Starts with a very irritating Neelix but turns into a great story about friendship. And we see once again that this show can reach great heights if the focus on characters. Sadly these episodes are few and far between. Tim Russ is brilliant, he shows a completely different side.
If only the producers had the guts to stick with such a change, or at least would carry the effects over to the character, just once.
This Tuvok may not be Starfleet material, but he is a far better character. Tim Russ dies a wonderful job of adapting his character to be very non-Vulcan, yet still has some ties to Tuvok's personality.
Tuvok with a traumatic brain injury.
I love that we see further evidence of the bond that has formed between Neelix and Tuvok, and Tim Russ got a rare chance to show some of his acting range. The story about the xenophobic alien species is tertiary, this one is truly about character development.
I still hate this annoying little Hobbit. Big heart and good friend - or not. You can't convince me otherwise. Tuvok became more likable over the course of this episode. I always like to learn more about the Vulcan mind. I wonder if that's his "real" personality or if he's still confused due to his accident. Unfortunately, this show won't remember these events. Tuvok will be the same old same old Vulcan in the next episode. It's by design here, but still ... Voyager could be so much better w/o those isolated episodes.
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.