Do you wish to copulate?
Sep. 16th, 2010 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lunabee34Voyager watching continues, and I remain impressed with the consistent quality of the episodes. Is there a clunker now and again? Sure, but overall, this show delivers time after time.
I think it owes much of its success to a few key things: the true ensemble nature of the cast, the really in-depth character work, and the unflinching look at difficult and often unanswerable questions. Maybe that's my favorite thing of all. Voyager's willingness to embrace ambiguity and to subvert the expected.
"Before and After"
I really enjoyed Kes's character very much and was irritated at the way they shunted her character off to the side in the handful of episodes before she left the show. I also hate when shows film important plot points, like oh I don't know say, main characters ending a relationship, and then CUT THEM FROM THE EPISODE! so that all the subsequent episodes seem slightly off and faintly ridiculous. Although I was really into Kes/Neelix, I'm not upset that they split. I am upset that that split wasn't even dignified with any screen time. WTF, show?
However, I am so glad that Kes got to have an episode as awesome as this one before she phased out to parts unknown. "Before and After" is my absolute favorite kind of sci-fi story--that achy sort of what-if, full of teamy goodness and glimpses of the future that may or may not come true. How much must it have hurt Kes to know that her daughter would never be born or her grandson, that she would never fall in love with Tom and have a family, that Harry would never love her daughter? Such a bittersweet thing, to know that she can tell them enough information to keep B'Elanna alive and perhaps keep the ship from that terrible Year of Hell altogether, but that to do so is to destroy the future she envisioned. Wow.
"Real Life"
Lorraine heartily endorses this angst-fest. I think Robert Picardo can pretty much do no wrong ever. He's such a scene stealer, even as wimpy, whiny SG-1 era Woolsey. And I am continually fascinated by his quest to improve himself, to push the boundaries and limitation of his programming, to experience as much of life as he can.
This episode starts out funny, right? The doctor wants to know what it's like to have a family, so he programs one to stroke his ego and make his dinner and keep his home in perfect harmony. But real people aren't like that, and it's amusing to watch Be'Elanna call him out on his fantasy world. At first, the changes she makes to the program are funny, too. They're over-the-top, sitcome cliches--predictable and silly and discomfitting to the doctor in the extreme. And then things take a turn for the unexpected, for the poignant.
I love the way Paris spells it out for the doc:
"You created that program so you could experience what it's like to have a family. The good times and the bad. You can't have one without the other."
"I fail to see why not."
"Think about what's happened to us here aboard Voyager. Everyone left people behind, and everyone suffered a loss. But look how it's brought us all closer together. We found support here, and friendship, and we've become a family, in part because of the pain we share. If you turn your back on this program, you'll always be stuck at this point. You'll never have the chance to say goodbye to your daughter. Or to be there for your wife and son when they need you. And you'll be cheating yourself out of their love and support. In the long run, you'll miss the whole point of what it means to have a family."
"Distant Origin"
What a great episode! The beginning reminds me so much of that episode of Dexter's Lab in which Dexter and Dee Dee are observed by the narrator of a wildlife show. It's amusing to watch the saurian aliens interpret Tom and B'Elanna's posturing as part of a mating ritual.
And then, like so many other episodes, this one takes a sharp turn into the unexpected. One of the things I love most about Star Trek is the way it showcases modern issues through the lens of aliens! spaceships! future! It's a way of distancing ourselves from the present just enough to clearly see ourselves.
As a Victorianist, I am particularly drawn to this episode. How do you maintain faith in the face of advancing science and evolving technology? In what ways is progress destructive, and is that destruction always positive?
"Worst Case Scenario"
I totally wanna be BFF with this episode liek whoa. It's about the writing process! And narrative! And fandom! And collaboration (complete with artistic differences and Seska's flame war!)!
I love that the blended crew has come far enough that the potentially divisive nature of the holo program doesn't cause any problems. And I love that rather than squashing the program as you might expect, Janeway orders them to finish the damn thing.
"Day of Honor"
Love love love love love all the stuff with the Borg in the first episodes. Love that Janeway, who's appalled at the possibility of forming an Alliance with the Kazon jumps right on into one with the Borg. She's come a long way, baby. I love that Chakotay thinks they're making a mistake, and I love that he's right. I also love that their relationship is such that they can survive this difference of opinion. But all that happens before this episode.
