Star Trek: Voyager (1995 - 2001) - Random Musings

Previous Episode: Innocence

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The Clown (Michael McKean) at play. Be afraid.

THE PLOT

Voyager reaches a world that used to be a major trading center... until it was devastated by a major solar flare that rendered it uninhabitable. An automated message tells them that the survivors entered suspended animation to wait out the disaster. Since the planet began its recovery four years earlier, and readings show two of the five survivors have died while hooked up to the system, it's clear that something has gone wrong.

Janeway orders the life support system beamed aboard. Determining that the survivors were hooked up to an artificial environment, she decides to send B'Elanna and Harry into the simulation. They expect to talk to the survivors and then bring them out. Instead, they are confronted by the figure of a Clown (Michael McKean), who informs them that he will not let his hostages go because doing so would end his own existence.

The Clown is the manifestation of the survivors' fears about their planet and survival, brought to monstrous life by the system they created. He can read the thoughts of anyone hooked up to the system, and he has total control of the environment. Attempts to escape are punished swiftly - hence, the two dead. He keeps Harry, but lets B'Elanna go with a message for Janeway: No interference, or the hostages die - including Harry Kim!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: She first tries to reason with the Clown, but that is doomed from the start. The Clown is fear personified and, as Tuvok notes, fear is the most primitive of emotions. Then she attempts the equivalent of a frontal assault, one which almost works. Finally, she resorts to trickery. She admits to the Clown that she has a healthy respect for fear: "It's a very healthy thing most of the time. You warn us of danger, remind us of our limits, protect us from carelessness. I've learned to trust fear." But, she adds as she springs her trap, she also knows that fear is ultimately meant to be conquered.

Harry Kim: We see through the Clown just how much trust Harry has in Janeway. Harry tries to resist the Clown's games by reminding himself that none of what he's experiencing is real. His resistance is like waving a red flag in front of a bull, as the Clown rises to the challenge by making Harry re-live his greatest fear: a surgery he witnessed as a child on a young radiation victim. Given some good material for a change, Garrett Wang actually does some decent work, confirming that the usual failure of the Harry Kim character has a lot more to do with the writers than the actor.

Doctor: "Excuse me, you're not holding that properly." The Doctor's entrance is an applause moment that works brilliantly: Timed at the point of greatest tension, diffusing that tension in an instant. The Doctor gets a very strong supporting role, acting as Janeway's negotiator since his artificial mind is one the program can't tap into. This and the Doctor's smug attitude make him the ultimate mood-killer for the Clown, who doesn't quite know how to react to someone whose mind he can't read and who clearly has no fear of him.

The Clown: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." What better to personify fear than a clown? One of the most common child phobias: A grinning figure of mischief with a painted face and garish costume. Michael McKean is wonderful, playing with his victims as a child might play with insects (it's worth mentioning that one of the Clown's games is "the insect game," which we should probably be just as glad isn't actually shown). The best villain the series has presented thus far, and one of the most memorable villains in the entire history of the franchise.

THOUGHTS

The Thaw is the best episode of Voyager to date. It edges out Death Wish, the only previous episode I gave full marks, thanks to a script that actually centers on the core cast and to the immediacy that its nightmarish concept grants it. Joe Menosky, writer of some terrific TNG and DS9 episodes, doesn't shy away from the horror of the scenario. He embraces the horror with some truly visceral scenes. Think of the moment in Faces when the Vidiian Sulan turned around to reveal that he was wearing Crewman Durst's face. Now imagine an episode with multiple scenes that effective.

My favorite such moment is the one I already mentioned when talking about Harry in this episode. The Clown punishes Harry for thinking of escape. He first turns him into an old man, then into a baby. Finally, he forces Harry to relive his worst moment, preparing to perform surgery on him while his leering, circus nightmare crowd of "Friends" watches. Another great moment centers around the killing of a hostage. We are primed to expect a rescue. B'Elanna is racing against time to deactivate circuits fueling the simulation. The Doctor is delaying the execution by getting in the way as much as possible. We are told how close B'Elanna is. Even as the man is fixed to the guillotine and the blade begins to fall, we are sure that the blade will disappear at the crucial instant.

