Well
my friends, so far in this series the episodes I have discussed aren't
so bad. They may have problems, but all in all the episodes are ok
compared to others. Today I want to talk about an episode I like which
is generally considered awful! Why do I like it? Ummm..let's discuss and
try to find out.
Plot Synopsis:
The
Enterprise arrives at a planet to discover that the Federation colony
has been wiped out. But they weren't killed by something, they all
apparently killed themselves! All the people are dead, except the children. But that isn't the odd part. The children appear to be happy and want to play...around thier parents dead bodies.
Kirk brings the kids aboard
the Enterprise, wondering why the kids show no sign of grief at all.
Turns out the kids are in league with a....whatever he is named Gorgon.
The alien convinces his kids to use the evil power he had granted to
make everyone confront their "demons" as a way to seize control of the
ship. Why does he need these kids? It's never made clear.
The kids make the crew experience all sorts of hallucinations
and control what they actually do. Uhura sees herself old, Sulu sees
the ship about to be destroyed, Kirk and Scotty do some horrible
overacting. Finally, Kirk helps the kids tap into the grief over their parents death which causes Gorgon to lose his power over the kids. He is banished from the ship while the kids finally start the road to recovery.
There is so much to talk about, let's take it one step at a time.
Guest Stars:
We have Attorney Melvin
Belli as the alien. Yes Stunt casting goes way back my friends. I know
he gets a litle heat for this role, but I actually liked Melvin Belli
here. The problems with the character, and there are some, are more the
fault of the writing and horrible special effects (and whoever dressed
him that stupid costume he wears). I think Belli did a great job being
menacing and kind at the same time, and if handled a bit different think
Gorgon could have been one bad ass villain. Ok, fair is fair and Belli
was no actor. The oldest kid is played by Craig Huxley. Not only does
he play Kirk's nephew in a different episode, but he is a true villain
on The Brady Bunch. He is the one who gets Greg to start smoking!!!
Funny, but I just realized this episode has a "Brady Bunch" feel to it.
Episode Pro's:
Believe
it or not, the episode starts well. It's a good setup, the
psychological discussion is well done, and you really want to know what
happened. And let's be fair, the kid actors did a decent job and it
wasn't their fault the show sucked. Actually it's kind of weird, the
kids come off better than the adult actors! Oh we're getting to that my
friends. Also, I like the basic premise though the script clearly has no
idea what to do with it.
In
the midst of all William Shatner's hamminess, we get one of my favorite
Kirk/Spock moments. Spock sees Kirk struggle with what the kids do to
him, and breaks the spell on himself. He then assists Kirk in also
fighing the spell (I call it a spell because what the hell els is it? I
mean what is it the kids do? Is it magic?). Spock doesn't really do
anything, he just kind of stands by Kirk as any friend would. Anyway,
it's a solid moment in the overall mess. I also like McCoy in this. Why?
Because is all but absent fro the majority of the episode. It's ironic,
the one person who doesn't face his beast here gets to be front and
center when Sybok does the same thing in Star Trek V. Heck, Gorgon uses
the Enterprise the same way the alien in Star Trek V would have if he
had gotten it. Yes folks, I said it. Star Trek V did this concept
better--how crazy is that??
Finally,
I do like how it ends. There is no space fight or anything, Kirk and
Spock just dump the truth onto he kids and watch as the grief finally
breaks free. Maybe it's the Psychologist in me, but I think it worked.
Though it is not without flaws, how do the tapes make the kids cry but
playing aroUnd their parents dead bodies had no effect??
Ok folks, let's get into the real mess
Episode Con's:
The
whole middle is just void of any common sense. The kids go about taking
over the Enterprise. After the kids make Sulu and Chekov change course
but believe they have not left orbit, apparently the view screen is all
the evidence they need. Kirk and Spock beam two security guards into
deep space and realize something is wrong, nice of them to not check
before beaming the men down and killing them. They arrive on the Bridge
in time to see the kids summon the alien IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. Gorgon
is then nice enough to appear and give away the plot so the real fun can
begin!
The acting is just awful! And what is up with some of these hallucinations?
Let's discuss this by character. Now apparently the powers the kids
have are to make the crew battle their inner beasts or fears (and take
physical control of them when convenient to the plot). Ok, so what are
those beasts within? First Uhura is crippled by the image she sees in
the mirror which appears from nowhere. The image is of her old and
dying. And the reason she can't look down and see that what she is
seeing is fake? Then they make Sulu see swords circling the ship and
convince him the ship will be destroyed if they move or change course.
This always killed me; first of all does Sulu really believe the images
he is seeing are genuine? How are swords going to “destroy” the ship, I
mean Nomad’s energy blasts couldn’t break thru the shields but metal
objects, those are deadly! He even pushes Kirk out of the way when he
tries to change the course! I guess I can buy Sulu’s demon is fear the
ship will be destroyed but, really? Showing a Klingon battle ship
approaching would have at least made sense. Maybe if this power was more
defined, but it is so vague what the kids are doing that it hurts the
episode.
Kirk's beast
(or enemy within, whatever) is losing command of his ship. Fine, but
why did Shatner have to overact so hard? Did he realize the script
sucked so he decided to just have fun with it? I honesly think when
people parody Kirk and his hamminess it's this particular episode they
remember, especially that one scene on the turbo lift. Scotty becomes
afraid to let Kirk touch his engines or he will disturb them. Apparently
the fact that Kirk is his senior officer is irrelevant, and Scotty even
threatens to kill Kirk if he touches them! I mean, when Sulu disobeyed
Kirk he thought he was acting in the best interest of the ship. Scotty
is just being an ass. Then Chekov appears with a couple guards to arrest
Kirk and Spock, apparently he got “orders”. Chekov must be scared of
disobeying an order or something. And how did the children do this, it's
inconsistent with the rest of their actions. Of course it’s not
explained because it makes no sense! To Kirk’s credit,
he does send Chekov and the guards to detention after he and Spock have
stopped them, maybe even Kirk realizes that there was no excuse for
that one.
One
last thing, it is clear that the colony was defeated over a period of
time (hours or maybe days) and they all realized something was wrong,
that was why they killed themselves. To keep the menance on the planet
and not allow it to spread. The Enterprise crew succumb very fast,
almost ridiculously so, and only Kirk and Spock manage to realize
something is wrong and work to counter it. This episode really treats
the supporting characters like fools.
"Fast Foward" Moment:
The
scene where Nurse Chapel gives the kids ice cream is lame. Really, you
can skip past act 2 and act 3 and not miss much of anything.
Final
Thoughts-So, why? Why do I like this episode if it is so bad? I guess
that is what I liked about it, the badness is just so thick you can't
help but watch. It's like looking at a car accident, you know you should
look away but can't help yourself. Still, that doesn't change the fact
that this is a bad episode. Unlike Spock's Brain, which seemed to know
it was bad and had fun with it, this episode tries to be serious but it
is overwhelmed with silliness. There is a good message in here,
somewhere, but the script just fails to deliver. And sometimes this kind
of stuff works, like in Charlie X where the things Charlie does to the
crew are downright chilling. Here, it's just goofiness. Not the worst in
Season 3, but it's up there!
That's it for today my friends, see you next time.
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