The Doctor giving Seven The Talk, before Seven's all like "CAN WE NOT."
The Doctor becomes Seven of Nine's tutor in the lessons of love, while Voyager hosts a religious ambassador from the planet they are visiting.This episode provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: Neelix gets in a fluster trying to make sure everything is beyond reproach for their very proper guests, then panics when Tomin decides to indulge in wine, women and song. The crew even resorts to injecting Tomin with Borg nanoprobes just to make him sober up, only for his religious superior to wink at the idea of a young man sowing wild oats, and mildly warn him not to make a habit of it.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Harry and the Doctor are this to Seven, and Seven is arguably this to Chapman. (if you see her rigidly structured criteria as her version of "love")
- Amusingly Short List: The Doctor asks Seven of Nine, as part of a dating lesson, to tell him her tastes, her likes and dislikes. She tells him that she dislikes irrelevant conversations.
- Anchored Ship: In retrospect, any chance of D/7 becoming canon dies here.
- "Ass" in Ambassador: The guest of honor gets blissed out on synthehol (apparently, his species lacks the enzymes that break down booze) and turns into a Tex Avery wolf when Seven walks in. "Seven of Mine!" he slurs. "Assimilate me!"
- Bad "Bad Acting": The Doctor and Seven practicing small talk with scripted lines.
- Bad Date: Seven's first date leaves a lot to be desired. She and the hapless Lt. Chapman are both nervous, leading to a string of dinnertime disasters — Seven splitting a lobster with such ferocity that she splats Chapman in the face with it, and ballroom dancing with enough fervor to break his arm.Chapman: ...Maybe we should order dessert.
Seven: [deer in headlights expression] You wish to accelerate our social encounter. - The Bet: The Doctor and Tom Paris make a bet that the Doctor can't help Seven of Nine get a date. The Doctor eventually wins the bet when he becomes her date, though this makes Seven very upset when she finds out about the bet.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Species 8472 is said by the Doctor to have five sexes.
- Blatant Lies: The Doctor denying his infatuation with Seven.
- The Blind Leading the Blind: How Tom describes the Doctor teaching Seven about dating.
- Blunt "Yes": When B'Elanna confronts Seven about whether or not she's been following her and Tom, Seven readily admits she has.
- Bottle Episode: We never see the planet where Janeway beams down to for diplomatic relations.
- Breather Episode: After the chaos and grittiness of "Juggernaut," we cool things down with a simple love story.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: An unintentional example when Tomin gets drunk and falls for Seven:"Seven of Mine... Assimilate me..."
- Cannot Talk to Women: Chapman. Paris points it out when the Doctor mentions him, and he proves it during his date with Seven.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: The religious ambassador Tomin gets drunk, but unfortunately doesn't have the enzymes to purge the alcohol from his body. Seven of Nine volunteers to have her nanoprobes extracted to provide the necessary enzymes.
- Covert Pervert: Seven of Nine studying Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres' relationship. Needless to say, B'Elanna isn't very pleased with this.B'Elanna: How the hell do you know when we're having intimate relations?
Seven: There is no one on Deck 9, Section 12 who doesn't know when you're having intimate relations. - Daydream Surprise: The usual holodeck version with the Doctor's Love Confession.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Played straight...then tragically averted.
- Do Anything Drone: Seven's nanoprobes save the day again!
- Downer Ending: The Doctor gets firmly shoved into the Friendzone by Seven after his dating stuff-up.
- Duet Bonding: For the Doctor, at least, but not Seven.
- Geeky Turn-On: Seven's succinct answers to the Doctor when he's busy pounding out a dating profile for her. What does she do in her spare time? "Regenerate." What about her likes and dislikes? "I dislike irrelevant conversation." What does she seek in life? "Perfection." When seeking out a mate, Seven chooses several men that appeal to her. The reasons? A flawless work record and efficiency!
- Girls Like Musicians: Parodied:Seven: I've narrowed the list to two crewmen, based on work performance and compatible interests.
Harry Kim: I didn't know you had any interests.
Seven: Neither did I, but apparently, they include astronomy, quantum mechanics and music.
Harry Kim: I play the clarinet, you know.
Seven: You are not one of the candidates, Ensign. - Hangover Sensitivity: Tomin winds up with a bad case of this. Probably his first.
- Hates Small Talk: Which is a problem when you have to date.
- I Can't Dance: When Lt. Chapman asks Seven for a dance, she's insecure for a moment, as she has never had dancing lessons. Then her competitive nature gets the better of her, and she goes to the dance floor with Chapman... and winds up accidentally breaking the poor guy's arm.
