Written By: Lisa Klink
Directed By: Andrew Robinson
Rating: **** (out of 5)
�Blood Fever� has two story lines; there�s the B�Elanna situation and Vorik�s situation. Both story lines start off together and then separate before coming together again in a climax which was good but there�s something about it � I dunno.
B�Elanna�s story is interesting because she has always been a character who disobeys orders, or at least is expected too and therefore when she starts to get aggressive the crew think it�s just her Klingon side. Well, they are right, but this time the aggressiveness is flirting and not true aggressiveness! I don�t remember ever seeing Klingon mating before. In a TNG episode with Q, in �Redemption� and a little bit in �Star Trek: Generations� we saw comments and observations on the subject but we�ve never had an episode dealing with it out in the open, so it is really bold of the writers to tackle this issue.
It�s even bolder to tackle this issue by having Tom the center of B�Elanna�s sexual activity. But �Blood Fever� doesn�t make a big deal about the issues, it�s really just another episode of Voyager. It�s got the weird aliens who are xenophobes and aggressive, at first, and it�s got probably the best ending I�ve ever seen in Star Trek for a non-cliffhanger episode, and this is just the last 5 seconds, and nothing to do with this story!
It�s more then believable that B�Elanna could get the Pon Farr from Vorik telepathically. If McCoy can have Spock�s spirit in Star Trek III then this is definitely possible! Once we discover what is happening and the Away Team is on the rocky surface, you new that somehow B�Elanna and Tom were going to be trapped somewhere together! Why is this so interesting? First we discover for the first time (I think) that Tom has some kind of feelings for B�Elanna, and possible vice-versa. Also, more interesting is that B�Elanna has the uncontrollable urge to mate; she must mate or she could die, Tom is put in a very conflicting situation. Even better is the performances, especially from Roxanne Dawson.
Meanwhile, the plot this entire premise hinges on must be resolved. Vorik is extremely embarrassed that his Pon Farr has gone public (not that he tried to conceal it) and must find a way to get back to normal. The solution is for Vorik to mate with a holographic Vulcan female, designed by the Doc. This solution enables not the experience of mating, but to sooth the mind of mating. Here the Doc describes Pon Farr as something to do with the mind, so I guess this solution is acceptable. Without thinking of the holodeck, why wouldn�t Vorik be able to mate with someone aboard Voyager as was going to happen with Paris and B�Elanna?
By the end Vorik manages to beam down and stop Tom and B�Elanna from getting too deep into their business and Vorik and B�Elanna challenge each other. It just so happens that Vulcan tradition allows each to choose their combatants, even if it�s themselves. Chakotay, Tuvok and Tom must watch as B�Elanna and Vorik try to kill each other. Certainly a difficult situation for everyone involved, although it didn�t seem that way. It would�ve been good if there was more conflict about what to do in that situation because this fight scene seemed to be placed here simply to add a little action, and that�s all. It didn�t make terribly much sense.
The aliens of the week were only shown for a few seconds, pretty much, and seemed interesting. But why is their culture even more interesting? Because the last scene, the last 5 seconds, shows a lone Borg corpse, part of a Borg ship which once destroyed the aliens� world. The quickness and attitude of this scene, together with the music gave me Goosebumps! This was a classic scene!
**** is generous, but I do have mixed feelings about �Blood Fever.� It was quite a good episode, even if at times it did appear to be mindless; things seemed to happen because they happened. People did things that didn�t seem like their character. The actors were simply pawns carrying out the writers whims.