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Prey File Photo
|| Biting Off More than She Chew Airdate: February 18, 1998 Written by: Brannon Braga Directed by: Allan Eastman Short Take: It couldn't have been more clumsily presented, but "Prey" manages to offer an intriguing moral dilemma that culminates in a surprisingly strong clash between Janeway and Seven Brief Summary:An injured Hirogen is brought aboard Voyager... along with the injured creature he was hunting, Species 8472 Review:The Hirogen Arc has both met and belied expectations. On one hand, we were expecting an essentially grunting, smelly sort of enemy with zero depth and even less intelligence... and that's what we got. But along the way, we've had some surprisingly strong characterizations as well, with "Message," "Hunters," and now "Prey" conveying the message that Voyager's writers do care about the people they are writing about. Had Voyager's writers cared about a realistic enemy as much, we might have had an A episode, the second week in a row Voyager got close but couldn't go in for the kill (sorry). Nonetheless, "Prey" is still a very strong show and is another sign that season four may very well be Voyager's best ever - and it's not even done yet. Let's just clear those irritating Hirogen out of the way first. The opening sequence, while nice in that it showed no Voyager characters (It's not that they're bad, I just don't like "bridge banter"), was simply awful. So bad me and my friends were making sexual innuedos about it all while watching it. Let's just say that when Alpha Hirogen began talking about the "moment" and started slugging that big ol' gun around, we were all bawling in laughter. The dialogue was hammy, stitled - pathetic. Every single cliche in the book was used, from the nomadic lifestyle of this hunting race to the resort to the use of anachronistric weapons because "they make the hunt more exciting." All true, but I could have written that in my sleep. For a "moment" I thought I was going to throw up. The sad thing is, we had Tony Todd, an absolutely awesome actor, to work with. He doesn't like that soft rock mess (censored!), if you recall that movie "The Rock." His acting was wonderful here as well, and it's a shame that he joined James Sloyan as the only guest actor to be in all three modern Treks with the pitiful role he had here. We learned nothing about his species through him, just that he was tough, gnarly, and all of those other things. Instead, to tell us about the Hirogen Braga used Commander Chakotay, in another moment of brilliant insight (along with the "It's a trap" line and another scene about Hirogen culture, he had three such moments this episode), remarking how the Hirogen are "nomadic" and "live for the hunt." Thank you, Commander Doofus, but we learned that last week. It was so bad in places I wondered if "Hunters" and "Prey" were accidently flipped. Sometimes I seriously question why Beltran, bad actor though he may be, doesn't just pull a Terry Farrell and go, because Commander Chakotay is a zero of a character and season four has done little to change that. "Prey" was the quintessential example of that. What would be a Braga episode without bad science and dubious plot logic? The Hirogen chase 8472 to an asteroid full of moss! Their physiologies apparently can withstand the vacuum of space, since their faces are left exposed! Tom sees a helmet... and despite the fact he picks it up, he doesn't know it has a head in it until he looks right at it! And how exactly to you survive swimming through the neutronium mantle of a collapsed star? As for the plot itself, at times I wonder who actually repairs Voyager, for once again we have the ship about to fall apart, just in time for it to be brand spanking new next week. Can't we give the Hirogen weapons that only disable energy systems but blow nothing up? That would solve both long term and shirt term plot problems. Yet Braga and other Voyager writers insist on the technobabble and the explosions whenever they can. This makes no sense. IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST WRITERS TO KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. UPN has already dumbed down the show enough, now finish the job! Ah, but what character interaction between Janeway and Seven. So good it actually *is* the episode. The mother and daughter are having a spat, and this time almost everyone got burned. It worked for two reasons. One, the dialogue was dead on. Yes, Braga did write it, and no, the world will not end. And it had so many nice touches to it! Janeway isn't trying to force morality on Seven - she wants Seven to grow as a human, at least from a certain point of view. The story she told about her mission during the Cardassian conflict was nice I thought, because it gave her a backstory I knew nothing of while making a good point. Her terse treatment of Seven at the end, dealing with the consequences and not the rationalizations, was dead on too. Seven worked great as well, constantly making sure her position was known, forewarning that a clash was going to happen before it actually did. Her motivations and Janeway's motivations were both just absolutely *great* without making Seven look like a brat or Janeway like Fraulein Kathryn. Great work here. The second reason it worked is because it dealt with actual issues. Both sides are trying to save lives, and the difficulty lies in the fact that too much is in the air with regards to the dilemma for either side to know enough to be actually right. Janeway is saving a being, and her helping him helps her feel better with herself while also potentially making a new friend. Seven has a point though as well, since discretion is the better side of valor and it is out-and-out foolish to kill a shipful of people to save an enemy. But it's more than that. It worked because it had actual personalities clashing to go with the dilemma. Seven is an individual, and she believes she can use that idea to justify any disagreement she has with Janeway. Janeway feels there is a *right* thing to do, no matter what the consequences. The moral dilemma in "Prey," surprisingly enough, turns out to be one of Voyager's strongest ever because of the fact it used characters with actual beliefs to back up the positions. The final scene, where Seven argued that Janeway was actually scared of Seven because Seven was both correct and capable, went over like gangbusters. Sorry, but I've always wanted to use that phrase. My point is, we have two characters with beliefs strong enough to actually clash for once, and it results in a life being lost! This is amazing for Voyager! While I feel the situation during Seven's decision to beam off Tony Todd (Alpha Hirogen is no name!) and the 8472 offers her some defense, I am glad Braga did give this episode some repercussions beyond making the Hirogen even angrier. Again, great work. On paper, this episode sounds like the worst of everything - a crummy enemy meets another crummy enemy in a hyped up shoot-out just in time for sweeps. But, as with "Year of Hell," the much-maligned (and often rightfully so) Brannon Braga pulls out some surprisingly strong characterizations to make up for the thin plot and science. Onward to "Retrospect," which from my perspective looks to be either a)really compelling or b)really insulting. Then again, after the last three episodes, with both points good and bad to them, it will likely turn out to be none of the above. Some short takes: - Once again, I do not see Voyager until Fridays now, meaning I can't get Voyager reviews up until Saturday! Jamahl hasn't done his, neither has the Snorf, neither has Ashley Miller (surprise), neither has Lynch... well, screw him, he doesn't know what he's missing. - I thought the CGI was fair considering some interaction with the actors was required. Frankly I am not convinced by it, but 8472 still had good detail to its body. The engineering scene, because of the bright light, was the least convincing. -I enjoyed Seven and Doc's conversation in sickbay, not only because of the humor, but also because it's helping futher a rather logical relationship. Seven is like what Doc was, and I hope the upcoming "One" develops things further between the two. - Seven said 8472 would disable the Borg's central power matrix. The Borg don't have a central power! Braga!!!!! - Was that a pointless Neelix scene, or all Neelix scenes pointless? Actually, Neelix has had a good year, which is why using him as an excuse for Tuvok to have visions (his cooking should have caused them) seems like a waste for once. Rating: B+ Quote:"I'm a hologram. I cannot be folded, spindled, or mutilated." The Doctor, with yet another pithy line Next week: My God, Seven is possibly raped and they're treating it as a media event. Burn in hell, UPN, and lose the rest of your affiliates. Discuss This Episode and/or Review in the Fan Comm Link Discussion Board! | |
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