My top 79 TOS episodes
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My number one episode from TOS would have to be The Doomsday Machine
The Doomsday Machine is in my top five:
1. Mirror, Mirror
2. The Ultimate Computer
3. The Doomsday Machine
4. The Trouble with Tribbles
5. The Squire of Gothos
A very interesting summation of each episode and concise explanations of why you like them.
I'm sure everyone who loves TOS would debate some of your choices and rank the episodes somewhat differently, but nonetheless I really enjoyed reading your perspectives.
I'd have a hard time ranking the episodes because I find something to like in almost all of them. I find it somewhat easier to mention those that don't work well for me.
- "And The Children Shall Lead" -- This just doesn't work for me. At the core is a decent story screaming to get out, but the execution is very clumsy. I might have accepted the Gorgan's and children's manipulations more easily if the crew's reactions hadn't been so overplayed and comical, and not in a good way but in a cringing embarrassing way.
- "Whom Gods Destroy" -- Not nearly as failed as ATCSL, but I find logic flaws here really hurt the story's credibility.
- "The Mark Of Gideon" -- How in freaking hell did a non Federation world get hold of exact plans for the Enterprise? And even allowing that they managed to do it all Kirk had to do was go to his quarters and he likely would have clued in pretty fast that this wasn't the real ship. The whole logic flawed gimmick this story is founded on gives me heavy bowel movement.
- "The Lights Of Zetar" -- What really bothers me here is Scotty's behaviour. Yes, we'd seen him go gaga over women before, but never this bad. And this is the only episode that really shows Shatner acting so distinctly in the manner of which he's been caricatured by standup comics over the ensuing decades.
- "Wink Of An Eye" -- Okay I can set the bad science aside. There's actually some fun in this episode. But I found Deela to be such an airhead and not much of an improvement over the Morg women from "Spock's Brain."
I'm sure everyone who loves TOS would debate some of your choices and rank the episodes somewhat differently, but nonetheless I really enjoyed reading your perspectives.
I'd have a hard time ranking the episodes because I find something to like in almost all of them. I find it somewhat easier to mention those that don't work well for me.
- "And The Children Shall Lead" -- This just doesn't work for me. At the core is a decent story screaming to get out, but the execution is very clumsy. I might have accepted the Gorgan's and children's manipulations more easily if the crew's reactions hadn't been so overplayed and comical, and not in a good way but in a cringing embarrassing way.
- "Whom Gods Destroy" -- Not nearly as failed as ATCSL, but I find logic flaws here really hurt the story's credibility.
- "The Mark Of Gideon" -- How in freaking hell did a non Federation world get hold of exact plans for the Enterprise? And even allowing that they managed to do it all Kirk had to do was go to his quarters and he likely would have clued in pretty fast that this wasn't the real ship. The whole logic flawed gimmick this story is founded on gives me heavy bowel movement.
- "The Lights Of Zetar" -- What really bothers me here is Scotty's behaviour. Yes, we'd seen him go gaga over women before, but never this bad. And this is the only episode that really shows Shatner acting so distinctly in the manner of which he's been caricatured by standup comics over the ensuing decades.
- "Wink Of An Eye" -- Okay I can set the bad science aside. There's actually some fun in this episode. But I found Deela to be such an airhead and not much of an improvement over the Morg women from "Spock's Brain."
This is the funniest thing I've read today. Thanks!
TheLonelySquire
Vice Admiral
How BoT is not in there is beyond me!
Wow, you have And The Children Shall Lead at 59. Persinally, I'd have it in my 'absolute failures' list.
ToddPence, thanks so much for linking to that! You're the man.
TheLonelySquire, Balance Of Terror makes it just inside my top 25, which means I think it's excellent. Even so, I'm aware that's much lower than it traditionally places in such lists, but I was not totally sold on the logistics of the battle itself, which play such an important role in the episode. Nevertheless, it is a superb script and very well acted, so its status as fan favorite is well earned. Think of this placement not as a slight against a terrific, top-tier episode, but rather an indication of just how many great episodes the series has on offer.
And Warped9, thank you so much for your comments. I know that Whom Gods Destroy is often derided, but I got a huge kick out of it. Perhaps I was too busy passively enjoying the proceedings to notice some shoddy storytelling, but I did not detect any overwhelming threats to logic. I suppose it could also be that I'm not as strict about such things as many others, but it really is very important that a story make sense, so I'll certainly bear your criticisms in mind on my next viewing.
I agree with you that The Mark Of Gideon has some crippling flaws. I love the scenes aboard the empty Enterprise, but you're right that its existence is highly contrived. But that's the least of the Gideons' problems; both their dilemma and their chosen solution make absolutely no sense to me. Nevertheless, I have a hard time dismissing outright an episode that has so much else going for it, particularly Spock's excellent turn as commander in Kirk's absence, his hilarious interactions with the exasperated Scotty, and Kirk's scenes aboard the empty ship.. The premise is faulty, but I felt they built some truly great things around it.
