Kim and Paris are wrongly convicted of a terrorist attack, sentenced to prison plus a neural implant that slowly drives them insane. There are no guards. The inmates are completely at one another's mercy. Meanwhile, Janeway and friends hunt down the true culprits, then hatch a plan to free their crew mates.
Star Trek's fascination with criminal justice continues. "The Chute" is a compelling jail break story. Both Harry and Neelix (good thing someone remembered his ship was still in the cargo hold) get satisfying heroic moments. The story's not especially memorable but overall, I'd say I prefer it to last week's.
One point worth addressing: many slash fiction writers have been drawn to the Harry-Tom relationship as one with homoerotic undertones, pointing to "The Chute" as evidence. First, let me be clear: I would have no problem with such a relationship developing. Indeed, I would welcome it. I certainly appreciate the longing for representation, however subtle, by those in the queer community. That said, I am troubled when any affectionate, nurturing or protective relationship, no matter the sex or gender of the parties involved, is automatically perceived as sexual. I see danger in such an attitude. We should all be able to experience and appreciate a broader spectrum of intimacy than society generally acknowledges or allows. Fiction - especially 1990s American televised fiction - is too limited in this area. And it's often the consumer, rather than the creator, who is limited in their view.
Don McManus played the role of Zio, a temporary ally for our friends in the prison. McManus was born November 8, 1959 in San Diego. He graduated from Yale. His films include The Shawshank Redemption, National Treasure and Air Force One. Television appearances include Northern Exposure, Seinfeld and Frasier.
An Obituary combines gin, dry vermouth and absinthe with a lemon peel garnish. It is yet another in the large family of Corpse Reviver cocktails. We got our recipe from Rebekah Peppler in The New York Times who informs us the drink is also sometimes known as Death in the Afternoon.
My wife is the one who found the recipe and requested the drink, a bit of a surprise given her usual aversion to anise. The absinthe is the flavor carrier here, though it's light. A stronger gin (I used Seagram's Extra Dry) might compete better though I don't think that would be the right choice at our house. We both enjoyed the result - perhaps worth remembering as a martini variant, too.
Sadly appropriate for the name of the drink, I have sad news to share. One of our beloved cats, known here as The Little Squirt (black kitty with a tiny white priest collar - relatively camera shy compared to The Scamp, our most obliging cocktail model), recently passed away. The house always feels out of balance if we don't have two cats so we got another not long afterwards. He's an extremely affectionate adult male ginger who is presently eager for me to stop typing so I'll pet him. We're still getting to know each other so I don't have a good code name for him yet. Stay tuned.
Tuvok has a mental breakdown on the bridge accompanied by flashbacks to letting go of a girl before she fell from a precipice, an incident he doesn't remember. Janeway mind-melds with him in order to help probe the past. We go back to his days on the USS Excelsior where he served under none other than Captain Hikaru Sulu.
"Flashback" pushes hard on the nostalgia button. We get both Sulu and Janice Rand in Undiscovered Country-era uniforms. We get Kang. It was all in honor of Star Trek's 30th anniversary and the homage was effective.
But that's really it. What else is there here? "Flashback" gets a lot of love on best-of lists but I don't see it. The memory anomaly is all explained away with technobabble. It was just a gimmick, a device to get to Sulu with no real value of its own. The acting's good. The background development for Tuvok is good. It's fun without being meaningful. I want meaningful.
Jeremy Roberts played the role of Lt. Cmdr. Dmitri Valtane, the same character he played in Undiscovered Country. "Flashback" was his third and final Trek appearance. He was born Jeremy Thompson in Birmingham, Alabama, September 18, 1954. Other television appearances include CSI: Miami, Xena: Princess Warrior and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Other films include Sister Act and Blackout.
In the evening, Vermont Comedy Club is Burlington's premier stand-up comedy venue, providing a full bar and plenty of pub food for its patrons. During the day (8-3, Wed-Sun), the "bar" transforms into Happy Place Cafe, an ideal spot for a quick refreshment before our last afternoon of movies at this year's Vermont International Film Festival.
I went low-octane this visit, ordering herbal tea. My wife got a London Fog, having been denied the pleasure at lunch (Jericho Cafe and Tavern - formerly Village Cup - got rid of their espresso machine. What gives?). She also ordered a doughnut twist and I got a nibble. All was satisfying.
Burlington hardly needs another coffeehouse but Happy Place Cafe is worth remembering simply because there was hardly anyone there. No waiting in line. We sat right at the bar. Quick service. Perfect.
The story begun with Season 2's finale continues. While most of the Voyager crew is in survival mode on their new home planet, the Doctor, unexpectedly escaped detainee Lon Suder and Tom Paris team up to regain the ship from Kazon control.
Initially, there was talk of extending the story of the crew's new life away from the ship over several episodes. I'm glad the idea was scrapped. While complications are to be expected - and necessary to fulfill the needs of episodic television - the overall trajectory of our heroes' journey should always be incremental progress back to the Alpha Quadrant.
This is a strong start to the season. The survival story is satisfying, especially as our friends find a way to gain the trust of the native inhabitants. Even though the exile only lasts one episode, the first glimpse of Voyager coming back to rescue them is genuinely moving.
The episode also marks the end for several storylines, namely Suder's, Seska and the Kazon. I think moving on from the last two was essential. As noted above, the overall trajectory should be homeward and sticking to the same region of space for too long is a hindrance. Suder's demise, however, seems a shame. I suppose if you can't see where to move forward on a certain narrative path, it makes sense to move on. But character death - most of the time, anyway - means you can never revisit the idea at all.
Losing some ideas means making room for others. Let's hope they're good ones.
