Bread and Circuses episode

[AxelFoley]

What are your thoughts on this episode? I just finished watching it and was truly amazed of how great and (I think) underrated this episode is! I've never seen this episode being mentioned when there are talks about which episode of TOS is the best, this definitely ranks in the top 15 for me (I don't have a real list yet!)

It's a good script and 'fascinating' concept, great action and intrigues, a lot of great humor.

What got me the most though is the the 2 scenes with Spock & McCoy, firstly, when Spock comes to McCoy's aid in the gladiator fight as soon as he sees he's in serious trouble. That alone touched me. The following scene with the 2 of them alone in the cell is without a doubt in my mind, the best scene between the two of them on TOS up to that point. I mean there have been several humorous scenes between them before, as well as several heated debate-scenes, but never a scene quite like this with all the elements of humor, heated discussion & true feelings resurfacing like this. Just wow!

And I love how Kirk describes their relationship.

A great episode all around, I'd definitely give it a 10/10. It just got to me on every possible level.

 

[egonbeeblebrox]

This is a really good episode, I think. Not one of the BEST, but certainly very fun to watch. The concept's so bizarre, and they run with it well.

 

[Tralah]

I disliked the ending's "twist" a lot, but it really was a fun episode over all. I especially liked the notion of the Romans televising Gladiator fights with all the modernness that we do with our own sporting events.

 

[M'Sharak]

*mumbles something about the Faye Lapid cameo*

 

[AxelFoley]

I also loved how Spock, just like in The Apple, uses his "logic" as an excuse to why he saved McCoy (having the ships doctor dead would be bad)

Also, any episode with the classic Amok Time fight-scene theme deserves a good grade

 

[RookieBatman]

Those Spock-McCoy scenes in the cell are definitely tops. I also like how that one ship captain is sort of the evil mastermind, but in reality, he's just another puppet himself. Not one of my top five overall episodes, but definitely one of the better ones for characterization.

 

[guardian]

One of the epidodes that most folks love--that I hate.

They beam down in full costume, with Spocks ears in full view, with the Phaser 2 hanging off their belts and are promtly caught--big surprise.
It takes the 'sun worshipers' to give them the 'native clothes' idea & they are promtly re-caught.
Blatant pandering to the christians in the audience--as if that particular religion will dominate future earth--& as if it's the only religion (or philosiphy) that preaches brotherhood.

They comment that they logically speak 'English"--in a world where Rome never fell!!!
Hey dumbasses, if Rome never fell--the earth would mostly speak Latin.

I do like the tortured Merick, the famous Spock/McCoy interchange and the location shooting though.

 

[Nebusj]

They comment that they logically speak 'English"--in a world where Rome never fell!!!

Ah-ah-ah. They don't find anything `logical' about the natives speaking colloquial 20th-century English. Our Heroes find it amazing.

(And it is; they probably would have done better to use a Roman-parallel culture, as the Law of Parallel Development would seem to suggest, but I suppose it's convenient to use the stocks on hand.)

 

[guardian]

^^Yes he does say 'amazing', but it is clearly implied that there is some logic to them speaking English--there is not.

Also this clearly WAS a parallel Roman culture--that's exactly what they call 'a Rome that never fell' in which case they should speak Latin.

They should have had Spock say, "I find it extremly odd that they would be speaking English" That way they would have a least pointed out that it made no sense.

 

[Kirkman1987]

This is a really fun episode. Not one of the greats but really fun, along the same lines as Gamesters of triskelion. I always liked the satire on the television industry present in this episode.

"fight you pointed eared freak!"

 

[HoundDog]

It's not an episode that makes too much sense when you're watching too close - like most of the TOS parallel earth episodes (the concept is just silly).

Nevertheless, it is a very entertaining episode with some nice character moments. And the circus games on TV scenes are just classic.

 

[RookieBatman]

Yeah, I think most people here probably already know that the parallel-Earth settings were just a gimmick to reuse non-futuristic sets and save some money. This is just something that the fans have to put up with in understanding that it's part of being a TV show, just like all the aliens being humanoids.

 

[Shatmandu]

In the cell, I always imagine Spock getting frustrated with McCoy, bashing his head in with a meal tray, making McCoy his bitch, and selling McCoy to the other prisoners for smokes.

Joe, watches too much "Oz"

 

[HoundDog]

Yeah, I think most people here probably already know that the parallel-Earth settings were just a gimmick to reuse non-futuristic sets and save some money. This is just something that the fans have to put up with in understanding that it's part of being a TV show, just like all the aliens being humanoids.

My point exactly - and my suspension of disbelief is working quite well. It's just a TV show!

 

[Bak_and_Blue]

Yeah, all the parallel development ones get on my nerves, but the trinity interplay was great.

 

[guardian]

Too bad they to be Earth-paralell....

Better to do what they did in "Private... & 'Friday's.... just have them be of a certain level of development with no comparisons to Earth.

Simply 5th century technology or 19th or 12th

Why 'Roman', 'Nazi" or '1920s Earth gangs' etc??

 

[Sir Rhosis]

Well, at least they gave explanations for the Nazis (John Gill's influence) and the gangsters ("The Book" left behind). This is not one that I particularly watch often, and as I read through the thread I kept thinking that it was Merick who influenced the natives on the Roman culture, but I'm probably misremembering.

Good points on the characterization. I recall an interview in which Nimoy talked about being on set, and he and Kelley are not happy with a scene between them. They suddenly receive new pages, and he related that they both sat and smiled as they read it and recognized GR's hand in the brilliant rewrite. I always imagine that the scene in their jail cell is the one he was talking about.

Sir Rhosis

 

[Therin of Andor]

Why 'Roman', 'Nazi" or '1920s Earth gangs' etc??

It was part of GR's promise to Desilu and NBC that a "parallel development" theory, very prominent in many SF novels of the day, would give an excuse to keep wardrobe and set budgets down enough that there'd be plenty of money for SPFX.

 

[Grant]

We know (or should know) why they used available props.
What some of us think is-----
show them at a certain level of tech. development, but don't bend over backwards pointing how similar it is too a certain period on Earth.
Humanoids it seems would likely go from primitive towards advanced.

So show them with hand guns and tell the story without spending 5 minutes going, "this resembles the Jesse James outlaw era in old North America"

Just write a decent story around a certain level of tech, use the old props & get on with it.

I mean they could have had Gill introduce an authoritarian system to civilize the Ekotions without having him stupid enough to use exact Nazi slogans & uniforms. Then simply say, "He has attempted to bring order to this society by advancing a draconian police state"
That's way better than, this week, Nazis in space!

 

[garakfan]

A fun episode, Trek always looks it's best when filmed outdoors in natural light. A little too Christian for my tastes though.