The blade doesn't disappear. We cut from its descent to the reactions of the other hostages as we hear its impact. The man dies, another hostage is prepped for execution, and Janeway concedes defeat before the Clown kills everyone. It's as far from what you expect of Voyager as possible - which is one reason it hits home so very hard.

An excellent script is complemented by superb direction. Director Marvin V. Rush keeps things as visually interesting as possible. He doesn't just shoot people talking. He shoots people's faces through other objects. He makes sure things are happening in the background, whether it be the activity of the Clown's friends or Kes' downcast look as Neelix embarrasses himself (again) with a staggeringly useless suggestion in the conference room. In another scene, as the Doctor negotiates with the Clown, we see the negotiations through a large pipe as we pull back to show one of the hostages, listening in on the proceedings.

The Thaw is a rare episode that doesn't put a foot wrong. Putting heavy focus on arguably the weakest regular, it manages to make that character work for the space of at least one episode while telling a genuinely frightening story in a wonderfully visual manner. A great episode, plain and simple. It should have been put on continuous loop in the writers' room as an example of what this show is capable of doing when the material is willing to stop playing things safe.

Overall Rating: 10/10.

Next Episode: Tuvix

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The Doctor enjoys an unlikely romance.

THE PLOT

A distress signal leads Voyager to a one-man ship. They receive no response to hails, but detect a single life sign aboard - a Vidiian female who is obviously dying. Janeway orders the woman beamed to sickbay. Discovering a brain implant that stores the woman's higher functions to supplement their interaction with her desperately ill body, the Doctor puts her into stasis and transfers her consciousness into a healthy holographic version of her.

"Cured" of the Phage in holographic form, the Vidiian introduces herself as Denara Pel (Susan Diol). Denara is a hematologist who had been helping to treat a Phage outbreak when her own condition suddenly worsened. She and the Doctor are drawn to each other. But when the Doctor's treatment reaches the point at which he is ready to transfer her consciousness back to her body, she is faced with the prospect of a return to a life of illness and resists - even if that resistance leads to her own death!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: Though she has been protective of Tom Paris in the past, when Chakotay comes to her with Tom's increasingly erratic behavior, she gives him discretion to handle the problem as he sees fit. She backs that up, too, refusing to intercede on Tom's behalf when Chakotay disciplines him, then ordering him taken to the brig when he strikes Chakotay.

Doctor: Though a "Doctor in love" episode could have been painful, this turns out surprisingly well. Robert Picardo is terrific. I love the multitude of tiny half-expressions that cross his face as he looks toward Denara, then away from her and back again, even in the midst of talking about medical matters or pointing out features of the Mars sky in the holodeck. Kenneth Biller's script is well-judged, too, structuring the Doctor's emotional awakening. He at first tries to focus on his role as Denara's doctor, rerouting every conversational tangent to her treatment. He doesn't know how to approach the idea of a relationship. When Kes finally prods him to do so, he just blurts it out while in the midst of treatment, asking if she feels the same in the exact same tone of voice he would use to ask a patient to describe symptoms. Good writing and good acting, working in concert - You can hardly ask better than that!

Kes: Her medical competence continues to progress. She acts in concert with the Doctor in the teaser and makes several correct diagnostic calls, for which he compliments her. She remains a good friend and support to the Doctor. When she realizes that he's attracted to Denara, she urges him to tell her. After Denara's initial rejection of the Doctor, Kes recognizes that she actually does have feelings for him. She prods Denara much the way she prodded the Doctor and, with a little help from Tom Paris, is able to make something happen between the two of them.

Tom Paris: Continues to make a big show of displaying a bad attitude. I retain my certainty that this is an act. We again see in the teaser that he draws as much attention to himself as possible when arriving late to the bridge. But once a situation presents itself, he is totally focused on his job. Even if the overall disposition is a put-on, I wonder if some of his resentment toward Chakotay isn't genuine. When he complains about Chakotay not letting him truly do his job, and adds that he is far from the only person complaining about the ex-Maquis First Officer, there's a ring of truth to his accusations. That would be interesting to see followed up, once this particular subplot gets wrapped up at least.