Funny that you mention Shatner's acting in The Lights Of Zetar; I hadn't noticed that about this individual performance, but I'll try to remember your comment the next time I see it. I was a little disappointed (well, not really) throughout watching the series at how subdued his performances were compared to the legendary reputation he has for this role. As to Scotty in this episode, I think it's perfect characterization building on what we learned of his romantic foibles in episodes like Who Mourns For Adonais? and Wolf In The Fold. He's a total putz, and it's nice to see one of our heroes with some heavy flaws, adding a terrific sense of realism to a generally one-note character. I feel like I know him so much better after this episode.
If I expect Scotty to be absolutely hopeless with the ladies, I know that Kirk will more than make up for him. Particularly by that point in the series, I'm almost disappointed if a woman comes onscreen and doesn't fall head over heels for the Captain. So, Deela's only reacting like any rational woman would when confronted with this sexual tyrannosaurus. These women are rarely interesting themselves because they're all acting under the same spell; what is interesting, though, are the different ways Kirk reacts to them, and that's very much at play in Wink Of An Eye. But above all else, I just love the episode's high-flying premise. Wink Of An Eye is a lot of fun all around.
Noname_Given, you too have expressed some surprise at my "high" placement for And The Children Shall Lead. I am fully aware that it's universally despised, but it's nowhere near as disastrous as I hoped/feared. In fact, the third season really let me down as a whole by being of a generally much higher quality than I'd been led all these years to expect. The episode has a totally demented premise, and it's totally demented in its execution. These children pump their fists and suddenly the crew is giving these incredibly awkward, over-the-top performances. It's actually pretty hilarious, and I think a more successful example of the kind of comedy at work in Spock's Brain. Spock's Brain suffers because the episode is not as relentlessly ridiculous. It's sort of half-unbelievably ridiculous, half-typically interesting adventure. But not And The Children Shall Lead; that one is wacky to its core. Don't get me wrong, it'll never be a favorite, but I do find it a unique kind of success.
TheLonelySquire, Balance Of Terror makes it just inside my top 25, which means I think it's excellent. Even so, I'm aware that's much lower than it traditionally places in such lists, but I was not totally sold on the logistics of the battle itself, which play such an important role in the episode. Nevertheless, it is a superb script and very well acted, so its status as fan favorite is well earned. Think of this placement not as a slight against a terrific, top-tier episode, but rather an indication of just how many great episodes the series has on offer.
And Warped9, thank you so much for your comments. I know that Whom Gods Destroy is often derided, but I got a huge kick out of it. Perhaps I was too busy passively enjoying the proceedings to notice some shoddy storytelling, but I did not detect any overwhelming threats to logic. I suppose it could also be that I'm not as strict about such things as many others, but it really is very important that a story make sense, so I'll certainly bear your criticisms in mind on my next viewing.
I agree with you that The Mark Of Gideon has some crippling flaws. I love the scenes aboard the empty Enterprise, but you're right that its existence is highly contrived. But that's the least of the Gideons' problems; both their dilemma and their chosen solution make absolutely no sense to me. Nevertheless, I have a hard time dismissing outright an episode that has so much else going for it, particularly Spock's excellent turn as commander in Kirk's absence, his hilarious interactions with the exasperated Scotty, and Kirk's scenes aboard the empty ship.. The premise is faulty, but I felt they built some truly great things around it.
Funny that you mention Shatner's acting in The Lights Of Zetar; I hadn't noticed that about this individual performance, but I'll try to remember your comment the next time I see it. I was a little disappointed (well, not really) throughout watching the series at how subdued his performances were compared to the legendary reputation he has for this role. As to Scotty in this episode, I think it's perfect characterization building on what we learned of his romantic foibles in episodes like Who Mourns For Adonais? and Wolf In The Fold. He's a total putz, and it's nice to see one of our heroes with some heavy flaws, adding a terrific sense of realism to a generally one-note character. I feel like I know him so much better after this episode.
If I expect Scotty to be absolutely hopeless with the ladies, I know that Kirk will more than make up for him. Particularly by that point in the series, I'm almost disappointed if a woman comes onscreen and doesn't fall head over heels for the Captain. So, Deela's only reacting like any rational woman would when confronted with this sexual tyrannosaurus. These women are rarely interesting themselves because they're all acting under the same spell; what is interesting, though, are the different ways Kirk reacts to them, and that's very much at play in Wink Of An Eye. But above all else, I just love the episode's high-flying premise. Wink Of An Eye is a lot of fun all around.
Noname_Given, you too have expressed some surprise at my "high" placement for And The Children Shall Lead. I am fully aware that it's universally despised, but it's nowhere near as disastrous as I hoped/feared. In fact, the third season really let me down as a whole by being of a generally much higher quality than I'd been led all these years to expect. The episode has a totally demented premise, and it's totally demented in its execution. These children pump their fists and suddenly the crew is giving these incredibly awkward, over-the-top performances. It's actually pretty hilarious, and I think a more successful example of the kind of comedy at work in Spock's Brain. Spock's Brain suffers because the episode is not as relentlessly ridiculous. It's sort of half-unbelievably ridiculous, half-typically interesting adventure. But not And The Children Shall Lead; that one is wacky to its core. Don't get me wrong, it'll never be a favorite, but I do find it a unique kind of success.
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