1-14. Faces.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall..."

THE PLOT

Tom Paris, B'Elanna, and Crewman Durst (guess what happens to him?) fail to return from an Away Mission. When Chakotay and Tuvok investigate, they discover signs of the Vidiians - the disease-plagued organ harvesters that stole Neelix's lungs and nearly killed him on the ship's first encounter with them.

These Vidiians are running a work camp, using prisoners to perform forced labor they aren't strong enough to do themselves. When the prisoners become too weak to work, they are taken for organ harvesting. As Tom tries to keep his team alive in the caves, B'Elanna finds herself the subject of a Vidiian experiment by the twisted scientist, Sulan (Brian Markinson). She is made fully Klingon, in order to test possible Klingon resistance to the phage. Meanwhile, the leftover human genes are transformed into another B'Elanna - a fully human one!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: In the background in this episode. She is determined to help her kidnapped people if she can, but is also conscious of the risks of putting further crew members at risk.

Chakotay: Takes the lead in working to recover the kidnapped crew members. When Harry and Tuvok are able to come up with a risky way to potentially beam one person into the Vidiian compound without alerting them, Chakotay insists on being the one to go. All of this shows courage, and continues to demonstrate why Chakotay is a competent leader - but sadly, none of it makes him any more interesting.

Torres: A big spotlight episode for B'Elanna here, as the two sides of her nature are literally split apart. Roxann Biggs-Dawson does well as both the Klingon and the human B'Elanna, though it's as the human version that she shows real complexity. As she has to react to being truly human, suddenly bereft of the Klingon aggressiveness and strength and having to deal with real fear for the first time, Biggs-Dawson gets to play emotions usually denied her. She's terrific, particularly as the human B'Elanna gradually adjusts to the fear and begins to act in spite of it. In the end, she is forced to admit that she feels "incomplete" without the Klingon side of herself, though she still doesn't truly welcome the need for that side to be reintegrated.

Tom Paris: Shows courage and competence as a leader on an Away mission. When they are taken captive, he urges Durst to be cautious and not to take unnecessary risks, but also urges vigilance so that they might spot an opportunity when it comes. When the Vidiians come to take Durst, Tom tries to protect the crewman. He also does his best to protect the human B'Elanna, while at the same time listening to her worries at being diminished and providing what encouragement he can. Given that he's basically helpless in this situation - unable to save Durst, unable to protect B'Elanna, and having to be rescued by Chakotay - he conducts himself very well in spite of all that.

Vidiians: Given how successful an episode Phage was, it's no surprise the production team decided to bring the Vidiians back for a return appearance. Their introductory episode highlighted the pathetic state they were left in by the phage, ultimately emphasizing them as victims rather than as villains. Faces does the opposite. They are still driven by the ravages done to them by the disease. But now they are purely exploiters, not sympathetic at all. Using slave labor, then murdering the used up slaves for their organs, these Vidiians are pure evil. It does somewhat reduce their complexity as a race of individuals - there are no signs of decency among these Vidiians, as opposed to the decency displayed by the Vidiians at the end of Phage. Still, that is more than made up for by how genuinely creepy they are, particularly when the Dr. Mengele-like Sulan steps into the light wearing the face of a man he's just murdered.


ZAP THE REDSHIRT!

Durst becomes the first member of the Voyager crew since Caretaker to meet his maker (at least, the first to stay dead afterward). Apparently, Sulan really likes his face - because he decides to claim it as his own, in what may be the most effective Star Trek death reveal ever.


THOUGHTS

Faces is an impressive episode. On one level, it is the closest to an all-out horror episode that Voyager has yet attempted. The creepy atmosphere of the asteroid scenes in Phage is further polished here, with several moments seeming straight out of a Hellraiser film (one of the early, good ones). Director Winrich Kolbe squeezes every drop of atmosphere he can out of the situation, not only dimming the lighting but using different colors of light, along with a few tilted camera angles. Particularly in Sulan's laboratory, the effect often borders on the surreal, and this is one Star Trek episode that I could definitely see giving younger viewers nightmares.

The horrific atmosphere alone would have probably made Faces a solid episode. What makes it special, though, is that it's such a good character piece. This episode takes the fundamental split in B'Elanna Torres' nature and literally dissects that separation. We see the aggressive Klingon Torres, the woman who violently loses her temper but who also will stand by those to whom she is loyal no matter what. We also see the human B'Elanna, who is able to think clearly and plan ahead, but who also feels fear far too keenly. This isn't an original situation, with the split more than slightly recalling "Good Kirk" and "Evil Kirk" in TOS' The Enemy Within. But it's given an interesting spin when the two B'Elannas come together and argue over their differences. The human B'Elanna attempts to deny her Klingon half, while the Klingon simply points out that she saved the human's life, and that the human cannot escape without her help. It's a very good scene, splendidly acted by Roxann Biggs-Dawson.

The episode also offers some good character moments for Tom, and it at least attempts to do the same for Chakotay. Still, this is Biggs-Dawson's show, with everyone else decidedly in support this time out. With the actress rising to the challenge, and a script that holds together rather well and is directed with a maximum of atmosphere, the results are highly memorable. Certainly one of the Top 3 or 4 Voyager episodes to date.

...But is it just me, or did Voyager warp off and leave all the Vidiians' other prisoners to their gruesome fates? "We got our crew members back, so... sucks to be you!"


