Neelix and Paris are assigned to a mission together at a particularly awkward time, as Paris realizes he does have budding feelings for Kes, and Neelix is feeling threatened. When the two crash land in a shuttle, they must survive together under harsh conditions... and also care for the infant alien they discover.
Piller did have it right: Neelix's jealousy is a note the show has played again and again and again. It wasn't especially engaging the first time around, and it is absolutely played out by this point. But the apparent solution to making Neelix more likable is to drag another character down to his level.
Up until this point, Neelix's feelings of jealousy were all in his head. But now, and suddenly, Paris decides he really is interested in Kes, cementing for him that "falling for the wrong woman" is as much his defining character trait as "being a good pilot." Every juvenile "tit" in the episode is answered by an equally juvenile "tat" from Paris. They engage in a food fight. They never pass up an opportunity to insult each other. When Neelix shows skill in caring for the alien baby, Paris notes with sexist amusement that Neelix isn't the infant's "godfather," but "godmother." Sure, characters from The Next Generation didn't quarrel with each other enough, but this is a gross overcorrection.
Also gross: putting the young (she just turned two!) Kes at the center of an "everybody loves Kes" love Rhombus. Besides Neelix and Paris, the Doctor's interactions with her in this episode seem creepily tinged with sultry voice and amorous subtext. And it almost feels like Harry Kim is showing up at one point to "stake a claim" when it seems as though Neelix and Paris may have been killed on their mission.
But then, as always, Kes is written to be far more mature than many of the other characters on the show. Neelix and Paris' childish behavior is hardly reserved for each other. Tom's protracted whining to Harry somehow turns to complaints about not liking the clarinet music he chooses to play. Neelix admits to a view of love that's purely transactional: he thinks Kes is only with him because he saved her life.
Is there anything good going on in this episode? Well, it is directed by Jonathan Frakes, so: yes, of course, there are also good actor performances throughout. Paris is briefly sympathetic when recounting past friction with his father. Some of Neelix's barbs are actually funny (like when he actually says "technobabble"). Tuvok's not-subtle milking of the reveal of his plan is made funny when Chakotay beats him to the punch. And the Doctor's deadpan "you've always been interested in autopsies" is hands-down the funniest line of the episode.
The production values are pretty good too. The camera work does maybe go a bit over the top during the crash (it
was reportedly mounted on bungee cords to achieve this wild shaking
effect), but the planet looks better than average. And while modern CG would of course look better still, the alien baby puppet (which reportedly took eight people to manipulate) isn't too cheesy.
Other observations:
- "Planet Hell" was the behind-the-scenes nickname for Stage 16, the place where all the away team missions for The Next Generation and Voyager were filmed.
- A series-long misunderstanding took root here. Kim at one point offers up "an old Chinese expression" to Paris. Actor Garrett Wang always knew that his character was Korean -- Kim being perhaps the most common Korean last name. But he figured "maybe Kim has an affinity for other Asian cultures or something," and gamely performed the scene. Meanwhile, the culturally clueless writers wrote seven seasons of television believing that Kim actually was Chinese. Wang has said that it was only around season seven or maybe six that something came up to actually make him ask the writers, "you know he's not Chinese, right?" (As he pointed out, the character should have been named "Chin" if that was the intention.)
- Sure, the story needs Paris and Neelix to be alone on the planet together, but it makes no sense to send just the two of them on a mission in which gathering as much food in a short period of time is the goal. Why not send a couple redshirts with them to be killed in the shuttle crash?
- Speaking of the shuttle crash, this is now the third shuttle Voyager has lost in just in season two so far. It's totally undermining any sense that this is a limited resource for them.
- The old "heat the rocks with your phaser" gag. That's classic Star Trek.
- "I'm a doctor, not a voyeur."
"Parturition" does have some good moments, and certainly has the right intention in dispensing with the "Neelix is jealous" story line once and for all. But also... wow, is it rough at times. I think I'd balance it all out to something like a C+.
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