492. MeldFORMULA: Eye of the Beholder + Field of Fire + Sarek + Rivals
WHY WE LIKE IT: Brad Dourif.
WHY WE DON'T: The technobabble pool.
REVIEW: When there's a murder aboard, there's very little likelihood that it isn't the work of Suder, a newly introduced character played by the ever so creepy Brad Dourif. And the episode doesn't send us on any red herrings. It's him all right. Not a whodunit then, but a whydunit. Except there is no reason. Sometimes violence is an end unto itself, as random as anything, which is why Tuvok can't understand it. Violence is not logical.
His obsession with figuring out the murder (down to 146 crew, by the way) will lead him to mindmeld with Suder, lending him clarity, while taking on violent impulses that are impossible to control. After he murders Neelix (not really, but I'm sure you enjoyed that) and trashes his quarters, he undergoes therapy that removes the normal Vulcan emotional blocks. Tim Russ was doing a good job of subtly changing Tuvok's performance before this point (fidgeting, pacing and counseling execution), but after it, it's a thoroughly intense performance, going through every emotion and being very nasty indeed. An emotional Vulcan has never been so chilling. How much of that rant was due to the Suder meld and how much was Tuvok's own opinions?
As for Suder himself, he's a really great character, consumed by a violence he understands but cannot manage. The Doctor (who is a far better investigator than Tuvok throughout) says he's not psychotic, but that seems doubtful. Certainly, there's something abnormal about a Betazoid who can't feel even his own emotions. And despite his deranged actions, he's not a "bad guy". He honestly counsels Tuvok against going down the same dark road and acknowledges that his execution is what's best for the ship. He knows he's a danger to the others. It's actually pretty brave of the show to not have him die at the end of the episode (keeping that for later).
There's also a subplot about Tom acting like Quark all of a sudden, and it's unfortunate that it has no connection to the rest of the episode. It seems like shoehorned padding, and clashes next to the beautifully directed A-story (Voyager never looked so shadowy). Now, I happen to know that this is the start of a small arc in order to draw out Michael Jonas who's been feeding the Kazon information, but it's inorganic in its introduction. It's also too bad that the antagonism between Chakotay and Paris was never developped (and developped for REAL) after being established in the pilot. It would have been interesting to see this play out naturally.
LESSON: Well, killing off Neelix didn't make me happy, so I guess I like the little guy. You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.
REWATCHABILITY - High: A high mark for Voyager with strong performances, a memorable guest-star who still doesn't steal the show, and a theme worthy of exploration. A chilling tale even the awkward subplot can't touch.
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