Lineage

Tom and Harry, surgically attached at the hip, as usual.

	Harry catches up with his "buddy."
	Harry teases Tom. (That Harry has such a wicked sense of humor!)
	Harry trails a hand across Tom's chest.
	Tom gazes after Harry.
	Harry plays the saxophone we've heard about since "Ashes To Ashes," but never seen him play before.
	Tom turns up at Harry's door, asking to spend the night. (This scene reminded me of the scene in "Parturition," where Tom knocks on the door while Harry is playing the clarinet.) And geez, what's in that bag? How much stuff did Tom bring, anyway? He must be planning to stay for awhile.
	Harry ushers Tom in, patting him on the back in an unspoken gesture of comfort. (Awwww....)
	What a charming domestic scene - making the bed together.
	Ooh, nice position, Harry!
	And nice position, Tom!
	Tom looks flirtaciously over his shoulder at Harry.
	Harry clutches a pillow, trying to think of a way to reassure Tom.
	Tom is so cute when he broods.

More images from "Lineage"

A review by Arlie (re-posted with permission)

You know you're in trouble when the chimps call an episode a "tour de force." They said "Favorite Son" was a "tour de force" for Garrett. So I was very worried when I heard them say "Lineage" was a "tour de force" for Roxann and Robbie. With good reason, it turns out.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it did at least try to provide the warmth that has been so lacking on Voyager. It was entertaining enough, and had some very charming moments. But on the other hand, it did terrible things to B'Elanna Torres, and didn't exactly help P/T. (Though P/T is probably beyond help, at this point.) And continuity was thrown out the window. Even more than usual, I mean.

I was kind of disappointed that the pregnancy was an unexpected surprise. Obviously, they didn't plan it, and neither was sure how the other felt about having children. Arggh. These are people in their thirties, not teenagers. Don't tell me they got married without talking about things like children first. And don't tell me they were having sex without protection all this time, just trusting that Klingons and humans aren't very fertile together. B'Elanna is only half-Klingon, after all. It made them look very immature, to say the least. (Kind of makes you wonder what would have happened if she got pregnant before they were married.)

This episode also changes the background previously established for B'Elanna. Her father was supposed to have left when she was five. Here, she's twelve. That's a pretty big difference. And I guess she was lying when she said no one had ever said anything about her and Miral being Klingon when she was growing up.

The cavalier way the Doctor suggested genetic modification just seemed wrong. The Federation is supposed to be dead set against genetic engineering. But the Doc does it for a minor problem that is easily corrected with surgery.

Worst of all, this episode turned B'Elanna a certifiable nutburger. What she did to the Doctor was unforgivable. Vandalism, assault, brainwashing, mutiny, whatever you want to call it, it was wrong. I think B'Elanna said it best when she admitted it was a "violation." Maybe it was pregnancy hormones, maybe it was childhood trauma...whatever it was, I would not trust this person to run engineering or raise a child. Tom was all too right when he called B'Elanna "completely irrational." Janeway should remove her from duty. (Of course, Janeway can't exactly cast stones when it comes to insane behavior.)

I guess it's really just the usual problem: Voyager does a much better job of raising questions than it does of resolving them. When it comes to characters and relationships, this can be a real train wreck. In "Drive," Torres decides she and Tom are a "mok'tah," a bad match, and that scene was far more convincing than the reconciliation at the end. Here, they show us marital difficulty between them that is far more convincingly portrayed than marital harmony. B'Elanna lies in bed next to Tom, and seems more alone than we have ever seen her. Tom wonders if the fact that they always fight is a sign of worse to come; Harry can't reassure him, and this episode doesn't reassure us.

Eventually, Tom promises he'll never leave B'Elanna...but you can't help knowing that once, John must have promised Miral the same thing. Then left her anyway. Tom may well do the same thing. And then what will B'Elanna do, if just the fear that he might turned her into the lunatic we saw here?

At the end, one is left with the feeling that this couple is doomed. They don't understand each other, they don't even seem to like each other. They are hopelessly incompatible. Neither of them is ready for marriage, let alone parenthood.

And when the inevitable breakup comes, their child would be better off with her father. This episode has made it plain. Yes, whenever Tom got a new hobby, the kid would be out the airlock, but such benign neglect would be better than B'Elanna's self-hatred. Torres doesn't like herself; how will she feel about a little girl who is her mirror image? Nothing good, I fear.

There were some warm, charming moments. Unfortunately, none of them were between B'Elanna and Tom. I quite liked the Tuvok and Tom scene here. For once, Tom was respectful. For the first time since "Ex Post Facto," I got a feeling of real friendship between them. Or potential friendship, anyway. We got another Seven and Torres scene; Icheb wasn't even all that annoying. Chakotay gets to show once again he understands B'Elanna a lot better than Tom ever will. And Tom and Harry's two scenes together had a witty, warm, intimate ease to them that stood in stark contrast to the cold stiffness of Tom and B'Elanna's scenes.

Roxann did a very good job; her scenes were often moving, but she couldn't fix the fact that this script had huge problems. I wasn't impressed with Robbie, I'm afraid. I know I've been saying that I want more serious, meaty stories for Paris, but this episode made me long for the frivolous jokester we usually get. At least his Animal House persona has a certain juvenile charisma. Here, he was just tedious.

Overall grade: C-/D+

NOTES:

Seven weeks, and Torres didn't even suspect. Maybe Klingons don't menstruate. (If that's true, her daughter might never forgive her for removing her Klingon genes. ;-)

I loved Neelix's Talaxian saying: "Good news has no clothes." LOL!

Harry had some funny lines here, at Tom's expense. ("Before your life spins out of control," "My couch is your couch.") I almost felt sorry for poor Tom...then I remember the cow.

Well, it's official. The chimps have forgotten that Tuvok's daughter is supposed to be only a little girl. He tells Paris it's been a long time since his children were small. I guess the fifth season must be "a long time" ago by Vulcan standards. :-P

A toaster? They are really carrying this 20th century thing too far. I can see Tom liking peanut butter toast, but actually making it, with a toaster? Give me a break.

Best line of the episode is B'Elanna to Tom, when he suggests going to the holodeck: "That's your solution for everything." Too true!

Continuity alert: Harry's saxophone, first mentioned in "Ashes To Ashes," finally seen in "Nightingale," is finally heard here. I guess he's really given up the clarinet.

Tom complains that Harry has lumpy pillows, keeps the room too hot, and snores. Ahem. Harry keeps the room way too hot? Compared to a Klingon? Obviously, Tom's lying. Probably trying to put B'Elanna off the scent. ;-)

We finally find out what kind of underwear women on Voyager wear. It's boxers, like the men.