 |
||
 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
 | "Rise"
- Week of Feb. 24th - Feb. 28th File Photo
|| Airdate: February
26th, 1997 Written by: Jimmy
Diggs (story) & Brannon Braga (teleplay) Directed by:
Robert Scheerer Brief Summary:
While assisting a planet being bombarded by asteroids, a
startling revelation is discovered about the bombardment while
Tuvok and Neelix must use an orbital tether to escape an
inhospitable ravaged planet. Review The trailer for
"Rise" was so bad it sprung ears or corn. Obviously
trying to cash in on the NBC "Asteroid" mania this
trailer demonstrated how Voyager is trying to appeal to the
uninitiated. Adding to this were a writer and director only doing
their second episode of Voyager. Jimmy Diggs is responsible for
that season one catastrophe known as "Elogium," and
director Robert Scheerer has only directed one other mediocre
show, "State of Flux." But these uncertainties were
nowhere to be found in "Rise." Not only did this
story challenge the fragile relationship between Tuvok and
Neelix, but also it introduced an entirely new technology to the
Trek universe that provided the perfect situation for the
development between the two heroes of this episode. Obviously the
entire opening sequence was meant to appeal to the few
"Asteroid" fans that had tuned in, but it nevertheless
got the show off the ground pretty well. A recurring motif in
Trek lately is introducing the primary plot line later and after
the 'B' story. The main thread in this episode was obviously the
conflict between Neelix and Tuvok as they try to get off the
planet surface in an orbital tether car. We saw this alluded to
early on when Neelix told the Doctor his intentions to prove
himself to Tuvok. The entire concept
of the tether was fascinating to me and mystery surrounding the
scientist was perfectly placed. Frankly I didn't see the point of
that hostile woman, except to suck more oxygen to raise the
tension level. With this episode, I think it important to
distinguish the climax from the resolution. I feel that the point
when Neelix assumed command and confronted Tuvok was the climax,
with the rest of the action simply falling towards the ultimate
resolution (which, by the way, didn't come in the last five
minutes; a rare nicety in Voyager). All the animosity between
Tuvok and Neelix explodes after coming to a forefront because of
Tuvok's inappropriate assumption of command and disregard for the
others' opinions in the tether car. This scene was
very well acted and directed. The anger really came through, even
from the static Vulcan. When Tuvok accepts the task of going up
to check out the roof of the car, we really see how Neelix truly
wants to impress Tuvok when he reveals that he really likes
Tuvok, and wishes the Vulcan liked him. I think this fascination
for Tuvok is mainly because the two characters are almost
complete opposites of each other, emotionally and so they bring
out the best in each of them. After the fight
scene outside the tether car, the basic story picks up with
action and suspense. This action continues thoroughly with the
following scenes of Tuvok struggling to hold his position outside
the door. Mr. Sclar got sucked out in a rather exciting fashion.
After such betrayal, I was happy to see him plummet to his death
and was applauding inside. Tuvok manages to reveal a little
compassion, thanking Neelix for opening the door. We see here
that Neelix carries through his previous speech, acknowledging
Tuvok's attempt at inter-personal skills. The 'B' story on
Voyager was less than entertaining really because from the
beginning it was predictable that the asteroid bombardment was
not natural. Janeway certainly seems to be getting her
"battle stations…" line in their every episode. I
find it a little tiring though now because in every trailer they
slip in "battle stations," and it just doesn't have the
same punch it used to. I found this secondary story adequate, but
basically the only purpose of it was to give a situation in which
the Neelix/Tuvok relationship could be explored. Not that there's
anything totally wrong with that. My main concern is that since
this appeared to be the only real motivation for the story (that
and the recent hype about asteroids), the bottom line is that the
events occurring here exclusive of the personal character
development really have no bearing on future episodes. But unlike
last weeks' "Darkling," this episode at least has SOME
worth while and major consequences for the future of Tuvok and
Neelix. The ending scene
of this episode was true testament to TOS, and unlike many of
these attempts in early TNG episodes, it really worked this time.
Almost parallel to the Spock/McCoy antagonism, but of course
different. And now, some
minor points: -
"Tri-Ox" compound was given to the people in the tether
car by Tuvok to help them adapt to the thinner air. Didn't Spock
give Kirk some "Tri-Ox" for that same reason in
"Amok Time?" Great continuity of the Star Trek
universe. - The entire
concept of the tether was something completely original, and
while it helped make the episode more interesting, I wish we had
seen/heard more of/about it. - The brief
interaction and lack of chemistry between Kes and Neelix in the
beginning was completely unnatural and obviously the writers are
saying they wish the relationship had never occurred. They
continue to handle this terribly. Writing:
Great character development, fresh ideas introduced, and
continuity used. Good job. Directing:
Great job. Only real scene where the director's ability is seen
is the Tuvok/Neelix confrontation, and it is done very well. Acting:
Brilliant performance by Ethan Phillips! His best performance to
date. Overall
Verdict: Voyager continues this season's success with fresh
ideas, and great character dialogue and development. Rating: 6.8
out of 10 "Where's
Tuvok?" "Mr.
Tuvok.....returned to the surface." Alien to Sclar Next Week: "Future's End" returns, get your VCRs out if you missed
it the first time! Fan Comments &
Reviews | |
|
|
||
|
NAVIGATION PADD | ||
| ||