Someone To Watch Over Me

 DVD, Voyager S5 (Someone To Watch Over Me)

Seven of Nine is described by the Doctor as charming and efficient and he could just as well have been talking of this episode as it is a quite charming experience, but as can sometimes be the case with the better episodes of a series, it's not one that allows much for the reviewer to write about. It's a pretty simple tale of two halves: in the one we have the Doctor continuing his efforts to school Seven in the social graces of human society, while in the other we have Neelix acting in his capacity as Ambassador and trying to stem the tide of exuberant excess which a visiting monk is set on enjoying, both plots being entertaining and delightful. It suits Neelix to be selected for such a task because ambassadorial duties have long been among his roles in the crew, and it suits the dramatic potential, too, since he's out of his depth as someone desperately trying to curb his guest's appetites while at the same time allowing him the latitude to explore this other culture, and walking that line between control and freedom, something that other members of the crew would be better suited to: if it had been Tuvok or Chakotay, for example, they'd have been better able to keep Tomin in check, but Neelix is constantly being flustered because he hasn't had much of this one-to-one experience before and doesn't want to let down his Captain in what appears an austere and delicate trade. As it turns out, Tomin's superior, the Abbot (I wasn't sure if that was his name or title, it could be either, or even both), expected him to take advantage of the opportunity, so either way, no harm is done.

Abbot himself reminded me oddly of a mix between the Talosians (thanks to the bulbous-headed look given to him by his large grey hood), with the face of Commodore Mendez (an actor that had also appeared in then-modern Trek as a villainous Romulan in 'TNG'), but sadly it wasn't Malachi Throne at all. The actual actor was Ian Abercrombie in his first role in Trek, but who they liked enough to bring back for another holo-centred story in 'Spirit Folk' during the following season. Tomin was played by Scott Thompson as opposed to Scottie Thompson (seen briefly as Nero's wife in 'Star Trek XI'), and he did a fine job, even if it paints the monastic type as secretly longing for a worldly life of pleasure. Not the best example of showing other ways of living in the best light, but in fairness we have seen plenty of similar orders and characters that have been very serious about their beliefs, and this was quite a comedic episode. The comedy is contrasted by the tragedy, if we can use such a term for the Doctor's predicament: that of falling for his pupil. They do have a good friendship, the Doctor and Seven both finding satisfaction in each other's company and he's certainly one of the people most trusted by her. The real tragedy may be that he almost threw it away by turning her social success into a bet - even the most difficult to offend would be horrified to be used in such a way, and Seven is no different. Fortunately, this isn't a soap, nor a serial so we don't need to drag it out over multiple episodes and she's quick to forgive him for his misdemeanour, one of the simplest, but best moments for its complete lack of drama, or even worse, melodrama!

Tom Paris (whom we're reminded is an Ensign these days after his punishment in 'Thirty Days' - at first I thought Tomin had made a mistake, then remembered he'd been demoted), was shown to be completely insensitive for someone that's so quick to pick up on what's going on with the Doctor, blurting out about the bet in front of Seven, but then perhaps that shows what he believes about her: that she doesn't have feelings which can be offended. In comparison to B'Elanna (once again losing her temper - she seems to have regressed since being with Tom, though I assume it's more to do with her Maquis-related crisis earlier in the season!), she seems entirely composed and unruffled by most things, but I'm sure if he'd stopped to think he would have held his tongue even in Seven's presence. It's a real joy to see the Seven that we knew after going through the gruelling, distressing 'Picard' series in which she's reduced to an uninteresting action babe - it may have been 'Voyager' in which she wore the skintight suits, but she was far more nuanced and developed than she is now. It's like the worst parts of her were magnified in 'Picard' and to go back to the real Seven, the one with potential and a bright future as a member of Voyager's crew is real balm on the wounds of those of us who forced our way through 'Picard' Seasons 1 and 2 (whether they succeed with her in 3 is yet to be seen for me, though I very much doubt it).

Out of the small pool of guest characters for this episode I'd say Lieutenant Chapman was the most interesting for his brave acceptance of this difficult woman inviting him to dinner in the Holodeck. It was completely out of the blue, it's not like he's a character that had been seen before, and he would likewise never be seen again (judging by his experience with Seven I wonder if he transferred off the ship, perhaps to join that monastic order!), which is a shame because in the early seasons the series did a great job of using a few recurring crew-members that they could bring in for whatever purpose they saw fit, be it Carey and his disagreements and competitiveness with B'Elanna, Hogan with his ultimate role as 'redshirt,' Jonas as a Maquis spy, or Suder for the intriguing ethical situation in which he placed the Captain, not to mention others even more visible like Seska, Wildman, or later, Vorik. One of the things they lost in the middle years was that sense of a crew that doesn't change because they can't: there are no other humans out this far, no starships from which to transfer to or from (though that'd change at the end of the season...), and so it makes sense that we'd be seeing the same faces more and more. But that also threw up potential production pitfalls of retaining an extending recurring cast, giving them things to do which could take away from the main cast, and not having enough people to draw from for any new potential drama that can come from a crew-member we didn't know (like Suder).

