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| Seven believes she was the victim of an attack by Kovin (Michael Horton). |
The ship has found a friendly port for a change, allowing Janeway to do some negotiating with Kovin (Michael Horton), a weapons trader whose wares might give Voyager an extra edge against the hostile forces they keep encountering. They have closed a deal to install a powerful new cannon. Janeway assigns Seven to work with him on it, in an effort to give the ex-Borg a chance to regain her trust... Which makes it all the more shocking when Seven suddenly attacks Kovin!
Seven cannot explain her actions. When she exhibits unusual anxiety during a medical checkup, the Doctor determines that she is struggling with repressed memories. He applies some psychological research to push her to recall an earlier incident - one in which Kovin attacked her, then injected some of her Borg nanoprobes into another subject to assimilate him!
Tuvok is skeptical, observing that "historically, recovered memories have often proved unreliable." But when he and the Doctor investigate Kovin's lab, they find Seven's nanoprobes all over one of his tables. The probes have been recently regenerated, as if activated deliberately - and Kovin responds by fleeing!
CHARACTERS:
Capt. Janeway: At an impasse in dealing with Seven's repeated behavior issues - which seems a bit abrupt when their first real clash came a mere one episode ago! Despite their current issues, she takes the ex-Borg's charges against Kovin very seriously. She bluntly says that she is willing to jeopardize their trade agreements over the accusations. Even when she doubts the charges, she acknowledges that she doesn't doubt that Seven believes the memory to be true.
Seven of Nine: Is defensive in her first scene with Janeway, preemptively asking if she should confine herself to the cargo bay before the captain even has much chance to speak. She remains defensive in attitude right up to the point at which Doctor uncovers her hidden memory. Her reaction when she recalls the attack is to say, flat-out, that Kovin violated her. When Kovin runs, Seven snarls that she wants him to be punished.
The Doctor: Has broadened his own program to include psychological research, and believes that he is ready to act as ship's counselor. His unflappable confidence in his own abilities, combined with the clarity of Seven's recollection of Kovin's attack, leads him to completely believe her account. When that memory is thrown into doubt, his guilt leads him to request that Janeway authorize him to delete all the advances he's made since his initial activation - a request she quite sensibly denies.
Tuvok: Promises Kovin that he will conduct an impartial investigation, and does his best to keep his word. While searching Kovin's laboratory, the Doctor acts very much like a prosecutor, pointing to every single item in the room as potentially incriminating. Tuvok plays devil's advocate, pointing out multiple aspects of the scene that are completely consistent with Kovin's story. It's not that Tuvok is against Seven or in favor of Kovin; he is simply dedicated to the truth, whatever it may end up being.
THOUGHTS:
Retrospect is Voyager's "repressed memory" episode. As expected, it is not very good. Plot progression is predictable, and the payoff is unsatisfactory. The Voyager crew treats Kovin, the only significant guest character, as if he is an unspeakably obnoxious boor. If only this were true, as that might make him interesting, or at least memorable. Regrettably, he just comes across as extremely bland and dull.
The Janeway/Seven interactions in this episode would ring a lot more true if a few shows had come between Prey and this. Even just seeing continued strained interactions in the background of some non-Seven stories would have sufficed. As it plays out, Janeway is at her wit's end over friction with Seven that has only just started!
The story would be much more effective if Kovin's flight seemed motivated by more than the need for a Third Act Crisis. Kovin goes from allowing Tuvok to investigate to fleeing, with only a single scene in between. It doesn't play out convincingly, which leaves no sense of urgency to the final scenes, even with the regulars giving fine performances.
The episode is at least watchable, thanks in no small part to the regulars' performances... But it's sketchily-scripted and utterly unsatisfying. Coming on the heels of some fairly strong shows, this barely even feels like an afterthought.
Overall Rating: 4/10.
Previous Episode: Prey
Next Episode: The Killing Game
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