Tom Paris has created an idyllic new holo-program of an Irish coastal town called Fair Haven. When the crew must traverse what is effectively a storm in space, Fair Haven becomes a place for everyone to relax, and Janeway becomes increasingly attached to a holographic barman.
Where do I start? Disaster is the first word that springs to mind. Firstly, Fair Haven has to be one of the most irritating, chirpy, twee and happy places anyone could hope to go. You wouldn't relax there, as you'd be too busy getting annoyed with everyone being so sickeningly sweet and wanting some action. Which is exactly how a viewer of this episode feels. Any action would have been nice. Unfortunately, all we get is Janeway falling in love with a hologram.
Yawn. Not only has this concept been done to death in TNG, once again Kate Mulgrew has no chemistry at all with the plank of wood that passes as her love interest. At least in 11.59 'her' paramour had something vibrant about him. This guy's as dull as ditchwater, even after Janeway gives him a makeover to make him more exciting. This could have been fine if it hadn't have been for the fact that all her rewriting of the hologram does is makes him more sensitive and prone to climbing trees, reading poetry and declaring his undying love. You'd just want to give him a slap and tell him not to be so wet. Janeway love stories, kids: don't do it.
To prove how tedious the main plot is, it actually makes the plot about Voyager being trapped in a storm seem almost interesting. But only almost. There are a few scattered moments that come close to being good, such as Janeway's arm-wrestling match and Seven's visit to Fair Haven, but two 30-second scenes in 45 minutes? So far, this season has failed to produce even one really outstanding episode of Voyager. Maybe it's time this series and the entire franchise was given a rest, especially on the strength of this.
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