Michael Jonas: Has reached the point of no return as a double-agent for Seska. Asked to go beyond simply passing along information and to actually sabotage the ship, he balks. Then he finally gets what he's been pushing for - direct communication with Seska. She plays him as skillfully as she's been playing the Kazon. By the end of her scene, she seems to have convinced Jonas to assist her in taking over Voyager!

THOUGHTS

Another strong episode, though putting the spotlight onto Robert Picardo is usually a safe bet for good results. Picardo and guest star Susan Diol turn in top-notch performances. They work well together, too, making for a convincing screen couple. Wisely, Kenneth Biller doesn't impose any outside alien threat on the situation. Beyond the developing Michael Jonas subplot, the story is allowed to exist on its own pleasantly low-key terms.

Good character beats are not restricted to just the Doctor and Denara. There's a particularly good scene involving Torres, who endured a nightmarish experience at the hands of the Vidiians. In a series where internal continuity has not been a strength, it's encouraging to see this addressed. Torres retains resentment against her previous captivity, and refuses to allow the Doctor to use her Phage-resistant Klingon DNA to assist Denara. Only when Denara comes in, apologizing for Torres' treatment at the hands of her people and letting her know that she accepts whatever decision the engineer chooses to make, does Torres change her mind and agree to the procedure.

Denara is the only Vidiian seen here, but the episode does actually expand what we know of them. By showing us Denara as she would be without the Phage, we put a human face on a race that has previously existed only as a horror. We also learn that not all Vidiians are infected, and that the healthy shun the sick out of fear for contracting the disease. Vidiian culture has evolved around the illness, with laws restricting public gatherings as a health hazard. We see Denara flinching away from touches by Neelix and a holographic gigolo - though I suppose one could find reasons other than fear of disease for not wanting to be touched by either of them. In any case, all of this makes the Vidiians more sympathetic than they were before, particularly after Faces.

Hopefully, we see more of the Vidiians - a race I find a lot more interesting than the Kazon, both as villains and as victims. In any event, this is a solid outing, a nice change of pace and an all-around good episode.

Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Death Wish
Next Episode: Investigations

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B'Elanna tries to de-activate the Dreadnought.

THE PLOT

Voyager encounters debris from an unmanned ship. Analysis shows that the ship was destroyed by Cardassian weaponry. When Janeway orders further investigation, Torres is shocked to recognize the weapons signature. It belongs to Dreadnought, a Cardassian weapon that she personally reprogrammed two years earlier. She had sent Dreadnought to attack a Cardassian base, but the weapon disappeared. It's now clear that it was caught by the Caretaker before it could reach its destination.

It is on course to an inhabited world, which it has mistaken for its target. Torres beams over to disarm the device. The Dreadnought, however, decides that Torres is acting under Cardassian influence, and takes off at Warp 9. If Voyager can't find a way to stop the weapon from reaching its target, then the cost will be millions of innocent lives, all on Torres' conscience!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: As soon as it's clear Dreadnought has targeted an inhabited world, Janeway works tirelessly to stop it. She doesn't hesitate to contact the planet to give them time to prepare a defense and an evacuation. Finally, when all options appear exhausted, she determines to destroy Voyager to prevent the weapon from reaching its destination - though she makes sure her crew are evacuated from the ship first.

Torres: Roxann Biggs-Dawson continues to impress, and this time she gets a much better script than was the case in Prototype. From the moment she recognizes Dreadnought, B'Elanna feels immense guilt. She considers that anything that happens from here is here fault, because she made the choice to reprogram the weapon. This lends a note of desperation to her actions, particularly as the episode approaches its climax. There's some genuine tension and cleverness to the scripting as Torres and the Dreadnought computer attempt to outwit each other, and the episode's final minutes are some of the most suspenseful this series has seen to date.

