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| Janeway is drawn to an alien ally she doesn't fully trust... |
-Kashyk (Mark Harelik) lays out the central dilemma of the episode.
THE PLOT
Voyager is passing through a region of space controlled by the Devore, a xenophobic race that is particularly paranoid about telepaths. The starship is subject to regular boardings and inspections, under the supervision of Kashyk (Mark Harelik), all to make sure no telepaths are hiding on board. During each inspection, all Vulcan and Betazoid members of the crew are dematerialized using the transporter, their patterns held in transporter suspension to avoid detection until the Devore pass. This also applies to Voyager's passengers - a group of telepaths from a race called the Brenari, whom Janeway has agreed to smuggle to safety.
Then Kashyk returns, this time alone. He tells Janeway that he knows she is harboring the Brenari, and that he wants to help her. She is understandably skeptical, but cannot turn away the chance of help - particularly when Kashyk offers to help her locate a wormhole away from Devore space. They work together to figure out where and when the wormhole will next appear. As she works with him, Janeway finds herself increasingly drawn to this cultured man who appreciates the classical music in her personal files.
But as they near the wormhole, they are detected by the Devore. Kashyk hatches a plan that might guarantee the safety of both Voyager and the Brenari - but only if he's telling the truth, something Janeway can't fully take for granted...
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: Though she submits to the Devore inspections, she maintains her poise throughout. When Kashyk starts talking about trust during the opening Act and asks her if she trusts him, she looks him straight in the eye and replies, "Not for a second." When he comes aboard later, claiming to be an ally, her distrust continues. He is kept under guard, and the replicator in his quarters is disabled to make sure he can't replicate a weapon. However, it takes little time for her to bond with him, and they do have much in common: Both are in command, both have the same appreciation for art and music. It's to the credit of Michael Taylor's script and the performances of Kate Mulgrew and Mark Harelik that their romance, which gets less than 30 minutes screen time to develop, nevertheless rings true.
Neelix: Has a good scene after the opening inspection, entertaining the telepath children by telling them a story. One boy keeps interrupting him to finish his thoughts. A patient Neelix ignores this the first time it happens, then gently reminds the child that it's rude to read the thoughts of someone trying to tell a story. He immediately forgives the boy when he apologizes; and when Janeway enters, he gently redirects the children to play in order to confer with her. It's a nice bit that shows Neelix in his best light.
Kashyk: The counterpoint to Janeway: Smart, controlled, utterly secure in himself. At least that's the image he projects in front of his subordinates, during his inspections. Alone with Janeway, he allows his insecurities to show, telling her of the incident that made him doubt his duty. An inspection revealed a telepath child, hidden in an extraction tank. "She'd been inside it for days, barely able to breathe. When I lifted her out and set her down on the deck, she thanked me. I sent her to a relocation center with the others, knowing full well what would happen to her."He remains collected, however, and works very well with Janeway, the two absolutely in sync as they persuade a haughty scientist (Randy Lowell) to give them vital information about the wormhole, and again as they apply that information to actually locating it.
THOUGHTS
"Counterpoint... Parallel melodies playing against one another."
-Janeway, applying music theory to her current dilemma.
The musical motif is absolutely on-the-nose, but still effective in underlining the drama. Janeway and Kashyk are developed as equal opposites from the opening scene. Their interactions, first in opposition to each other and then as allies, create the heart of the story. Their relationship works because the two actors work so well together, and because they are portrayed as equals in both intelligence and drive. Since the relationship works, the episode works; the result is a good episode and a strong character piece for Janeway.
Michael Taylor's script wastes no time in capturing viewer attention. The episode begins in media res, with the ship undergoing what is clearly the latest in a long line of inspections. We aren't initially told what the Devore are looking for, we merely see that Voyager is left powerless to do anything except submit. The backstory is filled in gradually, first with Kashyk questioning Janeway about telepaths, then with the revelation that Janeway is harboring aliens and hiding them with telepathic members of her own crew in transporter suspension. The consequences if they are found are spelled out when Prax (J. Patrick McCormack), Kashyk's second in command, talks about impounding Voyager and imprisoning its crew. By the 15 minute mark, we know all we need to about the situation, with the exposition effectively delivered during a tense and suspenseful set piece. It ranks among Voyager's most effective opening Acts.
The rest of the episode isn't quite as good as that first 15 minutes, with the story sliding into predictability as it goes along. But even if it becomes clear fairly quickly where the episode is going, script and performances remain strong. The parallels between Janeway and Kashyk are well-drawn without being too heavy-handed. Kashyk's early quote about trust fueling all relationships becomes a theme of the episode. He tries to gain Janeway's trust throughout the story; and as she finds herself drawn to him, she wants to grant that trust, even as she isn't sure that as ship's captain she can afford to do so.
The latest of several strong episodes the show has delivered since Timeless, indicating that Voyager has finally found itself as a series. Fingers crossed this level of consistent quality continues for a while!
Overall Rating: 8/10.
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