{"id":5722,"date":"2016-07-20T13:00:53","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T20:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5722"},"modified":"2016-07-14T09:33:11","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T16:33:11","slug":"mark-watches-voyager-s02e20-investigations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/07\/mark-watches-voyager-s02e20-investigations\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Voyager’: S02E20 – Investigations"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twentieth episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0Voyager<\/i>, never has being wrong been so much fun. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, I got that so wrong that I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even bother trying to make a defense of it. I suppose that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point, though. I was\u00c2\u00a0meant<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to think that something was off with Tom Paris, that his exit was sudden and jarring, and that EVERYTHING HAD GONE OFF THE RAILS. And yet,\u00c2\u00a0Voyager<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0finds a way to make the bizarre subplot of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lifesigns\u00e2\u20ac\u009d into something meaningful and touching.<\/p>\n

Which means I need to start with Neelix. I was so certain that I knew where this episode was going due to that cold open. And look, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I was\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0far off in insisting that Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s journalistic advice to Neelix could have been taken in a terrible, terrible direction. I half expected this episode to turn into the wacky capers of an alien who doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand the ethics of journalism! Instead, through Neelix\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (frankly) charming daily videos to the crew, we get one of the COOLEST stories in all of season two.<\/p>\n

You simply can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t divorce Neelix from this episode, either. For the first time in the whole series, I got a sense for his role as the Morale Officer. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always seemed like a sly joke more than anything else. However, he takes it seriously, and this episode helped me understand it. His daily reports are sincere and meaningful, even before Harry suggests that he add more substance to his videos. And knowing what a long journey they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all got before them, I find the very idea of highlighting individual crew members and their acts to be one of the more necessary things someone has come up with in order to help keep the crew feeling like they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a family.<\/p>\n

So when Tom leaves\u00c2\u00a0Voyager<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to pursue a life elsewhere, Neelix uses his reports to do something amazing. Maybe it was too little, too late, but he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have known that. When Tom leaves, though, Neelix reminds the entire crew how meaningful he was as a part of the team. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that kind of sincerity that makes this story so goddamn touching. Throughout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Investigations,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Neelix\u00c2\u00a0genuinely<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0wants the best. He wants Tom to come back, and then he wants to believe that Tom\u00c2\u00a0will<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0come back. When he suspects there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a spy on\u00c2\u00a0Voyager<\/i>, he diligently does his best to find out who that might be. Now, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not\u00c2\u00a0the<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0best investigator<\/i>, but he\u00c2\u00a0tries<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0his best, and that matters. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually kind of adorable to see him just not get that Michael Jonas, the spy, is LITERALLY THE PERSON HELPING HIM, but Neelix is so determined to speak to everyone in good faith.<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe Michael has the best arc on the show; his story made a lot more sense when\u00c2\u00a0Voyager<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0might have been stuck in the Delta Quadrant. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not my favorite part of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Investigations,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but hey! At least his existence gave me the wonderful con of Tom Paris being a total jackass in order to out a spy. Can we also acknowledge how hilarious it is that Tom was able to believably be a jerk with very little effort? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M JUST SAYING.<\/p>\n

For what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth, though, this episode becomes one hell of an action flick in its final act, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot of fun. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t often get to see Neelix duke it out with someone, and coupled with Tom\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s escape, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beautiful sequence. But a good action scene means nothing if there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a reason to care about everyone involved. The final Neelix report at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Investigations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a perfect reminder that at one point, Neelix and Tom despised each other. Not only that, but you couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have forced them to care about the other one. And now, their friendship makes\u00c2\u00a0sense<\/i>. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel forced or like an opportunity. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s real! Yes, the plot twists make this a delightful episode, but seeing Tom and Neelix find friendship in one another is somehow all the more rewarding.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Investigations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! 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.<\/b>
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"