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 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
 | "Year of Hell Pt. 1"
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|| Airdate: November 5th, 1997 Written by: Joe Menosky and Brannon Directed by: Allan Kroeker Short Take: Spoilers or no spoilers, the reset button hung over this show like bad thunderstorm, and that certainly poured rain on a delightful parade of non-stop action and temporal hijinks. Brief Summary: Due to the meddling of Krenim captain Annorax, Voyager finds itself in a fight for its life inside Krenim space. Because of a temporal defense the crew creates, the ship interferes with the captain's attempt to restore the lives of his family through time manipulation, forcing a confrontation with him that leaves Tom and Chakotay captured and the crew having to abandon ship. Review:I was going to preface this by saying one should never, ever, read spoilers for big event shows. Then I realized, spoilers don't matter here. The preview said what was going to happen - explosions - and a candid world should be able to see that it is self-evident that all of what happened this week will be gone by next week, since Voyager can't make it too far in a wreck of a vessel or with its crew scattered throughout the Krenim Imperium. So, as much as I enjoyed the episode, I couldn't keep but remembering that this was all essentially a dream, and that none of this will really matter in the long run. Sort of like the quote from "Sacred Ground," where the lady tells Janeway, "Everything you've been through was absolutely meaningless." Just as Janeway didn't react too kindly to that, I don't react too kindly either to been given so much hype and having it ripped out from under me like a carpet by the end of next week. Nonethless, I have to admit I was thrilled by this classic example of Braga Trek. As much as every ounce of being in my body wants to trash this episode, I still have to sit back and smile. It was a very exciting hour, an hour as intense as previous temporal bonanzas like "Cause and Effect" and "Yesterday's Enterprise." Best of all, it had actual characters working together in the middle of mayhem. And it made two - count 'em - references to nautical history. So, despite the fact this episode was an intentional attempt at playing with our emotions through the worst possible way - disaster - I still found it to be quite enjoyable. The intro sequence was a bit too ID4-ish though. The shadow looming over the city along with "Day 1" probably had Emmerlich complaining about lifting ideas, and that says a lot considering what he's done during his career. The reason it's such a concern though is that it makes the enemy seem too boogeyman-ish. Captain Annorax (no, not anorexia!), while more than frightening, still needs a little polish. While I have no problem with Kurtwood Smith (indeed, he kicks butt), the character himself needed a little more motivation going. Yes, there was his desire to restore his family, but that seems a bit unoriginal, though certainly better than simply making him diabolical. In any regard, what we had - a completely ruthless enemy - was interesting, but we need to get some more out of him next week if he is to be truly intriguing. The temporal logic was actually logical in most places. I'm not sure how something is pushed out of space-time, but I'll accept it. The major question in my mind came after the first alteration. Voyager winds up in the middle of Krenim space fighting the same captain that was present in the other timeline. How is this so? How did Voyager make it so far into Krenim space? Was it just lifted into a new timeline? Doubtfully, since they all had pasts in the new timeline, as well as the dead ensign to show for it. A little bit of confusion here, and that especially hurts since wthout it we don't know what Janeway's motivations are considering that the ship was so far into enemy territory. If Janeway is just being reckless, then she's a moron. If she's suddenly fighting for survival, it's a whole other picture. A crucial plot point for some strange reason completely ignored. Most pleasing of all though in this wild plot was how Voyager became the target of Annorax's wrath. A defense shielding just enabled and used to defend against Krenim version number two got in the way of the calculations, that's all. No Voyager in the middle of a galactic crisis, no Voyager running into a missle programmed by B'elanna while she was in the AQ. A very innocuous set of circumstances ironically made possible by Annorax himself. And that just seems more realistic thn Voyager bumping into the wrong ship at the wrong time every week. Good work here. This plot approach worked because it allowed the big picture to take a step back and allow the various crises facing Voyager itself take over, thus allowing for some actual character development. And that was the show's strong suit. We got to see the little interactions of the crew. Seven and Tuvok. Paris and B'elanna. Kim and B'elanna. Janeway and Chakotay. Janeway and the whole crew. All these interactions in the midst of a crisis I thought were tremendous. One that stood out was Janeway's curt refusal to accept Chakotay's watch, despite the fact he had the best of intentions. It seemed so very like Chuckles to cross Janeway that way, and in a way that's sad, but it's also good. Janeway was being pigheaded, and I like that in a captain. Keep that up, please. The Doctor's characterization was best of all though. The decision on deck 5, though done before worked especially well for him. It was good to see that he had to deal with the issue, not just as a doctor but as a person. His speech to Tom was well-written, suggesting at first that he felt guilty before turning into a cold rationalization for detached emotion. Very nice. The show had other touches that worked well too, stuff that gets lost in those incredible explosions. The history references were great I e short takes: - Thanks to that stellar 30 second behind the scenes look at special FX, I think I'm ready to join the field myself. Not. -You know, I liked that Krenim captain. He was delightfully pompous and a treat to watch. -Tuvok's dilemma was well done. An innocent thing like shaving made compelling when we realize he is blind. Moments later, he insults Neelix. Very, very sad, and it's a shame it will be gone next week. Perhaps the highlight of the show. -Stellar cartography is happenin'. Personally, I'm glad they're using it just so we'll get to see shots taken from the Hubble Space Telescope, as in the case of a couple of shots seen there during the show. -Lost in Space be darned. Neelix came off terrible in the scene with blind Tuvok. Danger, danger of bad dialogue. Writing: Surprisingly strong characterization and a mostly logical plot. Work needs to be done in clearing up confusion, especially with regards to obvious issue like Kes. Acting: Stellar and phenomenal. Great work from Russ, Mulgrew, and Ryan. Heck, Chuckles had an emotion! Directing: Straightforward. Mojo deserves the credit here. Rating: 8.4 out of 10.0 Quote: "I never though I'd give this order. I never thought I'd break up the family. But asking you to stay... would be asking you to die." -Janeway, telling the crew to abandon ship. Next week: We'll see how creatively Braga and Menosky can reset everything. Discuss This Episode and/or Review in the Fan Comm Link Discussion Board! | |
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