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 | "Scientific Method"
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|| Airdate: October 29th, 1997 Written by: Sherry Klein and Harry "Doc" Kloor; Lisa Klink (teleplay) Directed by: David Livingston Short Take: Formulaic yet fun. Brief Summary:As members of the crew begin to have mysterious symptoms, Holodoc and Seven discover the ship is being monitored by aliens as part of an experiment. Left with no other way to stop these aliens, Janeway drives them away by sending the ship through a binary pulsar. Review: What a frustrating show. The show had so much going for it. Not only did the situation actually look desperate for the Intrepid crew of the USS Voyager this week, but the show was also pretty darn funny in places, and the Tom/B'elanna stuff was tolerable. But it hit a snag, a snag that two years ago might not be a problem, but in season four Voyager it shouldn't be happening. Let's use a little analysis and apply the scientific method. The symptoms are obvious. Similarity to a TNG show? Yes, three in fact - "Schisms," "Allegiance," and "Lonely Among Us." It even had a pulsar like "Allegiance" did Bad science, usually involving DNA? Uh-huh, this time placing UPC codes on the polypeptide pyramidine whatevers. A bottle story? Yep. Voyager will look all dressed next week for the Year of Hell despite the stroll through the pulsar, but the worse part was that the show never explained how things returned to normal with the ill members of the crew. The diagnosis? Voyager wants to be the next Next Generation, except with worse science and quirkier (or "Braganesque") plots, instead of being its own show. This could have been "Favorite Son," but dialogue and some sensible plotting saved the show. There was enough good humor all throughout the show - from Janeway's massage job to Chakotay and Neelix in Sick Bay to Tom and Harry at the end - to make the show not just watchable, but enjoyable to watch. So much enjoyment that you almost forget about the plot contrivances. There were a couple of snippets of dialogue that could have been changed (Kim saying "We made it!" stands out) but overall what the actors said seemed natural. The scene in a mess hall is a good example of this I think. Good work here, especially good since the show needed it. The plot, despite retreading over familar ground, actually was intense in places despite the predictable final result. It really didn't seem like the crew would make it this week. How, after all, could they stop these aliens from continuing their experiments? Though I question how Voyager survived the trip through the pulsar, the idea was set up nicely, both through the harmless hints about the pulsar's danger and Janeway's continuing anxious behavior. The ironic twist about her not handling the stress well in that situation was nice also. The episode was Halloweeny enough for my tastes, but with other problems, like the reset button pressed again, I can't help but feel that Voyager missed a shot at a truly excellent episode. Giving the episode the necessary Trek lesson (TM) was the speech by the captured alien, and while not treated with as much depth as I would have liked, it still worked. The point by the AOW about the needs of the many was quite good and very hard to counter. Janeway naturally replied with the party line about the treatment of animals, but it didn't have quite the impact it should have, and I'm glad it didn't. It's good to see an enemy who may be right, regardless of what Janeway says. Of course, the subplot was there too, and I'm not sure what to think about it. I for one do not mind the adolescent behavior, since even the writers admitted the behavior was adolescent. Besides, it seemed very much like the way B'elanna would really behave when concerning a relationship. But it does make the show seem a little silly when its one relationship is very teenagerish in nature and has been previously handled teenagerishly by the writers. Their scenes together had some funny moments - the what if there relationship was an alien experiment was nice - but somehow I still feel that, despite my personal enjoyment of what was done, the franchise was still somehow hurt by it. We'll wait and see. There were other good points. I thought the show made nice use of the entire ensemble, not giving anyone too many or too few lines. We need a couple of shows like that each year, and it gives the plot a little complexity. The Holodoc using the Renaissance set was a nice touch. The use of the scientific method, both by the aliens and in a token form by Doc and Seven, was nice too. Good to see they pay attention to titles. So all in all,a funny show, and even a little scary in places. But just as scary is the fact Voyager still seems fond of using TNG as a crutch four years into its existence. Voyager needs to expand the scope of its storylines as it did with "Nemesis," and maybe even once and awhile, as Steve Krutzler here has suggested, have an away team beam down to a planet! Voyager has writers who can write good dialogue (technobabble is another subject). Now they just need ideas. Some short takes: How did they do the Chakotay going bald effect? Amazing. Despite the dubious science, the graphics were once again nice this week, even if DNA isn't made up of nice and round pieces. Hmm... I thought Crusher had said that doctors had mapped the human brain. Guess that wasn't part of the Doc's holomatrix. Seven's scene with Torres went well. She continues to proceed according to plan. Overall Writing: Excellent bits of dialogue save a rehashed story. Acting: My word! Chakotay seemed relaxed! Directing:Nothing good, nothing bad. Rating: 8.2 out of 10.0 Quote: "Whatever happens, I still keep in mind, things could be worse. I still have my home here on Voyager, my friends..." "Your hair." -Chakotay and Neelix, comparing ailments. Next week: The Year of Hell, at family friendly 8 PM EST. Discuss This Episode and/or Review in the Fan Comm Link Discussion Board! | |
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