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 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
 | "Blood
Fever" - Week of Feb. 3rd - Feb. 7th File Photo
|| Airdate: Fenruary
5th, 1997 Written by: Lisa
Klink Directed by:
Andrew Robinson Brief Summary:
In search of Galacite, a mineral needed to refit the warp coils,
Vorrick, the Vulcan ensign experiences Pon Farr, the Vulcan
mating ritual. Vorrick chooses B'Leanna as his mate, and soon
follows an unexpected side effect of Vorrick's own Pon Farr.
(Plus a predictable, yet enthralling "twist"!) Review The opening to
this episode was routine, but quickly jumped into the Pon Farr
episode that the mediocre trailer had promised. The idea of
Galacite and using it to replenish the ship somehow was routine
indeed, along with the planet shot that seemed familiar (eh?).
However, the writers begin the story effectively enough, with
Vorrick expressing his wish to mate with B'Leanna and getting
rejected. I thought this scene was a little hard to take in as
realistic at first, but I soon gathered how Vorrick's violence
fit perfectly with his current state of being. The following
Doctor scene was predictable, but the writers accomplish the goal
of exposing the Vulcan insecurity about Pon Farr. This scene also
accomplishes the obvious attempt to parallel the story with
sexual insecurity in today's society. However, the episode is far
more interesting than any "moral" episode. It's nice to see
that away teams finally have new outfits (I hope they're not just
for rock climbing…). The agitation in Torres is obvious, and
again it is predictable as to what the cause of her problem is.
When Neelix commented on how Starfleet equipment takes the 'fun'
out of situations, and Paris expressed no desire to wonder about
his own fate, it is extremely unexpected (even though perfectly
appropriate) to see the equipment fail. This was irony at it's
best! Bravo! Back on the ship,
the 'B' story if you will is Vorrick. Tuvok begins to realize
what happened to Torres (something we new already), and
interrogates Vorrick. I found Tuvok's "..continue your
meditative efforts…" line very effective in telling
Vorrick that Torres is not the best way to solve his Pon Farr,
and he wouldn't have a chance with B'Leanna anyway. This scene
once again shows the Vulcan sensitivity that even Tuvok shares. Now, on the planet
the action begins to rise. The first thing I thought when Torres
discovered the power conduit, was that it was a Borg conduit, and
that perhaps the Borg had assimilated the abondoned colony above.
Of course the trailer for this episode brought that to my mind,
as did the knowledge that next week's episode is
"Unity". However, it was an even greater surprise to
see the aliens pop out of nowhere! I thought the camouflage was
excellent, and their appearance gave this scene a great sense of
suspense. The ensuing fight
scene was expected, but I enjoyed it. And I'm sure B'Leanna
enjoyed competing with Janeway's "tank-top" action hero
stuff! Also, seismograph alert? That sounded quite interesting,
but wasn't really elaborated upon, as more important things
awaited. Throughout the
entire show I had the lingering question, "how are they
going to tie in the Borg?" Although it didn't turn out to be
Borg Homeworld as I quickly realized, the tie-in became blatantly
apparent when the aliens revealed that their colony had been
destroyed by "unknown invaders," and that it only took
an hour. Now comes the
"holodeck cure" scene I'd been waiting for, and it was
not dissappointing. I found the conversation between the Doctor
and Vorrick entertaining- especially the Doctor's smirk and
pleased facial gesture when Vorrick agreed to try the therapy. I
also found the Doctor's 'out-witting the Vulcan' dialogue
entertaining. Later, when Vorrick claims to be free of the Pon
Farr as a result of the holdeck program, most Trek writers stop
there, and that's it- but not this time! Back on the
planet, the fight scenes between Tom and B'Leanna were very well
done! The acting was superb, and the dialogue excellent. I liked
how each argument scene eventually led up to the character
revelation about the two. The sexual tension was not tacky, and
was handled superbly, culminating in the excellent scene where
Torres seduces Paris, and when he finally realizes it's a rouse,
she kicks him away. This scene was intended to be very powerful,
and the writers succeeded in making it that way. When Janeway
inquires about Vorrick, and if the treatement will help B'Leanna,
the Doctor's comment that in Klingon marriages, the breaking of
the clavical bone is considered an honor of marriage was
excellent, and perpetuated Vorrick's rouse even more, making it
almost invisible to the audience. Finally they reach
the surface, but still can't communicate with the ship.
"Huh?" I said. Wonder why…(at this moment the wish
of a Borg/Voyager battle in orbit appeared in my mind, but I was
quickly brought back down to Earth, so to speak.) I loved the way
Tuvok euphemistically referred to "helping" Lt. Torres,
and how he and Chakotay walked off suggestively. The
"klingon sex" scene that followed was getting extremely
suspenseful, but then Vorrick stepped in and broke it off. This
caught me by complete surprise! (First time in a while the Trek
writers have done that) The Vulcan fight
scene was another unpredictable scene, especially when Tuvok
brushed it aside when talking with the Doctor (I thought there
might be a reason the Doc asked about it!) Paris and Vorrick were
about to fight it out, when Torres decided she'd fight for
herself, and Tuvok basically told Chakotay to get out of the way
and let them fight. My heart was racing at this point! But I
thought that Vorrick would stop the fight, and profess his wish
not to harm B'Leanna, but to my surprise, he didn't! (Kudos
Voyager writing staff!) The ending
turbo-lift scene was needed, and played out well. Once again, I
was surprised with B'Leanna's "be careful what you wish
for…" line as she strutted away. I'm glad to see this
character development between her and Paris, and look forward to
seeing it develop further. At last, the
"twist" I had been waiting for all hour long! The Borg
involvement revealed! I was almost as excited as during the
Vulcan Challenge scene! I knew what was going to happen, yet was
enthralled by the actuality of seeing it play out. The dead Borg
looked great, and it was certainly great to let my mind go wild
on the possibilities of finding more out about assimilation- and
to hear my theory about the 'invaders' corroborated! (Note to
Writers: next time, don't reveal the 'twist' in the trailer, it
could've been even better!) Overall
Verdict: Great to see most of the episode take place OFF the
Voyager interior set for once! Definitely the best Voyager since
"Future's End," and better in my opinion. Just about
everyone except Kes and Janeway had great parts (but I saw
someone suspiciously occupying Kim's station- has Kim been shoved
out an airlock? If so, I must say, I barely knew he was gone
throughout this excellent Voyager!) Acting:
Excellent. Robert McNeill gave a great performance, as well as
Roxann Dawson. Vorrick was also played extremely well (the
actor's name escapes me, but perhaps he is the Kim
replacement??). Being such a great ensemble piece, it was hard to
decide whose episode it was, but I think at the end I can safely
say it was a "Torres episode." Directing:
Superb. Kudos to the Paris / Torres scenes especially. Writing:
Fantastic. Great twists, kept interest, explored true Trekisms
(Pon Farr, etc.), but the highest accolade goes to whoever
realized we're getting sick of seeing the Voyager set! Rating: Solid 8.5
out of 10 Quote of the
Week: Torres: "What's wrong with him?" Doctor:
"In addition to a dislocated jaw…that's something I'll
have to discuss with the patient." Next Week: "Unity" Looks pretty awesome! Looks like well see
more of the new Borg Cube in this than we did in First Contact!
This week's lead-in was great, and it looks like this episode
will kick some butt! Fan Comments &
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