the thaw

  • 2V19

  • TV GUIDE noticed this one: "A killer clown from outer space - what a concept! Leave it to the producers of Star Trek: Voyager to pull it off, with much of the credit due to Michael McKean, who plays the part."
    What Happens? Harry is trapped in a simulated world.
    Starring: Janeway, The Doctor, Harry, Torres.
    Featuring: Kes does lots of medical stuff, but it's really just an extended cameo.
    Supporting: Cameo's for everybody else. Although Paris does manage to remind us that he's a womaniser, in his brief screen time.
    Impressive Characters: Janeway.
    Impressive Acting: Micheal McKean is excellent throughout. That said, Kate Mulgrew is equally outstanding in the final scene.
    Crew Conflict: None that I recall. In this one, the Voyager crew functions splendidly as a unit, with everyone gathered around the conference table while Harry gives his report ("How I Spent My Summer Vacation & The Cool Stuff I Found 2.3 km Under Some Planet").
    Teamwork: Plenty. See above. It comes to naught, though. In the end, Janeway comes up with her own plan and does things her way. ("I love it when a plan comes together!)
    Still on the topic of teamwork, though. The episode highlights three interesting extremes. Harry's fear is that he isn't really part of the team. And in this episode, he isn't. The Doctor, meanwhile, definately wasn't part of the team when the series started. This episode, more than any other, demonstrates how much a part of the team he has become (turned to in a crisis, part of crew discussions, morale booster to the captain). Then there's Neelix. Whatever about his fears on the matter, he doesn't much appear to be part of the team. Certainly in this episode. His one suggestion is laughed at. (But then, I can't point fingers. I laughed, too.)
    Who Saved The Day? Janeway.
    Type of Episode: Malevolent Being.
    Continuity: Once again (as per Phage) Tuvok correctly assesses what Janeway is about to do (beam up the pods).
    Paris has been pursuing some crew member for several months, but Harry's snuck in ahead of him. (Gee, I wonder was Tom's behavior for most of this season somehow detrimental to his efforts??)
    Best Scene: The final scene.
    Best Line: "I know."
    Three Things I Really Liked About This Episode:
  • -Michael McKean's performance.
  • -The way it ended.
  • -The idea behind the story. Nifty.
    Three Things I Really Didn't Like About This Episode:
  • -The villain was a lot like Q.
  • -Harry's supposed BIG fear was, despite the build up, a hoary old cliche.
  • -Um, a third one...?
    First Watched (by me): October 16th, 1996

    Miscellaneous Comments: This is a great episode.

    It's fresh and different, unlike anything done by the show before. It even looks different. More on that in a mo'.

    This episode manages to pack a surprise or two into it allotted time. The climax, of course, is surprising. But, so is Janeway's initial arrival. Best of all: The Doctor's arrival: Now that's an entrance. (Why, I wonder, didn't Tuvok mind-meld in? With Tuvok in the mix, this would have been a whole different ball-game.)

    The episode is about fear. And is told, largely, from the point of view of Harry Kim. Naturally, Harry's fear's are glanced upon. "Being cared for," "being helpless" and how he hates "to feel like the baby on the crew." Now, interestingly enough, Harry plays no part in his own rescue. None. The others rescue him. He's utterly helpless in this episode. When the credit's roll, the pesonified fear has been conquered, but Harry's personal fear lives on...

    The execution of the hostage (Viorsa, who had suggested a way to defeat "the clown") is genuinely unsettling. A credit to the director. Also, praise to the director for a nice visual, later on. As preparation gets underway to remove The Clown's world from him, we see him talking with The Doctor and Harry. The camera zooms out. And for a moment, as blackness seeps in from the edges of the image, it looks as if the world really is closing in... Then we see that the camera angles is actually through a port-hole. Very, very nice. But then, this episode had a very nice 'look' through-out. Not at all like an typical episode of Star Trek Voyager. For instance, those wonderful closing seconds as something I haven't seen before.

    Also on the topic of directing. The conference room scene (about 20 minutes in) is filmed in shadows and acted in whispers. It makes for a very effective scene.

    Above all, this episode is hard to predict. First, it looks like a Harry episode. Then, ten minutes in, Torres shows up and you expect it to be a two-hander. When The Doctor arrives, you definately think it'll be a battle of wills between him and The Clown. Wrong!! That doesn't work, and neither does the big rescue attempt. Next: one of the hostages, the most sympathetic one, meets a brutal demise! And finally: Janeway goes one-on-one with the baddie. And, then, just as you're trying to figure out how she'll win... the episode throws another surprise your way. Wow! I love this show!

  • GRADE: A+

    This page hosted by Get your own Free Homepage