In this episode, we get to see the uncomfortable fall out of Borg invasion--not the Federation flagship visiting a ravaged planet with food and meds for all, not the survivors of Wolf 359, defeated but unbroken. No. Here we get desperate people who are starving and who are unscrupulous in their desperation. Here we get the humanitarians without enough handouts to go around. Here we have the generous who cannot afford to give anymore.
Powerful stuff, y'all.
We also get the shippiest Tom/B'Elanna episode to date. At first, I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like this pairing very much. The whole "I like you but I'm pushing you away and now I'm being a belligerent butthole and I hate you but really I like you and I'm taking all my toys over here and sticking out my tongue and crying while I masturbate off screen" was really getting on my ever freaking last nerve.
Now that that mess is over, I am really digging their relationship. There's nothing like clutching each other in the vasty emptiness of space and waiting to die to bring on the love.
"Revulsion"
This is one of my favorite episodes of the series so far.
The hologram that sends the distress call is so freaking creepy. I hardly ever get actually creeped out by Star Trek, but that actor killed the part. *shivers* So tense and suspenseful.
Also loved the byplay between 7 and Harry. Josh and I lost our shit multiple times.
I think it owes much of its success to a few key things: the true ensemble nature of the cast, the really in-depth character work, and the unflinching look at difficult and often unanswerable questions. Maybe that's my favorite thing of all. Voyager's willingness to embrace ambiguity and to subvert the expected.
"Before and After"
I really enjoyed Kes's character very much and was irritated at the way they shunted her character off to the side in the handful of episodes before she left the show. I also hate when shows film important plot points, like oh I don't know say, main characters ending a relationship, and then CUT THEM FROM THE EPISODE! so that all the subsequent episodes seem slightly off and faintly ridiculous. Although I was really into Kes/Neelix, I'm not upset that they split. I am upset that that split wasn't even dignified with any screen time. WTF, show?
However, I am so glad that Kes got to have an episode as awesome as this one before she phased out to parts unknown. "Before and After" is my absolute favorite kind of sci-fi story--that achy sort of what-if, full of teamy goodness and glimpses of the future that may or may not come true. How much must it have hurt Kes to know that her daughter would never be born or her grandson, that she would never fall in love with Tom and have a family, that Harry would never love her daughter? Such a bittersweet thing, to know that she can tell them enough information to keep B'Elanna alive and perhaps keep the ship from that terrible Year of Hell altogether, but that to do so is to destroy the future she envisioned. Wow.
"Real Life"
Lorraine heartily endorses this angst-fest. I think Robert Picardo can pretty much do no wrong ever. He's such a scene stealer, even as wimpy, whiny SG-1 era Woolsey. And I am continually fascinated by his quest to improve himself, to push the boundaries and limitation of his programming, to experience as much of life as he can.
This episode starts out funny, right? The doctor wants to know what it's like to have a family, so he programs one to stroke his ego and make his dinner and keep his home in perfect harmony. But real people aren't like that, and it's amusing to watch Be'Elanna call him out on his fantasy world. At first, the changes she makes to the program are funny, too. They're over-the-top, sitcome cliches--predictable and silly and discomfitting to the doctor in the extreme. And then things take a turn for the unexpected, for the poignant.
I love the way Paris spells it out for the doc:
"You created that program so you could experience what it's like to have a family. The good times and the bad. You can't have one without the other."
"I fail to see why not."
"Think about what's happened to us here aboard Voyager. Everyone left people behind, and everyone suffered a loss. But look how it's brought us all closer together. We found support here, and friendship, and we've become a family, in part because of the pain we share. If you turn your back on this program, you'll always be stuck at this point. You'll never have the chance to say goodbye to your daughter. Or to be there for your wife and son when they need you. And you'll be cheating yourself out of their love and support. In the long run, you'll miss the whole point of what it means to have a family."
"Distant Origin"
What a great episode! The beginning reminds me so much of that episode of Dexter's Lab in which Dexter and Dee Dee are observed by the narrator of a wildlife show. It's amusing to watch the saurian aliens interpret Tom and B'Elanna's posturing as part of a mating ritual.
And then, like so many other episodes, this one takes a sharp turn into the unexpected. One of the things I love most about Star Trek is the way it showcases modern issues through the lens of aliens! spaceships! future! It's a way of distancing ourselves from the present just enough to clearly see ourselves.
As a Victorianist, I am particularly drawn to this episode. How do you maintain faith in the face of advancing science and evolving technology? In what ways is progress destructive, and is that destruction always positive?
"Worst Case Scenario"
I totally wanna be BFF with this episode liek whoa. It's about the writing process! And narrative! And fandom! And collaboration (complete with artistic differences and Seska's flame war!)!
