S4 E19: The Killing Game, Part II

Janeway escapes from the holodeck through a jefferies tube, and, with Chakotay's help, sets off an explosive that blows up sickbay (the Doctor had been transferred to a Klingon warrior simulation first), thereby disabling all of the neural interfaces. She is captured, and is brought before Karr, with whom she negotiates a truce in exchange for holodeck technology. However, Karr's second in command is swayed by one of the Nazi holograms, and kills Karr, ending the cease fire. The crew continues to fight the Hirogen/Nazis until Kim can disable the ship's holoemitters and the second in command is killed. A new peace is established after a protracted (off screen) battle, and the Hirogen leave the ship.

While I still had misgivings about the foundation for this episode, I managed to enjoy this part a lot more with the set-up out of the way. Several scenes helped: while Seven and several of the crew are being held hostage by the second in command, he orders her to sing as she had when she was under the influence of the neural interface. She refuses, even under threat of death, and then proceeds to coldly tell him that, even though he has her outnumbered, she takes comfort in the knowledge that the Hirogen, even in their arrogance, will inevitably be assimilated by the Borg. Basically a big old "resistance is futile" moment, only it is coming from someone who isn't actually in the Borg collective - someone who is venomous enough towards her enemy that she can feel pleasure in the knowledge that they will be mercilessly stripped of their strength and individuality and forced to serve another. Really very chilling.

In a completely different vein are the Neelix/Doctor/Klingon scenes. Before the interfaces are disabled, Neelix is in the Klingon scenario, and even there, through the mind control, Neelix has the Klingons getting drunk instead of fighting. Later, under his own control, the Klingons decide it is time to go fight again, and they conscript the Doctor and Neelix, who are unenthusiastic at the prospect. Even then, going off to war with a klingon dagger, the Doctor holds it daintily and delivers a "tally ho" that drips with the same disdain I felt for part I of this pair. Finally, the appearance of the Klingon warriors in the WWII simulation was nicely placed, though it did steal the opportunity for any of the regular crew to deliver the killing blow to the Nazi captain.

Best of all is the scene between the Nazi and the second in command (Teranj), where he is seduced by the Nazi's call for racial superiority and denouncing of the "civilization" that Karr wants as being decadent like that of Rome. Watching Teranj slowly succumb to the racist sentiments was a highlight of the episode.

Janeway did her best to sabotage the episode, though. Her scene with Karr is a complete rehash of the scene between him and Teranj in part I, except this time we had Janeway acting condescending to him - like that's going to make a proud hunter alien want to do business with you. She does it again in the final shot, with the unnamed third in command, who doesn't even share Karr's ideals. Really, she practically taunts him; if it were any other show I'd expect the negotiations to break down again. But no, it is Voyager, so Janeway seals the deal and I'm sure everything will be back to normal next episode (including sickbay).

Watchability: 4/5

Bottom Line: There's a lot more fun to be had in this part, which is in part due to the characters actually being themselves again. Overall I'd say that the whole two-parter is a bland old 3/5.