Tom Paris: What I had assumed was simply a minor subplot in Meld actually gets some follow up, as Tom continues to behave in a way that more closely resembles his reputation rather than his normal behavior. At this point, I'm guessing he and Chakotay are collaborating on some kind of undercover scheme. Tom's misbehavior is a little too rapid for me to really put it down to anything else. Besides, every instance we have seen has been minor: a betting pool, arriving a few minutes late and disheveled to a meeting, showing a bad attitude. It's behavior designed to draw attention. In terms of actually doing his job, he continues to perform with his usual competence. A trap for Seska's spy, perhaps? I'm guessing we'll have to wait until the season's end to find out.

THOUGHTS

OK, I think at this point that Voyager's second season is finally recovering from its dismal start. This makes three of the last four episodes that have been substantially above the series' average. After a long period of finding Voyager wanting, I'm starting to feel optimistic again.

I appreciate the recurring threads that appear in this script. Michael Jonas (Raphael Sbarge) continues to surreptitiously work with the Kazon, though he is clearly growing frustrated at being blocked from direct communication with Seska. Voyager's poor reputation in the Delta Quadrant is raised again, with the people of the planet Dreadnought has targeted initially convinced this is an attack by the Federation ship. And, of course, the Tom subplot is emerging as a running element. All of these create a more unified show. The second season has suffered from a feeling that none of the episodes are building to anything, that the series isn't actually going anywhere. These running plots, however, have the potential to fix that problem. As the season nears its end, the show is again starting to seem like it might actually build to something - which is starting to make me interested again, instead of just watching an episode every so often out of sense of duty.

Dreadnought is principally a suspense/action episode. A good one, with a driving pace and an increasing sense of urgency. The script makes sure to let us know how high the stakes are, while Janeway's communications with First Minister Kellan (Dan Kern) on the planet put a likable face to the potential victims of the Dreadnought. It's directed with polish by Levar Burton, who uses varied lighting and close-ups to heighten the most suspenseful dramatic moments.

I do think the episode misses a trick in the ending - Imagine how much of a gut punch it would be to the characters if they had failed. B'Elanna would have suffered devastating guilt, as would Janeway, while Voyager's reputation in the Delta Quadrant would have been dealt an unrecoverable blow. Still, asking Voyager to go to such places is not realistic. This is a very strong episode. I just hope the series is able to continue in this vein, rather than returning to the bland formula that has made up far too much of this season.

Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Meld
Next Episode: Death Wish

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Previous Episode: Resistance

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Torres is taken prisoner. Again.

THE PLOT

Voyager detects a damaged robot floating in space and beams it aboard for study. Tuvok advises allowing the machine to power down completely, to examine it while inert. B'Elanna, however, wants to restore the robot to full function. She convinces Janeway that they will learn much more from it while functioning than simply by sifting through the wreckage, and then painstakingly goes about making it work.

She is elated when her repairs succeed and the robot speaks, identifying itself as Unit 3947. It was separated from its ship, staffed entirely by robots, when it was damaged. Voyager sets course for 3947's ship. Then the robot makes a request - for B'Elanna to build a prototype power unit to allow them to reproduce themselves. When Janeway refuses to grant permission, 3947 abducts B'Elanna and forces her to do so anyway. If she refuses, the more advanced robot ship will destroy Voyager!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: Retains a loyalty to the Prime Directive that borders on religious dogma. Her refusal to allow Torres to build the prototype would make sense, if it was based on their lack of knowledge about the robots' society. Instead, she bases her refusal purely on the Prime Directive, her wisdom including such nuggets as, "Instinction is often the natural end of evolution." I'd much rather her refusal be based on intelligent caution than on dogma. At least she shows admirable compassion toward Torres at the episode's end - a much more likable side of the captain's character, one that the show would be advised to give more focus.

Chakotay: Makes a disparaging remark about Paris' plan to use a shuttle to rescue Torres, snarking that he'd "hate to lose another shuttle." Surely Chakotay is the last person who should be making such a remark. I'm surprised Paris didn't come back with a reminder that shuttles only tend to be lost when Mr. Facial Tattoo is the one flying them.

Torres: A Torres-centric episode, always a good thing. This time, the focus is not on her Klingon/human heritage, but on her engineering skills. Torres is instantly intrigued by the damaged robot, to the point that the challenge of repairing it becomes an obsession for her. When she has succeeded, she treats 3947 as an almost human friend. She shows compassion, and champions its request for a prototype to allow reproduction. Even after she is captured, her obsession at overcoming the challenge posed by the prototype is all-consuming, and her joy when she succeeds in creating it is absolute. Which makes it all the more devastating for her when she realizes the true (all too predictable) reason why there are no more "Builders" for this robot species.

