When this episode first aired, I imagine some viewers were checking their TV guides to check which Star Trek program they had tuned into, because you don't watch "Voyager" expecting to see Lt. Barclay open a door to greet Deanna Troi ... revisiting ST:TNG through two of that show's most annoying characters.
Surprisingly, Troi is not annoying at all ... which evidently inspired Dwight Shultz to double down on Barclay's irritating qualities. This makes for some tough going, because (like most Barclay episodes) the story focuses entirely on him and his neurotic self -- but even more so since he's telling it.
The good news is the often-overlooked Richard Herd as Admiral Paris, who yanks this episode up out of 'irritating' and thrusts it into 'genuinely moving'. We'll just have to accept his remarkable resemblance to Karl Malden -- nothing to be done about looks, and the talent is the man's own. Here's an actor who equals Patrick Stewart for serious scenes; they must have realized it on set as well, since they brought him back for a few more episodes after this.
The result is an OK first half (Barclay/Troi) and a genuinely strong second half (Paris), although I sorta feel for the regular cast -- "Voyager" is their show, but they're largely reduced to being background/support characters for Shultz. It must be said, though, that he's very good at playing the neurotic-but-brilliant Lt Barclay.
Ultimately, a definitely-recommended episode,but not where I'd start someone on watching "Voyager"
