Yes. Whenever it’s shown on tv I always wonder if some of the rejected scripts considered with ATCSL were worse than this episode.
Episodes you once disliked and now love (or vice versa)
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Yes. Whenever it’s shown on tv I always wonder if some of the rejected scripts considered with ATCSL were worse than this episode.
I don't think there are any that I liked years ago, that I like less now. I do appreciate a lot of the lesser quality episodes now, versus years ago. Something like "The Apple" or "Specter of the Gun". Maybe it is just a side effect of newer Trek losing my interest?
I watched all the third season episodes recently, and I was pleasantly surprised by the general level of quality, even among episodes that get dragged by fans and among episodes that never really did much for me in the past. ('The Lights of Zetar,' 'That Which Survives,' etc). Best of all, the episodes were different (in subject matter, tone, aesthetics, music) from earlier seasons-- and often stranger. They significantly contribute to the overall richness of the series, even if they are, on balance, weaker than earlier episodes. But 'And the Children...' still does nothing for me. I don't even think of it as egregiously bad, which would at least be interesting, in its own way. (I find 'The Alternative Factor' an interesting watch, although not for the reasons the show intended). 'And the Children...' is just a 15 minute sketch of an idea stretched out to 48 minutes. (Seriously, how long was Sulu looking at those swords and Uhura looking at her aged image?) Worst of all, the scary-kid thing was already done, far more effectively, in 'Miri'. It's just lame television.
The Schizoid Man. Wouldn't say I love it, but I can appreciate it. As a kid it bothered me quite a bit to be seeing Ira Graves in Data's body and mind, to be acting in a way that was so wrong and un-Data. I didn't however, have any problem with Lore or any of the other 'Data isn't Data and is BAD NOW!' episodes, just Schizoid Man. Not sure why that was, but whatever. Point being, Schizoid Man is good. My eleven-year-old self, however, would have vehemently disagreed.
I am doing a rewatch of S1 as we speak. In production order. Miri stuck out for me as being better than I remembered and it's reputation.
Now, the exact Earth duplicate stuff is absurd, but beyond the annoying kids (nyah ne yah neyah yah), I thought it was pretty good.
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My rewatch is slowly proceeding, and I think I may have one on the negative side.
I have fond memories of "The Galileo Seven." If you'd have asked me to rate it before, I'd likely have said top 30 for sure. Not a classic, but top half easily.
But on rewatch, it was kind of dumb. I mean, why not just stun the things? Spock acts like killing them is the only option.
I mean, I get the rest of it. The whole, you have to use more than logic angle and Spock learning that lesson. But supposedly smart characters making dumb decisions, especially when an obvious in-universe alternative is there, is the thing that usually sticks in my craw the most. For others, it could be cannon, or bad effects, or a poor premise.
Now, maybe if the character is acting emotionally or is overwrought or something. But that is no excuse for Spock.
I'm halfway through S1, and if you asked me to rank them, I'd have "Galileo Seven" at the bottom with "The Man Trap." The same issue in both, just stun the thing already. Or give it salt and a place to live, FFS.
I have fond memories of "The Galileo Seven." If you'd have asked me to rate it before, I'd likely have said top 30 for sure. Not a classic, but top half easily.
But on rewatch, it was kind of dumb. I mean, why not just stun the things? Spock acts like killing them is the only option.
I mean, I get the rest of it. The whole, you have to use more than logic angle and Spock learning that lesson. But supposedly smart characters making dumb decisions, especially when an obvious in-universe alternative is there, is the thing that usually sticks in my craw the most. For others, it could be cannon, or bad effects, or a poor premise.
Now, maybe if the character is acting emotionally or is overwrought or something. But that is no excuse for Spock.
I'm halfway through S1, and if you asked me to rank them, I'd have "Galileo Seven" at the bottom with "The Man Trap." The same issue in both, just stun the thing already. Or give it salt and a place to live, FFS.
Yesterday I saw a police video on the news of NYC subway cops repeatedly tasing a man who had a knife. With each taser shot, he's annoyed for a second and plucks the leads out of his shirt. In order to be non-lethal on most people, stun weapons need to be weak.
The Taurus II anthropoids were ten feet tall, could easily weight 800 pounds, and to top it off they had thick, furry pelts as insulation. I think the hand phaser stun setting would not even register as a weapon to them. At most It would smack them a little, like a hardy teenager getting tagged in dodge ball. They would just get angrier.
My first opinions of ‘Is There In Truth No Beauty’ were less than favorable, but gradually over the years I came to understand the story. I thought David Frankham was outstanding as Larry Marvick.
As a child I thought this line was scary and he delivered it believably.
"We mustn't sleep! They come in your dreams! That's the worst! They suffocate in your dreams!"
At around age 42 I got obstructive sleep apnea, and in some ways it's more disturbing now. I don't know how I would live with my breathing machine.
Always wondered if Wes Craven ever saw that episode and kept that line in the back of his mind for years until he came up with Freddy Krueger...
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