a cure cannot be developed and administered ship-wide, then Voyager is doomed!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: In action hero mode. She spends the episode with a phaser or a phaser rifle almost constantly at the ready as she prowls the ship, searching for her crew and for a way to help them. There's no real standout moment for her, as this is more an action episode than a character one. The scene in which a race familiar with the virus comes to "purify" the ship is worth mentioning, as Janeway pleads with the captain to give her time to save her crew.
Chakotay: When Janeway meets up with the Doctor, a flashback segment shows us the events leading up to the infestation. This allows us to see Chakotay in charge of Voyager. He does a solid job, dealing with the distress call with suitable caution and congratulating the Doctor on his handling of the Away mission to the colony. When it becomes clear the infestation is on the ship, Chakotay makes all reasonable attempts to contain it, attempts which probably would have been sufficient - if not for the growth of the macroforms to monstrous size.
Doctor: Though it takes half the episode for him to even be seen, this emerges as a strong episode for him once Janeway does meet up with him. In flashback, we see his eagerness to "stretch his wings" with an Away mission. He doesn't in any way "blow" his first Away mission, either. He is overenthusiastic in trying to describe every detail of his surroundings, but he does well in communicating information about the virus when he encounters it. He shows scientific fascination when observing the macroforms, but not at the expense of compassion when interacting with a conscious victim. The best scenes in the episode are the ones with the Doctor and Janeway interacting directly, as the show's two strongest actors expertly swap repartee in a way that's a delight to watch.
Neelix: The first part of the episode has Neelix as Janeway's sole companion. We open by seeing him smoothing some ruffled diplomatic feathers in dealing with the Tak Tak, a race Janeway accidentally offended. Neelix's buffoonish tendencies are mercifully absent, and we get a rare glimpse of him being genuinely very good at his job as he eases over tension and leaves the Tak Tak on good terms. Once he and Janeway are on the ship, he is largely there to act as a sounding board for her as she makes the intial discoveries. But he again does not disgrace himself, showing surprising courage at dealing with a scary situation. A rare good showing, and an example of how Neelix can actually be an asset to this series when written well.
THOUGHTS
Macrocosm opens with a strong hook, as Janeway and Neelix return to an apparently derelict Voyager. We follow them, so we know no more than they do as they investigate the situation. It's an effective opener, with mystery becoming jeopardy for them just before the end of the first Act.
This episode is pure "B" movie stuff, of course. The deadly virus stock plot meets the giant insect stock plot, with a story progression that exists to allow Janeway to wield the Big F--'ing Gun while assuming various action hero poses. Brannon Braga's script is silly and nonsensical, and would be easy to mock.
But it also moves quickly and is highly entertaining. Once Janeway meets up with the Doctor, there are a number of good lines, and Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo give their usual terrific performances. With solid supporting roles for Chakotay and Neelix, and some passable bits for Tom, B'Elanna, and Kes, it even emerges as a pretty good ensemble piece - something Voyager often struggles with.
Dumb but fun, I'm going to give this a solid score in spite of itself. The story may be idiotic... but I think it knowshow silly it is, and I had a good time with the episode as much because of its idiocy as in spite of it.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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