Tuvok: Is sensibly cautious about 3947. His impulse is to let it power down so it can be examined safely, then reactivate it if they choose. Torres objects and Janeway sides with her - but then, Janeway also has a science background, one which leaves her tending to choose exploration of the unknown over security. From Tuvok's standpoint, his advice is sound (and, if followed, would have saved the crew a lot of trouble).

THOUGHTS

Jonathan Frakes directs, which gives this episode a highly polished sheen. We get some effectively moody lighting and some pretty good set design in the robots' workshop. Shot selection emphasizes depth, with many scenes played out with objects or items in the foreground and background of the characters, which keeps the episode visually interesting. As ever, Frakes also gets the most from the actors. What can you say when even Harry Kim and Neelix come across as likable in some early scenes?

Prototype is very well-made and well-presented. It moves along at a quick pace and treats the character of Torres in a thoughtful way. It's good to have a Torres episode that showcases her as a thoughful, compassionate, intelligent officer, rather than simply focusing on her mixed heritage.

All of these make this a pretty good episode. But it's yet another Voyager episode that falls short of being anything more than "pretty good," because the script is just so predictable. Honestly, is there anyone over the age of about 16 who didn't guess why the Builders were extinct? Did anyone doubt that B'Elanna would succeed in creating the prototype, or what she would do when she discovered the full truth? All the story beats are easy to see coming, and that is something that quickly smothers the episode's potential.

Still a decent show, thanks to polished direction and some decent character work. But it would be nice to see Voyager manage a good, well-made character episode that also delivers a strong story.

Overall Rating: 6/10.

Next Episode: Alliances

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Caylem (Joel Grey).

THE PLOT

Voyager's power shortage (remember that? I do... just barely) has finally reached a point which threatens to leave the ship crippled. If they don't replenish their supply of tellerium, they will soon lose warp capability forever. No, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but Chakotay and Harry Kim are very, very earnest when they talk about it, so I guess we'll have to believe them.

Fortunately, Neelix has contacts with the resistance movement on the nearby Mokra homeworld. He beams down with Janeway, Tuvok, and Torres to trade for some tellerium. He does manage to get the precious substance - but Tuvok and Torres are captured by the Mokra. Meanwhile, Janeway is rescued by Caylem (Academy Award Winner Joel Grey), a delusional man who insists that she is his long-lost daughter, returned to help him break his wife out of the Mokra prison.

Since the prison is exactly where her crew members are being held, Janeway eventually indulges Caylem's delusions. She makes use of his knowledge to get into the prison. But once in, can Caylem be trusted not to become a liability?

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: That this episode manages to work as well as it does is in large part a testament to two actors: special guest star Joel Grey and series star Kate Mulgrew. These two screen veterans play quite well off each other, with Mulgrew really selling Janeway's affection for the delusional Caylem. Mulgrew's eyes as she watches Caylem, both when he tells his story to her in fits and starts and when he humiliates himself in front of the Mokra guards, show a lot of emotion and empathy, making this one of her best episodes.

Chakotay: A solid supporting role. He attempts to negotiate with Augris (Alan Scarfe), the Mokra leader, for return of the captured crew members. It's clear that he prefers a nonviolent solution. But after an unpromising meeting, he decides to keep his options open, assigning Harry to find gaps in the Mokra defenses that can potentially be exploited.

Tuvok/Torres: A rare pairing of supporting characters for this episode, and it works very well. Torres' angry defiance is a strong contrast to Tuvok's stoicism. Just when Tuvok seems more machine than man, the Mokra take him away for torture - and his screams remind both Torres and us that he does feel the pain inflicted upon him. Torres' desire to strike back leaves her feeling useless and helpless. Tuvok reminds her that they are fighting back by simply resisting attempts to break them. All of their scenes work, and the episode wisely cuts away to them often enough to keep them alive in the episode but not so often as to slow the pace.