Scott Haven played the part of a Kazon engineer. The episode is one of five Trek appearances, including the film First Contact. Haven was born January 8, 1964. Haven had recurring roles on both Beverly Hills, 90210 and JAG. Films include The Babe, Watch It and Lansky.
Terre Madri, a Stowe-based operation, offered dinner for the final weekend of this year's Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF). It is a women-run business, highly appropriate for this year's women-centric festival. They specialize in northern Italian cuisine. We both got the meatball sandwiches which were good - maybe a little cheesier than I would prefer but still good. The deconstructed cannoli was tempting but we didn't have enough time to try it.
More film ratings:
It Was Just an Accident - 4 stars out of 5 for me; my wife's favorite from the festival
Odo collapses in Garak's shop, his solid form destabilizing. When rest in the infirmary doesn't help, Odo asserts that only the Founders will be able to cure him. Everyone realizes he's right so a plan is made to deliver him to their home world. Among several complications: they don't know where it is. Meanwhile, the Federation is tumbling towards inevitable war with the Klingons. The episode ends with one helluva cliffhanger.
We have much to discuss...
Let's start with the A-plot Odo story. What an interesting twist on the Pinocchio tale it is. For harming a fellow changeling, Odo is sentenced to losing his shape-changing abilities. He is turned human, not as reward but as punishment. Make no mistake, this is an important philosophical turning point for the Star Trek franchise. Consider all of the material devoted to wishing Spock, Data, Worf, B'Elanna Torres and many others were more human. When it happens to Odo, it's portrayed as a disaster. No joke, this is a monumental shift.
It also marks the beginning of the end for Deep Space Nine, the series. In the final act, Odo confesses to Captain Sisko how lost and abandoned he feels having lost his connection to The Great Link. A seed is planted. We know that, even with his enforced transformation, he will return one day, permanently. And when he does, our connection with Odo's story will be over. A point of finality is established for one of our principals. Fortunately, there's still some time.
The Gowron eyes...
Gowron gets a lot of screen time in "Broken Link," all of it in close up. My goodness, do the eyes ever get a chance to shine. First, let's give all due credit to the makeup department for enhancing Robert O'Reilly's physical gift. Michael Westmore was the lead man for Star Trek in this era and it's well worth noting he was nominated for an Emmy every year between 1984 and 2005, winning 9 times. Truly, he's a giant of the industry and a member of the Westmore family which has been working in film makeup for four generations and counting. The Gowron eyes alone are a towering achievement.
And boy, does O'Reilly sell them! Seriously, when does the man ever blink? Aha, he may be a changeling! Maybe that's how he does it...
Garak...
Wow, "Broken Link" is a great Garak episode, and that's saying something! He gets to play matchmaker between Odo and Chalan Aroya, owner of the Celestial Cafe, a new Bajoran restaurant on the promenade. He gets into fisticuffs with Worf - "you fight well, for a tailor." Best of all, he gets to keep Odo company during the journey to the Gamma Quadrant:
Question: why didn't they let Odo rest in his liquid state?
Thoughts on Season Four
General Impressions
Season 4 marks a new high for the series and for all of Star Trek. Neither the original series nor NextGen ever had a season as strong from beginning to end and it's not even close. How good is DS9 Season 4? This outstanding finale doesn't even crack my top 5 episodes for the season. The season's worst is still pretty damn good. The best is a masterpiece.
This is not an easy call. Both "The Visitor" and "Rejoined" rank very high on my all-time Star Trek list. "The Visitor" was the Hugo nominee. It is close to perfect - all the more amazing for the fact that alternate history is just the sort of narrative choice that typically drives me crazy. The dialogue sings. But once again, the acting seals the deal. Tony Todd's adult Jake Sisko is one of the greatest guest performances you'll ever find on television. He and Avery Books join forces for a revolutionary scene, portraying a tenderness between Black men you simply don't see in American media. Genuinely unforgettable.
"The Visitor" lost the Hugo to "The Coming of Shadows," a Babylon 5 episode. I guess I need to watch it sometime.
This choice says it all. I will readily concede that "Shattered Mirror" is a good episode. The Garak-Worf scenes in particular are delicious. I'm reasonably certain I've never used that particular adjective to describe a NextGen scene - certainly not one in an episode I otherwise didn't like. This is simply a personal preference. I don't like the way DS9 uses the Mirror Universe. But that's just me.
Favorite Recurring Character: Garak
It's unlikely anyone will ever beat Garak for this spot. Even if it had been close beforehand, he distanced himself from the rest of the field in the season finale. But folks, the rest of the field keeps getting stronger. Dynamite recurring characters introduced in Season 4 include Kasidy Yates, Damar, Joseph Sisko and Ziyal.
Favorite Blast from the Past: Worf
While the quality of the product was only getting better, the ratings for all Star Trek series were in consistent decline from the end of NextGen onward. The producers made a bold move for Deep Space Nine's fourth season, adding Worf - one of the previous series's strongest and most popular characters - to the principal cast. As noted here, TNG ended with plenty of room left to explore Worf's story.
It was an outstanding choice for all involved.
Favorite Guest Actor, One-Shot: Tony Todd as adult Jake Sisko
I'll readily admit Todd makes for a bit of an awkward choice in the category as I have named it. "The Visitor" is certainly not his only Trek appearance, nor even his only appearance in the season. In fact, he will probably always be better remembered as Worf's brother Kurn. But it is his only appearance as adult Jake Sisko. See above - it's a grand slam.
As an honorable mention, Susanna Thompson deserves some confetti for her performance in "Rejoined" but honestly, the lion's share of the credit should go to Terry Farrell (Dax) for making that story work.
Onward
Thank goodness there are still three seasons left to go.
