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 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
 | "Warlord"
- Week of Nov. 18th - Nov. 22nd File Photo
|| Airdate: November
20th, 1996 Written by: Lisa
Klink (teleplay); Andrew Shepard Price & Mark Gaberman
(story) Directed by: David
Livingston Brief Summary:
Voyager rescues three crew members from a ship seconds before it
explodes, but one dies shortly after. The dead crewmember,
Tieran, transfers himself into Kes and uses her mind and body to
take control of his home planet. Despite rescue attempts from
Voyager, the only person who can defeat Tieran is Kes, who still
remains in the body. When Voyager attacks the main hall, Kes
manages to subdue Tieran long enough for an electronic device to
be used on her to remove his presence. Tieran jumps to another
body, but Kes manages to expel him. Come on, people,
admit it. You were surprised. Well, I know at least I was. From
watching the preview last week, I had very low expectations for
the episode. All I saw was another alien possession story, close
on the heels of DS9's "The Assignment." I also felt the
preview was also trying to pander to the audience with shots of
Kes kissing Tuvok and an alien woman (who turned out to be Nori).
The only thing that I was looking forward to was that Kes was to
be the focus of the episode. Kes is one of the
most underused characters on the program. Her scenes are usually
relagated to the subplot or as a sounding board for another
character to talk to. The only so far (that I can think of) where
she did get quality screen time was in "Cold Fire," and
even then it was not as large a role as most of the regulars get.
Here is the first real test (to me, at least) of Kes' ability to
carry an episode and Jennifer Lien's ability to act. Was she able
to pull it off? As far as I am
concerned, both tests were passed with flying colors. Kes was
interesting watch throughout the episode, although technically it
wasn't the same character. The truth was that it was Jennifer
Lien's acting that carried the episode. I must admit that I've
become so accustomed to hear her speaking her lines in that quiet
and gentle voice that it came as a shock to hear that bellowing,
angry voice coming from her body. I really believe that if
anybody else in the cast were used for this story, it wouldn't
have been half as appealing or entertaining. As for the story,
there is nothing really original about it. Not that the story was
bad, just not original. We've seen it happen before and I'm sure
we will see it again. The dialogue, on the other hand, was very
good. The two scenes that I want to point out is the
interrogation scene between Kes (as Tieran) and Tuvok and the
dream sequence with Kes and Tieran. Kes and Tuvok have
one of the more interesting relationships on Voyager to watch
(Neelix and Kes, on the other hand, is a different story). I feel
that this is why the interrogation scene worked so well. Tuvok's
attempt to contact the real Kes buried within while trying to
maintain control of his emotions was compelling to view. But the
best part was how Kes spoke directly to Tuvok's mind, while he
answered out loud. A great scene. The student/teacher bond
between them has been building over the last two seasons and I
hope it continues. The dream sequence
was the other highlight of the episode. After watching Kes act so
cold and brutal for forty minutes, I was a little put off to see
back to her old self against the vicious Tieran. It all changes
when she really lets him know that she will continue her fight
against him and make him suffer because she has no compassion for
him. That grabbed my attention. The reason why is because the
real Kes had a tone of coldness to her, a subtle hint that she
has been changed by the experience. This coincides with her
comments to Tuvok at the end. As for the action
scenes, they were handled very well. The first scene, in the
transporter room, caught me by surprise because my mind wasn't as
focused on the screen as it should have been. The attack on the
main hall by Kes and her people was executed well, but there
should have been a little more resistance involved from the
Autarch's soldiers stationed there. The final rescue scene was
performed nicely as well. Over the last couple of weeks, we have
seen a return of TOS style action to Star Trek. And I, for one,
think that it is a good idea (as long as the stories don't suffer
as a result). Overall, an
unexpected, enjoyable episode. Voyager's been on a roll lately. I
just hope that they manage to stay on track. Other points of
interest: - If there was
anything I didn't need to see tonight, it was Neelix's feet.
Please, oh please, don't ever show that again. - I don't know
about this new holodeck program. I'll give a couple of episodes
before I make a real decision. Right now it seems to be a cheap
gimmick to put the crew in skimpy clothing. Not that it is a
major complaint, mind you, but it does appear to be nothing more
than a ratings ploy. Maybe they will take notice that it didn't
help DS9 last wk with "Let He Who Is Without Sin..." - The whole teaser
was a waste of time compared to the rest of the episode. This
could have been tacked on from any script, rather than a true
element of the story. - The Batman
angles are back. If anyone remembers some of the earlier episodes
(I know many of you are trying to forget), they kept using the
angle of 45 degrees during close-ups, just like on the original
Batman TV show. Personally, these shots get on my nerves after a
while. Hopefully someone will tell the directors to stop doing
it, bcause it really distracts from the performance. - The Doctor was
in the briefing room, which is a nice sign that they do plan to
take advantage of his new situation, even if it is a subtle
reminder. - I really laughed
at the interrupted kiss between Kes and Nori. All I could think
about was that those fans out there pressing for homosexual
relationships on Star Trek (I am not one of them) must have
really been irritated by that scene. - The headaches
that Kes used against Tieran was a creative move by the writers.
Instead of having the phony, dramatic outward struggle to retain
control of the body, it was more of a psychological, internal
struggle. Very well done. - After all Kes
and the crew of Voyager went through, all Demmas could do (when
given the necklace of the Autarch) was give a little nod. You
would think that this guy should by on his hands and knees
praising them. To sum it all up: Writing: I
mentioned before that I believe that Lisa Klink has been doing
very well. This doesn't change that opinion. Acting: Impressive
work by Jennifer Lien, which surprised me. No real
disappointments, other than some of the early Neelix scenes. Directing: Nothing
to complain about, except the damn Batman angles! Conclusion: A real
shocker to me. I had low expectations coming in, but I was
impressed. Jennifer Lien was terrific and made me change my
opinion of her character. Good job by cast and crew of Voyager. Rating: 8.1 Next Week: Q returns and he is lookin' for some
lovin'... from Janeway! (I've gotta say the preview was actually
good this time. No spoiling of the entire episode or use of
misguiding scenes. Maybe the complaints are getting through. I
also loved the comment, "How's that for First
Contact"!) Copyright 1996,
Bill Synnamon. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced,
edited, or used for any commericial reason without my permission.
"You're
already deteroriating and it's only going to get worse. I'll find
every little crack in your defenses. You'll feel yourself
crumbling from within. Your sanity slipping away. I won't stop
until you're broken and helpless. There is no where you can go to
get away from me. I'll be relentless and merciless, just...
like... you!" - Kes to Tierin Fan Comments &
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