“Friday’s Child” is an unfortunately embarrassing episode. Almost nothing here works – from non sequitor fisticuffs, to silly Klingon ploys that an Ensign could see through but Scotty can’t, to a ridiculously convoluted and ultimately pointless plot about negotiations gone bad. Even the guest characters are worthless and pointless. All in all, it’s a failure of an episode.

I suppose that this is about as bad as it gets. The alien civilization with which Kirk, Spock and Enterprise are trying to negotiate is beyond barbaric and into downright stupid territory. Any civilization that violent toward itself could not possibly survive. And the subplot about the pregnant consort of the former leader – killed in a brief civil war during the episode – is as annoying as watching Deanna Troi share pain, fear, and hysteria all at once.

The plot shifts and turns without any rationale. Kirk and Spock resort to having to make bows and arrows. They become MacGuyver for a moment and use their communicators to cause an avalanche. They run from the new leader of the barbarians – Mr. Silly Hat With Furry Sash. They run to the hills. They run for their lives (kudos if you get the reference) McCoy helps the woman deliver “their” child. And on and on and on.

And then there is the Klingon ploy to lure the Enterprise away from the planet by simulating a distress call. It was an obvious ploy. Scotty gets roped into it all too easily. And when he figures it out? He decides to stick around and wait a while before returning to the planet – simply because the plot needed Kirk, Spock and McCoy to be on their own a while longer.

There really isn’t much else to say about “Friday’s Child” other than: “Ooochie wooochie cooochie coo.”

Meh.

Don’t ask.

Filed under: Original Series