Prime Factors - Torres and Seska ask Harry and Tom if they're knocking off the Delaney Sisters. There's some blonde girl sitting next to Tom laughing like she's part of it but she doesn't get to speak. Janeway is happy both crews are "finally" getting along (when weren't they, really?) Aliens named the Sikarians send out a distress call "because Voyager is in distress" and a French guy named Gath invites Janeyway to enjoy his planet. Kes and Neelix think it's a great idea but Tuvok raises his eyebrow a bit. Gath offers Janeway loads of clothes but she just wants a nice scarf. Harry flirts with a hot girl. Harry's knew girl tells him how important stories are to the Sikarians. She takes Harry to a private place so he can tell her stories (this is possibly a come on) and Harry realises they're on another planet. Not only that but it's a planet 40,000 light years away. Janeway nearly gets off with Gath but Harry runs in to cockblock (and tell her there could be a way to go home using the Sikarian space-folding technology.) Gath explains that it's against their laws to share the technology as it could fall into the wrong hands if it left their planet. There's a big debate scene with the senior staff. Janeway points out that they're on the other side of the Prime Directive now and some of the aliens they've denied Starfleet technology must feel the same way they do now. Tuvok suggests they should attempt to talk the Sikarians around and Harry points out that they value stories above all else and they could offer them Voyager's complete Kindle library. Janeway sweet talks Gath, trying to convince him to transport Voyager 40,000 light years in exchange for some books. Seska tells Torres that it's her brother's birthday and she'd really like to get home (is this her real brother or a cover-story brother?) Torres starts looking into the technology even though Janeway told her not to. Carey joins them too (recurring characters!)
Harry's girlfriend takes him to a shady back alley meeting with Gath's assistant who is willing to give the space-folding technology to Harry in exchange for the stries (she he can become a famous story supplier.) Harry tells Paris, Torres and Seksa before going to tell Janeway. They all suspect Janeway will turn down the offer because it isn't above board. Seska tells Torres they should take the technology anyway. Torres is torn between her and her new loyalty to Janeway. Janeway asks Tuvok for advice. He suggests that doing the deal might not be so bad because they'd just be breaking Sikarian law and not their own. Janeway struggles with what to do but thanks Tuvok for being such a good friend. Janeway asks Gath if he's talked to the rest of his government about helping Voyager but he's all "nah there's no rush, babe, relax and hang out with me!" He wants Janeway to just stay on the planet with him instead. Janeway realises all he cares about is his own pleasure and he'd get bored of her soon enough. Gath doesn't find this conversation pleasurable and tells her to get off his planet. Tuvok looks a bit concerned (in a Vulcan way) that Janeway wants to leave the planet and isn't considering the other deal. Seska and Carey convince B'Elanna to accept the technology without Janeway's permission. Tuvok catches them in the transporter room...then reveals that he'll make the exchange instead. Tuvok brings the technology to Torres but warns her not to activate it until he's talked to Janeway (Seska instantly ignores him and plugs it in to run a simulation.) It turns out they have to activate it before leaving orbit and do so. But something goes wrong (yes there's a lot of technobabble but it's done well) and the Warp core nearly blows up. Torres has to destroy the technology to save them. Seska wants to keep lying but Torres says it's time to face the music. Torres and Tuvok both come clean. Janeway tells Torres how deeply disappointed she is. Mulgrew is good here. She's more angry with Tuvok because he's her oldest friend. Tuvok tries to use logic to justify his actions, saying that he chose to act to spare Janeway of her ethical dilemma. Janeway tells him to bring his logic to her and not act on it behind her back. Tuvok says hislogic wasn't in error but he was.
It's probably the best episode yet, or a tie with 'Eye of the Needle' anyway. You can see everyone's point of view and having it not just be the Maquis who were breaking the rules but Tuvok as well was a great choice by the writers and gave Tuvok a bit of an edge. The only thing I'm not sure about is Gath: he just seems a bit too pervy. The episode could have done more to show why it would have been so bad for Janway to accept the deal with the other guy. But yeah it's very good stuff.
