"Romance is not a malfunction."
Voyager rescues a Vidiian woman on the verge of death, so to prolong her life the Doctor downloads her into a holographic body. She turns out to be a doctor called Danara Pel, and the Doctor finds himself struggling with an attraction to his patient.Meanwhile, Tom Paris takes another level in jerkass, with consequences...
This episode provides examples of:
- Anachronism Stew: Tom Paris lends the Doctor his holodeck program involving a '57 Chevy overlooking a city on Mars. That's right, it's a Make-Out Point IN SPACE!
- Auto Erotica: The Doctor and Danara share a kiss (presumably a First Kiss for both of them) on their 'date' on the holodeck in the car.
- Badass Boast: The Doctor can't help showing off to a fellow doctor.Danara: Your technique is very impressive.
EMH: It's all part of my programming. For example, this exact procedure was developed by Doctor Leonard McCoy in the year 2253. I'm equipped with the collective medical knowledge of more than 3000 cultures. Additionally, as you see here, my imaging system allows me to perform, and in many cases improve upon, the most delicate tactile manoeuvres required by a dizzying array of surgical procedures. - Birds of a Feather: Danara and the Doctor are both in the medical profession and socially isolated.
- Call-Back:
- To the events of "Faces", when the Doctor has to convince a furious B'Elanna to donate some of her brain tissue. Danara mentions having read the report on what she was forced to undergo.
- The Doctor uses a technique developed by Dr McCoy from Star Trek: The Original Series.
- Captain's Log: The Doctor starts his personal log.
- The Comically SeriousEMH: I was activated on Stardate 48308. Since that time I've performed three hundred and
forty seven medical exams, healed eleven compound fractures, performed three appendectomies, and in my greatest feat of medical prowess, I once cured Mister Neelix of an acute case of the hiccups.
Danara: You're very funny.
EMH: I am? Well, several clinical studies have shown humour to be very therapeutic. Consider it part of your treatment. - Cringe Comedy: Acting on Kes' advice, The Doctor straight up asking Danara, in the middle of a surgical procedure, mind you, if she shares his romantic feelings. Kes winces.
- Cute Monster Girl: Susan Diol's makeup as Phage-infected Denara is noticeably less grotesque than the standard Vidiian makeup & prosthetics, with the most serious disfigurements limited to the left side of her face and head.
- Damned by Faint Praise: After being rejected by Danara, the Doctor goes to Paris' Marseille tavern to seek his advice:EMH: Mr. Paris, I assume that you have had a great deal of experience being rejected by women.Paris: Oh, thanks a lot, Doc.
- Dance of Romance: Despite the Doctor protesting that he's not programmed for romance, the episode ends with him dancing with Phage-infected Danara.
- Did They or Didn't They?: Although their onscreen relationship appears to be mostly platonic (though there's another two weeks after the episode ends that we don't see) in "Message in a Bottle" the Doctor boasts of having sex, but doesn't say with who. This episode and "Real Life" (when the Doctor creates a holographic family) are the only candidates. Certainly Danara Pel would be well motivated; she's had the Phage since she was a child, so this may be her first and only chance to have sex before she dies.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Danara basically attempts to euthanize herself by sabotaging the Doctor's treatment so that she won't have to 'go back' to her real body. Her arguments for doing so are presented more sympathetically than those used in "Emanations".
- Dr. Jerk: It's unconscious on the part of the Doctor, but his bedside manner still needs some work.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Jonas may have no problems with feeding information to the Kazon, but he's not so thrilled about sabotaging Voyager.
- Face Palm: Kes basically does this when the Doctor bluntly admits his feelings to Danara.
- Florence Nightingale Effect: The Doctor and Danara fall for each other while the Doctor is trying to treat her disease.
- Flowers of Romance: Apparently on the advice of Tom Paris, the Doctor presents Danara with a bunch of flowers on their date, but immediately follows it up with a gift-wrapped box (presumably Chocolate of Romance) and a stuffed toy. Fortunately she's just amused, being unfamiliar with human courting rituals.
- Foreshadowing
- For the next episode "Investigations", as Jonas finally makes contact with Seska, who wants him to sabotage the ship. Tom Paris decks Chakotay, leading to his decision to leave Voyager voluntarily rather than face court martial.
- Tom Paris jokes that he was delivering Ensign Wildman's baby, which will happen for real in "Deadlock".
- Holding Hands: More significant for Danara than the Doctor, as physical contact with a Phage victim is frowned on in Vidiian society.
- I Can't Dance: But at the end of the episode, they do (the Doctor states that he added the necessary subroutines to his program).
- Married to the Job: When Danara asks the Doctor about his life, all he has to boast about is a list of surgical procedures he has performed — there is nothing personal about his program and nothing that he does for pleasure. This changes a good deal in the future.
- The Mirror Shows Your True Self: Inverted.
- Mythology Gag: The Doctor cites Leonard McCoy as one of his many medical reference sources. Presumably that's where he picked up his habit of saying "I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder".
- The Nameless: Danara feels she has to call the Doctor something, so she names him after her Cool Uncle Schmullus.
- No Social Skills: Kes advises the Doctor to tell Danara of his feelings. So he casually drops the bombshell in the middle of an operation.
- Not a Date: Are you sure, Doctor?
- Open Heart Dentistry: Averted for once. Danara specifies that she's a hematologist.
- Out Of The Shadows Reveal: Danara walking into Sandrine's after she's been put back in her diseased body. The Doctor isn't fazed in the least.
- Prefers the True Form: To prove that he does not love Danara for her beauty had she not been ravaged by The Phage, the Doctor shares a dance and a tender-loving kiss with her in her real, deformed and decaying body.
- Series Continuity Error: Danara says the Phage has been infecting her people for hundreds of years, whereas in "The Phage" it was stated to be a couple of millennia.
- Shipper on Deck: Kes is having a grand old time watching the Doctor experience first love, and Tom Paris offers his own support.
- Shout-Out: The Doctor turns on the radio in the holographic car, which plays My Prayer by The Platters.
- Showing Off the New Body: A non-sexual version.
- Suddenly Shouting: In the middle of her conversation with Jonas, Seska cranks up the volume and snaps at him before returning to her normal calm and quiet voice. Apparently she's figuring out that cozying up to a leader isn't all its cracked up to be in a patriarchal society.
- Tears of Joy: Danara's first reaction to her whole, unblemished reflection is to sob; she never expected to see a reflection of a healthy face again.
- That Came Out Wrong: The Doctor goes to Tom Paris for advice after Danara apparently rejects him.EMH: Mr, Paris, I assume you have a great deal of experience being rejected by women.
- Two-Faced: So Danara Pel can be a Cute Monster Girl as well as The Grotesque.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Kes finds the Doctor running a diagnostic on his systems, trying to find out what's wrong with him.
- What Measure Is a Non-Cute?: The show depicts a healthy Vidiian for the first time, albeit through a holographic recreation.
- Worldbuilding: A more sympathetic look at the Vidiians.
