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Make a good episode a great one

Talos IV

Lieutenant Commander
Red Shirt
Here's a variation on the "Fix An Episode" thread from earlier ...

Take an episode that's good, and make it great. I'll start.

"Wolf in The Fold" is generally regarded as a decent episode. It begins splendidly, with one of the most arresting teasers of any episode. Then, the remaining scenes on Argelius play out well -- they're suspenseful and entertaining.

Once the episode gets up to the Enterprise, though, the episode gets talky. Real talky. The briefing room scenes go on ... and on (though I still get amused when the crew gets tranquilized).

How to make the second half of the episode as interesting as the first half?
 
I'd give more weight to how Scotty is set up as the villain - as what's told is as crass as it is contrived: McCoy states a female coworker bonked him on the head by accident and now he hates all women, so naturally the first place they go to is a pleasure planet chock full of women (was Redjek controlling everyone to a lesser degree on the ship simultaneously?)

MCCOY: My work, Jim. This is prescription stuff. Don't forget, the explosion that threw Scotty against a bulkhead was caused by a woman.
KIRK: Physically he's all right. Am I right in assuming that?
MCCOY: Oh, yes, yes. As a matter of fact, considerable psychological damage could have been caused. For example, his total resentment toward women.

Wow.

That simple, is it? McCoy is real hot to trot this story plot point... Of course, is it really plausible? Possibly but under a set of criteria that 10 seconds of throwaway dialogue isn't going to convincingly convey. So is it stretching plot credulity? Completely. The story doesn't even bother, hoping what follows will remain compelling - and to its credit often does, but not completely. Never mind that we all know that every time a female character is put on screen, she's going to be murdered. The psycho-tricorder also makes its first... and only use and I'll get to that in a tic...

Having Redjek's ability to hang out in computer circuits explained might help as well - yes, there are some great moments but how this incorporeal form can scientifically piggyback microchips as easily it does for brain chemistry and still retain its ability to do whatever the script needs... it could have been a lot more throwaway, but the initial shock - and Spock defeating it with Pi - is still a delight that outweighs the questionable moment.

So I'd fix those. Build up the plot a bit more nuanced and rely on either Redjek controlling multiple beings with less dominance and thus be easier to overtake (and that's not as much fun anyway) or spend time explaining how it can count up CPU cycles in the computer hardware's spare memory bank. The former, by far, is preferable, despite the loss of the Pi scene (which is still so well-acted. John Fielder is so underrated as an actor, but as character actors go one couldn't do much better.)

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Pretty much everything in this scene rules. Acting from all, voice echo effect, overall tone and content... creepy stuff.


Also, about Pi...
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So about psycho-tricorders... "Turnabout Intruder" would have resolved the story's big question about Janice/Kirk a lot easier than Spock's mind meld, though for dramatic reasons the mind meld works in this story's favor as Scotty points out it's not evidence. (Though CMO McCoy could still relieve Kirk under proper suspicion?)

As well as for the other plot issue in avoiding the reveal of Janice's claimed insanity, which is for the best no matter which way would have been used and if it's true the suits didn't want female captains, though given what else season 3 talks about it's clear nobody cared about the show by this point and the story itself proves it. This story can't make up its mind whether or not it's tackling the show's sexism, 23rd century sexism despite showing how humanity fixed all its other problems before then, paralleling late-60s sexism in real life on top of the show behind the scenes, if Janice is legitimately insane, or what not... and the latter issue is still the focal point to the story despite the others. The story showing her being insane, or at least bordering it, narrows down the narrative but those social commentary plot points remain floating as worse as unaddressed than an elephant farting in a peanut bar. If they didn't care about the show, Gene should have just put out what he wanted for a stronger story narrative to end the series on instead of his hodgepodge.
 
I'd give more weight to how Scotty is set up as the villain - as what's told is as crass as it is contrived: McCoy states a female coworker bonked him on the head by accident and now he hates all women, so naturally the first place they go to is a pleasure planet chock full of women (was Redjek controlling everyone to a lesser degree on the ship simultaneously?)

And is it even necessary to set it up like that? I mean, it's damning enough that Scotty is found with the murder weapon standing over the victim. That would be sufficient evidence today without any added "hatred of women" angle.

