VOY: “Someone to Watch Over Me”

Date: December 30, 2020

Season 5, Episode 21

Musical Accompaniment: Continuing my iTunes playlist

Interstellar News: I have a bit more energy today, but not much.

TL;DR: Voyager has made first contact with the Kadi, who are very particular and reserved. Neelix will be taking their ambassador, Tomin, around the ship. Seven has been observing Paris and Torres which lead Janeway and the Doctor to encourage her to date. The Doctor creates lessons for Seven and then he and Paris create a wager a la She’s All That (or Pygmalion for those with different tastes). Kim helps Seven pick out a date, Chapman, and it’s super awkward. The Doctor realizes he likes Seven, Tomin gets drunk and needs medical attention, and Paris ruins the moment by announcing the wager. The Doctor wants to tell Seven how he feels, but she makes it clear she doesn’t think of him that way and he decides not to tell her. Tomin returns home and the Kadi agree to trade with Voyager.

Favorite Quotes:

EMH: You’re a woman, Seven.

Seven of Nine: Is that an observation or a diagnosis?

Seven with the sass, and an important question.

Torres: How the hell do you know when we’re having intimate relations?

Seven of Nine: There is no one on deck nine, section twelve who doesn’t know when you’re having intimate relations

Apparently Torres is loud, giggle.

“We worked together on an away mission. He seemed efficient.”: I love most of this episode. Seven doing research, the Captain and Doctor encouraging her to give it a try (be experimental not a theorist), the Doctor turning everything into a lesson plan (that’s soooooooo me), and Seven’s criteria for picking a date (and Kim helping) are all so wonderful. The Doctor taking Seven into Chez Sandrine for a practice round is a good touch and the actual date itself is so fantastic. Chapman is a nervous wreck, Seven is her usual self (just dressed differently) and her manner of speaking just works so well. I love when she calls Chapman beautiful, when she asks where their “designated location” is, and when she tells him she’s sticking to water because she doesn’t want to be impaired. Seven’s reaction to the lobster and the incident with them dancing was hilarious. The bits with the Kadi ambassador were also, mostly, lots of fun. Neelix is so nervous and it turns out his charge wants to do anything that’s against the rules.

This all leads me to what I intensely disliked about this episode. The Doctor falls in love with his student… again. He had this thing with Kes and then he starts in with Seven. He also comments that Seven is “old” to have just started dating and reports that marriage is the ultimate end goal of dating, and that all just rubs me the wrong way. I also disliked the way the ambassador turned into a sleaze at the end of the party, though Seven, Neelix, and Chakotay all handle it the right way. I have also always hated the “let your hair down and put on a dress and you’ll be instantly stunning” trope. Yes, I look different when I put on make-up, a dress, and let me hair down – but that doesn’t mean I’m not beautiful without all those things… just different looking than my usual. I guess it’s hard for me, as someone who is mostly attracted to a person’s personality, to understand why it’s such a big deal when someone changes their appearance. Anyway, if it wasn’t for these three things it would have been a wonderful episode, so it earns itself almost 7 wonderful minutes of dog video.

TA Out!