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 they 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.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

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.

You don't like "A Piece of the Action"?

You're liable to be sorry unless you come across!

 

[Metryq]

I will buy the most preposterous story as long as it's presented earnestly and with a straight face.

That's why Shatner works in the role, while Hunter did not. Hunter was too damn serious and grim. But Shatner is a natural with comedy, despite your professed distaste for it. That is, Shatner could look you in the eye and deliver the most outlandish situations with a straight face. But I'd feel there was some reserve inside saying, "He's laughing at us. He's about to break into a grin and tell us not to take it so seriously." But he wouldn't crack a smile. He'd deliver it as serious drama. That "something" behind the facade is "lampshade hanging."

Lampshade Hanging - TV Tropes

Lampshade Hanging (or, more informally, "Lampshading") is the writers' trick of dealing with any element of the story that seems too dubious to take at face value, whether a very implausible plot development or a particularly blatant use of a …

tvtropes.org

I love "A Piece of the Action," while I can't stand "The Trouble With Tribbles." Both are comedy episodes. But as noted above, "Action" has serious allegory behind it. The comedy makes it easier to tell the parable in a short time, and in an entertaining way. (Look up "cargo cults") But "Tribbles" is just silly. You could squeeze blood from a stone before convincing me it is allegorical about invasive species, or some other angle. "I, Mudd" skirts the threshold, but I agree it falls more in the "just silly" territory than allegory. I enjoy it because I like Roger Carmel.

 

[SatrianiRules]

I don't think Tribbles is allegory, just a light-hearted fun episode...mainly because there was no mortal threat in the episode.

 

[Henoch]

"Whom Gods Destroy." (And actually, I never really understood why the BBC banned that one—was it the rather stark portrayal of mental illness?)

I thought it was because of Marta go boom. Poor Marta. Maybe it could be the "torture" of Dr. Cory.

 

[Ssosmcin]

You don't like "A Piece of the Action"?

You're liable to be sorry unless you come across!

Is this the first post of mine you're read? I've gone on at length at how much I dislike the full frontal comedy episodes. Other than Tribbles, which at least keeps the humor mostly character based and not reliant on absurdity.

 

[Ssosmcin]

But Shatner is a natural with comedy, despite your professed distaste for it.

I agree, and I didn't say I had a distaste for comedy. I just don't like Star Trek's full out comedy episodes. Shatner could frequently make me laugh in Star Trek, when he's not pushing for them. He's great in Tomorrow Is Yesterday. He gives just the right amount of exasperation. He's charming in Shore Leave. He has great asides in The Omega Glory, Mudd's Women and The Man Trap. I have nothing against humor in Star Trek. I just don't enjoy it when the episode is devoted to it and leans into the absurdity. Personally, I prefer The Trouble With Tribbles, because Shatner and company are in character the whole time. Kirk's frustration builds throughout and he's merciless with Baris. That's the kind of humor I like. Yes, the giant tribble pile is silly and never does much for me, but Bones running in with the "stopped feeding them" line is uproarious because it's so badly timed. It's not a life or death episode, it's just a hour of watching Kirk get frustrated. And Shatner is great. I don't need Star Trek to have a big message every week. I never watch it for that reason anyway.

Bread and Circuses is also terrific with the satire, I consider it one of Trek's best comedies and sharpest commentary because Roddenberry knew the subject well. And everyone is on point, delivering the jabs with just the right touch.

But APOTA with the "all right youz mugs" never does anything for me (aside from Nimoy's amazing "I'd advise yas ta keep dialiin' Oxmyx") and the Fizzbin was funny when I was a kid, but less so now.

I, Mudd is just a chore. The music is awful and everyone is aiming for the cheap seats.

 

[Metryq]

He's great in Tomorrow Is Yesterday.

One of his best comments in that episode is when the Air Policeman is beamed up. He doesn't say a word, just lightly slaps his thigh, and the look on his face is, "Great!"

Again, lots of memorable bits here and there throughout the episode. But like far too many time travel stories, it invokes paradoxes. No one has ever time traveled, so we must base our stories on cause-and-effect logic. Without that, it is fantasy, not "science" fiction. You can't pull a Ben Finney with the real world and change what happens. That doesn't make the episode unwatchable, but it does defuse the plot.