THOUGHTS

Voyager's problem of dwindling power was an intermittent issue during Season One, mainly when the writers were having trouble coming up with a script for the week. In Season Two, it hasn't even been mentioned. But for this episode, all of a sudden and out of nowhere the ship is facing total collapse unless Neelix and the landing party can get some MacGuffinite. Would it kill the writers to at least try to maintain some consistency regarding the ship's status from one episode to the next?

I'll admit, it took me a good ten minutes to get past this opening contrivance. After a shaky First Act, though, Resistance managed to really grab my attention. This is one of Voyager's better episodes - and would be, even without the guest performance by Joel Grey. Though I can't quite forgive the opening contrivance, Lisa Klink's script is very well-structured. It's also a solid ensemble piece. Janeway and Caylem are the focal characters, but there are good supporting turns for Chakotay, Tuvok, Torres, Harry Kim, and even Neelix (who is genuinely useful for a change).

The script also gets some mileage by revisiting a point raised in Cold Fire - that Voyager has garnered a reputation in the Delta Quadrant, and not a good one. Augris tells Chakotay that their ship is considered "disreputable," and that they have "made more enemies than friends" since their arrival. He adds that some in the Delta Quadrant doubt their story of being pulled off course. Of course, one could dismiss Augris' claims as the lies of a villain... except that he's saying almost the exact same thing that Tanis said in the earlier episode. This is a plot thread with a lot of potential, and I sincerely hope that future episodes make use of it.

For all of the episode's virtues, Resistance never quite breaks into the upper level of "great" Trek episodes. It's probably the best episode thus far in Season Two... but it still falls well short of Prime Factors, and a bit short of Faces as well. For all of Joel Grey's obvious talent, I cared little about Caylem, and that did not change at the episode's end. Janeway's emotions makI cared little about Caylem, and that did not change at the episode's end. Janeway's emotions make me feel something when Caylem is sad, or humiliated, or hurt - but that is second-hand empathy. I care about Janeway caring about Caylem, but not about Caylem himself. The script just never made him real to me.

Still, with a tight script (written, for a change, by someone other than the regular writing staff) and some good character material, this is another solid-if-unexceptional episode in a run of solid-if-unexceptional episodes. For Voyager, that feels like a winning streak.

...Which in itself may be the most damning comment about Voyager that I could make.

Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Maneuvers
Next Episode: Prototype

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Previous Episode: Cold Fire

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Chakotay is interrogated by Seska (Martha Hackett).

THE PLOT

A Federation signal lures Voyager into a Kazon ambush. The attack has been meticulously planned. Voyager's shields are pierced to allow a Kazon boarding party to steal transporter technology before using the Starfleet ship's own transporter to escape. The plan was the brainchild of Seska (Martha Hackett), the former Voyager crew member who was revealed to be a Cardassian double-agent, and whose knowledge of Voyager's systems and security has helped to win her a place of influence alongside Culluh (Anthony de Longis), the leader of this Kazon sect.

Janeway cannot allow the transporter technology to remain with the Kazon. Even as Chakotay points out that Seska is leading Voyager into a trap, Janeway resolves to pursue as soon as the damage from the attack is repaired. So Chakotay takes matters into his own hands - stealing a shuttlecraft and pursuing Seska on his own. But Chakotay may not be as good at manipulating Seska as she is at manipulating him...

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: Feels personally hurt by Chakotay's disregard for her authority. Torres manages to ease her anger, but she still expresses her disappointment to Chakotay in surprisingly emotional terms. Her hands remain tied with regard to discipline - as she observes, putting someone on report means little this far from home. But Chakotay assures her that it means something to him, apologizing for letting her down.

Chakotay: Another good episode for Chakotay. A few more like this, and I might stop thinking of him as one of the show's weak links. Chakotay's previous relationship with Seska clouds his judgment, as he makes personal issues that impact the entire ship. He does at least hatch a solid strategy to get the technology away from Seska and the Kazon, but he makes himself their prisoner in the bargain. His scenes opposite Seska show more to Chakotay than we've seen in most previous episodes - and do so with no Native American cliches thrown into the mix, a nice bonus.

