I Don’t Watch This Episode Until…

[johnnybear]

One Lazarus was mentally ill and the other one wasn't. One Lazarus went up a hill and fell off, two Lazurus's went up a hill and fell off, but which one was it and if you're watching the BBC edit you'll never know!!!!
JB

 

[Ssosmcin]

Nothing could save "The Alternative Factor." You'd have to cut it down to the titles. The "story," such as it is, is based on Lost in Space quality science—where the evil twin has to meet his good counterpart to cause a matter-antimatter annihilation, yet each is perfectly fine walking about in an alternate universe. And there's not a single line of dialog in the entire episode that makes any sense. Couple that with all the "mystery" and melodrama, and you have a total bust of an episode.

I'm funny about 60's sci-fi shows. I will buy the most preposterous story as long as it's presented earnestly and with a straight face. So you'll see me sit through Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea's most idiotic episodes because Irwin Allen demanded the cast take it with deadly seriousness. Lost in Space is a show I will watch when the episodes do the same thing - I have zero patience with the comedy episodes (which means I like about a third of the episodes overall).

Star Trek is the same thing. I will watch The Alternative Factor, Plato's Stepchildren, Spock's Brain, hell even And the Children Shall lead a dozen times before I suffer through I, Mudd or A Piece of the Action again because the premise's of the others are played totally straight. As ridiculous as the individual episodes might be, for the CHARACTERS, it's life or death. For the actors, it's serious business. And the sell it. So I buy it.

For that reason, I will always enjoy The Alternative Factor. It's when Star Trek becomes amused with itself that I tune out.