If I can put aside my dislike for Neelix and all Neelix-centric stories, I can sift through this and see that it's a pretty decent episode. But it's due to the other characters that it shines. Janeway in particular is very strong and decisive here, and the scene in which she confronts the Vidiians really lets her inner conflict show.
The Doctor also gets a lot to do and reveals a lot about his irascible personality - which is seemingly hiding a very vulnerable and fragile person. Quite odd for a hologram, really, but it adds a lot to the character. A good scene in which he slaps Paris to demonstrate a point, and he gets to deliver the immortal line, "his lungs have been removed!".
The Vidiians themselves are a fantastic alien design. They manage to be hideous, creepy and quite sympathetic. The stuff inside the asteroid with all the reflections is pretty cool and creative, too. Aside from Neelix's quite unbearable freak-out moment (to be fair, what he has done to him is horrific), I quite enjoyed this one.
(I couldn't quite resist my inner cynic coming out, though: when Neelix asks, "how long will I have to stay like this?" I couldn't help but think, "just until the end of this episode.")
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2017-09-16T12:57:19Z
If I can put aside my dislike for Neelix and all Neelix-centric stories, I can sift through this and see that it's a pretty decent episode. But it's due to the other characters that it shines. Janeway in particular is very strong and decisive here, and the scene in which she confronts the Vidiians really lets her inner conflict show.
The Doctor also gets a lot to do and reveals a lot about his irascible personality - which is seemingly hiding a very vulnerable and fragile person. Quite odd for a hologram, really, but it adds a lot to the character. A good scene in which he slaps Paris to demonstrate a point, and he gets to deliver the immortal line, "his lungs have been removed!".
The Vidiians themselves are a fantastic alien design. They manage to be hideous, creepy and quite sympathetic. The stuff inside the asteroid with all the reflections is pretty cool and creative, too. Aside from Neelix's quite unbearable freak-out moment (to be fair, what he has done to him is horrific), I quite enjoyed this one.
(I couldn't quite resist my inner cynic coming out, though: when Neelix asks, "how long will I have to stay like this?" I couldn't help but think, "just until the end of this episode.")