Compelling stuff and a great showcase for Robert Picardo, who remains the best character on the show. Jeri Ryan also gets some good material. It's quite a flawed episode, though, because in so many ways none of it makes sense.
The Doctor entering some weird feedback loop because he had to choose between two patients doesn't have a satisfactory explanation. It's something that he must have already done before by this point, and I don't see why it makes him go loopy. I'm happy that the issue of whether a he is a sentient being with rights or not is addressed, but that it's only just happening in the fifth season is nuts. It should have come up much MUCH earlier, and Janeway dismissing him as being no different from a replicator is frankly obscene given what she knows about him by this point. I'm fairly sure she's defended his rights in the past. A further demonstration of her inconsistent character and general disregard for individuality among the crew.
It's also really stupid that the Ensign who died was a character that we as an audience had never seen before.
But it's an easy episode to get wrapped up in, and having the Doctor take the lead usually leads to fun. The mystery is never particularly mysterious, I can't be the only one who immediately figured out that the crew were the ones erasing his memories. It's more about the character, and there's an additional strong scene for Seven when she rightly confronts Janeway about her decision.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2018-07-14T21:29:38Z
Compelling stuff and a great showcase for Robert Picardo, who remains the best character on the show. Jeri Ryan also gets some good material. It's quite a flawed episode, though, because in so many ways none of it makes sense.
The Doctor entering some weird feedback loop because he had to choose between two patients doesn't have a satisfactory explanation. It's something that he must have already done before by this point, and I don't see why it makes him go loopy. I'm happy that the issue of whether a he is a sentient being with rights or not is addressed, but that it's only just happening in the fifth season is nuts. It should have come up much MUCH earlier, and Janeway dismissing him as being no different from a replicator is frankly obscene given what she knows about him by this point. I'm fairly sure she's defended his rights in the past. A further demonstration of her inconsistent character and general disregard for individuality among the crew.
It's also really stupid that the Ensign who died was a character that we as an audience had never seen before.
But it's an easy episode to get wrapped up in, and having the Doctor take the lead usually leads to fun. The mystery is never particularly mysterious, I can't be the only one who immediately figured out that the crew were the ones erasing his memories. It's more about the character, and there's an additional strong scene for Seven when she rightly confronts Janeway about her decision.