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One File Photo || Mission Log One, A Singular Sensation
Airdate: May 13, 1998 Written by: Jeri Taylor Directed by: Kenneth Biller In short: A great premise not as followed through upon as much as I would have liked, but still a strong hour Summary: Seven is in sole control of Voyager after the crew must be put in stasis to survive a nebula Review:"One" was Jeri Taylor's last episode writing for Voyager. Oh, she promises that she'll write a couple next year, but she also promised that season two would be good. I think she realized that it could be it with her and Trek, too, because she put a lot into this episode, as if it were her last show with the frachise. "One" I feel will go down as one of the season's best, particularly on the basis of a strong premise that, while not followed up on as much as I would have liked, proved to be an interesting idea to watch on screen. But "One" more importanly was outstanding because it was a unique example of such an unusual plot that was more concerned with characterization than quirky twists - something that gives me hope for season five. It really was a delicious premise, wasn't it? Sending the ship through a nebula with only Seven and Doc was plausible enough to let slide, especially since it had so much potential. Seven and Doc dislike each other, and the thought of them working together when problems hit had oh-so many possibilities. And c'mon, having the crew in stasis tubes was a cool idea, even if it was completely implausible considering the fact that the previous week they couldn't replicate deuterium. Just a great idea. Despite my hopes for the Doc-Seven interaction, at first I was irritated that so much was being spent on the little things, such as Seven learning yet again to fit in with the crew. Ok, I thought, this is nice comedy - but what's the point? Then I realized that the episode was pointless if it was only about an alien of the week bugging Voyager in the nebula. It was about Seven, and to a degree Doc, dealing with life alone, and to make that plausible such a view into their daily affairs needed to be shown. And scenes such as Seven coping with a holo copy of the crew, while done before, reemphasized how far she had to go, and how vulnerable she really was. That was the conflict of the show - not baddie aliens, but her feelings about herself on Voyager, and it worked most beautifully in one of the best ideas Voyager has ever done - the scene where Seven chooses to sacrifice herself for the crew. I'm not saying I was moved to tears by it, for reasons I'll explain below, but the idea itself on paper worked so well that I couldn't help but take a little pride in the Voyager people for once. Seven had finally come full circle, realized her place on the crew, and adopted a morality beyond mere "efficiency." This, not the campy "Raven," was Seven's great turning point, the moment where she became human. With that said, however, in retrospect I wish that all that had been better said. I'm not asking that they be heavyhanded - well, I might be - but too much of the episode was "weird dream stuff" and not "weird dream stuff with compelling significance." Yes, you have to have some in general weirdness with Braga-Trek, but I wanted a little more on Seven's struggle with individuality. The irony of her situation is that she was alone, yet in the end, she recognized her need to be a part of a larger collective. It is an interesting idea that just wasn't explored enough. Instead, we just got a half-treatment, with a nasty Borg taunting Seven on how she was all alone and how different she was from her old Borg self. It was all what she wasn't and not what she should be, and I think the episode would have been stronger if it had shown the direction she needed to go, instead of just relying on general terror. Of course, those apt to argue with me will point out that in the end Seven did decide to sacrifice her own life for the ship, so obviously the show was going somewhere. That's not my point. The reasoning for such a choice was not supported well enough - that's my problem. Character developments based on hallucinations bother me, and here the transition between decisions made on hallucination and personal choices felt rushed. While I do not deny that Seven's choice was very powerful - in fact, it made the episode - it could have been done far, far better. On paper at Mike Jonas's, Seven's choice came off as very, very powerful, just brilliant. On screen, not so. The sequence felt sudden, rushed, with no time to really get behind the rationale for Seven's choice. Don't argue with me, since after all Seven cut off life support and a matter of seconds later was on the floor gasping for breath. Evidently the show just ran out of time, and some dunderhead, presumably the director (sorry Kenneth), decided that those final scenes, and not "Tom escapes from his tube" had to be pared down. Sigh. One question does remain after watching "One" - namely, is this the future of Voyager? Yes, the episode had all the Braga Trek hallmarks, but in the final analysis "One" was a character episode. The premise however strong could have only worked with Seven in the driver's seat, showing that they're pairing plots with characters that work with them. I think this is all great. Season Four of Voyager has been schizophrenic, with nonsense like "Demon,"shows all idea and zero application, giving away to episodes like "One" that are fundamentally character pieces. Let's hope that "One" wins out in the end. Some short takes: - OK, Jeri Ryan just doesn't know Trek. A couple of weeks ago, she flubbed a stardate. This week, she referred to the nebula as the "Mutara Nebula." 'Fraid not, Seven - it's but a Mutara class. While on the subject of nebulae, good gosh! that nebula was huge. WHY did they not detect it earlier. All it would have taken to fudge the issue would have been making it a "dark matter" nebula. Then again, if Voyager's sensors can detect ther number of people on a planet three light years away, detecting mere dark matter would be nothing... -I am sorry, but Neelix knows NOTHING about warp cores Kim, from New Mexico?? ? Can't be he be from CHINA or KOREA? -One thing I forgot to mention - the opening sequence was BAD. I mean, people falling over on the floor, as if like dominoes? Can't they all get hurt at the same time? Very clumsy. And killing someone was trite, and made triter when no one seemed to care. Overall: A- Quote: Seven: "State the nature of your sexual relationship with Lt Paris" Torres: "Now wait a minute..." -Mainly slected because I loved the look on Torres's face! Next week: A three hour tour... Discuss This Episode and/or Review in the Fan Comm Link Discussion Board! | |||
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