Absurd.

It’s the only way to describe “I, Mudd” – an episode that, by all rights, should never have been written, let alone filmed, let alone aired, let alone imprinted onto DVD. But as Captain Jean-Luc Picard would say decades later (in a TNG episode in which a chicken flies out of the transporter room), “Sometimes … you just have to bow to the absurd.” And really, that’s the only way you can possibly stomach this episode. Otherwise, it’s excruciating.

Oh, sure, there are some funny moments – I seem to recall laughing out loud on more than one occasion as I watched the episode – but the humor only works on the “stupid humor” level (as in, it’s so ridiculously stupid that you cannot stop yourself from bursting out loud). In a way, you have to admire the cast and crew diving into the deep end with such gusto in this episode. Even they must have known how ridiculous the whole thing was – from an android hijacking the Enterprise, to Mudd’s implausible return, to the daffy “logic” of the robots, to the already clichéd ending of using circular arguments to confound supersmart computers.

But despite all of the episode’s faults – and believe me, there are many of them – there is still a certain charm within it. Kirk’s facial expressions are priceless. Mudd certainly knows how to be charismatic, and who wouldn’t be entertained by watching Spock say to identical androids, “I love you, but I hate you” with a perfect delivery.

All kidding aside, however, there are some legitimate, and more nefarious issues with the episode – issues of sexism that seem to have spilled over from the initial episode with Mudd, titled “Mudd’s Women.” Here, the female androids, described as “perfect,” are not only physically attractive, but also completely obedient. In fact, it’s only when they stop being obedient that they are referred to as anything less than perfect. And, too, the android of Mudd’s shrill wife – though amusing on the surface – represents another typically negative stereotype of women: the nagging, shrewish wife. We’re meant to laugh at Mudd being able to tell his android wife to just STFU whenever he wants.

Ah yes, I know, it’s just supposed to be a comic romp, so why bother with the critique. True, these issues tend to be lost in the absurdity of the episode, but it’s worth pointing out that they do indeed exist, and whatever “charm” that the episode might have to cover its really stupid plot is nullified as a result of these clearly negative stereotypes.

Which means, of course, that while we’re busy laughing at the Enterprise crew putting on the most irrational slapstick scene I can recall (and I watched the Muppet Show, mind you), there’s something not quite right with the whole production. And, for that reason, I cannot quite give it the pass that most Star Trek fans do. Yes, it’s memorable and will evoke laughs … but this episode just isn’t worthy of praise.

“I, Mudd” is an empty, vapid episode which is not only ridiculous and sexist, but also represents some of the worst conceptualizations for an episode in the entire series – more so than watching a man in a rabbit suit chase after a little blonde-haired girl.

Filed under: Original Series