Torres: Remains steadfast in her loyalty to Chakotay. In the early parts of the episode, she urges him to remain calm, reminding him that his inner turmoil is exactly what Seska wants. After he steals the shuttlecraft and leaves the ship, Torres pleads his case to Janeway. Her passionate defense does much to quell the captain's anger, without which Janeway might have leaned toward Tuvok's argument to leave Chakotay in Kazon hands.

Tuvok: A group of Kazon are in the midst of a violent, thus far all-too-successful raid on the ship. The Voyager crew not only are armed, but have weapons that will stun a person instead of just killing him. So exactly why does Tuvok warn the Kazon not to move, when he and his team could simply stun them where they stand and then interrogate them later? Oh, right. If Tuvok doesn't behave like an idiot, then he might actually stop the Kazon intrusion. If that happens, then there won't be an episode. That's not even mentioning Tuvok's failure to change any of the ship's security systems after Seska's betrayal was revealed roughly half a season ago! This is a good episode - but I still hate idiot plotting.

Seska: This episode marks the return of Martha Hackett's Seska. One of the most interesting characters from Season One, her previous episode represented one of the few genuine surprises the show has yet thrown our way. She then went all but unmentioned for a very long stretch of time. It is very good to see her back. Maneuvers raises the ante by presenting her off the Voyager leash. With her true identity revealed, she is free to taunt Chakotay and openly manipulate him, even as she manipulates Culluh. Hackett is marvelous, and I hope it's not too long before she appears again.

THOUGHTS

Maneuvers is another good episode, which at this point probably means that the early Season Two slump can be officially declared over. More importantly, it's the first episode in a while to strongly follow up on events of previous episodes. The return of Seska means the return of a lot of backstory that Season Two has mostly ignored up to this point. We get mentions of the Maquis, including an intriguing note by Torres that members of the Maquis often performed operations that would not be acceptable in Starfleet. That's an area this series should feel free to explore.

We also revisit the Kazon. Seska's influence is turning Culluh's Kazon tribe into an effective enemy. Culluh is himself a character with potential. It is clear that Seska is in control in their relationship - but it is clear to him, too, and he doesn't particularly like it. There are a few scenes indicating that Seska isn't entirely safe with him, notably the one in which she picks up on his ire and suddenly becomes very kittenish and submissive. Chakotay tells him flat-out that Seska will eventually kill him. I hope that's followed up on, and I even hope it's followed up in a way that's not entirely predictable.

The episode's effectiveness is blunted by a weak final Act in which Torres Technobabbles something with the transporter and a dampening field. Everything is resolved by transporting through raised shields - something that's been established as impossible in previous Trek series, which seems to have been forgotten here. As compensation, we have Seska's ending message to Chakotay, one which promises another return in which things will be even more personal.

Overall Rating: 7/10.

Next Episode: Resistance

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"One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small..."

THE PLOT

It's Kes' birthday. The sweet and pretty Ocampan girl has just turned two, and the crew has thrown her a surprise party in the holodeck. Tom gives her a gift that's a little too nice for just friendship, prompting barely-suppressed jealousy from Neelix. Neelix gives her a cake and won't shut up about it. And the writers? Well, this is a Voyager episode, so what else would you expect: A spatial anomaly!

Yes, another one.

Soon, the Voyager crew are wandering the ship's corridors, desperately searching for the bridge and engineering. But the corridors are reshaping themselves around them. Rooms are in the wrong place, and all halls lead straight back to the holodeck. And the distortion is getting worse, threatening to crush the ship in an implosion wave!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Janeway: Appreciates Harry's enthusiasm for his job, and calls the ensign one of "the bright spots of this mission." I'm going to guess the anomaly is already affecting her brain when she says this, as I can honestly come up with no other explanation - at least, none that doesn't involve the captain hitting on a young crewmember. Janeway displays genuine fondness for Kes, almost maternal as she embraces the Ocampa at her birthday party.