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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1-05. Phage.

THE PLOT

Neelix directs Voyager to a planetoid that shows rich dilithium deposits - something which could go a long way toward solving their power problems. Neelix beams over to the planetoid with Chakotay and Kim, but all of them are surprised to find no actual dilithium structures. Neelix wanders away from the others, following a tunnel. The others lose contact with him... and when they find him again, his lungs have been removed!

The doctor is able to stabilize him temporarily, then works on an untested way to keep him alive indefinitely. Meanwhile, Janeway pursues an alien ship that leaves the planetoid. But when the aliens hide inside an asteroid, Janeway finds that Voyager has been led into a sort of hall of mirrors. And with their power being slowly drained within the asteroid, it won't be long before they're all at the aliens' mercy!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway/Chakotay: When Tuvok tells her the effects of firing a phaser in the reflective chamber, Janeway - the trained scientist, remember - has only one reaction: "Let's not do that." It's Chakotay who picks up on the possibility of using that exact effect to identify the real alien ship. So, to reiterate the series thus far: Janeway has gotten the ship lost in space, has abandoned a sure chance at getting them home, has attempted to uphold policies keeping the Maquis crew members as second-class citizens on board, and has upheld the morality of genocide. Meanwhile, Chakotay has quelled rumblings of mutiny among his old crew members while standing up for them, has worked to integrate the two crews, and now has saved Voyager from a terminal power drain while also enabling them to save Neelix's life (OK, that's one strike against him). Um... If I'm stuck on that ship, I'm already thinking the wrong officer is captain here.

The Doctor: Robert Picardo's holographic doctor continues to be the cast standout. Given that he's playing a hologram, it's ironic that he is one of two characters in the series with whom I can actually form any real identification. Here, we see the full range of his medical competence, which could legitimately be termed "brilliance." We have already been told that he is a composite of the greatest medical minds in Starfleet, and we see that in the determination and creativity with which he handles Neelix's emergency.

Kes: Admittedly, I'm getting full seasons ahead of myself here, but still... At this point in the series, Kes is one of two characters who actually works as a character, and Jennifer Lien's performance puts real heart and strength into the character. So when it came time, after Season Three, to drop one of the original regulars, who did the producers choose? Wooden and painfully useless Harry Kim? Cardboard Chakotay, whose characterization begins and ends with a facial tattoo (and who was played by an actor who actually wanted out of the series!)? No. The producers chose... Kes. Perhaps she was too human and lifelike to fit in with the cast of walking mannequins.

Lien's Kes has impressed me in almost every episode so far, and that remains the case in Phage. Kes refuses to allow the doctor to shut her out while treating Neelix, confronting his gruff demeanor and pushing him to make time to explain what he's doing at each turn. When she grants consent for the procedure on Neelix, she does so thoughtfully, admitting to Tom that she doesn't really know what Neelix would want in this situation. She is then more supportive of Neelix than he probably deserves, but even while supporting him she refuses to indulge his self-pity.

Neelix: Speaking of Neelix, it's in this episode that I finally start to see why everyone finds him so irritating. He worked as a character in Caretaker, because he was an integral part of the story and was serving his own agenda. He was a nonentity in the two following episodes... making this the first "normal" Voyager episode in which he has an actual part. And he's very irritating. The first ten minutes sees him turning the captain's private dining area into a galley without permission, then whining at her when she objects. Then he imposes himself on the mission and ignores Chakotay's orders. It's as if the writers deliberately spent the first ten minutes trying to make us glad when he gets his lungs removed! None of this should be taken as criticism of Ethan Phillips, by the way. Phillips does a terrific job with his material in this episode, particularly when he breaks down at the thought of spending the rest of his life unable to move, staring at the sickbay ceiling. The actor is good - Unfortunately, the character is infuriating.


THOUGHTS

Phage is a good episode. The basic premise is interesting and the explanation for the aliens' actions fits with the actions themselves. It advances the characterizations of Neelix, Kes, and the doctor. It also advances the basic setup of the show, by following up on some of the decisions made in Parallax. Tom is now actually training with the doctor, much to the doctor's annoyance. Kes' hydroponics experiment is beginning to yield results. Kes' interactions with the doctor are starting to push the doctor, at least, to realizing that he may be more than just a computer program, while at the same time their interplay opens up a new character path for Kes. The main characters continue to be less flesh than cardboard, but the side characters continue to emerge nicely, making this probably the show's best character episode to date.

It's also a particularly well-made episode. Winrich Kolbe's direction draws a lot of atmosphere out of the scenes on the planetoid, with the moodily-lit tunnels and corridors making a perfect setting for an episode with stronger horror content than is usual. The aliens themselves are well-designed, with their blackened, peeling flesh making them grotesque and pitiful - though they're noticeably less effective when seen in the well-lit sickbay set, as opposed to the more dimly lit tunnels.

It's all quite well-paced, with effective emotional scenes in sickbay contrasting with the sharp action of Voyager's pursuit of the aliens. Though it all ends in a talky climax, it all holds together quite strongly, making this the best Voyager episode to date. The series actually has a better hit rate so far than I'd recalled - I've liked three of four installments so far. If only the main characters were a bit more lifelike, I'd be hopeful of this series actually developing some real potential. As it stands, it's at least encouraging to know that this series can deliver some good, atmospheric episodes.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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