The Delta Flyer crashes and there are fears for the lives of its crew.
There is a decent story at the heart of this about Naomi Wildman's experience and her connection with Neelix.
For me the general narrative does not unfold in a particularly compelling way. Putting two main characters in the away crew kills any suspense associated with Sam Wildman's predicament. Plus the writers again portray Neelix as a frustrating character, and the predictable underlying issues create no empathy with him.
Ethan Phillips gives a strong performance, but the material he has, especially in his confrontation scene with Janeway is not written with any subtlety. I find the dialogue in some episodes of Voyager tends to over explain characters feelings.
The use of the holodeck characters is debatable, as there is some merit with the themes about childhood fantasy worlds and the idea of sheltering children from harsh realities. When you read that this was part of an idea for a different story (that sounds far better), it feels like a missed opportunity. I find them annoying when on screen.
All actors are solid and make the best of the material. Scarlett Pomers does really well as at 10 year old interacting with her adult co-stars. Her short scene with Jeri Ryan is easily the best part of the episode.
It's a 5.5/10 for me but I round upwards.
