Voyager Re-watch: Investigations

So this is the one where we find out that Tom Paris isn't actually a jerk. You know how I know that? Because here's literally what I wrote in my notes while watching this one:

Episode 34- Tom Paris Isn’t An Ass

-This is the one where Neelix is an overzealous news reporter and helps to reveal that Tom Paris isn’t an ass. 

Yep. I don't know. I was eating lunch. I always think, "Oh, I'll remember everything I wanted to say about this one. This pasta salad is too good to put down for notes!"

I really enjoy this episode. Voyager wasn't nearly as serialized as DS9 but they did try to throw some serialization in there where they could. The Tom Paris is a scofflaw/jerk/scumbag subplot ran through about five episodes before we finally get to the bottom of what's going on in this one--which is apparently called, "Investigations," and not, "Tom Paris Isn't An Ass."

I like that there's been something going on behind the scenes for several episodes and it's only now that we (like poor Chakotay) are finding out about it. Wait, let me back up a bit and tell you all about what happens:

Basically Neelix gets a blog TV Show where he give everyone gossip and nonsense helpful hints and news about the daily goings on aboard Voyager.

He asks Harry Kim's opinion (a questionable move to be sure) and Harry's all, "Oh but you could be an investigative journalist and one time when I was in college..." Ok Harry, I got it. We all had fun in college. Anyway, Neelix takes Harry's advice a little far and just can't let it go when he feels like there might be a traitor onboard Voyager. He eventually points the finger at Tom and that's when it comes out that Janeway, Tuvok, and Tom were all working together on an elaborate practical joke sting operation. Chakotay's all:

Whaaaaaaaaaat? 

His feelings are hurt and Janeway's all like, "It's ok that we fooled you because you played your part to the max and I bet you feel silly now!" Or something. 

Anyway, I get what Chakotay's going through. He doesn't have the benefit of having seen this episode a million times. He can't just sit here all smug, eating pasta salad like a pro. He's agog. AGOG. I would be too if I were in his shoes. And my feelings would be hurt. I'd definitely have to go talk to my spirit animal for a good three or four hours once we dealt with this stinking traitor. Oh yeah. The traitor. 

So for about five seconds Neelix wonders if it's this Hogan guy: 

BTW- He's gonna bite it in the next episode

But of course it's not. I mean, look at that baby face. Anyway, we all know it's not him because we've been watching the show (unlike Neelix and Chakotay) and we all know it's actually this guy: 

Also about to bite it. 

This guy clearly has Traitor Face. He keeps traitoring his way around the ship until eventually Badass Neelix pushes him he falls into some warp plasma and bites it. Around this same time Tom's over on Seska's ship where she's super pregnant with maybe Chakotay's baby and he has to get back and eventually he does and then finally he goes on Neelix's TV show and apologizes to everyone for being such a jerk the last few episodes.

Good ol' Tom. 

I may have been eating pasta salad during this whole episode but I really love it. I was glad to see it come on. I think this one is sort of proof of concept for serialized elements within Voyager. It's like saying, "Yes, we can add ongoing story lines and our audience is dedicated enough to keep tuning in to see how things turn out." It's a vote of confidence from the big to-dos and higher ups. And I like that. Because I like Voyager. And pasta salad.