I can see why they did that, and partly it must have been in deliberate opposition to the 'DS9' way thanks to the rivalry between productions, but there's no question the series was only enhanced by its sense of place and familiarity that was being eroded or sometimes ignored in these later seasons. Chapman was an example of that. He could have been set up a few episodes prior, but then again they may not have thought about this episode or formed the character, the series preferred to remain almost entirely episodic at this stage, which as I pointed out earlier can be a boon when it comes to not dragging out misery over multiple stories, but also loses some dramatic potential in some cases. But Chapman was fun and Seven's scenes with him entertaining - I must say I wondered if he knew about her social exercises: he can't have failed to notice the Doctor attending their holoprogram in the guise of a piano player since he didn't show any surprise when he hurries over after Seven's injured the poor man while dancing. When you think the Holodeck is such a small location, unless it was a bustling group evening where various couples from the crew were attending for their own little candlelit dinners, you'd think Chapman would find it odd that another crew-member would be in there with them! Maybe he just didn't know what was going on and was just so focused on the most impressive woman aboard asking him to dinner that he never thought about it!

Privacy didn't seem to be much in evidence during the episode as Tom walks in on an earlier attempt by the Doctor for a lesson. Don't they lock people out or was he there by arrangement? It didn't seem so. And does everyone know about the Doc teaching Seven how to interact, or just Tom? Is there a rule that at certain times the Holodeck is open to anyone and private programs aren't allowed? Or is it simply that because Tom was the designer of the 'Chez Sandrine' program he has access to it whenever he wants? (Or that Robert Duncan McNeill was directing his third episode, so he should have access to every area whenever he wanted!). It was lovely to return to a familiar haunt that had been superseded by other holoprograms over the years, but sad they didn't include any of the characters that went with it, like the hustler or Sandrine herself (although I was surprised to find Judy Geeson only played the role in a measly two episodes!). When you think of it as a computer program, just like computer games, everything should be stored as it was when it was last used, so I don't know why they didn't go further in the recreation except that other characters weren't needed. The program could have been modified at any time, so it's not a problem, but if you're going to bring back an element from earlier in the series surely you'd want to make get maximum nostalgia effect? It's not the most original story idea, either, bringing to mind a mixture of the Odo/Kira story 'His Way' (just as good in its own way, or in his own way!), in the sense of trying out scenarios holographically you're not ready for in the real world (it is after all primarily a training tool), and that 'TNG' episode where ambassadors are hosted and don't behave in the expected way ('Liaisons'). Even 'Real Life' when the Doctor had a holo-family has similarities, though nothing so tragic happens here.

It's really not the originality that matters, though - I've said this many times in reviews: you can do almost exactly the same story and as long as you show a different character archetype going through it then you can have an equally fascinating exploration of that story and character from an entirely different perspective. It's not the same for Seven as it is for Odo, or would be for the Doctor, or Tuvok, or Tom, or..., etc. That was one of the qualities of Trek when they were mainly concerned with exploring a small corner of the Trek world or an individual character rather than attempting to create vast impersonal stakes on a galactic scale, or all the other failings of current Trek's storytelling (leaving aside those which I have yet to see, but judging on the seven combined seasons of 'DSC,' 'Picard' and 'Lower Decks'). The richness of the world these characters inhabit used to be enough, and there are further examples of that depth and breadth here: we see the old faithful dress uniforms brought out again. 'Course: Oblivion' was the last time we saw them, though in that case they weren't real. We see a Bolian and what appears to be a purple-haired Boslic called Tria, a very underused species that I believe had only been played by one actress in the past (a friend of Quark's called Rionoj who was in three episodes), so that was nice to see. Oddly, there appears to be some uncertainty over who played Tria as Memory Alpha has Dene Doucette listed, while the latest 'Star Trek Encyclopedia' says Monika Kusley so they can't both be right (although the web page was saved in 2013 and the book came out in 2016, but on the other hand it also has many mistakes in it!).

I was wrong, there was plenty to say about this episode, it wasn't merely a fun and poignant exercise for the Doctor and Seven to engage in. And I haven't even mentioned the singing! As a rule I don't like singing in films and TV series, it can too often take you out of the drama, pausing everything for the sake of some musical expression, which is why I can't stand musicals (they've talked about doing a musical episode for years, especially in the current era, which I hope never happens, stretching credibility too far, though they've already done that anyway...), but Trek has always used music and singing tastefully (even if some can't stand the hippies in 'The Way To Eden,' I really enjoyed all that!), or entertainingly, and most importantly, sparingly! Having the Doctor and Seven duet was delightful and we'd already heard they were accomplished singers individually as the Doc's always had an interest in opera, while Seven played a nightclub singer in occupied France during World War II in 'The Killing Game.' Typical of her, she brings down such abilities and advantages to mere Borg vocal processor efficiency, but the beauty can't be hidden behind dry technical terms. Whenever they sing in the episode it's a lovely moment, just as it has been in every Trek series at one time or another (though I'm not sure I remember any singing in 'Enterprise' - I have a feeling that's where the idea of a musical episode may have first been brought up since Scott Bakula was also an accomplished performer in that regard). As an episode it may not have any far-reaching ramifications, but as another slice in the lives of these people we enjoy seeing, it stands as another highlight of the season.

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