I love that the blended crew has come far enough that the potentially divisive nature of the holo program doesn't cause any problems. And I love that rather than squashing the program as you might expect, Janeway orders them to finish the damn thing.
"Day of Honor"
Love love love love love all the stuff with the Borg in the first episodes. Love that Janeway, who's appalled at the possibility of forming an Alliance with the Kazon jumps right on into one with the Borg. She's come a long way, baby. I love that Chakotay thinks they're making a mistake, and I love that he's right. I also love that their relationship is such that they can survive this difference of opinion. But all that happens before this episode.
In this episode, we get to see the uncomfortable fall out of Borg invasion--not the Federation flagship visiting a ravaged planet with food and meds for all, not the survivors of Wolf 359, defeated but unbroken. No. Here we get desperate people who are starving and who are unscrupulous in their desperation. Here we get the humanitarians without enough handouts to go around. Here we have the generous who cannot afford to give anymore.
Powerful stuff, y'all.
We also get the shippiest Tom/B'Elanna episode to date. At first, I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like this pairing very much. The whole "I like you but I'm pushing you away and now I'm being a belligerent butthole and I hate you but really I like you and I'm taking all my toys over here and sticking out my tongue and crying while I masturbate off screen" was really getting on my ever freaking last nerve.
Now that that mess is over, I am really digging their relationship. There's nothing like clutching each other in the vasty emptiness of space and waiting to die to bring on the love.
"Revulsion"
This is one of my favorite episodes of the series so far.
The hologram that sends the distress call is so freaking creepy. I hardly ever get actually creeped out by Star Trek, but that actor killed the part. *shivers* So tense and suspenseful.
Also loved the byplay between 7 and Harry. Josh and I lost our shit multiple times.
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 10:18 am (UTC)I loved this show so much, and I still haven't let go of the hope that I'll one day finish my old fanfics. Which I haven't touched in ten years.
I don't think it's the best quality Trek series, but it's absolutely my favourite. The characters touched me more, and like you, I just love the post-apocalypse/shipwreck trope, a group forced to survive without all the support they're used to. Where a lot of Picard's tough decisions felt more... philosophical - like hypotheticals, I suppose - Janeway's quandaries cut so much deeper, emotionally. Voyager wasn't just about right and wrong, but whether they could make those decisions when they were at the edge of survival, without the Federation at their backs.
(Suddenly my mind has wandered off on a theist comparison - Voyager as the atheist ship that must negotiate its way without support or judgement from
the Federationa god, just its own conscience to rule it... I'm going to ponder that one, a while.)I liked that Paris was the one to explain to the Doctor the importance of weathering the bad times with your family, when Tom had such a bad relationship with his father. A lot of the fanfic turned Tom's dad into cartoon evil, but I think moments like this showed their relationship was far more complicated.
I fell out with Voyager at the end - because of Paris/Torres in large part, and because they killed the ensemble in favour of the concentrating on Janeway and Seven - but through the early and middle years it was my obsessive obsession. I still haven't given up hope of marrying Janeway.
8^-
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 12:18 pm (UTC)I totally agree with you about Picard. Kirk is the reckless, leave no man behind type--brash and arrogant and swashbuckling. Picard is the philosopher, the orator; this by no means diminishes his strength, but in that show, theories intersected with life much too neatly. One of the things I like so much about Voyager is that every decision they make is potentially fraught and often comes back to bite them in the ass. They don't get to celebrate how awesome they are for upholding the Prime Directive.
(Suddenly my mind has wandered off on a theist comparison - Voyager as the atheist ship that must negotiate its way without support or judgement from the Federation a god, just its own conscience to rule it... I'm going to ponder that one, a while.)
That is some serious ass awesome meta. *shivers* *loves*
Oh noes. I don't want the ensemble killed. *bawls* Although, I could stand to look at Janeway for hours on end, so maybe I won't mind so much. Paris/Torres is growing on me. I didn't like the ship in the fledgling days of their relationship but I'm liking them a lot now, especially the implication that those aliens who were phased out of time actually chemically induced them to fall in love as part of their experiments. I love that kind of creepy ambiguity.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 05:34 pm (UTC)So true. Right decisions aren't rewarded.
I'll let you watch the series before I inflict my complaints about what they did to my beloved Tom. And to B'Elanna.
8^-
no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 02:29 pm (UTC)Kes was great, and she had some really good episodes. Paris/Torres for the everloving win!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 12:19 pm (UTC)