Voyager Re-Watch: Cathexis

About a year ago, knowing I was about to begin work on a new novel that involved a lot of mystery novel themes and tropes, I got a huge stack of them and started cracking spines. I'd re-read all of Sherkock Holmes in 2013 but went ahead and re-read Hound. Then I read about ten Agatha Christies and then some Raymond Chandler and I watched a bunch of mysterious TV shows and BBC costume drama mysteries. At some point, I realized I loved mysteries. I loved reading them. I loved writing them. I loved watching them. Honestly, it shouldn't have been a surprise--I've been in love with Sherlock Holmes since 8th grade and Clue was my favorite board game. Anyway, I guess that's why I find Cathexis so surprisingly satisfying.

Set Up:
Chakotay and Tuvok return from an away mission all messed up and they're sent directly to sickbay where it turns out they've both been whacked in the head by some kind of space mess. Chakotay's in a coma as a result of the blow but Tuvok is pretty ok. No one knows what to do about their first officer but they decide to go about their business when all kinds of strangeness ensues. Foul play is suspected.

Clues:
-Tom Paris looks guilty as hell--which pretty much means he's not to blame.
-Kes gets all psychic and feels a presence in her quarters and is subsequently attacked.
-The warp core shuts down with B'Elanna at the console but she doesn't remember anything.

Realization:
They pretty quickly get that something's not right--that someone or something is controlling crew members at will. But how? The finger gets pointed all over the place and smokescreens are dragged out to great effect until the real guilty party is revealed and dealt with.

What's really in the little brown envelope?

Tuvok, in the Shuttle, with a Hostile Alien Entity
I knew it! 

This one doesn't have a ton of action. It doesn't have any extra cast or sets or crazy props (outside of Chakotay's medicine wheel). It's essentially a bottle episode. And it's well done. It's eerie. It's quiet. It's a lot like an old novel of espionage onboard a Cold War submarine--only in space. It could be anyone--literally, because in the end, it's not really anyone. And that's what's so lovely about this kind of SciFi. Regular mysteries become extraordinary when mixed with the endless possibilities of space and flexible futures. This is an episode I tend to forget about when listing my favorites but I really shouldn't. It's a legitimately good episode and a fun watch.

Bonus Points:
-Seriously, did you think I wouldn't talk about Janeway's holo-novel cold open? The woman is wearing a tartan dress and inhabiting a creepy ass house on the moors (another genre I love) when she's so rudely interrupted by Harry Kim (of course) with news of the away team. It really feels like this cold open is setting up some kind of big arc for later but I honestly cannot remember whether or not it ends up paying off. I guess I'll see.
-I love that The Doctor knows all about Chakotay's medicine wheel and it totally makes sense--he's the only doctor in Starfleet who even could hold and accurately remember all that medical information since he's basically a walking database.