SCORE: 9/10
State of Flux - An away team is searching a planet for food. Carey is excited that he's found some kind of apple but that dick Neelix has to humilate him by revealing it's poisonous. Leola roots make their first appearance (Chakotay thinks they're shit.) Voyager finds a kind of cloacked Kazon-Nistrim ship. Seska is missing on the planet and Chakotay goes to look for her. He spots some Kazon in a cave and finds Seska apparently hiding from her ("thank the Prophets!" she says.) Chakotay is shot. Seska makes him mushroom soup to help him get better. Chakotay gets mad when he finds out she stole the mushrooms. We find out they used to be lovers. Voyager picks up a distress call from the Kazon ship they saw earlier. Janeway wisely takes precautions in case it's a trap but of couse goes to help them. They beam over and find most of the Kazon are not just dead but phsed into metal, like there's been some horrible transporter accident. Torres determines the accident was caused by Federation technology. One Kazon survived and the Doctor needs to do blood screenings to save his life. Tuvok wonders of another Federation ship came to the Quadrant before them (Janeway says there were no reports of other missing ships. CONTINUITY ERROR FOR LATER!) Someone on Voyager must be a traitor. Torres turns Janeway on by saying "I don't exaggerate!" when Janeway tells her to get something working faster. Chakotay is worried people will think Seska is the traitor because she went missing on the planet. Seska goes to look at the sick Kazon and tells the Doctor he's the only one who can clear her name. Kes wonders why Seska's never left a blood sample. Seska beams over to the Kazon ship by herself. She claims she's just there to get the Federation technology back but Tuvok suggests she could be there to cover her traps. There's an accident and Seska has to be beamed to Sickbay.
Janeway and Tuvok talk to Carey, another suspect as he went missing on the planet to pick apples. He acts a bit shifty and jittery, making it look like it could be him (which means it isn't.) Janeway locks him up. Maje Culluh (oh great, him) contacts Voyager, wanting to speak to the surviving Kazon. Tom does one of his "friendly sort!" quips. Culluh wants the other ship back but Janeway won't give it up while there's Federation tech on it. Culluh's bodyguard murders the sick Kazon with a poisoned ring. The Doctor and Kes also break the news that now that they've got a sample of Seska's blood they know she's actually a Cardassian altered to look Bajoran. Chakotay can't believe his former lover was a Cardassian spy and wants to question her. Culluh theatens Janeway again and she tells him she does't like bullies. Torres finally gets the Federation technology out of the Kazon ship and determines it's a food replcatior and that wasn't properly shielded. Chakotay finally talks to Seska and admits he isn't sure what to believe. She claims she has a rare disease and was saved by a transplant from a nice Cardassian woman and that's why her blood is weird. Martha Hackett as Seska plays it so well that you can almost believe her. Chaktoay and Tuvok have given Seska and Carey the same bait to catch one of them out as the traitor, like in Murder She Wrote. They detect someone with Seska's secuirty code trying to destroy the evidence. Torres thinks that means it's Carey trying to frame Seska, but Chakotay knows it's a smart Seska double bluff. Chakotay, Janeway and Tuvok go to confront Seska with the truth. The Doctor reveals her childhood virus story is a lie, she's a real Cardie. Seska finally drops the act and reveals she did it all because of Janeway's Federation morals. If it was a Cardassian ship they'd be home by now. She wants to make an alliance with the Kazon. She cruelly says "I can't imagine how I ever loved you" to Chakotay and beams away to a Kazon ship. Chakotay asks Tuvok if he's really a big fool since Seska and Tuvok both managed to spy on him. Tuvok points out that he himself did not notice that Seska was a Cardassian spy either. This makes Chakotay feel a bit better.
It's another very good episode. Martha Hackett is so good here as Seska here that it's actually making me really mad they didn't just make her a regular character. Imagine if she had to stay on Voyager with them knowing she was a Cardassian spy? That would have been good drama! I'm not holding that against this episode though. Chakotay, while not the most interesting man alive, finally gets a good story. The Kazon return and are used fine here. I guess the only problem is that it's always pretty obvious that Seska is the traitor, despite how good her acting is. With all the screentime she got it was never going to be an "it was Carey all along!" ending.
SCORE: 8.5/10