526. DisplacedFORMULA: Sanctuary + Basics + The Chute
WHY WE LIKE IT: The matte paintings?
WHY WE DON'T: The romance most of all.
REVIEW: The totally forgettable plot concerns an alien race who take over ships, stations and colonies by beaming to them while simultaneously beaming a crew member to a prison ship. Masquerading as a weird mystery is the only thing particular about these aliens. That and the fact they hate light and cold. Even the prison ship idea can't be called original since we just got just such a concept at the start of the season.
The ship holds holographic habitats that supposedly keep the prisoner populations happy, with portals leading to all the Star Wars planets. I think a couple of very nice matte shots were wasted on them. We're talking about a series we've caught reusing matte shots from Angel One, after all. To get out of this dilemma is a simple matter of taking control of the super-transporter while Chakotay sabotages Voyager and keeps the aliens on their toes. More interestingly, the Doctor is used as a living tricorder. I really don't know how the Nyrians kept this ploy going for any length of time given the amount of time it takes the Voyager crew to totally own them. The ending feels rushed, especially if we're meant to believe that Voyager really forced the Nyrians to release all their stolen holdings. Where are the consequences?
The A-plot is something of a backdrop for the evolving B'Elanna-Tom Paris relationship. I'm not at all against it, and in the best of situations, they even have chemistry. But here it's played as a trite attempt at romantic comedy with Paris trying too hard to make her show her Klingon side, her resisting, and much ado about nothing. By the time they're blowing on each other's fingers, I'm done caring.
It's here stated that Voyager has 148 inhabitants. By my count it should be 143. The last total count was in The 37s, which set it at 152 (which might or might not have included the Doctor). I guess Janeway might have been talking about people other than herself and even a couple others she knew weren't leaving the ship. Recalibrating for 148 crew. End Nerdfest.
LESSON: Yeah, you really need the clamp.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium-Low: A gimmick that fails to sustain a memorable episode, and a badly written romance to boot. Watchable, but empty.
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