An episode with a lot of heart that does flounder a bit, but manages to come out pretty good. Tim Russ is, of course, the main attraction here as he plays a very different version of Tuvok. It's quite a startling change, but also really charming. I'm sure I'm not alone in preferring the childlike, emotional Tuvok we meet here instead of the usual one.
This is also a strong Neelix episode, a character that I typically dislike. However, it's episodes like this which really let us see what's going on underneath his cheerful, over-exuberant exterior that make me warm to him more. Neelix cares deeply about his friends (or in the case of Tuvok, "colleague") and his affection and attention towards people is not an act. For once, I really enjoyed spending time with him.
There are things about this which I didn't really like, though. The nature of the show means that Tuvok was always going to revert to his former self by the end, and even though there's a tease that he may have retained some of the "fun" Tuvok, I feel quite sure that it will never be mentioned again. Nor will his secret affection towards Neelix. It's a shame, it could have made for a really interesting premise to keep Tuvok this way and have him relearn what it means to be Vulcan over the course of time. Or even reject that entirely.
There was also a real missed opportunity to refer back to the events of the episode 'Tuvix', which this episode mirrors in many ways. That was also a strong Neelix/Tuvok pairing (literally) and ended with an unwanted surgical procedure. I'm amazed that the two characters didn't bring that shared experience up at any point. But that's what Voyager is: past events have little bearing on each episode, no matter how important they were, and I think the writers were always happy to stick to the assumption that viewers had never watched the show before.
Anyway, this was sweet and charming. The subplot with the invisible aliens was quite boring, and the deputy investigator was a really irritating character.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2018-09-03T11:07:58Z
An episode with a lot of heart that does flounder a bit, but manages to come out pretty good. Tim Russ is, of course, the main attraction here as he plays a very different version of Tuvok. It's quite a startling change, but also really charming. I'm sure I'm not alone in preferring the childlike, emotional Tuvok we meet here instead of the usual one.
This is also a strong Neelix episode, a character that I typically dislike. However, it's episodes like this which really let us see what's going on underneath his cheerful, over-exuberant exterior that make me warm to him more. Neelix cares deeply about his friends (or in the case of Tuvok, "colleague") and his affection and attention towards people is not an act. For once, I really enjoyed spending time with him.
There are things about this which I didn't really like, though. The nature of the show means that Tuvok was always going to revert to his former self by the end, and even though there's a tease that he may have retained some of the "fun" Tuvok, I feel quite sure that it will never be mentioned again. Nor will his secret affection towards Neelix. It's a shame, it could have made for a really interesting premise to keep Tuvok this way and have him relearn what it means to be Vulcan over the course of time. Or even reject that entirely.
There was also a real missed opportunity to refer back to the events of the episode 'Tuvix', which this episode mirrors in many ways. That was also a strong Neelix/Tuvok pairing (literally) and ended with an unwanted surgical procedure. I'm amazed that the two characters didn't bring that shared experience up at any point. But that's what Voyager is: past events have little bearing on each episode, no matter how important they were, and I think the writers were always happy to stick to the assumption that viewers had never watched the show before.
Anyway, this was sweet and charming. The subplot with the invisible aliens was quite boring, and the deputy investigator was a really irritating character.