Retro Review: Maneuvers

[TrekToday]

After a group of Kazon led by Seska steal technology from Voyager, Chakotay takes a shuttle to retrieve it. Plot Summary: Initially...

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[hux]

The episode on it's own is OK. A reasonably fun romp with some mildly diverting action as well as some sense of urgency (which is often lacking in Voyager). The real reason I enjoy it though is because it's the start of Voyagers only meaningful, ongoing story arc. I loved the Seska arc, not to mention the episodes that dealt with the spy helping her plus Tom's pretend malcontent behaviour designed to flush the spy out (often at Chakotay's expense).

I wish Voyager had played around with ongoing, serialised storytelling more often but this is pretty much all we ever got. Thanks for nothing. Season two is probably my favourite for this specific reason. Whenever I do a rewatch, I always love this period during season two and like to settle in for the ride.

But anyway, the episode itself is a nice way to start the Seska fight-back (after being exposed as Cardassian) and I generally enjoy this episode but I do agree with everything said in the review. The behaviour of the characters (Chakotay, B'Elanna, Janeway) is hard to fathom. Janeway once again sadly demonstrates poor decision making and the writers were foolish to reduce B'Elanna to a lovesick squeeze. All unnecessary but nothing compared to Chak's idiotic decision to swan off on a Shwarzenegger style solo action-mission. Silly.

And the less said about Seska stealing (raping?) Chakotay's best swimmers, the better. That made absolutely no sense at all.

 

[Terok Nor]

I love any episode that features Seska but this was one of the better ones. I remember being excited seeing her as a Cardassian for the first time. Maje Culluh was a decent villain too.

Not bad for a Chakotay episode but he was the weakest part as usual. I never understood why Seska impregnated herself with Chaoktay's sperm. I don't even want to think about how she got it.

 

[stardream]

She used his DNA...bit of a difference. Apparently in the future you CAN get pregnant by kissing...

I just went through a re-watch of Season 2 with Husband and we noticed how much Chakotay there is. He is all over the place. The arc is not just Seska's and Tom's...its his as well. Its little wonder he later complained about having nothing to do.

I always forget about this particular episode. I have no idea why. I like Seska, I liked the Season 2 arc...I don't remember B'Elanna coming across as 'love sick'. Showing concern for a friend is now lovesick? That's all I saw but I admit that sometimes I'm 'shipper' blind.

Anyway when I do watch it again and remember what's going on I think its an ok episode. Not all that memorable though.

 

[Melakon]

Beltran seemed to enjoy physical action moments, and sadly there were less of them for him as time went on. One of his favorite scenes in "Maneuvers" was when Cullah beat the crap out of him.

 

[hux]

I don't remember B'Elanna coming across as 'love sick'. Showing concern for a friend is now lovesick? That's all I saw but I admit that sometimes I'm 'shipper' blind. .

B'Elanna spent most of the first two seasons staring at Chakotay with puppy dog eyes. In persistence of vision, her fantasy is of Chakotay taking her to bed. With that in mind, her speech to the captain in this episode feels a lot less like professional concern and a lot more like... "Don't be mean to him captain. He's a sensitive ickle sausage who just loves too much"

TORRES: He never said it to me directly but, I think he was in love with her. And then he found out that everything he knew about her was a lie. You said that he publicly defied your authority. Can you imagine what it must have been like for someone as private as Chakotay to be publicly humiliated by someone he loved? And then, as if that weren't enough, she came back to taunt him in front of the entire Bridge crew.
JANEWAY: I'm sure it was very painful for him. But what you're saying is, he's got a personal score to settle.
TORRES: That's only part of it. I know Chakotay. This is his way of taking responsibility. In his mind, he's trying to protect the rest of us from a dangerous situation which he created.
JANEWAY: Maybe. But that doesn't give him the privilege of ignoring this ship's chain of command.
TORRES: I know that. It's just that Chakotay would never tell you any of this himself.

Janeway should have told her to get out and go fix the damn engines.

Fortunately, they dropped this nonsense later and pretended that it never actually happened.

 

[Melakon]

B'Elanna spent most of the first two seasons staring at Chakotay with puppy dog eyes. In persistence of vision, her fantasy is of Chakotay taking her to bed.

It's not really clear whose fantasy it is, either. The last we saw Chakotay, he zoned out in the turbolift on his way to engineering.

Interestingly, Beltran liked the love scene, Dawson didn't.

 

[Catarina]

Interestingly, Beltran liked the love scene, Dawson didn't.

Of course she didn't. It looked like a bad SF porn shot by director Wang. (I can hear him protest now. Fine not Garrett but anyway it was gross. Of course he [beltran] would. He wanted to use his assets to which he was hired for but they decided that was too transparent (No, Kate did) and made him Janeway's replacement Molly

 

[stardream]

IIRC Beltran even said in interviews at the time that he thought the relationship was going to go somewhere. Dawson didn't. She came across as completely dismissive of the whole thing.

 

[Catarina]

IIRC Beltran even said in interviews at the time that he thought the relationship was going to go somewhere. Dawson didn't. She came across as completely dismissive of the whole thing.

Silliness aside, I thought it was too. Apart from the flirting (because we all flirt) Resolutions actually surprised me.

 

[Lynx]

A good and exciting episode. Culluh and Seska are always great as villains and it's also a good Chakotay episode. B'Elanna's attempt to persuade Janeway to rescue Chakotay, despite Chakotay's recommendations is also great to watch and Janeway's solution to finally rescue Chakotay is brilliant.

Note that the official Paramount Stardate in the episode is completly wrong. It would place the events in this episode in the first season, between "Caretaker" and "Parallax" which, of course, is impossible.

I'll give it 3 points out of 5

 

[stardream]

Silliness aside, I thought it was too. Apart from the flirting (because we all flirt) Resolutions actually surprised me.

I NEVER see this stuff. Unless a character is looking deep into another one's eyes or actually touching touching him (or her) or saying something obviously 'flirty' it goes right past me. I'm shipper blind or something.

 

[Catarina]

The stealing DNA was a bit cheesy as was Beltran's laugh but I didn't mind this episode. My feedback is no longer deep because so far Hux has said all I felt that needed to be said and more neatly than I do.