Gary MItchell might not have known much about Finnegan and Ruth. He did not attend the Academy until Kirk held the rank of lieutenant, sometime in the late 2250s.
Saavik was a lieutenant at the Academy. Mitchell may have known KIrk as a lieutenant at the Academy. Kirk was at the Academy 15 years ago. Is it reasonable to be a lieutenant at the Academy 15 years ago? That gives him 15 years to be a LT, LT CMDR, CMDR, and then captain. Heck, throw in a LT jr grade.
What an odd episode. It's as if everyone had ADD or was easily distracted by random objects. "I'm just going to collect flora samples and oh look, a revolver! Let's start shooting things" or "Let's hunt that tiger and meet on the other side of the hill. Oh look, a pretty flower. I'm going to stop looking for the tiger and smell the flowers."
Ugh.
OK, how much time between this and the previous episode(s)? What has the crew been through in the past 3 months that made shore leave so important? Just 2 episodes ago the entire crew was evacuated off the Enterprise in "Court Martial." This had to give most some down time. Plus the repair time. Definitely equal or more than the time they spent at the Shore Leave planet.
I do like how "Love 'em and Leave 'em Kirk" straightens up when he realizes his yeoman is massaging his back. He's not mixing work with pleasure. Clear boundaries between him and those under his command.
Sulu! And we keep with his botany background! Nice nod to continuity. With only 400+ crew we shouldn't be surprised to see people with multiple skills and using those multiple skills in their job.
Now here is our first oddity or incongruity that should have alerted our intrepid crew. Such a lush world has no animal life? Really? Does that seem right to anyone? This should have been a major red flag that something isn't right here. This is not a natural planet.
Speaking of artificial, interesting idea that everything is made out of plant life. Vegetation used as construction material. Almost like it was all... replicated from bio matter... or something.
Now the crew starts acting oddly on the planet. McCoy sees the white rabbit and Alice. He at first reacts normally. He's perplexed and calls for Sulu. Sulu arrives but doesn't see anything. Maybe McCoy is seeing things. Still, at this point, a call to the ship is made, but McCoy isn't overly concerned. He is reporting the oddity, yes, but it's not presented nor treated like a serious situation. It's laughed off. Odd.
More crew beam down and begin seeing things. Do they withdraw? Evacuate the planet? Nope. Cancel shore leave, yes, but we're gonna stick around and blunder across this glade. With each and every new sigh the crew forgets what they are doing. As I noted above Sulu acts like it's normal to find an antique revolver laying on the ground. He picks it up and starts target shooting because, hey, when you find an antique Earth firearm on a planet far from Earth what else are you going to do but shoot it? McCoy and Barrows are walking along and they see clothes hanging from a branch and both of them think it's a good idea for Barrows to change clothes? What? It's like everyone is easily distracted. They are almost child-like. Maybe there was something in the atmosphere - a gas or microbe or something - that affected our crew. These are not the actions of trained professionals exploring unusual events on a planet that could potentially be a threat.
That has to be it. Hallucinatory drugs. Pollen. Gas. Psychic mental influence from whatever was reading their thoughts. It made them act odd.
Yes, this is the same actress that played Angela Martine from "Balance of Terror." Her last name here is Teller. Perhaps she changed her name? Twin sister? Her first name is still Angela, though. "My fiance died so I'm changing my name. And I'm not taking his name, either."
Wait. What is going on in some of these people's heads? Maybe I don't want to know. Sulu walks along this lush beautiful planet and starts thinking about antique revolvers, tigers and samurai. Rodriguez and Martine/Teller start thinking about WWII era planes that change between Japanese Zeroes and US Corsairs (and go from 1 plane to 2 back to 1). Kirk thinks about a bully from the Academy.
Does Barrows have rape fantasies? Don Juan is her illusion, her fantasy. He comes to abduct her. She screams and protests. Definitely not a scene that would have been done today. Makes me wonder how a modern "Shore Leave" would have been produced.
Another nod to continuity with Kirk's Academy days description. Mitchell called him a stack of books with legs. This episode Kirk himself describes his personality at the Academy as "grim" as to the level of seriousness he took life and his studies.
Finnegan wears a starburst patch similar to Starbase 11 personnel. Is this the Starfleet logo? Is Finnegan's smaller than the ones from the last 2 episodes? Smaller because it's a cadet patch? Is it different in any other way?
Kirk likes the older women. Ruth hasn't aged since Kirk saw her 15 years earlier at the Academy. If we go by actors ages as equal to character ages, then Ruth would be about 12 years older than a 20 year old Kirk.
The only answer is that McCoy was not fatally injured and the tricorders were misreading or the results altered to make it appear he was dead.
Yes, there is no explanation for the power drain from the ship. If it was in order to make the illusions, then that drain should continue the whole time the crew are using the planet. Maybe it was a drain as the planet scanned the ships computers to learn how to make these bio-mechanical illusions.
Vasquez! Is this our first sighting of this location?
Stardate 3025.3. Are we now 3 years into the 5 year mission?
Kirk is definitely more affected by the influence of this planet than the Psi 2000 virus nor the Venus Drug. "Look, Finnegan! I must beat him up. Look, Ruth! I must woo her." He had little to no control over his actions. Again, must be some kind of drug or outside mental influence inhibiting or affecting judgement and rational thought.
So, all is well that ends well. Meet the caretaker and the crew is granted shore leave after everything is made clear. Only, we don't tell the crew what's going on. Let them figure it out for themselves that these are fantasy bio-mechanical illusions safe for their amusement. This is a planet sized holodeck or Westworld. Only the participants do not know it and think it's real.
I don't want it to appear I'm copying Poltargyst's list making skills, but here is another list
Kirk Love Meter
Little Blonde Lab Technician
Jancie Rand
Evie
Miri (In the line of duty)
Helen Noel
Lieutenant Helen Johansson
Lenore Karidian (In the line of duty)
Areel Shaw
Ruth
McCoy Love Meter
Nancy Crater
Tonia Barrows