Chakotay: Manages to keep his cool throughout the crisis. When Tuvok attempts to deal with the shifting corridors in a rigidly logical fashion, Chakotay points out the flaw in the Vulcan's plan: Namely, that the "right hand rule" doesn't work too well in a labyrinth that is constantly changing shape. He does show some resentment toward Tuvok, and his calm frays when he cuts off Tuvok's arguing at one point. I'd say he hasn't really forgiven the Vulcan for what he still doubtless sees as a betrayal. But the two acknowledge each other's merits at the episode's end, which presumably means that even this potentially interesting ember of character tension has been firmly stamped out.

Torres: Her Klingon nature shows itself in her determination to fight the anomaly. When Tuvok points out that her plan to counter the implosion with an explosion might destroy them all, her counter is that if she's going to die anyway, she'd rather die fighting. Even when it becomes clear that there is no way to fight off the effect, Torres is the last to surrender. She does show consistent trust and loyalty toward Chakotay, though. Nice to see Kenneth Biller, at least, remembering that these two were part of the same crew long before joining Voyager.

Tuvok: Attempts to approach the inexplicable with rigid logic, which doesn't work very well. He comes as close as he ever could to admitting a sort of resentment at Janeway's choice of Chakotay as first officer, and apologizes for any difficulties he may have created for Chakotay. A nice nonverbal beat shows his closeness for Janeway, when he reaches for her - stopping just short of making physical contact - just as the distortion hits.

Kes: Another good nonverbal beat sees the Doctor pulling Kes into a comforting embrace just before the anomaly hits, taking onto himself a paternal role toward her (not for the first time). Kes clearly loves Tom's gift and tries hard to ignore Neelix's evident jealousy. She comes up with a good solution at the end, accepting the gift but literally integrating Neelix into it.

Neelix: Continues to feel jealousy at Tom Paris' friendliness toward Kes. Honestly, given the gift Tom gives, I'm not sure this bit of jealousy is entirely unreasonable. It's also clear enough that Neelix feels guilty at his inability to control his jealousy. But he's just so irritating that it's impossible to empathize with him for long. Particularly when he expands his jealousy of Tom to include random crew members, or when he gets smug about Kes' sense of direction. This episode also sees both Chakotay and the doctor express annoyance with him (Chakotay nonverbally, the doctor aloud) - meaning that the writers know that he's irritating. So if they can bring themselves to acknowledge this by having the other characters express it, why don't they do something to address the problem?

THOUGHTS

As a character episode, Twisted has some merit. Kenneth Biller's script does a good job of dividing the regulars into pairs, drawing on the character relationships established in previous episodes. So we see Tom and Harry's friendship, with Tom placing a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder; Kes and Neelix, made even more firmly a couple as Kes asks for a photo of him to keep with her; Kes and the Doctor, as a sort of surrogate father/daughter; Janeway and Tuvok; and Chakotay and Torres. Several good character beats are sprinkled through the story, particularly Chakotay's talk to Neelix about the risks of love and Torres' refusal to stop fighting until the very end. It really is one of the better attempts at an ensemble piece, with every regular getting a page.

Unfortunately, as a story, it feels utterly pointless.

The corridors are rearranging themselves, meaning that the characters wander around aimlessly for a bit before ending up back at the holodeck. For about half the episode, that's enough. It's an intriguing starting point for a story, and there's something appealingly nutty about the corridors rearranging themselves. But by the 20 minute mark, the novelty value is wearing thin. At that point, the story needs to shift in some way.

But no. Other than kick-starting the Artificial Tension Generator by making it seem that the distortion may destroy the ship (spoiler alert: It doesn't), that turns out to be the entire plot. Wander around some corridors until ending up back in the holodeck. Discuss situation. Wander around some corridors before ending up back in the holodeck. Repeat. Some of the distortion effects are nice - I particularly like an effects shot late in the episode, in which the regulars are reduced to something like a cubist painting. But it's just not enough to sustain a one-hour show, and there really isn't anything else here.

I think Twisted would have been a terrific 22-minute TAS episode. But at 45 minutes, it becomes awfully tiresome. It gets a couple points for the character material, and a couple more for the appealing nuttiness of the setup. Ultimately, however, it just ends up as an exercise in pointlessness.

Overall Rating: 4/10.

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