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 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
 | "Nemesis"
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|| Airdate: September 24, 1997 Written by: Kenneth Biller Directed by: Alexander Singer Short Take: One of the most creative approaches to Star Trek in recent memory, "Nemesis" starts off sluggish but redeems itself to provide a powerful but troubling message about the nature of war. Brief Summary: Commander Chakotay finds himself recruited to fight in a war that is not his own, only to come to accept the cause he is fighting for as right. The truth, however, is far stranger, as he is actually the victim of an indoctrination program that seeks to utilize his prejuidices and manipulate him into a weapon of war. Review: I must admit that I am somewhat partial to this episode automatically simply because it tries to be so different. Little touches, like the short intro sequence, the focus of the episode almost entirely on events planetside, and particularly that work done with alien dialogue make "Nemesis" memorable simply on the grounds of it being experimental. I personally find that extremely refreshing, for it shows to me to that Voyager's writers are not committed to any one formula of show, and that is the attitude they must have if they want to be a truly successful series. But most refreshing about "Nemesis" was the subject matter it dealt with. Voyager has had a string of very good episodes lately, but only one - "Distant Origin" - was truly one of those famous Trek "issue" episodes. Up to this point in season four, we have had some very thought provoking ideas, particularly with Seven of Nine, but none were placed within the context of anything we're aware of, making them very hard to apply to our daily affairs. "Nemesis"reverses that trend by offering a powerful story not just about war, but also about how easy an alternative hate truly can be. I must admit I had my qualms in the beginning. The first fifteen minutes seemed to last thirty, and were going nowhere, thanks mainly to half-incomprehensible dialogue. I expected the usual cliches and they arrived on time, from the wide-eyed "novice" dying in his first battle to Chakotay becoming attached to the little girl. From a dramatic standpoint, this was extremely worrisome, as the episode seemed only to exist to get Chakotay out of a bad situation, something that belonged to "The Sentinel" more than it did "Voyager." Lo and behold, there was a master plan at work. Those cliches were there for a reason - to trick us into thinking what we wound up thinking. A very convenient excuse for the writer Biller, but also borderline genius one as well. Yes, the Kradin were ugly, but they were ugly for a reason. We perceive being ugly as bad, and that formed a powerful contrast with the more muddled reality of the situation. As the Defenders were subtlely manipulating Chakotay, Biller was subtely manipulating us - and it worked beautifully. Many will criticize the show because of the plot revelation, but they miss the point. Their reasoning is that the show is Star Trek and thus will have a plot twist at the end, so when the surprising thing happens it should be dismissed as expected. But they ignore what is dramatically necessary to the plot. Just as "The Search II" revealed to us the mindset of the Founders through their mindgame, "Nemesis" showed us how easy reality can be manipulated to serve destructive ends. Having everything be a hallucination isn't bad if it works. Unfortunately, all this substance will likely not be as well remembered as the language used by the Defenders. As a premise, all I can say is "It's about time!" It's already a stretch to assume that the Universal Translator will splice every word into our English, idioms aside. Giving the language a little native touch, a little personality to it, is a good thing. This is not to say that I want to hear the words "footfalls," "trunks," and "glimpses" anytime soon, but suffice it to say that I was pleased that Biller was using the most basic of societal functions - language - to scratch underneath a culture further than we usually get on Voyager. This is not to say I found it to be perfect. Personally, I found it tiresome and embarassing to watch in places, particularly in the beginning. Thanks, but I don't want to dream of my mothers and sisters. I don't blame that on the writer as much as I do the atrocious casting though. This week's guest actors were probably the worst Voyager has had since "Rise," and as a result everything relating to them must be considered with their lack of acting in mind. But more importantly, the language's function was to show how Chakotay was progressing as an initiate. As he began to speak more and more the way they spoke, he became more and more pliable to their every need. A simple symbol, yes, but simple symbols are the ones most easily understood. It was in very many ways equivalent to cult indoctrination, as they gave Chakotay clothes for him to wear, provided him with nourishment, offered emotional support, and gave him a vernacular to speak. Yes, Biller may have used a thesaurus one time too many, but the thought behind using that thesaurus more than makes up for it. Best of all, however, was the ending. Nothing beats a touch of sudden ambiguity to end an episode with. Trek too often wraps things up nice and tidy in the end, but here they could get away with it, and they chose to do so. First, they made it unclear as to who was guilty in the war. Was it the Kradin? Was it the Defenders? Or both? Or elements of each? Was the war like so many others, where everyone gets their hands dirty? Finger pointing would have only created an extra plot complication. Leaving the issue up in the air points out that there may not be a correct answer after all. We left Chakotay, too, with a bit of ambiguity. The effects of Chakotay's brainwashing can be dealt with off screen, so I am not worried about continuity. I am pleased though with how they presented his problem. Having the Kradin refer to the Defenders as the "Nemesis"would shake me up too if I went through what Chakotay went through. All the reasoning Tuvok can provide won't get that feeling out of my system. Yes, it was touched on just briefly, but that expression on Beltrans' face - his best acting this year - proved more than sufficient in conveying how deep the ill-ease in being unable to trust your own feelings can be. "Nemesis," with its experimental approaches to presenting an episode of Trek, could have been a disaster. But somewhere halfway through it transformed itself into a powerful character drama - not a character drama about Chakotay, but one about all of us. We all have that potential to hate, and Nemesis showed how easily it can happen, cloaked in the name of justice. We only need to look to the obvious example of Nazi Germany to understand that people do accept authority far too easily, and as a result fail to remove themselves from a situation and examine it fully. I personally find that frightening, and that made me reexamine myself and my own attitude after he show. And that is what Star Trek is all about. Some short takes: - The "Tom as eager hero" sideplot rang false, primarily because nothing was ever done to explain why Tom felt so guilty about Chakotay disappearing. - Notice Voyager's orbital shot? Once again, Foundation does excellent work, even with the little things like this. - Okay, okay, the aliens did look like the Predator, or at least the Predator bred with a Nausicaan. There's only so much money in the makeup budget, and they've evidently spent it all already on Seven. Writing: Inventive to say the least, with a few slow spots, but overall quite good. Acting: Beltran shined, not because of his acting, but because his supporting cast was wretched. Directing: A little weak in spots, as the jungle seemed too dark and confused. We'll be nice and presume that was the director's intent. Rating: 9.4 out of 10.0 Quote: - Next week: You've seen the preview; come up with your own one-liner. Discuss This Episode and/or Review in the Fan Comm Link Discussion Board! | |
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