Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
Tucked into the abomination that is “Plato’s Stepchildren” are a few worthwhile themes and ideas. But they are presented so embarrassingly that the episode is almost entirely worthless. The reality is that, while there are some worthwhile commentaries being made, the presentation obliterates any sense of respectability. It’s a bit like the President of the United States giving a State of the Union speech in his pajamas and slippers. No matter what the content of the speech may be, there’s no way you could take him (or her) seriously.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“The Tholian Web” is an example of classic Trek. Indeed, this is an episode in which Trekkies ought to find many memorable and compelling moments. It certainly is entertaining and briskly paced, with an approach not often seen in the series – namely a distinct lack of focus on Captain Kirk – and a mood, inspired by tales of ghost ships on the high seas, that is thoroughly captivating. But in spite of all its strengths, there just isn’t enough to this episode to elevate it into something truly exceptional.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on November 9th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky” is a surprisingly effective episode about blind faith in rules and dogma, as well as a touching love story. It is unfortunate, then, that the both the episode’s beginning and conclusion are more than a little contrived to allow for the episodic nature of the series. Otherwise, this could easily have been one of the better episodes in the Original Series, despite its overly long title.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on November 7th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“Day of the Dove” is a strong episode that present a typical Trekkian theme of non-violence. But the episode’s success isn’t as a result of innovation or revelation, rather it does an admirable job of showing the audience its message, with a minimal amount of preaching or pontification. This “show-not-tell” approach is the difference.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on November 5th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
Believe it or not, “Spectre of the Gun” is a classic episode, one of the most memorable and enjoyable of the series – if you can accept its primary conceit. The problem is, the premise is likely to prove insurmountably abstract to many viewers, especially those who may only have a casual interest in Star Trek. But if you can indeed get past the episode’s inherent weirdness, then you’ll be in for a real treat.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on November 3rd, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“Is There In Truth No Beauty?” is an episode which just cannot muster any real drama or suspense. And what’s worse is that the episode manages to take a fairly compelling concept and turn it into an embarrassment of a production. To be fair, this isn’t the worst that Star Trek has to offer, but it is an episode which is indicative of the bad writing, acting and directing which ultimately made the series the subject of a great deal of ridicule. Indeed, this episode is, by definition, ridiculous in its presentation.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on October 28th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“And The Children Shall Lead” starts off promisingly enough but quickly devolves into the worst, most horrid, most painful sci-fi I think I may have ever witnessed. I’m not even sure this episode even deserves a proper post-mortem. It’s dead. Let’s leave it that way.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on October 27th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“The Paradise Syndrome” is a moving, personal, and compelling story. In many ways, it is the precursor to TNG’s “The Inner Light.” And in every way that this episode mirrors its eventual progeny it succeeds masterfully, weaving a bittersweet tale about how elusive, intense, and fleeting true happiness can be. It’s a story of living lifetime within a finite period of time, and then returning to the world of reality – wiser and sadder for the experience. If only the overall production had been able to live up to the story itself …
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on October 26th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
“The Enterprise Incident” is easily one of the finest episodes of the series, featuring a compelling spy narrative, wonderful character growth from Spock, and a memorable guest star who just so happens to make the whole thing come together in as close to perfection as possible. This episode is, truly, a joy to watch and experience. But its mastery isn’t simply in its twists and turns – it’s in how well those turns show up on screen. The plot itself isn’t terribly well disguised and it’s quite possible to figure out what is going on just a few minutes into the story … but, as it turns out, doing so proves quite irrelevant to the enjoyment of the episode.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Posted on October 24th, 2008 by Samuel Walters
You may file “Spock’s Brain” in the “What the hell were they thinking?” category. From start to finish this is an episode fit only for Mystery Science Theater 3000. And at that it may be pushing the envelope. Indeed, before this episode is over, the term “Spock’s brain” takes on an unintentional comedic value which is indicative of the episode as a whole. Put simply, this is about as bad as sci-fi can get – to the point where it almost requires ridicule and derision.
Read more »
Filed under: Original Series | No Comments »
Loading ...
