Thoughts: I originally gave this 2 stars, but I'm bumping it up to 2.5 stars. I can't remember if my original rating was because it's actually a below-average episode or if it's just because I really can't stand Fred. On the other hand, there are some disappointing cop-outs in this episode, like conveniently parking the ship behind a giant rock formation so we can't see the whole thing... and also talking about how wonderful these people's cities are without so much as showing us a matte painting of them from a distance. I really like the concept here; I see what they were trying to do. I just feel like it under-delivers, somehow. I think I wanted more of the, uh, main historical figure whose name I'm trying to avoid saying so that I don't spoil it for you. I like the parallels between her and Janeway – I wish they had had more time together.

Thoughts: Ahh, nothing like bright yellow pus-covered hands to get you in the mood for sexy-time, am I right?

Thoughts: Harry has been so desperate to get back home that it's a little surprising here that he does a 180 and the first thing he does isn't to go see his parents. Spoiler » Keep in mind here, this is not a simulation or an hallucination or a ruse of any kind – this is real life. It's just that events have been changed because of the shuttle accident. Once Harry finds out the truth, why doesn't he take a moment to seriously consider staying?

Thoughts: Others have given this a low rating, but I sort of just thought it was average. (A) Weird thing happens to ship (B) Crew investigates weird thing (C) Everything is wrapped up at the end. Sure, it doesn't all make a whole lot of sense, but I can roll with it.

Thoughts: It's worth mentioning again that the expert on Native American culture that was hired by the show turned out to be a fraud, so it's hard to tell how much of the episode is authentic and how much is actually as stupid and possibly downright racist as it seems. Also, I would warn you avert your gaze at one point to avoid seeing Robert Beltran's bare ass, but it's actually a body double, so it's actually David Reyes' bare ass.

Thoughts: This episode starts with a really weird recap in case you've forgotten what happened in the show's premiere episode. And I'd like to have a word with whoever the sound engineer was who designed that horrible high-pitched screech that the Caretaker's remains made. Was it really necessary to destroy your audience's eardrums? Anyway, this episode is just... weird. Why was the Ocampan man so insistent on being left alone, and then so hellbent on stealing Kes away? Why was Suspiria so unreasonable, and why did she take the form of a little girl? There seem to be a lot of arbitrary story elements here, and none of these questions will ever be answered.

Thoughts: Ugh. This episode is just an obtuse moral lesson that Starfleet principles – and by extension, Janeway herself – are always right and should never be questioned. The bad guys are always bad and the good guys are always good and there is never any gray area. You should never stray from the straight and narrow because you'll be destined to fail. All of Janeway's misgivings are proven to be right at the end of the episode, so she can go forward feeling justified in her sanctimonious adherence to Starfleet principles.

Thoughts: Let me try to explain this in the simplest way I know how. If Johnny has 5 trillion apples, how many more apples does Johnny need so he has infinite apples? That's right, you can't have infinite apples, and you can't have infinite speed. It's not a matter of "just a few more apples" or "just a little more speed." But okay, let's assume that Paris traveled at infinite speed. Big deal, he'll be forgotten as soon as someone figures out how to go infinity-plus-one speed. Sure, that sounds like something a child on a playground would say, but that child probably wrote this episode. And then there's the whole "evolution" thing. Ignoring the fact that societies evolve, not individuals, there was supposed to be some dialog that might have done a better job explaining Paris's transformation, but it was cut from the final version of the episode, so instead we're left with giant salamanders that are just... silly.

Thoughts: Neelix is extra annoying in this episode, even beyond his usual levels. His sudden obsession with being a journalist is like a six-year-old playing make-believe, and it's about as short-lived as a six-year-old's fantasy because we will never see Neelix's stupid "talk show" again after this episode. Neelix probably lost interest and switched to being a race car driver or firefighter the next day.

Thoughts: Janeway's line, "In a way, this child belongs to all of us" really doesn't sit well with me. I don't know, it just feels wrong.

Nitpickery: The Janeway-talking-to-Janeway scene is cute, but I can't help but be annoyed that they didn't quite get the sight lines worked out right. Left-Janeway seems okay, but Right-Janeway just seems to be staring off into space.

Thoughts: You're either going to love it or hate it. It's definitely a step out of the norm, but it's a clever episode, and guest star Michael McKean does a great job being both humorous and menacing.

Thoughts: Look, everyone else rated this as above average, so obviously this episode just isn't for me. Take my miserable rating with a grain of salt. It's just that Tuvok and Neelix are such obvious foils for one another that merging them together seems like an unintelligent story idea. Then they childishly just merge their names together to come up with the brilliant title for this episode. And don't get me started on the idiotic uniform that somehow merged together despite not having DNA of its own. I know, I often look the other way when dubious science happens on the show, but I can't help but critique it here. Sure, there's a somewhat interesting moral dilemma addressed in the episode (and re-addressed in an episode of Lower Decks), but I think Janeway should have spent more time trying to figure out how to get just Tuvok back.

Thoughts: For Voyager's first real season finale, it just felt pretty average to me, and so I rated it accordingly. We'll get a much better finale at the end of Season 4.