- I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: Janeway to Seven in her reprimand of Seven watching Tom and B'Elanna: "This is a starship, not a nature preserve."
- Innocent Fanservice Girl: Seven is about to casually remove her catsuit... dermaplastic garment, only for the Doctor to get flustered and leave the room.
- Kiss Me, I'm Virtual: The Doctor screws up his courage to make a Love Confession, only to reveal it's a holodeck program. When the real Seven informs him she's decided there are no potential mates on Voyager, he Cannot Spit It Out.
- A Lady on Each Arm: Tomin with the holographic ladies of Sandrine's.
- Large Ham:
- The Doctor (of course) during the slideshow, especially the part where "Fortress Ovum is besieged by countless little warriors."
- Tomin when he gets plastered. He ends up with No Indoor Voice.
- Let's Duet: The Doctor and Seven sing a duet of "You Are My Sunshine" while he's teaching her social niceties.
- Lethal Chef: Not this time. For once, Neelix is careful to make his cooking as non-lethal as possible.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Seven, as suggested by the Doctor.
- Literal Metaphor: When Seven offers to get Tom Paris and the Doctor a drink at the reception, the Doctor says, "You know I don't drink. I don't have the stomach for it."
- Matchmaker Crush: The Doctor develops feelings for Seven as he continues to give her dating tips.
- Mr. Fanservice: Lt. William Chapman, selected as Seven's perfect mate.
- Oblivious to Love: Seven doesn't realize that the Doctor has developed feelings for her. It certainly doesn't help that the Doctor decides not to confess to her after she deduces there isn't a potential boyfriend for her on Voyager.
- Prayer Is a Last Resort: Suggested when Tomin shows up to his reception completely shitfaced.Chakotay: Neelix, is it my imagination, or is our guest of honor drunk?
Neelix: Commander, I tried. I had an itinerary, I even set up a prayer dais in his quarters, but I just couldn't control him. The Captain is due back in the morning with the Kadi minister. What do I do?
Chakotay: Pray. - Pun:
- Tom tells a few at the reception ("How do you bend a hologram's ear? Use a prism."), but Tomin is so plastered that he thinks they're the funniest jokes ever.
- The Doctor gets one of his own: "You know I don't drink. I don't have the stomach for it."
- Pygmalion Plot: Pretty much to the letter. The Doctor makes a bet that he can make Seven of Nine charming.
- Rejection Affection: Harry Kim tries... again... to get together with Seven when she mentions that her criteria for romantic partners include musical talent.Harry: I play the clarinet, you know.
Seven: You are not one of the candidates. - Robo Romance: The Doctor's attraction to Seven of Nine. She doesn't reciprocate.
- Sex Is Irrelevant and I Am Horny: Seven denies it, but Doc suggests that her recent behavior is due to her... desires... starting to awaken.
- Shaking Her Hair Loose: The Doctor lets Seven's hair down from its tight pleat. The results are as expected.Doctor: Try shaking your head a bit.
[Seven does so and looks beautiful]
Seven: Is this more appropriate?
Doctor: [faintly] Yes... - She Cleans Up Nicely: Unsurprisingly, Seven looks drop dead gorgeous in a dress.
- Shout-Out:
- The picture the Doctor shows Seven is from Look Who's Talking.
- More plot-specific, Tom and the Doctor's bet about Seven is nearly a Whole-Plot Reference to Pygmalion, My Fair Lady, and the film She's All That, which was recently released.
- There's a strange, probably coincidental, parallel to Mr. Holland's Opus. That film has a subplot about a student becoming infatuated with her teacher, who initially returns her affection but ultimately turns her down. It prominently includes the title song.
- Sperm as People: Seven, due to being raised by a hive mind of emotionless cyborgs, doesn't see the point of romance and thinks it's all about procreation. When the Doctor goes through the mating habits of various alien species, he starts explaining how procreation works, describing the ovum as a "fortress" and the sperm as "little warriors". Seven interrupts, saying that she already knows how that works.
- Standard Female Grab Area: Seven of Nine shows the correct response when a drunken ambassador grabs you like this:"Remove your hand or I shall remove your arm."
- The Talk: The Doctor in his explaining sex to Seven of Nine.
- Tempting Fate: A drunken Tomin asks Seven to assimilate him, and ends up being injected with Borg nanoprobes.
- Talk to the Fist: B'elanna's line to Seven: "Then study this. Borg provokes Klingon. Klingon breaks Borg nose." Tom Paris keeps her from punching Seven, though.
- Title Drop/Songs of Solace: The song played at the end of the episode.
