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| Kes' psychic powers become too strong to control. |
THE PLOT
With her link to the Borg Collective severed, Seven of Nine's humanity is beginning to reassert itself. Her long-suppressed immune system is finally reacting to the Borg implants, leaving Janeway and the Doctor little choice but to remove as much of the Borg technology from her as possible. But Seven is determined to remain who and what she is, and when she sees a chance to contact the Borg using Voyager's technology, she seizes it - with violent results.
Meanwhile, in the wake of her contact with Species 8472, Kes' telepathic abilities are growing exponentially. At first, Kes is delighted at the level of control she has over her new powers. As they grow greater and greater, however, it becomes apparent that Kes may be a greater threat to Voyager than Seven is!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: When she prepares to wake Seven in the teaser, she asks, "How's the newest addition to our family?" She does seem to regard her crew as a kind of extended family, and she deals compassionately with both Seven and Kes. She announces early on that she does not believe Seven is truly competent to make decisions about her life yet, and that she will make them for her. She tells the same to Seven, stating that since she was taken by the Borg at a very young age she doesn't truly have the capacity to choose as an individual. Seven accuses Janeway of hypocrisy for denying the free will she touts as such a virtue - but Janeway actually does behave consistently (in this case, at least), granting Kes a shuttle to leave the ship even though she disagrees with the decision.
Tuvok: Tries to get Kes to control her new powers with more of the meditative exercises he's attempted with her before. His face doesn't get melted this time, so I suppose that's an improvement. His bond with Kes is a major part of the episode, and it's clear that he's disturbed at having to report his student as a potential threat to the ship. One of the strongest images of the episode is the wordless final scene, in which Tuvok places the lit meditation lamp on a ledge at a window, in honor of his friend - as much emotional acknowledgement as the very reserved Vulcan ever shows at anything.
Kes: Though her departure does feel slightly rushed, with events that would have been better spread over multiple episodes compressed into one, writer Joe Menosky does allow her some good scenes with all of the characters she's had major interactions with. She gets multiple scenes with Tuvok, who gets his own silent farewell at the end. As the Doctor researches her condition, she pushes him to let him stay to help. He smiles and, with clear fondness, agrees she can stay "just for a while." She gets a nice scene opposite Neelix, telling him that she loves him even as she makes clear that she now loves him in a non-romantic way. Finally, she articulates her choice to Janeway in a scene that plays almost like a grown daughter talking to her mother about leaving home. These moments grant a sense of closure to a character who deserved far better use than she received.
Seven of Nine: Her second episode is tasked with taking her from being Borg to being somewhat human. It is not a transition she wants to make. The Borg Collective is all she has ever known, and being out of contact with them leaves her feeling diminished. "This drone is small now, alone. One voice, one mind. The silence is unacceptable. We need the others!" A nice touch is the slow transition of her pronouns. Early in the episode, she refers to herself in the plural, as "we" and "us." By the end, even as she still rails against Janeway taking her away from the Collective, she refers to herself in the singular: "Me" and "I." She begins the process of becoming an individual even as she fights against that happening. Jeri Ryan is excellent, and the scenes between her and Kate Mulgrew have an energy that's been lacking in too much of this series, giving me hope that she will be as strong an addition as she promises to be.
THOUGHTS
For a change, no miracle reset has occurred between episodes: The Gift opens with Voyager still laden with Borg technology and still in Borg space, and at least one plot strand (arguably both) deals with consequences from Scorpion. This type of continuity is most welcome, and something the show really should do more often.
The Gift is an important episode, marking a major transition. Voyager's most visible division is between the first three seasons, with Kes, and the last four seasons, with Seven. Scorpion may have created a bridge between the two phases, but it remained firmly in the first phase: Seven was decidedly an enemy, while Kes was a full member of the crew. The Gift crosses that bridge. By the end, we have begun (but thankfully not completed) the process of integrating Seven into the crew, while at the same time we have left Kes behind.
The Seven of Nine thread is the stronger of the two. Menosky's script makes sure that she is able to state her case for wanting to return to the Borg just as well as Janeway is able to state hers for denying that. This is two episodes in a row in which a character disagrees with Janeway without coming across as imbecilic or evil - A trend the show should definitely continue. The "half-Borg" look is very effective and disturbing, incidentally - much moreso than the "full Borg" look of Scorpion.
KES' DEPARTURE
Per Memory Alpha, Kes' departure was originally planned to occur in the fifth episode of the season. It was moved due to departing actress Jennifer Lien's schedule. A pity - I think having her powers build up slowly over multiple episodes would have felt a lot less rushed, and would have not required her farewell story to share equal time with Seven's integration story. Still, the script does a good job of making these basically unrelated plots work together, and while Kes' departure happens a bit too quickly, it does manage to work dramatically.
One reason for that is that Kes' change, while abrupt, doesn't come out of nowhere. The strength of her latent psychic abilities was a major plot point in both Cold Fire and Warlord. It was an aspect never seriously developed, unfortunately, but at least it existed. With Scorpion's story having relied heavily on Kes' psychic link to Species 8472, it does feel like a natural development for the character - if one that needed more time to breathe than is allowed here.
I still regret the decision to write out Kes. While someone had to go to make room for Seven of Nine, Kes is a character who, despite being underused, has worked well from the series' beginning. She has unique and enjoyable relationships with multiple other characters, notably the Doctor and Tuvok, but also Neelix and Janeway. Before and After even showed possibilities for her character's future, with indications that an expanded role was at least a possibility. Simply put, it's difficult to see how this character could be viewed as the best choice to remove. Not in a show whose character roster includes: Harry Kim, whose absence would barely be noticed; Neelix, whose absence would often be a relief; and Chakotay, who is usually dull and wooden, and who has two ready-made replacements as First Officer in Tuvok and Tom. Any of those would have been better choices for removal than Kes, with Chakotay's removal in particular creating potential for other regulars as well.
OVERALL
Despite feeling vaguely rushed in the Kes plot, The Gift works overall. Kes gets some good scenes opposite all of the characters who have been her main points of interactions. Seven of Nine becomes more a part of the Voyager crew, with it left clear that this process is far from complete. Given that it has two important plots to juggle in one 45-minute piece, I think it's no small praise to say that it does its job, and does it probably about as well as scheduling factors would allow.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Episode: Scorpion
Next Episode: Day of Honor
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