Or, to spice it up, why not have Scotty get into a fight with the victim? Instead of a romantic stroll, it's a "I'll go after her and apologize" pursuit. Perhaps the know each other prior to the episode. Perhaps they had a long standing feud or friendship. They have some history together that the opening teaser can set up to help solidify why they are together. Or just let it play out as it did.

A special effect of Redjac leaping from person to person would be visually entertaining.
 
I don't rate "Wolf in the Fold" that highly because if its old-dated sexism and bad police techniques (I haven't watched a million seasons of Cold Case, and Law and Order for nothing. There's so much basic stupidity in the episode. Yes leave Scotty (a potential murderer) alone in a room with anyone let alone a smaller woman. Kirk and McCoy were so busy trying to prove Scotty innocent that they didn't care about anyone else. I'd say Kirk is directly responsible for was it Lt Traceys death. Kirk sent Tracey into a room alone with a potential murderer. If some travelling Admiral did that Kirk would have had a fit.
However it was a sort of entertaining episode if you can ignore the death, stupidity and sexism count.

If like others suggested you take out the stupid Scotty hates the ladies remarks and ladies are scaredy cats. Actually in TOS I think more men were screaming, died of their fears, blah, blah than women.

I'd also take some of the stupidity of leaving people alone with Scott as being forced by Rejac as you know the planet's civil authority. Then Kirk doesn't look so stupid. And all horror films have really stupid victims...
Now sailors on leave, they're always looking for prostitutes or the ladies. It looked to me though Scotty had no problems with the ladies at any time and McCoy was just using it as an excuse for therapy and to pay for the prostitutes out of the medical budget. But like the Risa episodes I don't admire the crew for visiting prostitutes on leave. I've got nothing against non-exploitive prostitution but I'd prefer not to see my heroes slapping each other on the back over it. Maybe they could just say Scotty had an accident/brain injury and he needs to release his stress and not study technical manuals and the population of the planet (both male and femaile) were happy to meet up with sailors on leave. Just like the young ladies in Sydney when American warships visit.
OK and cut out the bit at the end where Kirk was going to leave drugged people in charge of a ship that could destroy a planet Leave the drugged happy people in. I thought that was fun.
 
WF is my second-favorite episode. The dialogue in the briefing room scene is some of the best in the entire franchise. Already great for me, in short!
 
I always felt that the constant return to the Enterprise bridge, with the same Doomsday Machine music and repetitive, unnecessary dialogue in Gamesters of Triskelion could have been cut. It spoils the momentum and flow of the main story.

Maybe had more of Uhura and Chekhov with their training partners.

Really we only needed maybe three scenes max on the bridge - one as they begin the search/follow the hydrogen cloud after the party disappears, maybe a midway scene, and then the final approach to the planet. It felt like half a B plot. Maybe limit it to the same sort of timing as Metamorphosis with the Scotty/bridge scenes.
 
I always felt that the constant return to the Enterprise bridge, with the same Doomsday Machine music and repetitive, unnecessary dialogue in Gamesters of Triskelion could have been cut. It spoils the momentum and flow of the main story.

Maybe had more of Uhura and Chekhov with their training partners.

Really we only needed maybe three scenes max on the bridge - one as they begin the search/follow the hydrogen cloud after the party disappears, maybe a midway scene, and then the final approach to the planet. It felt like half a B plot. Maybe limit it to the same sort of timing as Metamorphosis with the Scotty/bridge scenes.

This works. Especially since as is we have McCoy openly and publicly (and loudly) berating a superior officer about a command decision.
 
Court Martial could have had the other Starfleet personnel with their own insignia instead of using the Enterprise's or standard version plus another Starship in orbit would have looked nice (Yes I know they have the Intrepid on the remastered version) plus this episode has the feel of being very, very early in the show's run which it sort of isn't...:crazy:
JB
 
I always felt that the constant return to the Enterprise bridge, with the same Doomsday Machine music and repetitive, unnecessary dialogue in Gamesters of Triskelion could have been cut. It spoils the momentum and flow of the main story.

Maybe had more of Uhura and Chekhov with their training partners.

