In the third episode of the third season of Voyager, Tom and Harry are wrongly imprisoned, and the crew must get them back. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For talk of imprisonment and nonconsensual medical procedures.Â
You know, if I hadn’t seen multiple iterations of this episode across Star Trek, I might have found this one more impressive. But I can’t even count how many times a Starfleet crew member has been accused of a crime they did not commit, and then the team races to prove them innocent. It’s happened on Voyager already, hasn’t it? The threat of the characters actually being held captive at the end of the episode is unbelievable, and we know everything will be solved by the time the credits roll.
So where’s the tension in “The Chute� For me, that comes entirely from watching Harry and Tom in a desperate situation. Garrett Wang is unreal in this episode, and even though I’m getting a bit tired of him being Voyager’s punching bag (CAN A GOOD THING HAPPEN TO HIM), I did appreciate the range we got from him. The “clamp†device is part of the reason for that; the writers invent something that amplifies Harry’s anxieties, so much so that he must find a way to calm himself down every waking second. In this, the show approaches something close to a social commentary on prison culture. I say “close†because it never quite makes the statement with any intensity. We see how the clamp creates a culture of violence, mistrust, and terror in the prisoners, who all know that there’s no escape from the Akritirian prison.
Thus, this is why Tom and Harry struggle with their seemingly hopeless situation. We watch Tom snap at Harry just after he arrives; then, there are multiple instances where Harry loses his temper, becomes impatient, or becomes outright belligerent towards the other prisoners. It’s a frightening thing to watch, even if we understand that Harry is being forced to feel these things due to the clamp. Yet “The Chute†never really evolves beyond being a rescue mission. As I said, there was a chance to expand on the idea that prisons often create an environment that is deliberately hostile towards its own prisoners. All we get here is a very obvious confirmation that the Akritirians are absolute in their criminal judgments, though this has no explanation. It’s an absurd detail meant to add more conflict and make the rescue harder.
Janeway’s great within this, though, and I certainly won’t ever tire of watching her refuse to back down from bullies and jerks. IT IS MY AESTHETIC. So, while parts of this were entertaining (Garrett Wang rules so much), I didn’t find it that memorable of an episode.
The video for “The Chute†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
