Cathexis

DVD, Voyager S1 (Cathexis)

Janeway has a brilliant holonovel to set the scene for this episode. Although it had actually been filmed for an earlier episode it feels like the perfect teaser to set the mood of this story, with its lashing rain and dark, broody house with a secret. The episode itself has a strong line in building paranoia, as the audience believes the mysterious alien takes over various crewmembers, and you never know who's going to be next. That isn't a clever or original concept, but the rug gets pulled out from under our feet with the twist in the tale as Chakotay is revealed as the force trying to manipulate events, and he's doing it to save the ship!

It's also clever how Lieutenant Durst is inserted into the story as one of those characters that seems like a minor role. All so that he can be used in the next episode (like they did with Neela in Season One of DS9). Every character is nicely included in the plot, and the creepiness intensifies as things progress. When it comes to Janeway (under Chakotay's control) smacking Tuvok to the floor and kicking his phaser away, and Paris punching out Kim who has been taken over by Chakotay subsequently, it all kicks off!

Maybe the scare factor could have been upped with a glimpse into the 'abyss' that awaited the crew and the creatures all coming to eat their mental matter, but the story does without effects to create a taut thriller. When big things happen such as the warp core being ejected (since that is the ship's most important factor - without it it would take years and years to even travel between planets!), or Neelix showing a map route out of the nebula (the only use for the medicine wheel), the stakes are raised. The effect of Chakotay's first-person flying through the ship is very well achieved, as we see the characters talking or going about their business, and it's very ironic that perhaps Chakotay's best episode so far occurred without his form appearing for most of it!

A shame we didn't get to see Tom apologise to Harry for bashing him, but we can assume it happened off camera. I liked the moment when Janeway shows no hard feelings in a way that was so subtle I'm not even sure it was what I thought it was - earlier when the EMH is given the command codes in case of Janeway's takeover, Paris retorts something like "I feel better already", and that's just what Janeway says to him when he's treating her for the phaser blast he himself dealt her (thinking she was under control of the alien), in what seems a nod back to that earlier moment and thus telling Paris she doesn't blame him. Convoluted perhaps, but, I reckon intentional.

***