Really we only needed maybe three scenes max on the bridge - one as they begin the search/follow the hydrogen cloud after the party disappears, maybe a midway scene, and then the final approach to the planet. It felt like half a B plot. Maybe limit it to the same sort of timing as Metamorphosis with the Scotty/bridge scenes.
I liked the "mutiny" in Gamesters though.

I like the "Deadly Years". I think despite its flaws it was a good episode with good acting, good ageing makeup.
Its big flaws to me are the reversal of ageing and the supposed shortcut across the neutral zone.
As I've complained before I don't see how the neutral zone can be a shortcut unless its a weird shape. Also if ageing can be reversed so quickly and easily what are the implications for everyone in the future. Great I think. Universe changing. But not what we want from the episode.
To make the episode better (scientifically) I would say the problem is similar to aging but not the same and thats why the Yeoman was the first to bite the dust and that the cure was returning each person's cell to their "true" age or some other semi-believable nonsense. Also I would have the cure take a bit longer to take effect. Maybe inject it into Kirk when Stocker starts across the neutral zone.and have the Romulans take a couple of days to find them.
 
I liked the "mutiny" in Gamesters though.

I like the "Deadly Years". I think despite its flaws it was a good episode with good acting, good ageing makeup.
Its big flaws to me are the reversal of ageing and the supposed shortcut across the neutral zone.
As I've complained before I don't see how the neutral zone can be a shortcut unless its a weird shape. Also if ageing can be reversed so quickly and easily what are the implications for everyone in the future. Great I think. Universe changing. But not what we want from the episode.
To make the episode better (scientifically) I would say the problem is similar to aging but not the same and thats why the Yeoman was the first to bite the dust and that the cure was returning each person's cell to their "true" age or some other semi-believable nonsense. Also I would have the cure take a bit longer to take effect. Maybe inject it into Kirk when Stocker starts across the neutral zone.and have the Romulans take a couple of days to find them.
Yeah, for years I couldn't understand the NZ shortcut. Recently, I began to figure the Romulan side perhaps protrudes into the Fed's side, so that cutting across to the Starbase would mean cutting through that protrusion, as opposed to going around it.

As a side point, why refer to it as the Romulan NZ? If its neutral, it should simply be called the NZ, and thus no Romulans should be there ready to pounce, as occurs in DY. They should only be at the edge of the NZ from their side, and only engage with ships if they discover them in the zone (presumably by long range detection). In truth, there is an assumption that NZ = Romulan space + danger . The setup of the zone is a bit inconsistent.
 
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It was obvious that he thought it was a great idea. I think the immortal alien Jack the Ripper was supposed to be a metaphor for sexism. I didn't find it to be a good metaphor. And the part about the drugs felt like it was written by a different person entirely. I say it would have been a stronger episode if the killer was simply the cop using an unusual technology.
 
Commodore Stocker only took the Enterprise into the Romulan Neutral Zone to save time in order to help the rapidly ageing members of the command crew! He believed that the medical facilities of the Starbase were far superior to those of a Starship! To go around the Neutral Zone would have taken too long! :vulcan:
JB
 
Commodore Stocker only took the Enterprise into the Romulan Neutral Zone to save time in order to help the rapidly ageing members of the command crew! He believed that the medical facilities of the Starbase were far superior to those of a Starship! To go around the Neutral Zone would have taken too long! :vulcan:
JB
Absolutely. The point is, that the NZ must not be a clear, straight demarcation, because otherwise there's no logical way the Enterprise would need to go through it. It must be misshapen and protrude to an extent into Federation space, so that going around the rim would take longer from the Enterprise's side of the protrusion to the Starbase's side. Thus, to save time Decker cuts through the NZ. That's my interpretation, anyway.
 
Another thing about the Neutral Zone is surely neither side should be allowed inside it!!! It's a buffer area to keep both from fighting yet every time a Federation ship wanders into it, they come under fire from Romulan warships 'just keeping the peace' as it were! :vulcan:
And Stocker not Decker, Meth! :techman:
JB
 
Another thing about the Neutral Zone is surely neither side should be allowed inside it!!! It's a buffer area to keep both from fighting yet every time a Federation ship wanders into it, they come under fire from Romulan warships 'just keeping the peace' as it were! :vulcan:
And Stocker not Decker, Meth! :techman:
JB
I've thought about this many times. It's really as if the Romulans own the Neutral Zone.
 
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